Searching for the Dream Studio Space:

an exploration of Drama teaching and artistic freedom across physical, creative and imagined spaces

Abstract

This paper explores the tensions between artistic desires and freedoms of the Drama teacher, considering the expectations of educational settings, and how these affect the attitudes towards a Dream Studio Space. I will examine beliefs about the potential for space to inspire meaningful Drama, and how attitudes to space can also depend on the level of creative freedom teachers are given within curriculum frameworks. Through reflecting on personal experiences in Drama classrooms across Australia and the United Kingdom, I aim to examine how perspectives of the Dream Studio Space continue to change and to what extent this influences the pedagogy of Teacher-Artists. This article explores the tension between the space imagined and the space delivered (the Dream Studio Space and the realities thereof). It is critical for the Teacher-Artist to recognise and exercise agency over the space in order to facilitate their students’ creativity in Drama. We should never allow the space to dictate what might be achieved.