Announcing
Midland Actors Theatre & The University of Worcester present
DOROTHY HEATHCOTE NOW
INTERNATIONAL DRAMA CONFERENCE 2026
University of Worcester, 5-8 November
​“The best conference on drama in education in the world!”
We are delighted to announce the sixth annual Dorothy Heathcote Now conference. 2026 marks 100 years since Dorothy’s birth. We are holding the conference this year in the beautiful, historic town of Worcester. There will be four days of workshops, panels and presentations, with an international line-up of facilitators and presenters including:
Cecily O’Neill, Brian Edmiston, Tim Taylor, Stig A. Eriksson, Theo Bryer, Bob Selderslaghs, Iona Towler Evans, David Allen, Lisa Hinton, Richard Kieran, Vaishali Chakhravarty, Vishakha Chakhravarty, Flávia Janiaski Vale, Paul Sutton, Roberta Luchini, Alison Reeves, and more.​​
For more details and to book, go to:
CONFERENCE VIDEOS
Here are some videos from previous Dorothy Heathcote Now conferences
Dorothy Heathcote was ahead of her time. Her work continues to provide models, inspiration, and challenges. Her vision of a revolution in the way we think about education seems even more urgent now than ever.
DOROTHY HEATHCOTE "LIVING HISTORY" PROJECT
Dorothy Heathcote undertook a number of history projects in schools, and also projects with heritage sites such as Clarke Hall, Wakefield, and Higher Mill Textile Museum.
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Now, the Mantle Network has been awarded a grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to research her work in this field. Our aim is to explore the strategies she used, and to create new local history projects inspired by her work.
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We will be collaborating with a number of schools, and also working closely with the Black Country Living Museum. Our first project is looking at the story of Sister Dora, a pioneering nurse in Walsall in the nineteenth century. The image (above) shows drama students from Birmingham Newman University, in role as Sister Dora and people from her time, at the Black Country Living Museum. For more details, go to: www.livingmuseums.co.uk
MANTLE NETWORK SEMINAR GROUP
We run a monthly online Seminar Group, to offer guidance and training in Mantle of the Expert, and other aspects of Dorothy's work; and provide a support network to teachers and practitioners.
This is a recording of a Network event, in which we discussed the benefits and challenges of working through Mantle. Contributors include Brian Edmiston, Iona Towler Evans, Cecily O’Neill, Vaishali Chakravarty, Richard Kieran, Lisa Hinton, David Allen, and more.
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SOBRE ESTE SITE
Dorothy Heathcote estava à frente de seu tempo. Seu trabalho continua a fornecer modelos, inspiração e desafios. Sua visão de uma revolução na maneira como pensamos a educação parece ainda mais urgente do que nunca. Esta conferência combinará palestras e workshops práticos. Ele examinará os diferentes métodos que ela criou - drama de processo, Manto do especialista, Modelo de comissão e Papel rolante - e as conexões entre eles.
Os palestrantes / apresentadores incluem: Cecily O'Neill, Luke Abbott e Brian Edmiston
Coincidindo com a conferência, a National Association for the Drama of Drama publicará uma edição especial “Dorothy Heathcote” do Journal for Drama in Education. A conferência é organizada pelo Midland Actors Theatre e pela Birmingham City University (BCU). O evento será realizado na BCU, ou online.
Este site é a casa da Rede Mantle, que existe para apoiar professores e praticantes.
Oferece eventos especiais, projetos em escolas e coaching e mentoring.