Training the Young Actors of Theatre Ashbury

When Gregory H. Simpson was hired to run the drama program at Ottawa private school Ashbury College, he brought with him a very simple premise:

If you taught kids to think, there would be a revolution in education.

That premise—plus a few years, more than a few scandalously unfiltered plays, and a whole bunch of wonderful students—would create the internationally-acclaimed Theatre Ashbury. Mr. Simpson demanded critical thought, intense work, and commitment from those kids, and what he got was decades of showstopping, educational, and attention-grabbing theatre. (Not to mention a few stars among his alumni!)

Now, Mr. Simpson lays out his methodology: Theatre as Education. By giving his students the artistic freedom to explore difficult subjects, the rigor and the skills to depict them authentically, and the highest standards to reach with their achievements, he taught his students—and everyone around them—a lot more than how to act.