What is theatre in education?
Theatre in education is live theatre made for a teaching purpose. Professional actors perform in school, then run a workshop that connects the performance to what pupils are learning.
Where it came from
Theatre in education began in Britain in 1965, when the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry set up a company of actor-teachers to tour local schools. The idea spread quickly, and today companies across the UK tour performances and workshops on everything from road safety to Shakespeare.
How it supports GCSE English Literature
Plays are written to be seen. Watching Macbeth or an adaptation of a 19th-century novel performed live helps pupils remember the plot, hear how key lines sound, and see how characters change. A workshop straight afterwards turns that into exam-ready knowledge: themes, quotations and the writer’s choices.
Theatre in education or a theatre trip?
A trip shows pupils a public production, but it costs more per pupil, needs letters home and cover, and often leaves out pupils whose families can’t contribute. Theatre in education comes to your hall, reaches the whole year group, and is built around the text you teach.
How Touring Playhouse works
We tour three GCSE set texts to secondary schools: Macbeth, A Christmas Carol and Jekyll and Hyde. Each visit is a 60-minute performance and a workshop of up to 30 minutes, for £750 + VAT with travel included.
Questions schools ask
What is theatre in education?
Theatre in education (TIE) is live theatre made for a teaching purpose, usually performed in schools by professional actors and followed by a workshop or discussion that helps pupils learn from what they have seen.
When did theatre in education start?
Theatre in education began in Britain in 1965, when the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry set up the first dedicated TIE company to tour local schools.
Who is theatre in education for?
TIE companies work with every age group. Some focus on primary topics or PSHE issues; Touring Playhouse makes performances of GCSE English Literature set texts for secondary schools.
What is the difference between theatre in education and a theatre trip?
A theatre trip takes pupils to a public performance. Theatre in education comes to the school, is made for that audience, and includes a workshop linked to what pupils are studying.