by Paul Johnson | Jul 27, 2021
Image: Denise with Duncan Banatine who invested in Razzamataz after she appeared on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den in 2007.
The pandemic has caused consumers to live differently, buy differently and think differently. It has also massively changed people’s priorities, which is why as a business we have learnt to adapt to their ever-changing needs.
Razzamataz Theatre Schools is a franchise network that places customers at the heart of all we do. As the franchisor, we advise, support and train franchisees across the UK on how to run their theatre schools. The key lesson that we instill in them is that they must connect with their customers and their communities.
While this has always been at the heart of our ethos, it is even more relevant now with people placing a greater emphasis on supporting local businesses. We must also appreciate that parents and families have gone through a very difficult year and we must be able to show them our support and that we truly care about them and their children.
As a Head Office, we ensure that we are always communicating with our franchisees and, in turn, encourage them to communicate with their customers. From a practical point of view, this means we ensure that we provide lots of template documents and social media updates so franchisees can personalise them easily to their own school.
With more than twenty years’ experience of running theatre schools and working with franchisees, I’ve learnt that in business, hard work always pays off. We have franchisees who have no experience in the performing arts industry but are still really successful. The only thing that our most successful theatre school owners share is their commitment to learn, positive attitude and their desire and drive to be successful.
I also firmly believe that you won’t be successful in your business in you are not truly passionate about it. Although I’ve been doing this for more than twenty years, I still get really excited when new opportunities present themselves. To work in a sector that combines performing arts and children’s education is a real privilege and I will never take it for granted. The franchisees that we invite into the network must share this passion; we can give them all the training and practical guidance they need to run a theatre school but the commitment to improve young people’s lives through performing arts must come from them.
Finally, I strongly believe that you must be open to change and adapt where necessary. This year has shown us all that there can be huge rewards if you are willing to adapt to the situation around you. If you truly believe that your business can benefit the community don’t be afraid to shout about it. Children and families need the support of activity providers now more than ever so keep communicating the positive benefits with case studies and testimonials to show the many ways in which we can provide increased opportunities for young people.
Email: franchise@razzamataz.co.uk
Telephone: 07821 122242
Website: www.razzamataz.co.uk
What is a franchise?
Walk along any UK high street, pick up any product or think of a service and chances are that they will be part of a successful franchise brand. A franchise is a business that gives the right to another person to sell goods or services using its name in exchange for a franchise fee. In return, that individual will receive training, marketing and support to become part of the network.
Different levels of investment
Every franchise has a different level of investment. Brands such as McDonald’s, Domino’s and Starbucks can cost up to £300,000 pricing it out of reach for many people. Razzamataz is a low investment franchise, costing between under £8,000 to under £10,000 although the return on investment is excellent.
How much money can I make?
Franchisees at Razzamataz report six figure turnover and 70% gross profit. Unlike many other franchise networks, the management fee is just 10%. As a long-term investment, the franchise offers huge potential. One franchise school is currently on the market for sale for £200k, having been purchased ten years ago for just under £10,000.
How to fund a franchise
Razzamataz Theatre Schools has been a successful business for more than twenty years. This means that many high street banks are willing to lend to potential franchisees because individual success has been proved time and time again. Razzamataz has easy access to funding via Barclays, offering many people the opportunity to join the network.
Finance options
Barclays has a specific department to help franchisees. Whatever bank you choose to go with, make sure this is the department you speak to. Services offered at Barclays include:
Funding for start-ups, multi-operator and re-sales.
Loans tailored to your unique franchise requirements.
Free banking for twelve months to help you get your franchise off the ground.
Bespoke pricing, pre-determined lending rates and unsecured finance options.
Where to start researching your franchise
The Internet and social media is a great first point of contact. After that, you need to dig a lot deeper and meet the franchisor and other franchisees. Discovery Dens are informal meetings between the franchisor and potential franchisee to learn more about each other and whether they are a good fit. Before embarking on a Discovery Den, it is advisable to do some initial research so you can get lots out of the meeting and leave with a clear understanding of whether you want to take the next steps.
What to expect from a Discovery Den at Razzamataz
Currently, all Discovery Dens are held virtually. You can meet the team from the comfort of your own home. However, this doesn’t mean the experience is any less thorough and you are encouraged to ask lots of questions and you will find out more about franchising in general, what training and support you will be given at Razzamataz and to find out if you are suitable to run your own theatre school.
What to expect
- Meet the Head Office team.
- Meet other franchisees.
- Speak to our Founder Denise.
- Learn more about franchising.
- Find out about being a theatre school owner.
- Get the inside scoop on Dragons’ Den.
- Tips for would-be entrepreneurs.
- Find out about new opportunities.
- Huge savings and discounts available for the right candidates
What to ask the franchisor
Denise Hutton-Gosney is the MD and Founder of Razzamataz Theatre Schools. She has been a franchisor since 2007, giving her years’ of experience supporting franchisees. These are her top tips on how to prepare and what questions to ask:
Visit the franchisor’s website and read through all prospectuses and marketing material. Check out social media and in particular, testimonials from customers and other franchisees.
Have a list of questions prepared before you go. At Razzamataz, our Discovery Dens are very thorough and we usually cover all questions during the presentation but it is best to be prepared.
Think about your own skills and experience and what you can bring to the role. At Razzamataz, we have a stringent vetting system to only recruit the very best to ensure the high standards of our schools.
Why franchise when you could be an independent?
This is a question that is often asked before people truly understand what it takes to run a theatre school. Michaela Crumpton, franchisee Razzamataz Bristol North and South says: “Many people have said to me ‘why are you part of a franchise?’ ‘Why not set up independently’. These are all great questions and to an outsider it would be the obvious thing to be independent. But let me explain why I believe I’ve survived a year of turbulence and feel stronger. Being part of a franchise has been like having a whole family holding me up. Looking at many of our independent competitors, they have either vanished or been dormant for the last twelve months. I can’t recommend Razzamataz enough. Their support has been incredible and it even inspired me to take on another school during lockdown.”
Join our team
Join our multi-award winning team. We are looking for dynamic and passionate partners to own a Razzamataz Theatre School! Contact us on 07821 122242 or by visiting franchise@razzamataz.co.uk and speak with us about our business opportunity to become a Razzamataz Principal today.
All training is done remotely from the comfort of your own home!
Re-sale opportunities
Occasionally franchise territories come up for re-sale due to a change in the franchisees’ personal circumstances or simply because they have decided to sell their asset and reap the rewards of their hard work. These re-sale schools very rarely stay on the market for long, so if you are interested, don’t delay in contacting us. Re-sale schools in:
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Paisley, Renfrewshire
Horsham, West Sussex
Derby, East Midlands
Facebook: @RTSLtd ~ Instagram: @razzschools
Twitter: @razzschools ~ LinkedIn: Razzamataz Theatre Schools
YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/RazzamatazTheatreSchoolsLtd
Franchise lingo If you are new to franchising, here are some of the main terms that you need to be familiar with:
Franchise: the right given by one business to another to sell goods using its name
Franchisee: a business that agrees to manufacture, distribute or sell branded products under the licence of a franchisor
Franchisor: a business that gives franchisees the right to manufacture, distribute or sell its branded products in return for a fixed sum of money or royalty payment
Operations Manual: a document that contains all of the information necessary for the franchisee to be able to operate the business.
Exclusive Territory: a geographically defined area inside which a franchisee can operate.
by Paul Johnson | Jul 27, 2021
Guildhall School of Music & Drama announces end of year prizes – Acting and Production Arts Gold Medals and Hazel Sharples Memorial Prize
The winner of the Acting Gold Medal is Aoife Gaston who has just completed the BA (Hons) Acting programme. The award is given to the student who, in the opinion of the Acting staff, has most embraced the spirit and ethos of the training.
The Production Arts Gold Medal goes to Joshua Collins who has just completed the BA (Hons) Technical Theatre Arts (Theatre Technology). The award is given to the student who, in the opinion of the Production Arts staff, has consistently surpassed all expectations in whatever role they have undertaken, demonstrating exceptional interpersonal skills and making a significant contribution to the department.
Max Rodriguez-Thorp, who has just completed the BA (Hons) Technical Theatre Arts (Design Realisation) programme has been awarded The Hazel Sharples Memorial Prize. The prize was set up in 1999 in memory of Hazel Sharples, a stage manager and arts officer who passed away suddenly in 1995. During her career, Sharples worked for the Royal Opera House and the National Theatre, and was chair of Warehouse Theatre, Croydon.
Each year, her friends and former colleagues contribute towards an endowed prize fund which provides for an annual award to an outstanding Guildhall School third-year Productions Arts student, voted for by their peers.
Guildhall School of Music & Drama is provided by the City of London Corporation. Ranked as the top UK conservatoire in the Guardian music and drama league tables, it delivers world-class professional training in partnership with distinguished artists, companies and ensembles.
Website: www.gsmd.ac.uk
by Paul Johnson | Jul 27, 2021
Image: Their Royal Highnesses watching MA actor Zoe Goriely perform a speech from Shakespeare. Photo: Simon Gough Photography
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama’s Extraordinary Year Ends with a Royal Visit from its President, The Prince of Wales
RWCMD has ended its academic year with a visit from its President, HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.
Their Royal Highnesses spent the morning meeting staff, students and graduates, and learned more about how the College has managed through the pandemic and is now investing and fundraising to support the launch of exciting new programmes, including a re-designed undergraduate Music degree, a BA in Musical Theatre and a Foundation course in Scenic Construction.
“We are honoured to welcome Their Royal Highnesses to the Royal Welsh College during their week in Wales and it feels very special indeed to have our President with us as part of our final week of term,” said RWCMD Principal Helena Gaunt.
“Of course it’s been a challenging year for our College community but we’ve been able to continue our training throughout, and still create and programme a wide range of excellent performances in these remarkable spaces that have served us and our audiences so well over the last ten years.
“We are looking forward with ambition now and it is wonderful that we have had the opportunity to brief His Royal Highness about future strategies that will ensure we emerge stronger from the experience of the last 18 months as we fundraise and invest to widen access to training, deepen connections to the industries and develop our impact.”
by Paul Johnson | Jul 27, 2021
Over thirty students from Rose Bruford College on its world-renowned European Theatre Arts Programme are now successfully on placements in Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic and France.
Students were due to travel in January 2021, but the surge in coronavirus cases in the UK and Europe and ensuing lockdowns meant plans were delayed.
Other obstacles included extra costs for enhanced testing, due diligence around insurance regulations and navigating each partner country’s individual visa and covid security regulations and bureaucratic requirements.
Rose Bruford College has a very high percentage of students undertaking placement abroad or on its UK campus. In 2018 it was recognised as one of the top twenty-five performing universities for student mobility in the world. After a successful bid for two years’ Erasmus funding in 2020, which enabled it to continue funding and supporting the cross-border collaboration and learning, Rose Bruford College intends to continue to provide financial support for students across the College to undertake these kinds of placements by applying to the UK Government’s new Turing Scheme.
The training is built on three foundational principles: working as an ensemble, crossing borders (artistic, cultural and geographical), innovation, and aims to train performers, makers, and practitioners who are proactive, adaptable and rigorous who can sustain careers in the performing and creative industries.
Twitter: @rosebruford
Instagram: rosebruford
Facebook: rosebrufordcollege
YouTube: Rose Bruford College
by Paul Johnson | Jul 27, 2021
RWCMD Fellow Kate Burton unveiled the bronze bust of her father, the great Welsh actor Richard Burton, opening the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama’s world-class facilities.
RWCMD Celebrates 10 years of its World-Class Performance Facilities
The award-winning new buildings included the acoustically outstanding Dora Stoutzker Concert Hall, the Richard Burton Theatre, the Carne Foyer and The Linbury Gallery.
The college launches a year of celebration with ten selected events over the course of the next year, showcasing all that it has achieved over the decade and signposting its ambition for the next ten years.
“The college believes passionately in our sense of artistic community and our world-class new buildings have enabled us to welcome students, artists and audiences of all ages from around the world, uniting them in a shared and fundamental belief in making work of the highest quality and in the value of the arts and artists,” said Principal Helena Gaunt.
“While celebrating our achievements over the last ten years we are also focused on looking forwards and enhancing the potential of future generations of diverse young artists who can become the change-makers and lead the power of the arts into the future.”
The ten events to celebrate the past decade are: The Flying Bedroom; Amser JazzTime; Celebrating the music of Errollyn Wallen; WNO Opera Gala; A Song for Us; Anthony & Kel Matsena; NEW ’22; Balance; Musical Theatre show; World Harp Congress.
by Paul Johnson | Jul 27, 2021
Past winners of The Stage scholarship: Photo: Alex Brenner
Razzamataz Theatre Schools announces and congratulates The Stage scholarship winners
By Karen Keeman
The world may have been put on hold but that hasn’t stopped children and young people dreaming of their futures.
For those with a passion for performing arts, a national theatre school network has helped keep those dreams alive with a prestigious scholarship worth up to £855 per student.
Over the last few months, all of the part-time franchises in the Razzamataz Theatre School network have worked alongside the prestigious newspaper for the performing arts industry The Stage.
Together, they have created an exciting scholarship opportunity for children and young people across the UK.
The network is offering thousands of pounds worth of free tuition, something which means a great deal to many families trying to support their kids.
“We are so proud to once again offer these prestigious scholarships in association with The Stage newspaper,” says Denise Hutton Gosney, MD and Founder of Razzamataz Theatre Schools. “It’s been particularly challenging for business with all the lockdowns but we were all determined that our students and young people in the community would not miss out on this wonderful opportunity. Although the impact of Covid has hit small businesses like ours very hard, we collectively felt that it was important to continue to offer as many opportunities as possible to support young people who have had to show incredible resilience over the last year and a half.
“A huge congratulations to all of our scholarship winners and we are delighted to welcome lots of new students to the Razzamataz Family.”
The scholarships were open to all young people between the ages of 6-18. Both current Razzamataz students and those that haven’t had any formal training were eligible to apply. For young people who have had to continue their practice at home while in lockdown or isolating, they have shown a huge amount of drive and determination.
“The performing arts are wonderful but competitive and our students have proved that they have the resilience to work their way through the difficult times,” adds Denise. “For children who have never had any training before, we are so delighted to welcome them to Razzamataz and the excellent training that our schools offer.
“We know what a positive impact the performing arts can offer all children so we are so pleased that our franchisees have continued this exceptional offer.”
Former Razzamataz scholarship students have gone on to be successful in many West End shows including Hamilton, &Juliet, Matilda, School of Rock and many TV shows as well as a starring in a Disney movie.
Website: www.razzamataz.co.uk
Facebook: @RTSLtd
Twitter: @razzschools
by Paul Johnson | Jul 27, 2021
Image: Mackenzie Wellfare
National Theatre announces winner of 2021 nationwide New Views playwriting competition for young people
By PAUL JOHNSON
17-year-old student, Mackenzie Wellfare, from HSDC Alton in Hampshire has been announced as the winner of the National Theatre’s annual playwriting competition for 14–19-year-olds.
This year has seen more first drafts of scripts submitted to the competition than ever before, with the winning play, Perspective, selected from over 400 final entries from 74 secondary schools and colleges across the UK.
Inspired to write this play to share his own experience of autism as well as others’ Perspective by Mackenzie Wellfare explores the experiences of a teenage boy, Leo, with autism through his conversations with his best friend Shaun. Set in his bedroom, Leo’s big imagination fills the stage as he considers how the world sees him.
Perspective was selected from a shortlist of nine plays by a panel of judges including NT’s Head of Play Development Nina Steiger, playwright & screenwriter Beth Steel, playwright & performer Mojisola Adebayo and Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director of Graeae Theatre Company.
The play was performed in a full production by professional actors at the National Theatre and was also streamed to participating schools across the UK in July before the end of termtime, alongside rehearsed readings of seven shortlisted plays as part of the digital festival of new writing. Following the production, Mackenzie also took part in a live streamed Q&A about his play alongside the director.
The digital festival also showcased the work of a group of D\deaf students from Eastbury Community School’s Alternative Resource Provision.
The students have taken part in playwriting workshops facilitated by Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director of Graeae Theatre and have developed scenes exploring their experiences of the world. A selection of these scenes entitled Conversation Breakdown were directed by Jenny Sealey and performed as part of the rehearsed readings.
Mackenzie Wellfare said, “I’m so excited to have won! To have my play performed is just unbelievable and I can’t wait to see how it turns out! I want to show a perspective of Autism that I believe hasn’t been truly shown in modern media, and yet which some people experience every day of their lives.”
Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director of Graeae Theatre and member of the judging panel added, “Perspective has a matureness in its unpacking of the heart stuff. It’s an important play, beautifully simple in its mass of complexity.”
Nina Steiger, NT’s Head of Play Development and member of the judging panel, told us, “In what was a landmark year that took a particularly heavy toll on young people and the performing arts, it was thrilling for us to receive over 400 submissions from all over the UK. The final plays were about identity, imagination, and love and the bravery of expressing these elements of what makes us human, and perhaps what we’ve missed most in being together. That these plays were written at home in lockdown, developed with teachers and mentors over the difficult platform of group Zoom sessions, and that the voices in these plays nevertheless resonate with truthfulness, joy and life force is a testament to the importance of this programme and the self-expression it enables.”
This year the programme was delivered digitally through workshops with professional writers, a playwriting course and the opportunity to watch NT productions for free online, as well as a pre-recorded masterclass on writing for audio with Audible, the official Audio Partner of New Views. Students wrote their own original 30-minute plays, exploring topical issues from mental health and the pandemic to politics & relationships.
The seven shortlisted plays are:
- In a Room with Gavin and Francesa
by Aran Grover
St Olave’s School, London
- The Nursing Home
by Charlotte D’Angelo
Wimbledon High School, London
- Childhood, War and Love
by Ellie Sharman
Ricard’s Lodge, London
- Colour Inside the Lines
by Jamila Salim – Haberdashers’
Aske’s Boy’s School, Herts
- Billionaire’s Row
by Joel Wall
Oxted School, Surrey
- Bus Stops
by Mia Galanti
Lady Margaret School, London
- Rose Coloured Glasses
by Nyah With
Southend School for Girls, Essex
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/newviews
by Susan Elkin | Jul 6, 2020
Most readers of Sardines will know a young person whose heart is set on training as a theatre/screen professional in acting, musical theatre, dance or as some form of theatre/film technician.
They are, happily, cutting their teeth in every school, youth theatre and amateur company. Many of these enthusiastic young thesps are probably themselves readers of this magazine too.
Everyone says, and knows, that young actors have it tough because there isn’t enough professional work to go round. Actually even the path into training is a very bumpy road and not at all easy for young people to access. Many don’t have appropriate careers advice – although there are plenty of people working in am-dram who have trained professionally themselves and can help keen youngsters in a way that their secondary teachers aren’t usually able to do.
There is no doubt, moreover, that application to vocational training organisations is an expensive minefield, The audition process is a barrier. So is the bewildering range of training available.
Some colleges operate within UCAS. Others don’t. Some are independent so most students have to self-fund. Others, including the ones which have been absorbed by universities, entitle students to student loans or, possibly Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA). Some schools operate through UCAS. Others do not. I have often written about these complexities in The Stage and elsewhere but nothing I can say makes any of it any easier to negotiate.
Wherever you apply you will almost certainly have to pay an audition fee (usually somewhere between £30 and £80) to each of the schools you apply to. That means, obviously, that less well off applicants can’t apply to as many as they should. So they are disadvantaged even before they start.
Typically a cash-strapped student who can afford to apply to only two will pick the two she or he has heard of – Central and RADA, say. Rejection follows, the student goes disconsolately away and starts a career in retail and the industry might – just might – have lost the next Lily James or Charlie Stemp. Not everyone shines at their first audition.
Enter Paul Taylor who thinks he has found a way round this. Paul trained at LAMDA as an actor but now runs a multi-media marketing company called Consider This. He works with lots of drama schools and other providers of vocational training.
“I’ve spent a year building a website, Perform This, which will enable schools to share auditions so that the candidate only has to pay once through a central application system – a sort of UCAS for performing arts,” he tells me a week or two after launching his site. Hang on a minute. I stop him. How this will work with UCAS itself through which many of the schools are already operating? He tells me it’s a good question and that he wants to sit down with UCAS soon and thrash it out.
Meanwhile he has listed over 100 schools – a much broader sweep than the well-known 20 which belong to Federation of Drama Schools – including all their details and courses. That, at the very least, makes the site a useful source of information all in one place.
“What I need now is for schools to come on board and list their auditions so that we can get schools working together,” he says, explaining that he is so keen to get this project going that although he already spent “the cost of a couple of Aston Martins” on it, he is offering it completely free to schools for the first year.
I suspect this could prove useful to the smaller schools. Many are offering fine training, (although there are some rogues, of course – caveat emptor or buyer beware) but sometimes struggle to get the number of applicants they want.
The big-name schools, on the other hand, enjoy prestige status and reputation so they get thousands of applicants. That enables them, quite wrongly in my view, to use the audition process as a source of income. It will be interesting, therefore, to see whether or not such schools are prepared to forgo that money in order to make things more inclusive for the candidate by using Perform This.
Those of us who dish out advice to wannabes – and I’ve done it for decades in columns and so on – usually suggest that applicants try to get the feel of the college they’re auditioning for while they’re there, as well as chatting to current students. You can’t do this if you’re being auditioned on “neutral” shared premises. And that’s where these shared auditions will have to take place. One unnamed principal cautiously told Taylor that he/she might be willing to consider his system but not if it meant using a competing school as the audition venue.
Maybe, therefore, there would have to be a completely new system of every offer being provisional until the student had visited the school in person – that way at least he or she would only have to travel to the school or schools which have already made it clear that there’s a place available if the student wants it.
Perform This seems a good idea in principle and I, like everyone else at Sardines, am watching with interest to see how it develops and/or takes off. Paul tells me that every school and college he has spoken to so far has reacted very positively.
Visit: performthis.com for more information.
by Paul Johnson | Jun 17, 2020
Stagecoach Performing Arts likes to end the year on a high and 2019 was certainly no exception. At the famous Shaftesbury Theatre, students from around the world were congratulated for their dedication to the arts at the second annual Creative Courage for Life Awards.
250 students took to the stage, dazzling family and friends with musical performances from a variety of shows, as part of a festive gala performance.
The Creative Courage for Life Awards were launched in 2018 to honour those students who demonstrate compassion and dedication during their weekly performing arts sessions. Categories included Outstanding… Singer, Dancer and Actor, Teacher, Alumni and the coveted Overcoming Diversity Award.
Eight students from across seven schools were recognised, with one travelling with her family from Germany to receive her award. Winners were chosen by an esteemed panel of judges who watched hundreds of hours of recorded footage, from franchisees.
After the ceremony, hundreds of students staged a festive performance where nine schools were handpicked from regional and London showcases throughout the year to perform during the evening. Performances included a scene from 2019’s Summer Showcase The Sound of Music, an acrobatic-style spectacle, a medley of dance styles throughout the decades and even an alumni performance of Spice Girls’ hits.
Sarah Kelly, CEO of Stagecoach Performing Arts (350 franchisees) said: “I didn’t think anything could top 2018, after we celebrated our 30th anniversary, but 2019 has proven to be just as incredible as last year. Our gala and awards evening, in aid of Young Minds, has always been a real highlight of our year but this time it felt particularly special. It’s a great opportunity for us to come together and give everyone a pat on the back for another incredible year. Thank you to the franchisees, teachers, support team and all the friends and family who joined us on the evening. But, most importantly, thank you to our wonderful students for putting on a fantastic show.”
www.stagecoachfranchise.com
by Paul Johnson | Jun 12, 2020
By Rhian Bennett
The National Theatre Collection is now available free of charge to state schools and state-funded further education colleges across the UK in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing.
The collection provides high-quality recordings of thirty world-class productions, drawing from ten years of NT Live broadcasts and never before released productions from the National Theatre’s Archive.
Schools & further education colleges can register now via Bloomsbury Publishing’s award-winning digital library Drama Online. Celebrating the best of contemporary British theatre, the titles will support learning across the primary and secondary curriculum and include:
> Shakespeare set texts including Macbeth, Othello, Twelfth Night and King Lear (Donmar) in vibrant modern stagings;
> Novels brought to life in exciting literary adaptations such as Frankenstein, Treasure Island, Peter Pan and Jane Eyre;
> A range of theatrical styles and genres from Greek tragedies including Medea and Antigone to 20th Century classics such as The Cherry Orchard, The Deep Blue Sea and Yerma (Young Vic);
> Examples of extraordinary design and theatrecraft in productions ranging from One Man, Two Guvnors to Les Blancs;
> Adaptations of Romeo and Juliet and The Winter’s Tale created specially for younger audiences and suitable for primary schools.
Recordings are accompanied by learning resources to explore the craft behind the best of British theatre including rehearsal insights and short videos. Further resources exploring backstage aspects such as lighting, sound and staging will be added later in the year. The easy-to-use platform includes helpful features such as scene-by-scene selections and synopses, theme and key word searches.
Teachers can sign up now to National Theatre Collection on Bloomsbury’s Drama Online Platform via: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ntcollection
Other academic institutions such as libraries, universities, independent schools can access National Theatre Collection via a one-time payment for the full collection or, via an annual subscription in partnership with ProQuest and Bloomsbury.
Developed in partnership by Bloomsbury Publishing and Faber & Faber, Drama Online was created as a response to the need for a high-quality online research tool for drama and literature students, professors and teachers.
Drama Online is a fast-growing study resource which now features over 2,500 playtexts, 800 playwrights, 400 audio plays, 300 hours of video, and 330 scholarly books from leading theatre publishers and companies, offering a complete multimedia experience of theatre.
It is the only resource to combine exclusively available playtext content and scholarly publications with filmed live performances, film adaptations and audio plays.
More: www.dramaonlinelibrary.com
