Past Courses
NODA Theatre Summer School provides a residential training resource to all NODA members using professional theatre practitioners to provide relevant first class training to amateur performers, and provides an opportunity to network and experience best practice in all aspects of theatre.
Courses vary from year to year so whether you want to learn more about an area you love, or step out of your comfort zone and try something new then there will be something for you. To inspire you, look below at our list of past courses along with the professional tutors who tutored at Summer School.
Performance
(Fight like a) Pirate, Cowboy, Jedi and Wizard (2018 - Tom Jordan / Sam Behan)
Accents for Actors (2015 - Nick DiCola)
Acting for Contemporary Plays (2017 - Dylan Brown)
Acting for Musical Theatre (2014 - Ian Good, 2018 - Susie Dumbreck)
Acting for Screen (2018 - Ian Bustard)
Acting in Contemporary Theatre (2024 - Eva Sampson)
Acting Technique (2019 - Tom Hughes)
Actor’s Technique inspired by Key Theatre Practitioners (2023 - Susan Tordoff)
Acting through Song (2024 - Pam Rudge)
Actor's Toolbox One (2015 - Sarah Osborne)
Actor's Toolbox Two (2016 - Dylan Brown)
Acting Masterclass (2014 - Dylan Brown)
Acting - Restoration Comedy (2014 - Cathleen McCarron)
Acting Shakespeare (2016 - Susan Tordoff)
An Introduction to Acting (2013 - Sarah Osborne)
The Art of Burlesque (2016 & 2017 - Lady May Den-Voyage)
Comedy (2013 - Keith Palmer)
Basics of Ballroom (2018 - Leila Stewart)
Back to Basics – Dance (2019 - Lynne Bustard)
Back to Basics – Singing (2019 - Marjory Watson)
Dance for Beginners (2014 & 2016 - Lynne Bustard)
Dance for Dancers (2014 - Sarah Day)
Dance for Musical Theatre (2013 - Lee Proud, 2023 - Lynne Bustard)
Drag Queens and Divas (2022 - Ian Good / Sarah de Tute)
Drama Pathway (e-School 2020 - Cat Robey / Catriona Cumming / Ian Bustard / Kerry Frampton / Tom Jordan / Sarah Osborne / Elianne and Graeme Hawley)
Drama Pathway (e-School 2021 - Cat Robey / Catriona Cumming / Ian Good / Jonny Dixon / Kerry Frampton / Sarah Osborne / Tom Jordan )
Epic Theatre (2019 - Kerry Frampton)
Feeling Good (2022 - Lynne Bustard)
Finding the Funny (2018 - Kerry Frampton)
First Notes: Singing from the Beginning (2024 - Marjory Watson)
First Steps: Dance from the Start (2024 - Lynsey Brown)
First Rate Revues (2019 - Ian Good & Sarah de Tute)
Lift your Voice and Raise your Spirits (2022 - Pamela Rudge)
Mask Mime and Puppetry (2023 - Jonny Dixon)
The Method (2013 - Dylan Brown)
MT Party People (2024 - Lynne Bustard / Sarah de Tute)
Multidisciplinary Pathway (e-School 2020 - Cat Robey / Ian Bustard / Jonny Dixon / Kerry Frampton / Tom Jordan / Sarah Osborne / Alex Berriman / Laurann Brown)
Musical Theatre Pathway (e-School 2020 - Lynne Bustard / Marjory Watson / Pamela Rudge / Sarah Day / Sarah de Tute / Susie Dumbreck)
Musical Theatre Pathway (e-School 2021 - Laura Baxter / Lynne Bustard / Marjory Watson / Pamela Rudge / Sarah Day / Sarah de Tute / Susie Dumbreck)
Musical Theatre in Concert - MDs and Performers (2013 - Jonathan O’Boyle & Rob Parish)
Musical Theatre in Performance - Avenue Q (2014 - Corina Bona & Pam Rudge)
Musical Theatre in Performance: Hamilton (2018 - Pam Rudge & Aaron Parsons)
Musical Theatre in Performance - Legally Blonde (2013 - Rhona Cleland & Kelvin Towse)
Musical Theatre in Performance - Some Enchanted Evening (2016 - Stephen Whitson & Andrew Nicol)
Musical Theatre in Performance - Wicked (2017 - Lynne Bustard & Sarah de Tute)
Musical Theatre in Rehearsal - Jason Robert Brown (2016 - Susie Dumbreck & Sarah de Tute)
Musical Theatre in Rehearsal - Kander and Ebb (2013 - Ian Good & Dane Preece)
Musical Theatre in Rehearsal: Revelling in the Classics (2018 - Ian Good & Sarah de Tute)
Musical Theatre in Rehearsal - The Music of Stephen Sondheim (2017 - Ian Good & Andrew Nicol)
Musical Theatre Workshop - Stiles and Drewe (2015 - Simon Greiff & Dane Preece)
On the side of right - Battling for Glory (2022 - Tom Jordan)
Pantomime (2015 - Nigel Ellacott)
Pantomime in Performance (2023 - Amanda Beveridge)
Physical Theatre (2018 - Matt Harrison, 2024 - Grace Goulding))
Pinter – Play and Politics (2018 - Josh Roche)
Play is play (2022 - Jonny Dixon)
The Plays of David Mamet (2016 - Cathleen McCarron)
The Plays of Noel Coward (2015 - Laurann Brown)
Post 9/11 American Drama (2023 - Eva Sampson)
Puppetry (2013 - Corina Bona)
Rave From the Grave (2024 - Jack Bennett / Jordan Langford)
RSC - Voice and Text (2013 - Cathleen McCarron)
Shakespeare's Contemporaries: Body, Mind, and Soul (2024 - Anna McSweeney)
Shakespeare - Page to Stage (2015 - Michael Corbidge)
Shakespeare - Pure and Simple (2019 - Michael Corbidge)
Shakespeare - The Comedies (2022 - Susan Tordoff)
Shakespeare - The Complete Deaths (2017 Michael Corbidge & Tom Jordan)
Singer's Toolbox One (2016 - Pam Rudge)
Singer's Toolbox Two (2017 - Pam Rudge)
Singing (2015 - Pam Rudge)
Singing for Musical Theatre (2013 - Pam Rudge)
Singing in Performance (2014 - Louise Shephard)
Singing Through Sondheim (2023 - Pam Rudge)
Stage Combat (2016 - Tom Jordan)
Staging Come From Away (2023 - Jack Bennett / Molly Kinnon)
Stoppard - The Deceptive Dramatist (2019 - Cat Robey)
Swashbucklers of the World Unite (2019 - Tom Jordan)
Telling Tall Tales (2019 - Simon Carroll-Jones)
Top Hat - Song and Dance for Musical Theatre (2015 - Sarah Day & Sarah de Tute)
Vocal Technique for Actors (2023 - Gary Horner)
What’s New on the West End sponsored by Samuel French Ltd (2019 - Aaron Parsons & Pamela Rudge)
With a Song in my Heart (2018 - Marjory Watson)
You’ll Never Walk Alone (2022 - Molly Dobbs / Jack Bennett)
What was your favourite part of your course?
We went on a real journey of liberation and confidence growing. So it would have to be the increasing body confidence culminating in the Friday presentation which was an awesome experience.
What students say... about our Musical Theatre courses
“there was nothing I didn’t enjoy and too many ‘favourite things'”
“I loved the whole course. And the performing and rehearsing”
“Great to work on a performance piece with a great bunch of people”
“the teaching was absolutely fantastic... the sessions were challenging but fun. I loved being able to spend a week immersing myself in theatre and catching up with friends.”
What students say... about our Singing courses
“Pam is a brilliant teacher who gets on with the job”
“we were given a lot of technical information and tools that were reinforced throughout the week in exercises and discussions. Pam was very approachable and invited questions”
“I loved watching other people have a moment of realisation or triumph - just wonderful”
“I loved seeing the improvement each day in myself and my classmates as we learned and practiced great exercises and techniques”
Creative & Technical
A Century of Plays (2022 - Jim Mangenello)
A Riot of Rom Com (2022 - Ian Bustard)
Adapting a Classic Novel for the Stage (2014 - Hayley Greggs)
An introduction to Stage Lighting (2013)
An introduction to Stage Lighting Design (2013)
Backstage Pathway (e-School 2020 - Ian Good / Mark Shayle / Stewart Charlesworth / Paul Stear)
Backstage Pathway (e-School 2021 - Branwen Munn / David Phillips / Duncan Holmes / Gregor Donnelly / Ian Good / John Slemensek / Paul Stear)
Choreography (2015, 2018 - Lynne Bustard)
Community Matters (2022 - Val Holland)
Costume Design (2016 - Gregor Donnelly)
Costume for Theatre (2024 - Lu Herbert)
Creating Accessible Theatre for All (2024 - Chris Tomlinson)
Directing Ayckbourn (2017 - Richard Stacey)
Design (2015 - Gregor Donnelly)
Design for Directors (2013 - Gregor Donnelly)
Design for Directors and Designers (2014 - Gregor Donnelly)
Design for Theatre (2017 - Gregor Donnelly)
Devising Drama (2017 - Sarah Osborne)
Directing Drama (2016 - Sarah Osborne)
Directing a Musical (2013 - Susie Dumbreck)
Directing – from Page to Stage (2018 - Julia Locascio)
Directing for Youth Theatre (2014 - Sarah Osborne)
Directing Musical Theatre (2015, 2017, 2019 - Susie Dumbreck, 2024 - Tri Cumming)
Directing Shakespeare (2014 - Michael Corbidge)
Directing Youth Theatre (2023 - Chris Tomlinson)
Eat your Heart Out Agatha Christie (2019 - Mark Stevenson & Justin Allder)
From Script to Screen (2016 - Ian Bustard)
How to Create Something from Nothing (2024 - Jonny Dixon)
Introduction to Stage Management (2023 - Mark Shayle)
Lighting (2013 - Tom Snell)
Lighting 1 - Nuts and Bolts (2015 - George Thomson and Matt Strachan)
Lighting 2 - Bells and Whistles (2015 - George Thomson and Matt Strachan)
Make ‘em Laugh (2022 - Julia Locascio)
Making a Musical (2017 - Ian Bustard / Tom Jordan)
Making an Action Film (2023 - Ian Bustard)
Nuts and Bolts of Playwritign (e-School 2021 - Tess Seddon)
Promotion and Marketing (e-School 2021 - Jess Chalmers / John Slemensek / Melin Edomwonyi)
Set Building and Prop Making (2019 - Matthew Jacques)
Setting the Scene (2024 - Alex Marker)
Sound Design (2016 - Paul Stear)
Sound for Theatre (2016 - Paul Stear)
Sound – From Empty Space to All Systems Go (2018 - Paul Stear)
So you want to be a Musical Director? (2023 - Sarah de Tute / Eoin Corcoran)
Stage Lighting (2014 - Chris Sealy)
Stage Make-Up (2017 - Isobel Donald)
Stage Management (2014, 2016, 2018 - Mark Shayle)
Stage Sound (2014 - Paul Stear)
This is your song (2022 - Paul Dale-Vickers)
Video Production (2015) - Ian Bustard
Work in Progress (2022 - Tom Hughes / Luke Barnes)
Working with Text for Directors (2013 - Marieke Audsley)
Writing for Screen (2018 - Ian Bustard)
What students say...
“a very well balanced course, a good mixture of fun and hard work.”
“I can’t pick out one singular bit, it was all fantastic”
“I learned how to direct a scene which I had never done before and my tutor taught me lots and I became an assistant director for my society”
What students say...
“difficult to pick out any one thing. The tutor’s experience and knowledge was inspiring. The whole subject matter was fascinating”
“a great tutor who led, listened, taught and made the whole experience fun and worthwhile”
“the fact that the tutor was an active professional in the subject matter”
“being challenged, positively, to think in new ways and being pushed well out of my comfort zone to discover capabilities I had underestimated in myself. I also thoroughly enjoyed meeting other people and benefitting from the sharing of our collective skills”