Aiming Higher – Theatre in Education

Over the past 10 years John Lyon's Charity has distributed over £2.5million to over 50 drama projects for young people, ranging from projects sponsored by NT Education, Globe and the Royal Court, to small grass roots companies working in schools and in the community. There have been many examples of young people being stretched beyond their previous achievements by these projects. But as Michael Coveney has observed, "Often theatres appear content to leave you ng people's work at the developmental stage when it needs to be taken up and pushed into their main theatre strategy". In schools how do we place theatre at the heart of the drive to raise educational standards? Or does a bias towards educational improvement leave too little room for fun and improvisation? Among BME and disadvantaged groups the rawness of the talent is palpable. Could more follow up work in theatres and in school classrooms lead to more of them taking theatre further in their lives? These are some of the issues that are likely to be raised by participants and presenters at the conference.

Aiming Higher aims to provide a forum for theatre groups, funders and others involved in using theatre to reach young people in London. There will also be input from young people themselves, as well as a performance of some work from the Royal Court Young Writers Festival sponsored by John Lyon's Charity. Aiming Higher will inform the Charity's Triennial Policy Review 2007.