17th January 2016

Dear Colleague,
I am delighted to invite you and your School colleagues to the NISDA Conference 2017 at Barnard
Castle School in County Durham during the Summer Half Term (Friday 2 Sunday 4 June 2017). It
has been a long time since we have hosted in the North and the Conference will celebrate the work
and practice of some our most exciting practitioners in the area.
NISDA is organised by a committee of Senior and Prep teachers, technicians and theatre managers,
and we run our annual conference for all those who teach, direct or support classroom drama or cocurricular theatre in the UK independent school sector. The conference is an invigorating balance of
affordable and professional training, networking opportunities and entertainment. It is our aim to
promote the study and practice of drama and theatre in independent schools, as well as those
sympathetic to those interests.
Registration will commence from 1.30pm on Friday afternoon, with the conference starting at 2.30pm
with an extended two hour session of satellite academic forums. This year the Secondary School
focus will be on sharing best practice and experience on the reformed GCSE, A-Level and IB
specifications. There will also be satellite sessions for our Primary Colleagues and Technicians.
On Friday night, following a BBQ on the Chapel lawn, we shall be treated to a performance of
Odyssey by Theatre Ad Infinitum in our performance space, Big School. There will then be a postshow de-brief in the bar and the chance to socialise with other colleagues, in addition to the inaugural
Theatre Quiz hosted by our very own Matt Bulmer.
We have secured a number of exciting leading theatre practitioners covering a breadth of styles and
practitioners for this year. The workshops on Saturday will provide a broad range of options, including
George Mann from the theatre company Theatre Ad Infinitum, whose workshop focus will be on
physical theatre. Former Barnard Castle School student and Olivier award-winning practitioner Dylan
Emery of Showstoppers! will be providing a workshop on improvisation and comedy in theatre. Lars
yno from Grusomhetens Teatre will be running a thrilling new workshop on Antonin Artaud and
Theatre of Cruelty. Nick OBrien of The Stanislavski Experience will be offering three different
workshops, two on Stanislavski; one for newcomers providing a practical introduction, in addition to a
follow-up for those who have worked with him before at our Glasgow conference, and a third on
Brecht. Tony Williams will be offering a workshop for technicians and those interested in the
technical elements of theatre. Derek Martin will be running You write the music, I write the book -

workshops on stage writing and musical theatre. Further practitioners are soon to be announced;
please look out for updates on the NISDA website www.nisda.co.uk.
Saturday will culminate with the traditional Black Tie Dinner which is included in your 215 conference
fee. The theme for this years conference dinner is Castle Chic.
On Sunday we will be hosting the usual 'Games Exchange' as well as an opportunity to share school
production ideas and resources. The conference will hopefully close with a well-known key-note
speaker, yet to be announced.
As we are situated in a small but idyllic market town, accommodation is limited. With this in mind, I
have been able to secure on-site accommodation within the boarding houses of the School. Bed and
Breakfast will be provided on-site for only 30 a night, although places are limited, so do please book
early. There is also the possibility of on-site camping with breakfast for only 10 a night.
If you would prefer not to stay on-site, there are a number of small local B&Bs and hotels in the area,
which can be found online. http://www.hotels.uk.com/uk/County%20Durham/Barnard%20Castlehotels.htm?order=dist.
In a bid to make the North more readily accessible, you are now able to book rail transport up to six
months in advance, meaning that you can book this now for reduced prices. We will also be offering a
free shuttle service between the train station and the School on both the Friday afternoon and the
Sunday morning.
The invoice and booking details are below. Please remember that this is a very popular conference
and places are limited, so book early.
I very much look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,

T Scott Edwards
Director of Drama and Head of Theatre Studies