In partnership with our host venue Dundee Rep Theatre, Youth Theatre Arts Scotland (YTAS) is proud to present the National Convention of Youth Drama 2024, affectionately known as #DramaCon2024, taking place on Saturday 30 March 2024.

The Convention welcomes everyone who uses drama and theatre in their work with young people. The focus of this year’s convention is ‘Acting on our Learning’.

This conference will build on your discussions from Dramacon 2023, reflect on the results from YTAS’ 2023 Sector Review, feedback on our action research from the BUZZ international project and highlight the amazing work of our members over the 2023/24 year. All of this while still having space for friendly networking and the YTAS classic, Shout Outs.

Have a look at previous National Conventions for an idea of what to expect.

The Day at a Glance…

From 9.30am	Registration and Refreshments
10.30am	Welcome and YTAS updates
11am	Coffee Break
11.15am	Morning Workshops and Discussions Attendees will have the choice between three options: 1. Dance Workshop: Join Dundee’s own Scottish Dance Theatre in a one hour workshop to get your blood moving and to inspire you with some techniques to use in your own youth theatres. 2. Children and Youth Arts Advocacy: (CYAA): hear about some of the opportunities, tools and approaches for influencing policy makers at a local and national level 3. LGBT Youth Scotland Charter: Join YTAS, Eden Court and PACE to learn about their experience of embedding LGBT inclusion in their organisations on their path to obtain the LGBT Youth Scotland silver charter award.
12.30pm	Keynote Call to Action: Youth Theatre and the Justice System In May 2023, Glass Performance and Polmont Youth Theatre hosted a Symposium to investigate how the youth theatre sector can better support young people with experience of the justice system. YTAS have invited Tashi, Jess and Louise to share their learning from this event as well as reflect on the journey of their organisation and as individual artists. The presentation will be the next step in acting on their learning with an aim to inspire the wider sector in a call to action.
1pm	Lunch
2pm	Afternoon Workshops Attendees will have the choice between four options: 1. Dance Workshop: Join Dundee’s own Scottish Dance Theatre in a one hour workshop to get your blood moving and to inspire you with some techniques to use in your own youth theatres. 2. International Collaboration: Artists from across Scotland feedback about their experience on YTAS’ BUZZ project, bringing youth theatre artists together from across Europe. This Q&A will be followed by an open discussion about international collaboration opportunities. 3. National Youth Work Outcomes: Following the release of the updated National Youth Work Outcomes, YouthLink join DramaCon 2024 for workshop investigating how these outcomes can be used to enhance the evaluation tools of the youth theatre sector. 4. Early Career Practitioners Meet Up: For practitioners 25 years and younger, this session will be a chance to meet up in person after a series of online events and to build and feedback on YTAS’ training events. This is a great chance to join an expanding network of youth theatre artists.
3.30pm	Shout Outs A chance to shout from the rooftops – or at least from a stage! YTAS invites attendees of DramaCon 2024 to share their current projects, aims, wish for a project partner… anything! The catch is, you have a maximum of three minutes. The clock is ticking. If you want to celebrate, connect and seek support from the wider community, let us know on your booking form. If you’re not sure how this works, you can take a peek at an example of a previous Shout Out session here.
4.30pm	Wrap up & End of Day Drinks
5pm	End of #DramaCon2024
7.30pm	Performance (Optional) For those who are able to stay, we will be going to see The Life and Times by Scottish Dance Theatre at Dundee Rep. Reduced price tickets (£12) will be available to book directly from Dundee Rep box office after you have registered for the National Convention of Youth Drama.

Tickets

Tickets include access to the full day of events at the Dundee Rep, as well as lunch and refreshment breaks. Ticket bookings will close at 5pm, Thursday 28 March 2024.

YTAS members* FREE (but non-attendance incurs a £35 fee); Non-members £35.

* Membership of YTAS is open to all. Join now and benefit from the reduced members’ rate on all tickets.

You can pay in full online at the time of booking, or request an invoice and pay in full via bank transfer within 30 days of receipt. For general enquiries or if you have specific access requirements, please contact catherine@ytas.org.uk or call 0131 538 0591 to discuss how we can best support these. There is also a space to mark this on your Eventbrite booking.

If you book and are unable to attend for any reason, please let us know by emailing info@ytas.org.uk with as much notice as possible or risk incurring the non-attendance fee.

Expenses Support

Travel is expensive… Childcare is expensive… As costs for attending in-person activity continue to rise, YTAS are committed to ensuring no one misses out. Support is available to any YTAS Member, who would be unable to attend #DramaCon2024 without it – it’s as simple as that!

If you would like to access this support fund, find out more on our website. No eligibility checks required.

Do you need support to attend this event?

Everyone is welcome at our events.

We know that unintended barriers may sometimes make it harder for everyone to attend and we are committed to making reasonable adjustments to our events so that no one feels excluded. These adjustments are likely to differ from event to event and from person to person, so we need your help to get it right. Please tell us about any access requirements you have for this event during the booking process or email us at info@ytas.org.uk if you would like to share more detailed information (e.g. your access statement) or ask any questions.

You’ll understand that some adjustments may take more time to arrange than others, so we appreciate you giving as much notice as possible about what you need so we can support you to get the most out of this event.

This is a safe space and all identities are welcome

YTAS have a zero-tolerance policy against any bullying. This includes but is not limited to: transphobia, homo or biphobia, racism, ableism, sexism, or class discrimination.