Following her graduation from Rose Bruford with a BA in European Theatre Arts in 2015, Elise focused on developing creative curricula and pedagogies for autistic young people in specialist school settings.

She has developed a particular focus on approaches for young people with diverse and complex support needs, including individuals who are non-speaking.

Reflecting on her practice, Elise explains:

“For too long, drama has been seen as a means to develop the “social skills” of autistic individuals to fit alongside non-autistic conventions and rules. I feel passionately about challenging this narrative and finding ways to explore the subject’s potential to promote autistic expressions of happiness, joy, connection and feeling.

 

When pupils enter my sessions, they are valued and respected as artists in their own right. Somewhere where their creative, atypical, sometimes chaotic, sometimes delicate and always surprising artistic engagement is appreciated in all its glory.”

Elise recently published research examining the impact of drama-based pedagogies on the social and emotional wellbeing of autistic young people, and will continue this line of research through her PhD at the University of Birmingham.

Through her teaching, research and dissemination work, Elise has collaborated with a wide range of organisations, including Graeae Theatre Company, Amici Dance, Royal Albert Hall, Flute Theatre, Frantic Assembly, University College London, and the University of Roehampton.

She is currently working with Prior’s Court in Berkshire, a new, residential school for young people with autism and the UK’s first performing arts centre designed to meet the needs of autistic people.

Watch a recording of Elise speaking at a talk at Prior’s Court in which she shares her personal and professional experiences of how the arts can transform learning and enrich the lives of autistic individuals in recognition of World Autism Acceptance Month 2025.

Reflecting on her time at Rose Bruford, Elise says:

“I chose to study at Rose Bruford because there was something both comforting and ridiculously exciting about the school environment. The course sparked my passion for exploring practice as research and it is something that has formed the foundations of my career as a teacher-researcher-performer. I am thrilled to be returning to work with Bruford especially when our principles and passion for engaging young people are so aligned.”

Elise is now working with Rose Bruford College’s Theatre for Young Audiences Centre on a Primary Shakespeare Company project set to take place at Wyvern School in Ashford, Kent in 2026.

 

 

Curious about your creative career?

Find out more about MA Performance with a Specialism in Theatre for Children and Young People

Guided by world-leading experts and practitioners, this programme will challenge you to engage critically with cutting edge contemporary creative industries.

 

Keep in touch

 

We’re always very happy to hear from former students of Rose Bruford.

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