In an age of internet-dependency (in the form of chronic bouts of Googling, Facebooking and Tweeting), it’s no surprise that organisations, such as C&T,

are capitalising on young people’s innate cohesion with technology.

‘Young people love new technology; it’s part of their cultural identity,’ says Dr Paul Sutton, C&T’s CEO and artistic director. ‘They want to use mobile phones, tablets and games consoles in their learning. We just try to build on this, fi nding playful ways to make these connections with their theatre making.’

TIE rootsC&T is a non-profi t-making organisation which offers educational packages using the tools of both drama and technology. They encourage kinaesthetic learning and teacher CPD. Originally, the company began their work under the name of Collar and TIE: a Worcester-based TIE company. However, following what the organisation’s website describes as the ‘Local Education Authority shake-ups of the ‘90s’, and the emergence of the digital age, the company adapted to the changing times, reinventing itself as C&T.

The re-branded organisation’s fi rst major digital project was The Living Newspaper – reviving the form of documentary theatre for the internet era. The Living Newspaper allows young people to respond creatively to contemporary issues; clips on the website include responses to things such as politicians’ accusations that television shows and violent video games are detrimental to children’s upbringing. Three guides – Tom, Cate and Guy – provide handy tips through videos on the website in how to approach making a creative project out of a contemporary issue.

Working with young peopleThe organisation largely works with young people in education, spanning from primary to university students. Though, of course, the

technology the company uses allows C&T’s projects to reach those from across the world.

Sutton says: ‘We operate as a network of partnerships with schools across England and internationally, using digital technology – websites, social media, video games – to shape online participatory dramas. We talk about “glocalisation” – fi nding global themes and exploring and sharing these through local experiences.’

C&T has launched a number of other digital-drama applications, including 2nd Folio: a Shakespearean card game using QR code technology that explores words from the Bard’s plays in a modern way. The coding allows the game to be played online, providing students with access to a number of media clips and videos to aid their learning. The online element also means that students can play against other schools in England, as well as those signed up further afi eld in New York and even Kenya, via the C&T network.

Digital dramaBut does drama really play a signifi cant part in the digital-heavy projects they run? Sutton thinks undoubtedly so: ‘It’s too easy to see technology and the arts as being at opposite ends of the same spectrum: they are not.

‘For example, many video games operate just like process drama: you play a role, you face challenges, you make decisions and take actions for which there are consequences; social media can be used to document and review drama work through video and multimedia. The internet can be a fantastic stage from which to share students’ drama in Orkney with a global audience.’

C&T’s applications are available through their educational plans, which includes Engage, a three-term (12 month) programme for schools. It provides teachers with a one-day professional development session with a C&T practitioner, another one day in-class session with the practitioner and students, a user

licence for your chosen application (e.g. 2nd Folio, The Living Newspaper, etc.), and access to online support and to C&T’s virtual hub – allowing schools and students to interact with each other.

Various plans are available for other specifi c needs: the Pupil Premium Plan aims to close the gap between students from low-income backgrounds and their contemporaries in areas such as attainment, behaviour and attendance; the Pupil Premium Summer School is designed to support young people moving from primary to secondary school, a period when educational performance can dip; and Change, which approaches the larger social factors that often lack a platform of address in school learning, including community, behaviour, bullying, social depravation and other areas.

The future’s brightC&T’s resource bank is set to continue growing; Sutton says that new developments in the pipeline include, ‘developing an augmented reality (AR) tool for drama teachers, helping them to build their own digital media narratives.’ He also revealed, ‘We are collaborating with New York City Department of Education on a major digital mapping project linking schools and Broadway theatres – very exciting!’

Connect with C&Twww.candt.orgwww.facebook.com/appliedtheatrewww.livingnewspaper.net

The internet, interactive whiteboards, iPads: we all know about the transformation of the classroom through modern technology, but can it change the way we teach drama? Rachel Creaser fi nds out more from digital-drama pioneers C&T …

C&T

www.teaching-drama.co.uk 23Teaching Drama summer term 1 2012/13

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Young people love new technology; it’s part of their cultural identity

TD5SU1_C&T.indd 23 19/03/2013 14:58:22