this month's
Ink Pellet contains
RSC AND FOYLE FOUNDATION LAUNCH THE RSC SHAKESPEARE CURRICULUM
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Foyle Foundation joined by leading actors, including Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen & Adjoa Andoh, have launched the RSC Shakespeare Curriculum, a revolutionary new way of studying Shakespeare using the latest learning technology and innovation. The Shakespeare Curriculum is the most important development in the teaching of Shakespeare in a […]
Musical Polymath
Joanna MacGregor CBE, 66, is a concert pianist, conductor and innovator. Susan Elkin spoke to her. As the Zoom connection flashes on I see Joanna’s very familiar face in a light, bright room surrounded by pianos. “I’m in my teaching room at Royal Academy of Music”, Professor Joanna MacGregor tells me cheerfully. “This is a […]
The Boy at the Back of the Class
Ahead of its upcoming new UK tour, The Boy at the Back of the Class author Onjali Q. Raúf chatted with Ink Pellet about its increased relevance in today’s fractured society and the associated education resources developed for schools. First published in 2018, The Boy at the Back of the Class has won many awards […]
Reduced Shakespeare Company tour
Ahead of new UK tour, co-writer and director Adam Long found time to chat with Susan Elkin about the exciting new cast and associated education pack developed for schools. The Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC) is back with a six-month, nationwide tour of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) visiting 29 venues from Chipping Norton […]
Playing Mr Wickham
Adrian Lukis, 68, played Mr Wickham in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and has a developed a one man show based on that. Susan Elkin spoke to him. Read the full interview in the January 2026 issue at: http://bit.ly/IP163Jan26
Global Playwright
BIG INTERVIEW Global Playwright Oladipo “Dipo” Agboluaje, 57, is a British/Nigerian playwright best known for Early Morning (2003) and lya-lle (The First Wife) which won the Alfred Fargon Award in 2009. Susan Elkin talked to him. Dipo was born in Hackney, but his family returned to Nigeria when he was nine. “So I did all […]
ROYAL COURT YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS AWARD
The 2026 Young Playwrights Award is now officially nation-wide! Do you have an idea or a story to tell? Can you imagine it performed live, by actors on a stage? It’s time to start your playwriting journey. The Young Playwrights Award is a free, open-access competition for any teenager in the UK interested in writing a play, […]
VOICED: THE FESTIVAL FOR ENDANGERED LANGUAGES
With half of the world’s languages threatened to fall silent by the end of the century comes the first ever UK festival Voiced: The Festival for Endangered Languages, celebrating the power of language and art by highlighting endangered global and local languages through a creative festival. Throughout October, the Barbican, London will be filled with an explosion of voices and […]
NATIONAL THEATRE EXPANDS SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
The National Theatre has announced its autumn programme for schools across the UK, deepening its work with young people to support its continued ambition to reach every child in the UK before they leave school. Over 90% of state secondary schools are already signed up to access the National Theatre Collection to stream world-leading theatre directly […]
The National Plan for Drama and Theatre Education
Following feedback from drama teachers, educators and other interested parties, The National Plan for Drama and Theatre Education document is now completed and you can find a direct link to the pdf here. This is a mammoth achievement and a feat of collaboration. It has been widely circulated including to the DfE Team, whose members are also […]
The arts magazine for teachers
Like many I’m sure, I had hoped that the start of the new year would bring renewed energy and a more settled world for us to face. It must be especially daunting for young people today to envisage the future with so much hostility and conflict constantly in the news and the sheer unpredictability from so called world leaders. Perhaps this is why there has been a marked increase in young people attending church and sales of the Bible booming, as they search for answers to make sense of it all?
Theatre and literature can also play a vital role in putting world events into perspective and gives us hope for a more enlightened future. In this issue, we chatted to Onjali Q, Raúf, author of ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’, which is about to embark on another extensive UK wide tour. This book and play offer such hope, helping to educate young people about those from different backgrounds, promoting friendship, kindness and acceptance of others. Particularly pertinent is the message to stand up to bullies!
Also in this issue, our Big Interview is with the wonderful and multi-talented Joanna MacGregor, hoping to reinvigorate classical music into mainstream public awareness, plus we feature the Reduced Shakespeare Company ahead of its latest UK tour, with a young, diverse cast aiming to bring the magic of these plays to new audiences. We also paid a visit to the Sylvia Young Theatre School to discover how it is evolving and continuing to balance academic excellence with performing arts training and took a ‘Coffee Break’ to chat with Adrian Lukis, touring with his play ‘Playing Mr Wickham‘.
John
Joanna MacGregor CBE, 66, is a concert pianist, conductor and innovator. Susan Elkin spoke to her. As the Zoom connection flashes on I see Joanna’s very familiar face in a light, bright room surrounded by pianos. “I’m in my teaching room at Royal Academy of Music”, Professor Joanna MacGregor tells me cheerfully. “This is a […]
Ahead of its upcoming new UK tour, The Boy at the Back of the Class author Onjali Q. Raúf chatted with Ink Pellet about its increased relevance in today’s fractured society and the associated education resources developed for schools. First published in 2018, The Boy at the Back of the Class has won many awards […]
Ahead of new UK tour, co-writer and director Adam Long found time to chat with Susan Elkin about the exciting new cast and associated education pack developed for schools. The Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC) is back with a six-month, nationwide tour of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) visiting 29 venues from Chipping Norton […]
Adrian Lukis, 68, played Mr Wickham in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and has a developed a one man show based on that. Susan Elkin spoke to him. Read the full interview in the January 2026 issue at: http://bit.ly/IP163Jan26
Top Gs Like Me is a new play by Samson Hawkins which premieres at Royal and Derngate, Northampton in February 2026. Susan Elkin chats to Anna Simpson about the workshops and CPD sessions they are coordinating with the production. “We are very proud of Samson. He’s a local playwright who has been working dramaturgically with […]
BIG INTERVIEW Global Playwright Oladipo “Dipo” Agboluaje, 57, is a British/Nigerian playwright best known for Early Morning (2003) and lya-lle (The First Wife) which won the Alfred Fargon Award in 2009. Susan Elkin talked to him. Dipo was born in Hackney, but his family returned to Nigeria when he was nine. “So I did all […]
Artistic director of Nottingham Playhouse, Adam Penford, 45, talks to Susan Elkin especially about Punch which opened at Apollo Theatre London this month and simultaneously on Broadway. “Yes” chuckles Adam, who is talking to me via Zoom from New York, where he is in rehearsals. “It is very unusual for a new play to open […]
Chris Power, 50, is a novelist, reviewer, teacher and judge for the 2025 Booker Prize. Susan Elkin spoke to him. Chris Power is on holiday in Sweden when I catch up with him. “Yes,” he says cheerfully. “This is the lakeside house that my Swedish wife grew up in and we’re here on holiday with […]
The 2026 Young Playwrights Award is now officially nation-wide! Do you have an idea or a story to tell? Can you imagine it performed live, by actors on a stage? It’s time to start your playwriting journey. The Young Playwrights Award is a free, open-access competition for any teenager in the UK interested in writing a play, […]
With half of the world’s languages threatened to fall silent by the end of the century comes the first ever UK festival Voiced: The Festival for Endangered Languages, celebrating the power of language and art by highlighting endangered global and local languages through a creative festival. Throughout October, the Barbican, London will be filled with an explosion of voices and […]