Influence of the ‘conventions approach’ on higher education in drama

The three editions of Structuring Drama Work by Jonothan Neelands and Tony Goode have been translated into numerous languages. We have investigated the international influence of the ‘conventions approach’ through a survey focusing on those who teach in higher education. The questions raised include: who has read the book, which edition(s) and which languages? To what extent has the conventions approach dominated experts’ studies, their practice and their teaching? What conventions do they prefer to use? Although we paid particular attention to Norway, Hungary and China, we also collected responses from several other countries. The responses were analysed quantitatively. We found that while the conventions approach seems to be widely spread internationally and a dominant element in higher education in drama, a ‘core set’ of conventions – mostly those published in the first edition – are better known worldwide and more used than the more recently added items.