Our mission

Hold the Drama uses music as a way to start conversations about emotions and feelings.

We find audiences can both articulate the plots of our shows and then unpick their own emotional responses with inspiring clarity. This approach can unlock powerful discussions, in which audience members use what they’ve seen to reflect on their personal experiences.

Our history

Hold the Drama, formed in 2017 as Open Academy Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music, began performing in Spring 2018 with a tour of Stripes across schools in Tower Hamlets and North London. In 2019 and 2021 HtD collaborated with Snape Maltings Arts Centre to develop their second show Spark, and have since toured it to locations across the UK.

Together, the HtD team have worked on projects performing and devising music with people of all ages in association with some of London’s leading concert venues including the Wigmore Hall, Glyndebourne Opera, The Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall.

HtD tour to locations across the UK all year round. Since forming, the team have visited Sunderland, Sheffield, Luton, Walthamstow, the Isle of Wight, and many more. Future locations include Bradford, Devon and Essex. Read more about past projects here.

Core team

Our team work together inside and outside Hold the Drama in all sorts of ways…

Click on a name below to learn more about us.

Board of Trustees

We’re delighted to present our trustees, who share and match our enthusiasm for the work we do, bringing together a wide range of skillsets that enable Hold the Drama to thrive.

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HtD original co-founders

Edward Edgcumbe

HtD Champions

We are grateful to everyone who supports our work! An extra special thank you goes out to our HtD Champions, who donated £50 or more:

Fergus and Michelle
Kerry Watson
Fiona Forbes
Kathryne Mashford
Hamish Newport
Corinna Boylan
Ernest Robin Kellow
Graham Wood
Emilia Peleva
Orna Ní Choileáin
Mr E C Leith
Aideen Ní Choileáin