Jeremy Harrison

Summary

Jeremy Harrison is a teacher, researcher, director, musical director, composer and community musician. He is Programme Director of Rose Bruford College’s MA Actor Musicianship and MA Theatre for Young Audiences and joint Programme Director of the Ensemble: Certificate of Higher Education in Theatre Making and Leadership, in collaboration with Graeae.

In 2011, he established the Theatre for Young Audiences Centre, where he works 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.

Since 2021, Jeremy has also been the Lead Artist for Playground – an ACE NPO specialising in developing theatre through creative play for babies and children with Special Educational Needs.

Teaching Area

Actor Musicianship; Theatre for Young Audiences; Co-Creative Theatre Practice with Children and Young People, and; Sensory Theatre Practice.

Qualifications

MA in Theatre Practice – University of Manchester
BA Humanities with Music – 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. As a result of his work, Jeremy wrote the book on Actor Musicianship.

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.

Jeremy is the Lead Artist for the Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, Playground. 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.

You can find out more information about Playground through their documentary here: Playground

Or by visiting their website: https://www.local.gov.uk/case-studies/playground-offers-gentle-creative-play-sessions-babies

Since 2018, Jeremy has also been the special school’s advisor for the 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. www.doi.org/10.5040/9781472511355

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. https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-4438-7603-2

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.