We look forward to our upcoming conference entitled, ‘Collaboration, Colour and Connection in Drama, Film and Theatre Studies’, which takes place on Saturday 3rd October. We invite you to come along and support one another as we enter Year 2 of this creative, exciting, and perhaps at times, daunting new subject.

All roads lead to Newpark Comprehensive in Blackrock, Dublin, for a jam-packed conference with practical, hands-on experience. Workshops on film-making, live theatre, acting skills, working with the DFTS Sound and Lighting equipment, and stylistic use of colour are all on offer. Most importantly, this day allows each of us to connect with colleagues on what is working well in our classrooms.

As a subject association we want to hear from teachers directly in order to accurately represent teacher views, support queries in conjunction with our stakeholders, and help shape the road ahead. Come along and join us on October 3rd!

Yours sincerely,
DFTS Executive Committee

Access materials and resources from the first DFTS Conference which took place on April 18th 2026 in Mount Temple Comprehensive, Dublin. We were also delighted to partner with a range of industry professionals at the Trade and Exhibition Fair.

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This workshop explores how performance shifts from stage to screen, moving beyond simply “bigger vs smaller”. Using The Shadow of a Gunman, participants perform the same scene for both theatre and film to reveal key differences. Teachers gain practical insight into how subtle choices such as shifts in scale, gesture, vocal delivery, audience relationship, and realism, shape meaning on screen.

Possible Learning Outcome Links

• Connect Camera to Projector

• Physical Proximity Field of Vision Exercise
• Acting for Stage and Screen Spot the Difference
• The Shadow of a Gunman
  Extract Act 2 - Screen / Stage

Facilitated by Young Irish Film Makers

This workshop explores a collaborative workshop focusing on hands-on, interactive experience with the Canon XA60 Camcorder (used by all Phase One schools). This workshop answered teacher technical questions and participants worked to capture strong visual composition, framing, and role distribution in a creative learning environment.

Possible Learning Outcome Links

• Overview of Crew Roles
• Crew Calls Sheet
• Filming Task: ConversationSequence
• Canon XA60 Troubleshooting Tips

In this workshop participants explore choices which can have a profound impact on a scene through the lighting position, colour fills and chosen gels. Participants will also engage with sound effects to create mood and atmosphere, and elicit an audience response.

Possible Learning Outcome Links

• Stagecraft for Lighting
  and Sound PDF
• Three Point Lighting
• Lighting Focus Task
• Sound Focus Task