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About us
Northwest Drama was formed in 2009 by John Doona to develop a programme of work in the area of Drama.
John had previously been the Adviser for Drama at Cheshire County Council. Following a huge local government re-organisation John was offered voluntary redundancy and jumped at the chance to spread his wings.
Since then the work has flooded in. Building upon contacts in Cheshire and the further disappearance of local authority subject advisers across the region, our company has stepped in to fill the gap with a dynamic, imaginative and professional service. We have supported a wide range of schools in a variety of ways in developing their curriculum provision. We are keen to develop long-term relationships with schools and offer both sustainable development and excellent. landmark experience for pupils.
More recently our team has expanded to include a small and select range of Drama practitioners including Peter Kennedy , Sue Harding and Ray Hartley. For brief biographies of all our tean please see below:
Our flagship projects are The Children’s Shakespeare Festivals, which have grown and grown each year. We were thrilled that Routledge, part of one of the largest education publishers in the world, published our schemes of work in 2011. See more here.
A second aspect of our provision has been our popular work with children under the popular DRAMA DAY S programme. Our imaginative and compelling workshops offer exciting learning opportunities for children.
We also offer more intense and extended programmes of staff development with schools.
In 2012, our third year of operation, our work has expanded even further; new Shakespeare Festivals, new large-scale projects, new INSET opportunities, new publications.
We are planning on developing our service by fostering long-term relationships with a team of experienced and inspirational freelance Drama practitioners.
Our aim is simply this:
To offer the highest quality drama provision to all schools; drama that inspires learning and drives forward the creative curriculum .
We aim to become the region’s foremost provider of quality drama provision.
Our Team
John Doona
John Doona is an experienced teacher and Drama practitioner. After ten years as a secondary Drama teacher in central Manchester he moved to Egerton Park Arts College in Manchester where he qualified as an Advanced Skills Teacher and worked at a senior management level. A€t Egerton Park john began teaching in primary schools on a weekly basis. Following this John became the Adviser for Drama at Cheshire County Council where he remained until 2009 before leaving to launch Northwest Drama Services.
He is also a professional theatre writer whose work has been seen in London and on Radio 4.
He is the author of two books for Routledge “A Practical Guide to Shakespeare for the Primary School” and “Drama Lessons for the Primary School Year”.
Peter Kennedy
Peter Kennedy is a drama in education specialist and freelance training provider with twenty years' experience. Previously, Peter worked as the Head of Expressive Arts in a large secondary comprehensive school and was also the drama consultant for Stockport Education Authority.
Peter has worked on a range of projects including the Dramatic Enquiry project in Stoke and the Chrysalis project in Wakefield. He is currently working in partnership with primary schools on developing creativity and using drama to enrich the primary curriculum as well as being an associate lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. From one-off workshops to long-term consultancies, Peter works with pupils and adults of all ages and abilities.
Sue Harding
Susanna Harding is a fully qualified teacher and has been working as a drama practitioner, actor, director and writer for twenty-four years. After graduating from Jesus College Cambridge in 1987 with a B.A. Hons in English Literature, she worked as an drama and literature education associate for such companies as English Touring Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Shared Experience and Cheek by Jowl before enjoying eight years as Youth Theatre Director at the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme. During this time she also gained a Masters in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. Since 2005 she has been a freelance creative agent and practitioner with Creative Partnerships and Partners in Creative Learning, and is currently working with B Arts as writer on their forthcoming collaborative theatre experience, -Take This Waltz’. She likes to combine theatre, drama, philosophy, storytelling and creative writing in her work.
Ray Hartley
'Ray Hartley worked for over twenty five years as an Assistant Headteacher and Head of Drama at Tytherington High School, Macclesfield. He taught extensively across Key Stage 3 and at G.C.S.E and A level. He also directed the Macclesfield Youth Theatre and the Cheshire Teacher's Drama Company. He worked regularly with the Education Departments of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre and took part in the NT Shell Connections Programme. Ray has directed a number of productions for young people including A Midsummer Night's Dream, Blood Wedding, Twelfth Night, The House of Bernarda Alba, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Nicholas Nickleby, The Winter's Tale, Animal Farm,The Tempest and Julius Caesar. He also has an interest in musical theatre and has directed productions of Oliver, My Fair Lady, West Side Story and the Sound of Music. In 2011 he directed an acclaimed production of The Mikado at Gawsworth Hall for Silk Opera.He is currently a Visiting Examiner and Moderator in Advanced Level Drama and Theatre Studies for Edexcel.'
