Dragon Breath is an independent professional theatre company that makes theatre with and for young people.
We create innovative, epic, poetic, visual theatre responding to, and challenging, young people's perceptions of the world.
Our productions reflect young people's authentic voices, and are researched with children, teachers, university students, artists and scientists over many months during the development of each play.
We are a 'learning company', working with artists, undergraduates, scientists, children, and their teachers to develop each project.
Dragon Breath is currently hosted by the School of Art & Design, Nottingham Trent University. Our professional teams work with Theatre Design undergraduates to develop and realise Dragon Breath productions and education programmes.
Dragon Breath Theatre also In Service Training (INSET) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for schools, artists and institutions.
The Dragon Breath website is currently under development. Full archives, creative credits, logos and associated links will be posted shortly.
Photo Credits
Dragon Breath, Dave Dixon and Clare Harwood, photo Robert Day
Cosmos, Polly and the girl puppet, photo Debbie Whitmore
Current Production
Cosmos (with Curve Leicester May 27-30 2009)
Choreographer: Liz Clark
Composer: Craig Vear
Lighting: Ceri James
Projection: Ventmedia
Puppetry: Sean Myatt
Baratanatyam & Konokol Specialist: Shane Shambhu
Scenographer: Nettie Scriven
CSM: Jo James
Performers: Dave Stickman Higgins, Jo Ashbridge, Shane Shambhu, Oksana Tyminska, Polly Wiltshire.
Designed, made, built and also performed by:
the Theatre Design Cosmos Ensemble, NTU.
Artist
Cosmos image, Lisa Kelly
Cosmos follows a child to her lost Story Star, introducing young children to concepts of the universe through human stories & magical, participatory theatre (ages 3-7).
Written by Peter Rumney and directed by Adel Al-Salloum, Cosmos is commissioned by Curve for The Spark Children's Festival 2009, International Year of Astronomy, and National Science and Engineering Week.
Cosmos is a collaboration between Dragon Breath, Curve, and Nottingham Trent University School of Art & Design. Scientific collaboration by the Centre for Effective Learning in Science (CELS) at NTU.
Cosmos is financially supported by Arts Council England; The Ignition* programme, delivered by Ignite! in collaboration with Creative Partnerships funded by emda; Dance 4 National Dance Agency; CELS and NTU Alumni Fund.
For information on forthcoming performances see:
Photo Credits
Cosmos Lucy Hammond, Emma Greaves, Louis Wedgbury, Beth Sparrow with audience, photo Ceri James
Cosmos David Stickman Higgins and Emma Greaves with audience, photo Ceri James
Cosmos Shane Shambhu (Mars) and Polly Wiltshire (Child), photo Debbie Whitmore
Cosmos Sky Monkey (designer Lisa Kelly) with Pasha Hudson, photo Debbie Whitmore
Forthcoming project
Joint Artistic Director Peter Rumney will be joined by Rosamunde Hutt, Associate Artistic Director of the Unicorn Theatre London, for a week's workshops on creating theatre for young people on challenging themes, with Sofia Vgenopoulou, for syn-epi Theatre, Theatre Apo Mihanis, Athens, 14-19 June 2009.
Previous work
2005-2007 The Icarus Project (by Peter Rumney and Nettie Scriven, directed by Adel Al-Salloum)
Our previous programme, The Icarus Project, raised moral & ethical issues of stem cell technologies, asking where should we draw the line in human endeavour (13-17).
The Icarus Project was short listed for the Times Higher Education / Arts Council England Award for Excellence and Innovation 2007, and the Brian Way Award for Young People's Playwriting 2008.
Academic papers and presentations of this project include: the Arts & Bioethics Network Seminar, IX World Congress of Bioethics, Croatia 2008, and the CETT Conference on Theatre Materials/Material Theatres London 2008.
For more Icarus images and background please see:
For Icarus DVD please see:
Photo Credits
The Icarus Project Minotaur, Robert Day
The Icarus Project, Wylie Longmore and Kelly Jago
2005, Reaching for the Moon (devised, directed by Peter Rumney with Sean Myatt)
Reaching for the Moon was devised immediately after the South Asian Tsunami. It explored loss and dislocation, and creativity, through object theatre and puppetry, for children aged 5-7.
Photo Credits
Reaching for the Moon photo, Arnim Friess, Pixelbox Ltd
Reaching for the Moon photo, Arnim Friess, Pixelbox Ltd
2003-4, Dragon Breath (by Peter Rumney, directed by Rosamunde Hutt)
Dragon Breath (2004) explored anger & emotional difficulties in the aftermath of 9:11 - subverting expectations & prejudice - as a Dragon flies into the Twin Towers of a mediaeval city (6-11 year olds). (German translation Drachenwut by Anke Ehlers, Theaterstückverlag).
For more Dragon Breath the Play background please see:
"One of the most talented creative teams that we have ... innovative, exciting, often ground breaking but always educationally sound."Michaela Butter Head of External Affairs, ACE East Midlands
Photo Credits
Dragon Breath, Paul Chisholm, photo Robert Day
Dragon Breath Theatre's Artistic Directors
Nettie Scriven is a renowned theatre designer & scenographer. She specialises in creating new work for young people & developing play texts through the design process. She represented Britain at the 1999 Prague Quadrennial. Her latest design is His Dark Materials at Curve Leicester 2009.
Peter Rumney is a writer, director & poet. His play Jumping on my Shadow won the Arts Council England Best Play Award 2002. It examines questions of asylum and diversity, and is currently in production in Eire (TEAM Dublin 2008-9) and Greece (SYN-EPI, theatre APO MIHANIS, Athens 2009). German translation Schattenfangen by Anke Ehlers.
Contact Us
Email:Thanks
With thanks to all our artistic, science and education collaborators, students and colleagues at Nottingham Trent University, Arts Council England and, most of all, to the children we work with.
Thanks to Giselle Leeb at cielo.net for web support.