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Jeremy Harrison
Postgraduate Programme Director & Head of Theatre for Young Audiences Centre
Summary
Jeremy Harrison is an acclaimed theatre-maker, teacher, researcher, composer, and community musician and leads the Theatre for Young Audiences Centre at Rose Bruford College, established in 2011, working with artists and communities, supporting inclusive approaches to making work for, by and with children and young people. This has developed into a co-creative practice with children and young people, and is developing a sensory practice.
He is the Programme Director of our MA Actor Musicianship and MA Theatre for Young Audiences (from 2026, the MA Performance pathways in Theatre for Young Audiences and Actor Musicianship) and joint Programme Director of the Graeae Ensemble Certificate of Higher Education in Theatre Making and Leadership.
Since 2021, Jeremy has been the Lead Artist for Playground Kent, an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation that specialises in developing theatre through creative play for babies and children with Special Educational Needs. This work has led him to develop and co-design work with visual artists and Kent Libraries, where he has assisted with delivering creative play sessions and created resources for school SEN departments.
Teaching
Research
Teaching area
- Actor Musicianship
- Theatre for Young Audiences
- Co-Creative Theatre Practice with Children and Young People
- Sensory Theatre Practice
Qualifications
MA Theatre Practice, The University of Manchester
BA Humanities with Music, The Open University
Diploma in Acting, RADA
Memberships
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Professional practice
Jeremy’s work occupies the territory where music and theatre intersect. As one of the UK’s leading actor-musicians, his early career underpins a body of work that has seen him develop a training methodology and approach to theatre-making that encourages the integration of music, body, instrument, and voice. He creates worlds where audiences and performers meet, where story and song intertwine and where music is not only heard but felt and seen.
Jeremy’s interdisciplinary interests have led him to work in multi-sensory theatre contexts and to collaborate with leading practitioners in that field, including Oily Cart.
Since 2018, Jeremy has been special school’s advisor for Primary Shakespeare Company.
Jeremy has also served as the Patron of End2End TV, Empowering Young People to Find Their Voice Through Film since 2021.
External duties
External Examiner: MA Collaborative Theatre Production and Design, Guildhall (2020–2023)
External Examiner: BA Acting & MA Directing, Drama Centre, UAL (2018–2019)
Publications
Books
Harrison, J. (2016). Actor-Musicianship. London: Bloomsbury
Book chapters
Harrison, J. (2015) Making Musgrave Dance: Actor-Musicianship in Process. In: F. J. Schopf, ed., Music on Stage, 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Conference Papers
Harrison, J. (2012). When Acting Like Children Becomes Acting For Children. In: Which Way TYA? New York University.
Research interests
Jeremy’s interests lie in the intersection between the notions of mutuality and musicality in actor training and performance. He has interest in the pedagogical approach to actor musicianship rooted in the Eastern-European traditions that have developed from the work of Gardzienice.
These interests are now crossing borders into work with children and young people and Jeremy is exploring the development of this co-creative practice.