this month's
Ink Pellet contains
Dear in the spotlight
Producer, social commentator, author and now performer, Susan Elkin met the West End Producer to chat about his alter ego and recent successful Edinburgh run.
Training Central
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama is the UK’s largest drama school and has more than eleven hundred full time students. Susan Elkin provides an insight.
Reading Charter
Susan Elkin chatted to Cressida Cowell, new Children’s Laureate, about her journey and aspirations for her tenure.
Youthquake
This Autumn, Zest Theatre’s Youthquake, described as part show, part TED Talk and part party will be staged in 12 venues nationwide. The devised play, inspired by young people across the UK, is Artistic Director Toby Ealden’s most ambitious project yet and gives a powerful insight into the hidden lives and minds of Teen Britain. Here we catch up with director Toby Ealden to find out more.
LAMDA Examinations
Ensuring they remain as relevant as ever, LAMDA have introduced new syllabi for Communication, Performance, Group and Introductory. Susan Elkin spoke to LAMDA to find out more.
Into Film Festival
Now in its 7th year, the Into Film Festival returns this autumn bigger and bolder than ever, with free screenings and special events.
The Lion King
As Disney’s The Lion King celebrates its 20th anniversary in London, we look at the education opportunities available with Nancy Shakerley, Education and Outreach Manager at Disney Theatrical Productions
Play them classical music
A lifelong lover of classical music, Susan Elkin extols its virtues and implores you to expose your students to more of it, for their benefit and possibly yours!
Modern Attractions
Taking in two current shows at the Tate Modern, our exhibition correspondent Graham Hooper was moved by the forces at work.
The Worst Witch – Vaudeville Theatre
Transferred from Royal and Derngate Northampton, which produced it last year, to the Vaudeville for a short West End summer run The Worst Witch is humane, funny and beautifully staged.
Library
Ink Pellet’s book review section covers an eclectic selection of new fiction, teachers’ guides, audio books and classics.
Many of our reviews are written by teachers, so we have an expert eye on how texts will work in the classroom. We hope to create a useful archive of reviews so that you can use this as a reference. If you would like to join our panel of reviewers, please join in or email the editor Lesley.finlay@inkwellpress.co.uk We hope the section inspires you to share new fiction with your pupils or to revisit old favourites yourself
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After changing their approach to school engagement six years ago, Oldham’s Coliseum Theatre’s secondary education partnership scheme is thriving, benefitting its wonderfully diverse community. Mark Glover headed to the town to find out more. As I wait to meet Carly Barclay, Head of Learning at the Coliseum Theatre, suddenly, there’s a huge clap of thunder, […]
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Mountview has moved to Peckham. Forget the notion of north and south London being in different countries. Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, whose name derives from its old London phone prefix, has cheerfully crossed the divide and is now a proud Southwark resident in a sparkling, spacious new home. Susan Elkin went to explore. Founded […]
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Long famous as an art college, Wimbledon College of Arts – part of University Arts London – is diversifying. From next year if will offer two new courses: BA (Hons) Acting & Performance and BA (Hons) Contemporary Theatre and Performance and the current college site is being upgraded and developed site to accommodate this work. Susan Elkin paid a visit.
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Susan Elkin puts the case for arts teachers to encourage students to embrace healthy eating and lifestyle. Hardly a day goes by without a hand-wringing news item about worsening obesity and the trouble it is likely to cause if it isn’t already doing so: not least unaffordable NHS costs. In the last month alone, we’ve […]
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Graham Hooper took time out during half-term, watching The Clock at the Tate Modern. I’m queuing to watch a film. Nothing unusual there, except this film is 24 hours long. Yes, that’s right, a whole day and night of big screen action. I say action, it’s mainly people looking at their watch, or a clock. […]
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Writer and director Debbie Isitt tells us about bringing the much-loved festive movie to the stage. For anyone who hasn’t seen the hit Christmas film, what is Nativity! The Musical about? It’s a classic story about a group of underdog kids in a challenging primary school trying to put on the best nativity play they […]
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Stephanie Rutherford, actor musician currently touring in The Sign of Four with Blackeyed Theatre, chats to Susan Elkin
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DNA – a collaboration between Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Susan Elkin discovers more. It is very unusual for a regional theatre to collaborate with a drama school as Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch is doing with Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. The joint project is a production of […]
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“The Into Film Festival presented wonderful opportunities for our students, most of whom rarely visit the cinema. It was more than just a cinema visit, it was an entire package. I would recommend the Festival to all teachers.” Leila Hinks, St Andrews Primary School Free cinema trips and resources to engage young minds through the […]
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Susan Elkin chats to James Grimsey, vocal coach and Creative Director at Arts1 School of Performance, about training a voice and dispelling a few myths. The human voice is a very subtle and complex thing. And James Grimsey is utterly fascinated by it. “The more you learn about the voice and how it works the […]