Marking decades of dramatic achievement, the department of Drama and Theatre Arts celebrated its’ 50th anniversary at mac birmingham (Midlands Arts Centre) on Wednesday 13 May. Our talented students and graduates performed pieces for our alumni and friends.
Fittingly for our 50th anniversary year, we were ranked top Drama and Theatre Arts (DTA) department in the country in the Guardian University League Table 2015. Our team has seen an exciting diversity of research, from Dr Caroline Radcliffe’s appearance on the BBC’s Dancing Cheek to Cheek, to Professor Russell Jackson’s ongoing work as text advisor to Kenneth Branagh on The Winter’s Tale this September.
Dorothy Wilson MBE, Chief Executive of mac Birmingham, welcomed our guests and extolled the impact of the department in the region over the last five decades. Our students then showcased some original work as well as Crave by Sarah Kane, Gumption by Jonathan Lloyd, and two works by Martin Crimp; The City and Advice to Iraqi Women.
KILN theatre group, originally formed by 3rd year DTA students as they graduated in 2005, performed A Journey Round My Skull, taken from Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy’s account of the removal of his brain tumour doing experimental surgery in the early twentieth century.
Over the past decade the company has created new shows, in collaboration with a vast range of artists and professionals; from scientists to food designers, ballroom dancers to electro-acoustic composers! Comprised entirely of University of Birmingham alumni, KILN ensemble is now an associate company of The Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
We would like to thank all who participated in the celebrations, and all those who attended or took part in our Talking Heads project.
Were you at our 50th celebrations @mac_birmingham? Take a look at our album & see if you appear! #DTA50 https://t.co/48sgMNX0N6 …