The University of Manchester Drama Society
UMDS is a society that brings together student actors, writers, directors, producers and creatives to create some of Manchester’s most vibrant fringe theatre. We offer multiple performance opportunities throughout the year, producing around 20 shows during the academic year, plus scratch nights and creative workshops. Alongside these, we have a large variety of socials and fundraisers throughout the year where you can meet other members!
2021/22
Aims
Diversity and Accessibility.
Experimentation.
Collaboration.
Our mission statement as a society and committee for 2021/22 is to focus on continuing to diversify the society, both in terms of the voices we represent and the range of opportunities we offer. Alongside this we aim to provide a space which is accessible, collaborative and encourages experimentation.
A Message from 2021/22 Co-Presidents
This year, we are extending our aims to produce a range of diverse and inclusive seasons of theatre. We will be bringing back the Autumn Fringe and MIFTA Season in Semester 1 and Semester 2 respectively. These will each stage up to 8 productions of live theatre including pre-published works, brand new writing and devised work from members of the Drama Society. We are always interested in and encourage work that sheds new light on pertinent contemporary politics, work where marginalised voices are brought to the forefront, as well as shows that are more experimental or provide glorious escapism! The ultimate goal is to create theatre seasons that are incredibly varied in theme, aesthetic and social commentary.
We also intend to produce a plethora of opportunities for our members’ artistic creativity, not just limited to the live shows that constitute our main theatre seasons. You can read more about these on the ‘How to Get Involved’ page of this website, but in short:
The Honey Pot fund will continue from last year to provide a small budget for independent projects beyond the realm of live theatre. Projects such as short films, spoken word, digital productions are all encouraged through the means of this fund.
Monobox will continue to run as our monologue performance platform, now returning to in-person filming (as opposed to Monobox @ Home). We were delighted by the success of the online seasons of Monobox and we are planning to collaborate with other UOM societies to diversify the voices on display on the Monobox platform.
Finally, the Creative Collective will provide a space for creative exploration without any pressure. Each week the Creative Collective will host a range of creative workshops (from Visual Arts to Musical Performance) with the aim of allowing UMDS members and the wider student community to connect with themselves and each other through creating a variety of artwork.
Ultimately as a society we will strive to provide as much creative opportunity as possible whilst ensuring we establish an accessible and inclusive space. We aim for our society to be one that represents a variety of voices and allows all of our members to be able to express themselves freely and creatively.
We can’t wait to be reunited with existing UMDS members and welcome in Freshers 21/22 !
See you soon,
Ted & PJ
UOM Drama Soc 