Drama - British Council

Image: National Theatre of Scotland - Black Watch
Photographer: Manuel Harlan

Young Performing Arts Entrepreneur awards

The British Council presented the Young Performing Arts Entrepreneur awards on 22 August at a packed ceremony in Edinburgh. The International award went to Lucien Bourjeily from Lebanon, who will receive £5,000 to invest in a project between the UK and his home country. Lucien and the other finalists have just completed a tour of the UK meeting leading UK performing arts industry figures and learning how the UK sector works. Alex Fleetwood, the founder of Hide & Seek, was declared the winner of the UK award. Fleetwood was selected from a group of six finalists who had travelled together to India in May to take part in a tour of the Indian performing arts sector.

Writing for Radio workshops

A British Council/BBC World Service playwriting for radio initiative in the Middle East has culminated in a new radio play, Al Amwaj (The Waves). The play was written by a group of seven Qatari and Saudi writers and is the first BBC play to be commissioned from writers in the Gulf region.

Contemporary UK drama is more vibrant than ever before. With everything from new writing and live art to classical texts and physical theatre testing the boundaries of the theatrical form, the drama scene is thriving. Here’s where to find out all about it.

We work across all forms of drama – from live art and physical/visual theatre to classic and text-based drama. We work with our overseas network of arts managers and partners to plan, resource, deliver and evaluate high-impact arts projects involving professional artists and organisations from the UK. We aim to promote new images of the UK, to establish long-term partnerships abroad and to attract younger audiences.

Design by Adrian Philpott, photography by Victoria Woodhead.

Looking for info on UK drama companies?

Performance in Profile is the British Council's guide to UK performing arts companies and artists that are currently creating interesting work available for international touring.

Radio Playwriting winners announced

Efo Kodjo Mawugbe from Ghana and Erin Browne from the USA have been awarded the top two prizes in our International Radio Playwriting Competition.

Edinburgh Showcase 2009

Our biennial Edinburgh Showcase returned this year with more than 30 productions presenting a variety of work encompassing new writing, physical and visual theatre, live art, and mixed-media installations.

How We Work

We are a cultural relations agency so our work in drama aims to engage with people and audiences all over the world, drawing them into a closer relationship with the UK. You can find out more about how and with whom we work here.

Current Activity

Every year we support a range of different drama activities around the world. Find out more about some recent and forthcoming projects.

Drama Publications And Resources

Hungry for information about the UK drama scene? Here's where you can access British Council publications and check out links to interesting UK magazines and websites.

Performance in Profile 2009

This is our annual directory of UK companies that have drama, dance, live art and outdoor work suitable for overseas touring. It features contact details, company policy and available shows.

Drama Education

We do offer some specialist information about drama education in the UK, but for the most comprehensive information on studying in the UK, including performing arts, see the main British Council education site at EducationUK.