Coventry’s Belgrade is hosting a year-long programme of events to mark 50 years since the theatre set up the theatre-in-education movement.
TiE began in 1965 in partnership with Coventry city council as part of a free service to schools and the young people of Coventry. The movement soon spread to theatres across the UK and the rest of the world.
The origins of TiE can be traced back to the appointment of Gordon Vallins as assistant to the Belgrade’s director Anthony Richardson in 1964. They met the chairman of the local authority’s education committee to discuss ways in which the theatre could benefit schools.
The first TiE company began as a pilot programme consisting of four actor-teachers: Vallins, Jessica Hill, Ann Lister and Dickon Reed. By 1966 the council granted the company £12,000 on an annual basis.
The Belgrade’s current artistic director Hamish Glen said that “2015 represents a landmark year for the Belgrade Theatre and for Coventry.
“The invention of theatre-in-education at the Belgrade in 1965 not only positioned the Belgrade’s work at the centre of the social and economic life of the city, it provided a spark for a revolutionary theatre movement which spread across the UK and the world.
“Fifty years on and the legacy of those early pioneers continues to play a vital role in the creative life of the Belgrade and countless other theatres across the globe who share its social and artistic vision.”
The Belgrade’s associate director Justine Themen added, “both here in Coventry and across the globe, the legacy of TiE continues to provide opportunities for thousands of children and young people to take responsibility for their own learning, to have access to the imagination and creativity of theatre within their own schools and to be asked to engage with issues and dilemmas in a way that values their opinions.
“By bringing together young performers, drama practitioners and teachers from across the UK for the 50th anniversary of TiE, we’re hoping to re-address the essential role played by drama in building creative, confident individuals and their communities both inside and outside the classroom.”
The 2015 anniversary programme will consist of a two-week festival of theatre by young people for young people. Artists and companies from around the UK will be involved including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Frantic Assembly, Vamos Theatre Company, Gateway Studio Project, Curious Directive and Highly Sprung.
This will be followed in October by a festival of theatre for children and young people curated by the Belgrade’s associate artist Tony Graham.
Completing the programme will be a three-day conference in October, Inspiring Curiosity: the Relationship between Drama, Theatre and Education.
Further details are available at the Belgrade web site.