NATD runs an annual National Conference that brings together members and non-members alike to work with practitioners who are at the cutting edge of current work in Drama and Education. We take great pleasure in welcoming international guests and have encouraged and enabled delegations from countries such as Bosnia, Serbia and Kosova; Greece, Palestine, South Africa, Ghana, China and Hong Kong to name but a few. The presence of these practitioners is a constant reminder to us of the richness and diversity of global practice and always enriches the experience for National delegates.
The Conference is residential and runs from Friday to Sunday, currently over the first weekend in October. In 2012, as it has been for the past three years, the event will take place at Oriel College, Oxford. The setting is ideal for us to reflect upon our practice and the latest theories; to focus on the current climate in which we work; to share our understandings of both Drama and its relationship to the changing world; and to make new friends through our work.
Spread over two days, we have the time to experience two in-depth workshops; to listen to four or five of the world’s leading experts; to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association at which we formulate policy for the year and elect the National Executive Committee (NEC) (find out more about the AGM and becoming a member of the NEC here); and yet still find time to make those essential connections with those of like mind in the refectory, over coffee or in the bar.
As a democratic organisation, we strive to ensure that all who wish to attend are able to. The Mary Simpson (National) Fund and the Tony Grady International Fund are in place to enable this. If you would like financial assistance in order to be able to attend Conference 2012, please click here to find out more about these Funds.
It is a time for reflection, regeneration and creation. There is no other experience like it in education today. (Images of recent Conferences can be viewed in the Gallery).