Graduate school takes an investment of time, energy and money. When I was considering graduate school, through the application process and even into my first year of study I kept asking myself the same question. Can I afford it? I know I am not alone in balancing a budget and carefully weighing finances into much of my decision making. As an independent contractor working as a teaching artist and actress when I decided I wanted to apply to grad school I knew it would take planning to make it work. Writing out the costs of GREs, application fees and then the cost of attending interviews I recognized the investment of money I needed to apply and thought a lot about the financial investment that would come if I got in. I realized that if I seriously was thinking about graduate school I seriously needed to save up.

 I started budgeting money earned from my many teaching gigs by putting one set of paychecks in my checking account for bills and the other set in my savings account for grad school. As I was offered jobs I would calculate how much it would contribute to my ‘grad school money’ hoping to inspire myself to keep pushing as I once again took on subbing a class on my one day off. I saved up, eventually applied and was thrilled to be admitted to The University of Texas at Austin. Now initially when looking at the cost of school I didn’t think much beyond tuition and housing. But once I was admitted and I really started to price out the cost of moving across the country for school there were a variety of expenses I hadn’t previously considered. Again I found myself crunching numbers trying to figure out how to cover the cost. Eventually I realized that if I worked one extra week that summer I could cover the cost of moving across the country.

 Now as a graduate student the budgeting continues. I’m fortunate to receive scholarships, financial assistance and have a graduate assistantship from my program but money is always tight. In my first semester I found a quote by Nellie McCaslin that reads, “Don’t start with what you can afford. Start with what you want. Then find a way of getting it.” This is posted above my desk as a reminder to myself that while I need to consider finances when making a decision I shouldn’t discount opportunities because of them. Last year in a quest to finance attending ASSITEJ in Copenhagen/Malmoe I found myself babysitting an extra eight hours a week then giving up my apartment when I went away to work for the summer. My experience has been that I can figure out how to finance anything if I think ahead and am willing to find the hours to work for what I need. I work a lot, both as a student and outside of class, but halfway through my program at The University of Texas at Austin I can honestly say that my experiences as a graduate student have been well worth the investment.

UT Faculty, Alumni and Students at ASSITEJ in Malmoe/Sweden in May 2011

 Things to consider when applying/attending graduate school

• What will it cost to move?
• What will your living expenses be? Housing? Food? Clothes?
• How much should you expect to pay for books?
• Will you have a car? How much is parking? Gas? Insurance?
• Where will you get health insurance? How much will this cost?
• What professional organizations are you expected to be a member of?
• What conferences will you want to attend?
• Will you work? Within your program? Outside of school?
• Will you stay over the summer? If not can you sublease or do a shorter lease to avoid paying double rent?
• How much will it cost to fly home to visit?

 Note: The above is not meant to be overwhelming but rather to share things to consider when planning to apply for and attend graduate school. My hope is that some of what I’ve shared here will help others truly consider the cost of graduate school and plan to make attending a reality.

  Bethany Lynn Corey is a second year MFA candidate at the University of Texas at Austin where much of her current research surrounds Theatre for the Very Young. She has worked nationally and internationally as an actress, director, and teaching artist.

After taking Laurie’s course I took a class with Lowell Swortzell and boy, did this man know his theatre history. I was in awe of everything he had to share. From all the plays he wrote to the incredible legacy he started with his wife. I could not believe I was sitting in class with such an amazing expert. I wanted to meet his wife, Nancy, but she was finishing her semester in London and passing the baton to Philip Taylor.

Mentorship is what I found at NYU.

Years later, I decided to return to NYU for my doctorate degree, and again, I found myself sitting in a classroom with Augusto Boal, getting advice from with Cecile O’Neil on my dissertation proposal and observing Jose Cruz Gonzalez and Sandra Fenchel Asher create their next TYA masterpieces at the New Plays for Young Audiences Series. I have had the opportunity to travel to ASSITEJ, teach my own TYA course and represent NYU as the first Swortzell Scholar; to know that Nancy Swortzell selected me to represent her and Lowell’s legacy was not just a huge honor, but also incredibly meaningful.

Mentorship is what I have found at NYU but the baton has now passed.

This year, I get to work side by side with Tony Graham and run a conference on TYA with him. I represent my university as a board member for TYA/USA but most important, I now mentor and collaborate with others. I see new talent develop and create new works in TYA. I meet incredible students who open my mind to new ideas and are delighted to learn more. And as I sat at Nancy Swortzell’s memorial a couple months ago, I remembered in that instant what it was like to be a part of such a huge legacy; it felt special. As I heard academics, artists, teachers, scholars share special stories about her, and I saw a beautiful collection of photographs from her life, I could not help but be proud. I looked around the room, and I was surrounded by not just mentors but also colleagues.

My dissertation chair, Nancy Smither, who was also taught by Lowell and Nancy sat close by and together, I knew she understood what I felt.

Now, to write this blog, I asked my NYU community to tell me what they’ve been working on. I wanted to be inspired by my colleagues, and the first person to respond was Laurie Brooks. She told me about her latest work, All of Us, a commission from Dramatic Publishing Company. The play premiered in July at The Kansas City Fringe Festival, produced by The Coterie Theatre, Kansas City, MO. The play addresses the current epidemic of prejudice and bullying of gay high school students. The stories within the play, reveal the inner lives of GLBT teenagers and ask “all of us” to stand up for their rights. Then a former student from the program, Tessa Bry also responded and shared what she has been working on. She taught a Shakespeare’s Language class for children, as well as a Creative Play course in Cape Cod, MA. She also presented a one-hour adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale for children. The promotion of classic “un-dumbed” down theatre to children of the region was widely appreciated by many audience members, as well as their parents. These are just two of the stories shared, so many more are right now taking place.

Mentorship is what I have found at NYU, and the baton keeps getting passed along.

Daphnie Sicre, PhD. candidate
The Program in Educational Theatre
Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions
NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/edtheatre/people/faculty/sicre

1.     What is the diversity academically and professionally of the current faculty? What kind of professional affiliations or connections do they have within the TYA community?

Check out the faculty and staff bios on the UT website for specifics. I feel lucky to be surrounded by colleagues with such diverse interests and areas of academic and professional practices. One of the reasons that I came to UT was to be part of a core faculty group that would challenge me to grow and think about my work differently. I’ve found a great home for scholarly and creative work/collaboration with this faculty and the student body in Theatre for Young Audiences, Theatre Education, and Applied Theatre.

2.     Are assistantships available?  How much do they contribute financially? What different work study options are accessible to students? (TA, administrative, research based, etc) Also, if accepted, do you offer any other financial assistance for students?)

Assistantships vary each year according to a variety of funding and economic trends, but we try to offer every student some form of financial support and tuition assistance. We tend to offer increased support in year two and three of the program, and most of the support comes through paid assistantships. As instructors of record, teaching assistants, and graduate research assistants, students teach at the university level, work on research and scholarly projects with faculty, and collaborate on school and community-based programs such as Drama for Schools and the Performing Justice Project.

3.     My experience is varied between performance, administration and recently I have been growing my teaching artist/education experience, but I DO NOT have my undergraduate degree in theater (I have a BA in Communication Arts). Will this lack of an undergraduate degree in theater be an issue during my admission process?

At UT, we invite applicants with a variety of undergraduate degrees and experiences. The degree program is flexible enough to fill in gaps if students are missing key foundations for the program, but we have certainly considered and admitted students who do not come to the program with a degree in theatre.

4.     What are some of your alumni doing now?

Our alumni are all over the country in a variety of positions in professional theatres, k-12 schools, and community-based settings. Many of our alumni work in positions that allow them to work with and for young people with a focus on both the process and the product.

5.     What kind of materials would you like to see in a candidate’s portfolio?

I love to see a candidate demonstrate interest and professional experience in one or more core areas in the field, a sense of the breadth and depth of the field, curiosity and flexibility for the unknown, interests and experience in working with youth and communities, and an abundance of joy…because graduate school is challenging and draining and it takes a strong sense of joy and happiness to keep you goingJ

6.  How much does your GRE score matter in the admission process? Do you have a required score?

At UT the GRE score is considered as part of the entire package; we look holistically at every application.

7.     How flexible is the course of study? Are there any new courses you are currently developing or looking to add in the next two to three years?

Our course of study includes a solid core and lots of flexibility exists within our wide range of electives that come from areas across the department and the university at large—such as Drama/Theatre Applications in Museum Settings, Latino TYA, Digital Storytelling in Community-based Settings, Playwriting for Youth, Collaboration, Directing the Young Performer, Performance Ethnography, Race and Performance, Theatre for Social Change, Teaching Artist Praxis, and the list goes on…

This year, we are developing a new research course to better prepare students to engage in field-based research around their thesis. We are very excited for this new course, which will focus on the interests and practices of the students’ thesis work each year. Katie Dawson will teach it for the first time this spring–Stay tuned!

8.     What qualities are you looking for in incoming students? What do you think makes for a successful student in your program?

I believe our successful students are intellectually curious and disciplined; able to collaborate and take risks; possess passion and focus; desire a creative community; want to be challenged; have an open heart; pay attention to the world and young people; are resourceful; are drawn to pedagogy, artistry, and scholarship; can’t imagine doing anything else. They want to be here

Megan Alrutz recently joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin as an assistant professor of Applied Theatre and Community Cultural Engagement. For five years prior, she was a theatre professor and coordinator of the MFA program in Theatre for Young Audiences at the University of Central Florida, where she directed ArtsBridge, Digital U, and many other community-engaged projects. She earned a Ph.D. in Theatre (with an emphasis in Theatre for Youth) from Arizona State University, and a B.A. in Theatre from Rutgers University. Megan is a scholar, director, dramaturg, and teaching artist whose creative and scholarly interests focus on applied theatre and community-based devising; intersections of live theatre and digital storytelling to explore issues of voice and identity; and investigating arts integration and drama-based pedagogy for the university classroom. She recently represented TYA/USA at the International Directors Seminar in Hamburg, Germany and she is currently co-editing Playing with Theory in Theatre Practice (Palgrave MacMillan 2010) and serving as the editor for TYA Today.

From your first semester in the program, opportunities to develop your skills in practical ways abound.  As important as coursework is to any academic program, what is learned “in the trenches” is often just as important to a career in the theatre.   The Department of Theatre generously supports graduate students with assistantships, with the goal of providing students a wide range of valuable experiences during their two years: from serving as teaching assistants for undergraduate classes, to learning the ins and outs of the marketing and publicity arm of the theatre.  The Department currently produces a season of eight shows: four in our black box space, Brown Theatre, and four in our large proscenium space, Taylor Theatre.  The North Carolina Theatre for Young People, within the Department, produces one main stage show in the fall and a touring production in the spring.  Faculty directors are always open to working with graduate assistant directors, Theatre for Youth students are expected to be involved in the touring production, and the weekly Workshop series allows students the chance to challenge themselves as they direct or act in a piece of their choosing.  In addition, with the new program structure, candidates accepted into the program will be required to direct every semester during their two-year tenure at UNCG through Graduate Practicums.  The directing experience will culminate in a Master Production during the student’s last semester in the program.  This production will be performed for the general public as well as school groups from the surrounding counties.

Partial scholarships and professional development funds are available to enrolled students, helping them to attend events like the Southeastern Theatre Conference, the Bonderman Symposium, The Kennedy Center’s New Visions/New Voices, AATE, and TYA USA conferences.  The North Carolina Theatre for Young People has a long tradition of hosting visits from some of the foremost playwrights, publishers, and educators in the field of theatre for young audiences including: James Still, Suzan Zeder, Jim Hancock, Michael Keck, Sandy Asher, Moses Goldberg, Orlin Corey, Max Bush, Barry Kornhauser, Pat Forrest, Wesley Middleton, and Rafe Esquith. The Department of Theatre has hosted guest artists such as Romulus Linney, Paula Vogel, Suzan-Lori Parks, Tony Kushner, and Joan Darling.

We have developed a relationship with Triad Stage, a well-regarded regional professional theatre located in downtown Greensboro. Artistic Director Preston Lane serves as a faculty member in the Directing program.  As a graduate student in the Theatre for Youth program, you will be inspired by his passion and vast experience, and you will most certainly enjoy the hysterical stories from his years in the business. Assistant directing opportunities arise during Triad Stage’s season of main stage and cabaret space shows, and we encourage all students to attend their productions throughout the season.  For students interested in original scripts and adaptations, Triad Stage can offer unique opportunities to experience the development process as Preston has a long history of generating new works and adapting the classics.

The city of Greensboro with 260,000 residents is located approximately in the middle of the state, 2 1/2 hours from the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic coast.  Offering a rich combination of arts and culture while maintaining a very reasonable cost of living, Greensboro is an ideal location close to Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte, NC. Residents are friendly, traffic is not a problem, and the diverse community, which includes four other colleges and universities, affords plenty of enriching activities: a vibrant downtown area (where parking is free on weekends and evenings!), arts festivals and lecture series, outdoor activities and a great system of parks and greenways, museums, farmers markets, and terrific pubs and bars.

We are excited about the changes we have made to the MFA in Theatre for Youth program and we encourage you to learn more about the program and the Department by visiting our website: http://performingarts.uncg.edu/theatre  or calling Rachel Briley, the Artistic Director of the Theatre for Youth program at 336-334-5575  (e mail:  r_briley@uncg.edu).  Our final interview date is scheduled for February 11, 2012.  Please contact Rachel if you are interested in interviewing for the program.

Annika Pfaender Purvis, a graduate of the Theatre for Youth program at UNCG

Since high-school I’ve had a special place in my heart for Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) – I was very fortunate to be in a high-school with an annual touring children’s production. In undergrad I took a step back from this, but taught theatre in the summer at youth arts camps. During the school year I found myself missing having kids around. I took this as an indication that I should pursue TYA. I eventually landed at the University of Central Florida in Orlando whose partnership with Orlando Repertory Theatre, a professional family theatre with three stages and a myriad of opportunities, ultimately enticed me to come.

I was looking for an opportunity to explore my craft in a variety areas, hoping to expand my repertoire and explore components of theatre I’d previously left untouched. For me, coming to UCF felt like the transition I was seeking. I knew I was looking for more opportunities and a chance to continue my studies in the theatre. This was key in helping me determine whether or not to attend grad school. You have to know the direction you want to travel. For me, the final destination was a little blurry, but the direction was clear.   I knew what I wanted to learn, and this made all the difference in my ultimate decision. At UCF I could continue my theoretical and scholastic studies, but I also knew these would be harmoniously juxtaposed against practical applications at The REP.

While it is important to know the direction in which you want to head, it is equally as important to be open to the journey. Say yes to everything! Even if you are scared of being overwhelmed. The more you push yourself the more you’ll grow. The more opportunities you take, the more new avenues of direction will form at your feet. Since coming to UCF in the fall of 2010, I have garnered more variety of experience in theatre for youth, than I had in the six pervious years I had working in TYA. I was afforded eye-opening opportunities in fields like Development – where I never would have guessed I’d have any interest, but have come to find fascinating – and opportunities to work in the community with youth on the fringes of society – homeless youth and foster youth, who don’t often get the opportunity to come into theaters for classes or performances.

Jennifer Adams, Lucy Bryson, Amanda Hill at One Theater World Seattle 2011

When I came to UCF I couldn’t have told you what I wanted to do, but my experiences here have helped me define my path (although sometimes it still changes). Without coming to UCF and gaining a broad range of experience in the theatre, I fear I would have been much farther behind. The connections I’ve made, the friends, the faculty, the staff at The REP, are all such great influences in my life, constantly pushing me to beat my best and explore uncharted waters. Grad school is a time all about YOU. You are the key component. It is entirely what you are willing to make of it. But if you are seriously considering it, then be ready to self-motivate, self-explore, and self-reflect.  Grad school allows you grow in so many different ways, but only if you’re open to it.

Amanda Hill
University of Central Florida
2nd Year MFA in TYA

theater building at Kansas State

            What ended up sealing the deal on my decision was the ease of Distance Education through K-State. I am currently living and working in Omaha, Nebraska. I realized that with the professional opportunities that were presenting themselves in Omaha I didn’t feel like it was the right time to leave. At the same time, I didn’t want to become stagnant in my continued work as a Teaching Artist. I decided to stay in Omaha and continue the work that I was doing while also beginning my degree online. With the MA in Drama Therapy program I can take various courses online. Likewise, there are many courses that I can attend in an intensive setting. For example, in January I will pack up my things and head to K-State for a week in order to take in intensive course in Playback Theatre on campus. These diverse learning opportunities sealed the deal for me that K-State was where I needed and wanted to be.
            One of the neatest experiences for me happened this summer. While attending AATE Sally from Kansas State University met Brenda from Columbus State University. It was a really special moment to have my former advisor meeting my future advisor. In a way it reminded me that the work that I am going to do in Graduate school is so connected to the work that I have been doing in the past. I could not be more excited to be in Graduate school at Kansas State University. I enter this next chapter of my life with optimism and hope made strong by the education and experience I have gained in the field of Theatre for Young Audiences.
 

Barrett in action as a Teaching Artist

Barrett Scroggs is a first year in the Drama Therapy MA program at Kansas State University. He received his BSEd in Theatre Education from Columbus State University in Columbus, GA. Currently he is the Director of Children’s Programming at Omaha First United Methodist Church. Barrett also works as a teacher and actor with the Omaha Theatre Company for Young People. He has previously worked with the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte and toured across the Midwest working with CLIMB Theatre based out of St. Paul, MN. Some of Barrett’s creative interests include using creative drama with students with Autism, theatre for social justice, and arts integration.

I’ve attached a recent advertisement for our TYA program that should be going in to ArtSearch soon along with a simple program description from our website. There are several specialties that students may choose from in our TYA program, including playwriting, directing, curriculum development, scenic design, and puppetry. In addition, UHM is known as THE PLACE to go for Asian Theatre training and many of our TYA folk dive into this training while they are here (in addition to TYA stuff).

Our department has just gone through a major website update.  Some things are still not quite in place.  However, that is probably a good place to start (GRADUATE REQUIREMENTS: http://hawaii.edu/theatre/graduate/apply.php; TYA: http://hawaii.edu/theatre/futurestudent/youth.php). I can also put you in touch with several current TYA grad students who may be able to offer their perspectives on the program.

I think we have a very unique program and I’m very excited about the possibilities for future growth and improvement. Let me know how your search is going and I’ll start researching some of your questions!

Best,

Mark Branner
Director, TYA Graduate Program
(808) 956-2931
branner@hawaii.edu
___________________________

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GRADUATE YOUTH THEATRE OPPORTUNITIES – UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʼI-MANOA, Department of Theatre and Dance, seeks students for MFA training in TYA programs (Theatre for Young Audiences). Active, multi-cultural, theatre-training program provides exposure to, and opportunities to act/direct in multiple venues for: Western Theatre, Asian Theatre, TYA, and Dance. Assistantships, available to qualified students enrolled in program, pending availability of funds. Personalized program emphasizes hands-on training, varied performance and teaching opportunities, individualized mentoring with professionally active faculty, and performance opportunities with area theatres. For more program information visit: . Inquiries: contact Director of Youth Theatre, Mark Branner, branner@hawaii.edu; for applications: call 808-956-7677 or visit . Deadlines: 1/15/12 – for Fall 2012 admission; 8/1/12 – for Spring 2013 admission.

WEBSITE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

TYA • Theatre for Young Audiences
Cultivating Wonder
The TYA program encourages the development and pursuit of wonder, combining a foundational emphasis in drama education and curriculum development with the bold theatrics of puppetry, masks, clowning, and dance. TYA faculty have backgrounds in standards-based curriculum development, theatre for social change, dance, and circus arts and teach a variety of classes, including Puppetry, Masks & Giant Puppetry, Creative Drama, and Creative Dance. Within the flexible framework of the program, students can specialize in a wide variety of disciplines – acting, directing, playwriting, puppetry design, and more – all with the goal of capturing the imagination of young audiences.

Production Highlights
The TYA program celebrates the wonder of live performance by producing breathtaking performances for families and young audiences. Each year over thousands of children and young adults arrive at the doors of Kennedy Theatre to be ushered into magical worlds beyond. Graduate students have directed productions in the Earl Earnst Lab Theatre, organized performance tours to local schools, developed K-12 classroom residency programs, and more. Productions have ranged from classic fairy tales, to adaptations of children’s literature, to new works by students, faculty, and guest playwrights. These offerings are often filled with adventurous theatrical designs and styles – often combining elements of musical theatre, dance, puppets, masks, and Asian and Pacific theatre techniques.

What’s after Graduation?
Alumni of the TYA program work as faculty in such places as UCLA and the University of Malaysia; others teach in community colleges or high schools. Students have placed first in Disney’s ‘Imagineering Competition,’ served on the Jim Henson Foundation board, and worked as puppeteers on Sesame Street. Others have authored children’s books, directed programs for cruise lines and programmed children’s television (Pakistan). Graduates work as actors, writers, and directors in such professional theatres as HTY (Honolulu), Images (San Diego), and the Cleveland Play House (Ohio).

Our program is now in it’s fourth year, and I have seen people thrive and people struggle with grad school.  Here are my recommendations if you are considering thinking about applying:

Apply to grad school if:

• You are open and excited to learn new things
• You want to challenge all of the assumptions you’ve made about education, theatre and the greater world
• You have something exciting to share to colleagues
• You want to work hard
• You have the time/resources and support to be successful
• You want to challenge yourself
• You could spend all night reading about theatre education and love it.  It doesn’t feel like work to you

Indeed, grad school is a lot of work, but if you are in the right place in your life—it should feel joyous to be a part of a community of smart learners.  As we all know, the pay in our field is low and the hours long.  You have to be a person who operates from a place of endless passion.  If the above criteria speak to you, I encourage you to apply to the many wonderful drama and theatre education programs in the US.

Gillian McNally currently serves as Assistant Professor of Theatre Education at the University of Northern Colorado, where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate level students.  Prior to UNC, she served as the Resident Teaching Artist for People’s Light and Theatre.   A proud Longhorn, she holds an M.F.A. in Drama and Theatre for Youth from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.F.A. in Acting from Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts.  Gillian is currently serving as secretary on the executive committee of  TYA/USA’s Board of Directors.

Harold R. Oaks (BA ’60) of Provo, the former department chair of BYU’s Theatre and Media Arts Department and former associate and acting dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, developed a specialty in children’s theater that took him to the top of his field both nationally and internationally.  Having taught at four other universities, Oaks says it was wonderful to teach, research, and produce in a gospel environment at BYU. “To a great extent, BYU has not only influenced my life—but it was my life for 32 years,” he says. “The excellent students in and outside my department have been a blessing.”
Among his many awards is the Honorary President’s Award from the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People.

Upon his retirement from BYU, he and his wife, Ima, served several missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and at the request of the Church, they developed a series of health-education puppet shows that have been used in more than two dozen countries around the world and have been translated into more than 16 languages.

Educational vision
Much as she enjoyed acting, her vision extended beyond the stage to the use of theatre as an educational construct, and a means for people to use drama as a means of exploring and understanding the world.
Dorothy remained at Newcastle when it became a university in its own right in 1962. Her openness of spirit and radical teaching approach drew a stream of postgraduate students to Newcastle; many of whom where welcomed into the home she shared with her husband Raymond and daughter, Marianne.
Dorothy’s approach to drama practice shifted the teacher from being an instructor to the role of coach, facilitator and fellow artist; recognising the advantages of a co-creative process in which learners are empowered. The new terminology she created, such as ‘teacher in and out of role’ and ‘rolling role’, is now part of the canon for drama teaching world-wide.

Global Career
She worked with children, young people, teachers and students across the globe; from South African townships, to New Zealand Maori communities, to UK inner city areas and USA borstal institutions. Her pioneering methods in the use of dramatic reconstructions also saw her work with trainers at major organisations such as British Gas, Volkswagen UK and the Crown Prosecution Service. However, wherever Dorothy was in the world she always tried to catch the earliest flight home. Her heart was first and foremost with her family.Apart from the Honorary Doctorate of Education award she received from the University of Derby in 2007, Dorothy’s work was recognised in many other ways.
She also received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was the subject of a BBC documentary film, and frequently received invitations to speak at prestigious international events.

MBE Award
Dorothy was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in June (2011), which her family will now accept for her at Buckingham Palace in December. Addressing a gathering of teachers she reportedly once remarked: “I shall look forward to death.” When people gasped she added cheerily that this was not in any morbid sense but as being “the greatest and most mysterious adventure of all”.

A celebration of Dorothy Heathcote’s life will be held at 1pm on Sunday December 11 at St Werburgh’s Church, Church Street, Spondon, Derby. Those who knew her are welcome to come along but it would be appreciated if those attending could notify Dorothy’s daughter, Marianne, via email: mariannekevin@yahoo.co.uk.