Solom, Student, Acland Burghley School

Solom, a student from Acland Burghley School, talks about his experience of participating in a Y Touring project, Ceremony. He talks about why he felt it was important to explore the issues raised as part of the project.

Dawn Perllman, Actress

In this interview Dawn Perllman talks about acting in the Y Touring production Nobody Lives Forever. She reflects on what she learned as actress from the challenges of performing in a school environment.

Tuguy, Student, Acland Burghley School

Tuguy, a student from Acland Burghley School, talks about his experience of participating in a Y Touring project, Ceremony. He talks about why he got involved in the project and what he got out of it.

Bridging Gaps: by Susan Elkin

This week, The Stage’s Education Editor and former secondary school teacher, Susan Elkin, who has followed Y Touring’s work from the very early days, shares a very personal story to illustrate the resonance that the company’s work has for her. She also discusses the issue of ‘issue’ based theatre, how Y Touring’s work goes beyond that and the company’s place in British Theatre as a vibrant part of the trend to produce theatre for young audiences.

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Dr Martyn Thomas CBE FREng, Director and Principal Consultant, Martyn Thomas Associates

In this interview Dr Martyn Thomas talks about his involvement as part of the advisory group with Y Touring productions The Projectionist and Breathing Country. He reflects on how he found the process of working with other experts and young people in the development of the productions.

Download an audio version of Breathing Country Here

Download an audio version of The Projectionist here

Vinay Sharma, Science Faculty Leader, Westgate School

Westgate School’s Science Faculty Leader, Vinay Sharma, talks about the Y Touring productions he has seen and why he continues to invite Y Touring back to his school. He reflects on what he feels students get out of experiencing Y Touring productions.

Tania, Student, Queen's College

Tania, a student from Queen’s College, talks about her experience of watching the Y Touring productions, Breathing Country and Starfish. She talks about her memories of the productions and their interactive nature.

Download an audio version of Starfish here

Debra Cougill, Deputy Head of Learning and Participation, Royal Albert Hall

In this interview Debra Cougill talks about her involvement with Y Touring originally as a Company Manager and now as a partner working for the Royal Albert Hall, Learning and Participation Department. She reflects on the importance of Y Touring’s work.

Miranda, Student, Queen's College

Miranda, a student from Queen’s College, talks about her experience of watching the Y Touring productions, Breathing Country and Starfish. She talks about her memories of the productions and what she learned from them.

Download an audio version of Breathing Country Here

Download an audio version of Starfish here

Jonathan Hall, Playwright

In this interview Jonathan Hall talks about the various plays he has written for Y Touring including the, Fringe First award winning Sweet As You Are.
He reflects on the importance of trying to come up with good stories that engage young people with complex issues.

Simon Roberts, Actor

In this interview Simon Roberts talks about acting in Y Touring productions, Breathing Country and Learning to Love the Grey. He reflects on what he learned as an actor through working for the company and what he feels audiences gained from the productions.

Download an audio version of Breathing Country here

Y Touring: a dramatic antidote to apathy: by Dr. Sophie Petit-Zeman

This week Dr Sophie Petit-Zeman, Head of External Relations at the Association of Medical Research Charities picks up the conversation with A Dramatic Antidote to Apathy, her reflection on a 15 year relationship with the company as a scientific adviser. She discusses how Y Touring have resisted producing propaganda pieces and negotiated such tricky territory as the use of animals in medical research.
Dr. Simon Parry

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Lester Firkins

In this interview Lester Firkins talks about his involvement in the Y Touring production Starfish as a member of the advisory board for the project. He discusses the importance of the project on both a professional and personal level.

Download an audio version of Starfish here

Marborak, Student, Sutton Grammar School

Marborak, a student from Sutton Grammar School, talks about his experience of watching the Y Touring production, Starfish. He discusses what he learned as a result of watching it and how this differs from traditional classroom learning.

Download an audio version of Starfish here

Adam Deacon, Actor

In this interview Adam Deacon talks about acting in various Y Touring productions. He also discusses the importance of theatre to engage with young people in a meaningful way.

Josephine Quintavalle, Co-founder of Comment on Reproductive Ethics

In this interview Josephine Quintavalle, the co-founder of Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE), talks about her involvement with different Y Touring projects including Learning to Love the Grey and Nobody Lives Forever.

Jack and Chris, Students, Sutton Grammar School

Jack and Chris, two students from Sutton Grammar School, talk about their experience of watching the Y Touring production, Starfish. They discuss what they learned as a result of watching it and how this differs from traditional classroom learning.

Download an audio version of Starfish here

Judith Johnson, Playwright

Judith Johnson talks about the large body of plays she has written for Y Touring. She reminisces about her favourite productions and what interests her about writing plays about science.

Download an audio version of Starfish here

Download an audio version of Every Breath here

Andrew Hobday, Actor

In this interview Andrew Hobday talks about acting in the Y Touring productions Starfish and Cracked. He also discusses the importance of making live theatre accessible to young people in schools.

Download an audio version of Starfish here

Betty McBride, Director of Policy and Communications, British Heart Foundation

In this interview Betty McBride, Director of Policy and Communications from the British Heart Foundation, talks about her involvement with Y Touring with particular reference to the production Every Breath, which explored the use of animals in medical research.

Download an audio version of Every Breath here

Bringing science to life: Y Touring, drama and the Wellcome Trust

The medical research charity, The Wellcome Trust, has been a major funder of Y Touring's work. In the second essay of our series, the director of the charity Sir Mark Walport along with the science writer and communicator Ian Jones discuss why an organisation committed to scientific research should invest in drama. The authors explain how innovating in public engagement through such means as drama has become a crucial dimension of the charity’s activities and is seen as of increasing importance to how science
                                                    and scientists interact with society.
                                                    Dr Simon Parry

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Bring science to life: Y Touring, drama and the Wellcome Trust

Gordon Ironside, Head Teacher, Sutton Grammar School

Sutton Grammar School’s Head Teacher, Gordon Ironside, talks about the Y Touring productions he has seen and why he continues to invite Y Touring back to his school.

Ben, Student, Treloar College

Ben, a student from Treloar College in Hampshire talks about his experience of watching a Y Touring production and how the issues raised in the play and debate impacted on him and society in general.

Dame Joan Bakewell, Patron

Dame Joan Bakewell tells the story of how she came to be Y Touring’s patron. She reflects on the importance of the company and why she values the work both artistically and educationally.

Lauren, Student, Treloar College

Lauren, a student from Treloar College in Hampshire talks about her experience of watching a Y Touring production and the impact it had on her educationally and personally.

Download an audio version of Breathing Country Here

Ben Musgrave, Playwright

Ben Musgrave talks about the two plays he has written for Y Touring, Breathing Country and Global Warming. He discusses the challenges as a playwright of turning scientific and ethical issues into compelling and coherent works of drama.

Download an audio version of Breathing Country Here

Jessica Radcliffe, Actress

In this interview Jessica Radcliffe talks about acting in several plays for Y Touring including Sweet As You Are, which won a fringe first. She also talks about her more recent work as an assistant director and workshop facilitator.

Dr. Sophie Petit-Zeman, Head of External Relations, Association of Medical Research Charities

Dr Sophie Petit-Zeman is the Head of External Relations for the Association of Medical Research Charities. She has worked in collaboration Y Touring for a number of years on different projects. In this interview she reflects on the past 21 years of Y Touring and why she got involved in the first place.

Download an audio version of Starfish here

Download an audio version of Every Breath here

21 Years of Y Touring

Dame Joan Bakewell - journalist, broadcaster and patron of Y Touring - starts off the conversation with an essay examining the key practical ingredients that have supported the longevity of the company. She traces its roots back to pioneering theatre in education work at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry and surveys its development from early work engaging with the impact of HIV on young people’s lives to more recent forays into complex biomedical issues.

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