National Student Drama Festival

History

The NSDF was founded in 1956 by the Sunday Times arts columnist Kenneth Pearson, Sunday Times theatre critic Harold Hobson, and National Union of Students (United Kingdom) president Frank Copplestone. Pearson went on to become the organization's first artistic director. Early supporters also included Sunday Times Editor Harry Hodson and Professor Glynne Wickham, a pioneer of the academic discipline of drama based at the University of Bristol.

Even before 1956, The National Union of Students had organised dramatic festivals, like in 1947 at Birmingham, but this was the first year that it had been backed by the Sunday Times.

Scottish universities that were a part of the Scottish Union of Students were not allowed to participate till 1962, as universities not affiliated with the National Union of Students were not allowed to participate before that year.

Even after NSDF allowed Scottish Universities, the SUS still ran their own Scottish Union of Students National Student Drama Festival from 1963-1967.

On its 50th anniversary in 2006, a book was published called "Fifty years of the National Student Drama Festival: Oberon Books 2005". This book included a full list of shows for those 50 years.

Past NSDF participants include Harold Pinter, Caryl Churchill, Meera Syal, Simon Russell Beale, Ruth Wilson, Marianne Elliott, and Lucy Prebble. Companies with past affiliation with NSDF include Slung Low, Jamie Lloyd Productions, RashDash, Barrel Organ and LUNG Theatre.

NSDF 22 took place from 9–15 April 2022 in Leicester.

NSDF 25 took place 22–26 April 2025 after a break because of Covid.

Key Figures

Festival Directors

• 1971 to 2000 – Clive Wolfe
• 2001 to 2003 – Nick Stimson
• 2004 to 2006 – Andrew Loretto
• 2007 to 2012 – Holly Kendrick
• 2013 to 2018 – Michael Brazier
• 2019 – James Phillips

Noises Off Editors

• 1980 to 1990 – Stephen Jeffreys (latterly in tandem with Nick Phillips)
• 1991 to 2002 – Ian Shuttleworth
• 2003 to 2004 – Andrew Haydon and Rachel Smyth
• 2005 to 2009 – Andrew Haydon
• 2010 – Phil Mann and Claire Trévien
• 2011 – Andrew Haydon, Phil Mann and Claire Trévien
• 2012 – Phil Mann, Andrew Haydon, and Claire Trévien
• 2013 to 2014 – Andrew Haydon
• 2015 – Jake Orr
• 2016 to 2017 – Richard Tzanov
• 2018 – Kate Wyver
• 2019 – Florence Bell and Naomi Obeng

Prize Winners

At the end of the festival there is a Closing Ceremony where prizes are presented. Some of which are named after prestigious theatrical institutions or people. For example, the Buzz Goodbody Director Award which was named after the first female director for the RSC, who attended the festival in 1967. Previous winners include Roland Smith (artistic director of Theatre Delicatessen), Phil Young, Jane Prowse, Fiona Clift, and Richard Hurst.

References

;General

• 'Raw Talent : Fifty Years of the National Student Drama Festival' ().
• 'NSDF Programme 2010' (printed and distributed by the Festival)
• 'NSDF Programme 2011'

References

1. "Birmingham Daily Gazette, BLA".
2. "EUTC Wiki reference on NSDF".
3. "SUS-NSDF 1963 listing".
4. "EUTC Wiki reference on SUS-NSDF".
5. "50 years of selected productions".
6. "NSDF 22... IS COMING!".
7. "NSDF25: Making It!".
8. NSDF Team https://www.nsdf.org.uk/about-us/the-team
9. NSDF, Website. "National Student Drama Festival {{!}} Noises Off".