Research activities
In this section we will be posting news about our research activities, projects, events and publications.
Conservatoire Conversations – Nona Shepphard and Antonia Gillum-Webb
The Conservatoire for Dance and Drama is presenting an occasional series of ‘Conversations’ between people who work with and in its eight leading schools, as teachers, directors, designers and choreographers. Leading practitioners will share their thoughts about current education and training practice in circus arts, dance, acting, stage management and design, tapping into current debates about artist training, research, fostering an enterprise culture and everything that makes conservatoire training a jewel in the UK’s higher education crown.
The series launched in November 2012 with Nona Shepphard, Associate Director at RADA, in conversation with Antonia Gillum-Webb, until recently RADA Enterprises Managing Director and Commercial & Marketing Director at RADA. Nona discussed her work creating an enterprise culture within higher education performing arts and Antonia shared insights in developing RADA Enterprises into a multi-million pound business.
You can read a full transcription of their conversation here:
Transcription of Conservatoire Conversations 14 November 2012 (PDF)
LAMDA New Writing Symposium – July 2012
For many years LAMDA has offered writers and directors the chance to develop new plays with their students. More recently, they have broadened the scope of this work to also include short films. Remembrance of Things Past (NT), Mother Clap’s Molly House (NT), The Wonderful World of Dissocia (Royal Court) and Mixed Up North (Out of Joint and the Octagon Theatre Bolton) all started life in the rehearsal room at LAMDA.
In July 2012, LAMDA held a New Writing Symposium exploring how drama schools can offer opportunities to create collaborations and develop new work.
Chaired by Sean Holmes (Artistic Director, Lyric Hammersmith), the panel included both established and emerging writers – Lisa Evans, Ella Hickson, Robin Soans, Tim Luscombe and Shaun Prendergast – alongside directors James Dacre, Gwenda Hughes, Natalie Ibu and Jessica Swale.
Guests attending the symposium were also invited to see LAMDA’s commissions for the 2011-12 academic year: Robin Soans’s One Turbulent Ambassador, Lisa Evan’s The Angel Tide, and Tim Luscombe’s The Second World.
Starting Out in Assessing Live Performance
In May 2012 London Contemporary Dance School hosted a one-day HEA workshop for new and early-career lecturers in dance, drama and music exploring and confronting the challenges of assessing live performance.
Starting Out in Assessing Live Performance brought together colleagues from the disciplines of dance, drama and music to explore, confront and discuss the challenges of assessing live performance. A key part of the day was an exercise focusing on assessing an actual live student performance. There were short presentations or ‘provocations’ highlighting the challenges of assessing live performances and also describing some innovative approaches.
The workshop covered topics including:
- developing/applying criteria for live performance;
- whose criteria? – ‘ours’? employers? audience?;
- whose standards?
- process v. product;
- the notion of a ‘good performance’;
- differentiating between ‘performance’ and ‘performing’;
- sharing ideas and assessment experiences.
The workshop was led by Dr. Paul Kleiman (HEA Discipline Lead).
Practice as research dance piece at the Royal Opera House
On the 23 – 25 February 2012, ’36′ by Jorge Crecis, Lecturer in Contemporary Technique, Improvisation and Performance Studies at London Contemporary Dance School, was presented as part of the programme Exposure: Dance at the Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House.
Jorge is currently a PhD candidate at Goldsmiths University. ‘36’ is the result of three years research regarding altered states of consciousness and ritualization of the performers’ practice. The piece was devised in order to create an experience for the performer which enhances their mindful awareness and consciousness on stage.
In addition to a complex mathematical score, the dancers have to manage throwing and catching 36 bottles of water over one thousand times in twenty minutes, each with the equivalent force of throwing a hammer!
’36′ was originally commissioned by EDge, the postgraduate dance company of LCDS, and was performed throughout 2011 both nationally and internationally. Jorge is also in the process of making a short film to accompany the piece which will show the process behind it.
