In partnership with our host venue Capital Theatres, Youth Theatre Arts Scotland (YTAS) was proud to present the National Convention of Youth Drama 2023, affectionately known as #DramaCon2023, which took place at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh on Friday 24 March 2023.
The Convention welcomed everyone who uses drama and theatre in their work with young people and was an inspiring day of discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities.
Our keynote came from Dr Livia Tomova, a research fellow at the Blakemore Lab, based at the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge and the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience in London. Livia’s research investigates how stress, loneliness and social isolation affect the brain and mind, especially during adolescence.
YTAS approached Livia to speak at #DramaCon2023 because her perspective is particularly relevant to our sector as we rebuild from the pandemic. We know how youth theatre can help to tackle social isolation, but we might not know from a scientific perspective what that looks like in the adolescent brain. The keynote brought together Livia’s scientific research with the youth theatre sector’s ambitions to tackle social isolation through creative engagement, hopefully leaving you inspired and with a refreshed perspective on the importance of social connection.
As our first Convention since the pandemic, the focus of the event was on rebuilding, regrouping, and sharing a collective plan for the future of our sector. Throughout the day delegates had a chance to shout about their work, engage in discussion groups on topics of their choice, and of course, catch up with old friends (and meet new ones) over tea, coffee and lunch!
