Senior Secondary Drama Teachers Forum 2026

Beyond the Script: Rethinking Senior Drama for Every Learner.

The 2026 Senior Drama Teachers' Forum will take place on Thursday 19 November (Term 4, Week 7) at the Education Development Centre, 12.30 - 4.30pm.

With an opening keynote from Restless Dance Theatre’s Michelle Ryan and Larissa McGowan, exploring inclusive devising processes, the afternoon will feature,

• Flexibility in the SACE

• Activating Special Provisions for Drama

• Modified SACE for Drama Students

• SACE Renewal Update

Three classroom practitioners will share their approaches in Stage 1 and 2 Drama,

Session 1: Death by multimodal and our low literacy or low-tech students in AT1 and AT3.

Multimodal tasks can be overwhelming for students or teachers. This session 

will share practical scaffolding strategies, simple shortcuts and accessible approaches to AT1 and AT3 that allow students with low literacy or limited technology skills to produce high-quality work without their technical skills becoming a barrier to demonstrating their understanding of Drama. 

Presented by Rebecca Sykes (Woodville High School)

Session 2: Devising – Building Student Ownership in Stage 1 and 2.

This session will explore the process of devising whole class productions (AT1) from an original idea, with a strong focus on student ownership and creative agency. Inspired by the State Theatre Company of South Australia’s Young Theatre Makers Competition, the session will discuss practical strategies to support students in creating authentic pieces of theatre and driving their own creative process.

Presented by Zoe Spanton (Seaford Secondary College)

Session 3: Beyond the ‘Info Dump’: Elevating Synthesis and Experience in AT3

Explore practical ways to make the Creative Presentation more student-led, authentic, and concept-driven by prioritising synthesis, originality, and artistic inquiry over production value and prescribed formulas. Examine strategies that increase engagement and lower barriers to participation in Drama as a subject. Support students to create meaningful, contemporary work while focusing on the why behind their creative choices. 

Presented by Trudi Hewitt (St John’s Grammar School)

Celebrating Member Success + Networking

A chance for members to share successful teaching and learning outcomes from 2026 over a celebratory drink at the Lady Daly!

This event is sure to fill up quickly and spaces are limited, so register now to avoid disappointment!