this month's
Ink Pellet contains
Punching Hard
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 […]
First Encounters: King Lear
Once more taking Shakespeare to schools and communities around the country, Susan Elkin caught up with the RSC in Birmingham for an inspiring afternoon. “But nothing will come of nothing” called an irrepressible, totally engaged girl of about nine in response to Oliver Senton as a fine King Lear gasping his incredulous “Nothing?” in the […]
Prize Writer
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 […]
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 […]
BROADWAY LICENSING GLOBAL OFFERS UK TEACHERS FREE PERUSALS FOR HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD SECONDARY SCHOOL EDITION
The Critically Acclaimed Show Has Now Been Adapted for UK Secondary Schools (London)—Broadway Licensing Global London, Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions are thrilled to announce that secondary school teachers can now sign up for a free perusal script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Secondary School Edition. BLG London […]
A Final Haunt
After 33 extraordinary years, Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black will haunt the stage of the Fortune Theatre for the final time, as the production ends in the West End on Saturday 4th March 2023. PW Productions announce that after 33 extraordinary years in London’s West End, the theatrical sensation that is Susan Hill’s THE […]
Reaching for the Moon
Susan Elkin paid a visit to Half Moon theatre in London’s East End to chat with CEO Chris Elwell about their extensive education outreach and innovative theatre programmes. Half Moon Theatre sits in the heart of Limehouse in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, spitting distance from the DLR and mainline station. Formerly a pretty […]
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Art galleries have to do more than hang pictures on walls, they have to deliver education programmes, to innovate, and be relevant. They may also have to save towns in decline. Along with these pressures, the scramble for Arts Council money came on top. LESLEY FINLAY profiles some of the lucky winners…
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Globe Education has teamed up with Deutsche Bank in an innovative partnership that gives students the chance to enjoy Shakespeare for free. The season, called Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank, has brought 50,000 students to Shakespeare since its inception five years ago. Here teacher TRACEY PHILLIPSON shares her experience of the play alongside students Tugce Yigit and Emily Redif…
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LESLEY FINLAY caught up with actor and comedian Richard Blackwood as he seeks to right the wrongs of his troubled past in Shrek The Musical…
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We love film at Ink Pellet, because it can really bring a text to life and stimulates imagination in even the most intransigent of pupils. The education charity FILMCLUB is helping more young people understand the power of film, as its head of schools SABRINA BROADBENT argues…
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Our Keith Gaines (good grammar school boy) has a ponder about the Government's Social Mobility Strategy...and finds it wanting.
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Anthony Horowitz is one of our most celebrated children’s authors. He is also an outspoken advocate for reading and literacy. LESLEY FINLAY enjoyed a chat with him…
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Our reviewer IRFAN SHAH was bowled over by the innovative The Mill - City of Dreams, that tellls the story of an old Bradford wool mill and its people...
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Thank goodness for theatres dedicated to children. LESLEY FINLAY enjoyed a half term trip to Wimbledon's Polka Theatre to see their production of The Machine Gunners. Here we publish a selection of reviews by the young audience - we hope they inspire...
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WILL WOLLEN is turning the Theatre Royal in Margate into a fabulous community theatre with plenty going on. Here he plans a dinner party to remember. Can I come?