The Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama – UK, Fete Mrs. Varuni Jayasekara with Prestigious Fellowship
The Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama-UK, awarded a Fellowship to Mrs. Varuni Jayasekara on 8th June 2017. The Fellowship was presented by STSD Council member Mrs. Penny Charteris on behalf of the Society in the UK.
The STSD is the United Kingdom’s professional membership organisation for qualified and trainee teachers of Speech and Drama which dates back to 1914. The Society provides its members opportunities to interact with like-minded professionals from teaching, theatre and business backgrounds, offers ongoing professional development programmes and aims to enhance presentation and performance skills in education, theatre and the changing workplace.
Mrs. Jayasekara was awarded the Fellowship, which carries with it the prestigious post nominal letters ‘FSTSD’, following a unanimous vote of the Society’s Council as announced at the STSD Annual General Meeting in February 2017. The Fellowship is awarded to members who have held Full or Associate membership of the Society for a minimum of seven years in appreciation of their valued service to further the aims and objectives of the Society beyond their individual membership, through their work in theatre or the world of teaching of speech, drama and communication. She has been a member of STSD since 1995 for over a period of 25 years.
The presentation of the Fellowship by Mrs. Charteris was preceded by an insightful discussion of the challenges faced by teachers of Speech and Drama, an exchange of ideas and experiences on enriching the student experience, and several presentations, performances and demonstrations by members of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama – Sri Lanka Centre.
Teachers of Speech and Drama from across Sri Lanka converged to discuss best practices in the field, as well as to discuss and exchange ideas on how best to address the challenges encountered in teaching Speech and Drama to students with varied abilities and interests.
A number of demonstrations of performance technique and discussions on innovative teaching methods such as ‘Forum Theatre as a Vehicle for the development of Actor-Activists’ took place followed by a presentation on performing Shakespearean plays and a performance of a scene from ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde.
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Penny Charteris welcomed the active participation of Sri Lankan STSD members in the Society’s activities, noting that the Sri Lanka Regional Centre now accounted for as much as one-fifth of the STSD’s international membership. Mrs. Charteris congratulated the Sri Lanka Regional Centre on successfully organising a well-attended and instructive meeting, expressing her appreciation towards the commitment and dedication of the Sri Lankan membership to fostering the knowledge and teaching of Speech and Drama and allied subjects.
Mrs. Jayasekara is the Regional Representative of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama (STSD) UK.
