After the past year of watching theatre performances come to stand still, drama classrooms get flipped on their heads and amazing innovative theatre be born, it is definitely time to celebrate! Here’s our list of things to celebrate – from arts advocacy, inspiring quotes, a favourite video, a fantastic podcast and an article written by our Patron Jonothan Neelands. Let’s get this party started!

Top 10 job skills of tomorrow

Adapted from the World Economic Forum article, These are the top 10 job skills of tomorrow – and how long it takes to learn them by Kate Whiting

Why valuing arts education matters quotes

Thank you to ISTA teacher Corin James for sharing some of his favourites with us!

Celebrating ISTA

ISTA has been working around the clock to overcome the challenges that the pandemic has brought us. Despite these challenges there is just so much to celebrate! These numbers tell us that not only do we have amazingly supportive artists, teachers and schools within our community but it also shouts loud and clear – LONG LIVE THEATRE!

A favourite Scene article

‘The theatre is dead! Long live the theatre!’ In a time when almost all theatres around the world are closed, and currently with no end to this in sight, it’s time to start planting the seeds for the next theatre revolution when the importance and the need for theatre and drama will shine through again. There is therefore no better time than now to re-publish ISTA patron Jonothan Neelands’ article Why theatre matters; touched by the whisperings of the stars and, as Jonothan writes, start preparing for filling that ‘empty space’ again. 

A favourite podcast

Preparing young people for tomorrow is what education is all about but are we as a society considering the best ways to do this? In this podcast Anne Drouet (ISTA artist and member of ISTA’s Board of Trustees) shares her thoughts on the vital role the Arts plays in developing the skills needed to create forward-thinking and future-ready students.

A favourite play

Emmy from the ISTA team has shared with us one of her favourite clips from a favourite play. She said

“Edmond Rostand’s play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897), which is one of my favourite plays, has a wonderful speech known as the “Non merci” speech. Gerard Depardieu did a wonderful interpretation of it. I have always adored this speech as it’s about never compromising, never seeking fame for its own sake and the importance of staying true to yourself as an artist. Just the way the arts should be!“