TiE Today in Wales, Author: Edward David Humphreys, University of Chester

3. Literature Review
Origins of TiE in Britain
Theatre-in-Education in Britain was officially established in 1965 by The Belgrade
Theatre, Coventry. However, the connection between theatre, or more so drama,
and the education system was recognised long before then. After the Second World
War and into the 1950’s, Caryl Jenner and Brian Way recognised that children
needed to be freer in their education from the previous system. The emphasis was
on academic subjects and technical training, with a lack of attention to the arts and
other subjects not considered to be ‘academic’. In this period, the label of ‘preparing
for life’ was prominent, but the call for ‘progressive education’ began to replace the
old systematic one. What followed was the opportunity for children to “work out their
own personal problems” (Wooster, 2007, p8) and drama would become the key
element for this process to be effective. Both Drama-in-Education (DiE) and TiE
consider ‘play’ crucial as there “…was an acceptance that ‘play’ is central part of
being human and that through play we learn and develop both motor skills and
psychological well-being.” (Wooster 2007, p8). The use of ‘play’ was introduced after
research into child psychology, from professionals such as Alexander S. Neill,
suggested that children must develop naturally and not be coerced by adults’ own
beliefs and choices. With the recognition of drama as a useful educational tool, more
companies and practitioners began to develop their own styles.
The most significant practitioner for applying drama into an educational setting was
Dorothy Heathcote from the 1950s. Although Heathcote’s work is DiE based, many
of her theories are applicable to TiE theory. The most noticeable aspect which both
areas share is the use of role. Role enabled a safe zone when exploring issues
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