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What is the Drama Society?

The Drama Society at UAL is one of the many clubs and societies at University of the Arts London that allows students to explore different mediums of creativity...

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Our goal is to explore and experience theatre and performance in all its form, expressions, and roles. Additionally, we are eager to explore other dramatic formats, including film radio, and TV, and will promote events related to them.

Chelsea College of Art & Design
16 John Islip Street
London
SW1P 4JU

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DRAMA SOCIETY LEGACYWritten by Pedro Rothstein & Pinky LattSeptember 2021

The UAL Drama Society began at the end of 2017 among a group of MA Dramatic Writing students at the Drama Centre London (CSM). This group included Pedro Perez Rothstein and Pinky Latt – who went on to become the leaders of the society. Other key students were Emma Kelly, Ankita Sharma, and Amina Eisner. The original aim was to create a space for dramatic experimentation and to attract students from different courses and colleges. Once the society was formed with Pedro as president and Pinky as treasurer, we had the chance to engage with a group of Adverting students from LCC in a creative lab. Out of that experience, the first posters and branding of the Drama Society were created.From January 2018, we started meeting every Thursday after our classes and doing open workshops at CSM, sharing our skills, and establishing a routine of practise which continued throughout the year until June. In those early months, the group was small, and we had loads of fun together. We could say this was a pilot for what came after, as we had the time to understand better what we wanted to do.When the academic year started in September 2018, we had ambitious plans for the Drama Society, so we were present at the UAL Freshers Fair pitching our passion to as many students as possible and we organized ‘taster sessions’ in several colleges. As a result of that, the Drama Society experienced a boom of popularity with well over 150 new members. To manage this sudden increase, we decided to deliver two weekly drama workshops, one at Chelsea College of Arts on Tuesday evenings and another at Central Saint Martins on Thursday evenings. Usually, these drama workshops were designed and delivered by Pedro, however, we also invited other students/artists to run them occasionally, such as dancer Violeta Valcheva, filmmaker Mario Hamad, director Gian Carlo de Jesus and writer Josh Curran.The Chelsea group was more consistent, composed of approximately 12-15 regular members, and we spent months developing a project inspired by Shakespeare characters. The CSM group was larger, with 25-30 people in the room every session, sometimes more, and there was always someone new every time. With them, we worked a lot with movement and devising scenes from improvisations. In addition to regular workshops, we also organised numerous group outings to see fringe plays and stand-up shows around London. Moreover, the Society functioned as a hub for a myriad of dramatic opportunities for students, such as casting calls and other creative collaborations.Although we did not put on a full production during this time, we did develop a lot of material and consolidated a group of drama enthusiasts and friends. Some of these members played key roles in the MA Dramatic Writing showcase of 2019, which took place in CSM’s Studio Theatre. Once Pedro and Pinky graduated, they passed the baton to two of the most prominent members of the Chelsea group: Alize Sotelo and Dylan Wilson, both BA Animation students (LCC) who became the new president and treasurer for the following year. Between October and December 2019, the new committee established a collaboration between the Drama Society and the MA Applied Imagination where they did a performance together at the UnBoxed Festival.The hard work that we did in those early days in setting up the Drama Society, expanding and making it work was publicly acknowledged when we won the Best Society Award from the Arts SU in 2019. This is a big part of our legacy, and we are so proud and thrilled that the Drama Society continues to grow and thrive. Moreover, it is important to say we shaped the Society, but the Drama Society also had an impact in propelling our professional careers after our time as students.Pinky was elected Welfare Officer at the Students Union for 19/20 and re-elected in 20/21, partly due to the experience of running the Drama Society. She is now working at LAMDA, a world-renowned drama school.Pedro continued developing his work as a theatre-maker and he came back to work with the Society in January 2020 to write and direct the play Antropofagia – the first Drama Society production which premiered in March 2020 as part of a Latin American Season at the Actors Centre London. He is currently working as a research project manager at People’s Palace Projects and doing a PhD in Drama at Queen Mary University of London.

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