Knowing Yourself
Our Team - Specialists
David Davis
David Davis is a Professor of Drama in Education at Birmingham City University (formerly University of Central England) where he was the founder of, and until recently, director of the International Centre for Studies in Drama in Education and course leader for MA, MPhil and PhD studies in Drama in Education. At present working only with MPhil and PhD students and researcheing into Drama and Theatre in Education. He is also Course Director of a summer school in Jordan and teaches on the MA Drama in Education at Trinity College, Dublin, where he is a research fellow. He is also a research fellow with the Qattan Centre for Educational Research and Development in Ramallah. He taught for 15 years as a drama teacher in secondary schools.
Chris Cooper
Chris Cooper has worked in TIE and educational theatre and drama since 1988, including 17 years as the Artistic Director of Big Brum Theatre in Education Company (1999-2015). In 2009 he became the consultant to Drama Rainbow, Beijing. His work in Europe includes long-term collaborations in Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Greece, and Norway. He has been teaching on the Masters in Drama Education Summer School at Trinity College since 2009. He is the author of 35 plays for TiE, youth and community theatre.
Carmel O’Sullivan
Carmel O'Sullivan is the convenor of the Arts Education Research Group (AERG). She is a founding member of ADEI (the Association for Drama in Education in Ireland). Carmel is involved in several externally funded research projects. Her research interests include arts education, drama with children and young people with an autism spectrum disorder, early childhood arts education, the work of the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal; and creativity in teaching and learning. Carmel is a regularly invited speaker at national and international conferences, and has delivered lectures and workshops in academic and professional institutions worldwide.
Yingning Li
Professor Li Yingning, playwright, drama educator. Board member of Jian Xue International Education and Culture Institute. Artistic director to Li Yingning Drama Studio & Youth theatre. Visiting professor of Shanghai Theatre Academy and China University of Communication in Nanjing. Since 1995 Li Yingning has been introducing drama in education to China's universities and communities and founded Tao Ye Theatre in Education, which is one of the earliest TiE companies in mainland China. She has created a series of courses in Shanghai Theatre Academy for educational drama and theatre. She remains an important advocate of drama education and young people's theatre in the Chinese speaking world after her retirement.
Our Team - Main Lecturers
Cao Xi is a writer, director and a drama teacher. Previously trained as a playwright, he spent the last ten years developing a radical form of political drama and theatre for young people in mainland China. He has directed all 7 Theatre in Education (TiE) programmes with Drama Rainbow, a pioneer organisation which was the first to practice drama and theatre in education for young people aged 3-12 in mainland China.
Xi Cao
Coco earned a B.A. of Arts from the Conservatory of Music of Capital Normal University. She serves as a drama instructor for kids of 4-8 years old. Her background in western vocal music has given her agility and multiple artistic elements in her classroom. She is experienced to use her voice to set story situations and dramatic frameworks for her students. She has been trained and evaluated by Chris Cooper and Konstantions Amoiropoulos, a senior international educational drama specialist.
Coco
Member of the Master's Program in Education and Drama at Trinity College, Ireland. She has been a 3-8-year-old teacher of educational drama since the establishment of Drama Rainbow. Her professional background in broadcasting art has earned her avivid and interactive teaching style. She has been trained and evaluated by Chris Cooper and Konstantions Amoiropoulos, a senior international educational drama specialist. In the past five years, she has a lot of practical experience in teaching and designing teaching materials.
Sharon
She graduated from the School of Foreign Languages and Culture of South China Normal University. She received official training from the IB International Training program and used to be an English and drama teacher at IB International School. She is now serving as the director and choreographer for the TiE courses for kids 3-8 years old at Drama Rainbow.
Rani studied English, Spanish and Italian at the University of Nuevo Sorbonne in Paris. She has many years of experience working with preschool children, and has in-depth research on child psychology and educational drama. She hopes that her experience in writing, filming, stage performances, and the multicultural background can inspire the kids at Drama Rainbow.
Rani
Tara graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media. Then she continued her master studies at the Department of Education, Trinity College, Ireland, and earned an M.A. degree in Educational Drama.