EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee is elected by the General Council and manages the conduct of current affairs of IDEA.

Sanja Krsmanović Tasić

President, Serbia

Drama/theatre education expert, theatre director, actress, choreographer, with extensive experience in creating, producing and curating programs and projects. Recognized for creating work that intersects activism and art, addressing critical political and social issues. A strong advocate for using art and art education as a tool for transformation and healing.

President IDEA,  chair of the Presidential Forum of the World Alliance for Arts Education (2024-2025).  President of Centre for Drama in Education and Art-CEDEUM,  Serbian drama education association. Artistic director of Hleb Teatar, independent theatre group and Association Artistic Utopia for the development of projects in performing art and education. Author of an innovate methodology of art and art education as „ecology of the soul“. As an internationally acclaimed expert, she conducts workshops and master classes blending her experience from dance and laboratory theatre into an original approach and  methodology of devising applicable for work with children, youth, seniors, as well as professsionals. Keynote speaker and presenter. Author of essays, dance and theatre reviews and articles on performing arts, and drama/theatre education.

Ólafur Guðmundsson

Vice President, Iceland

Ólafur Guðmundsson is an actor and drama practitioner from Iceland. He works as a drama teacher in secondary education, as a teacher of Icelandic as a foreigh language and as an independent theatre practitioner.
He graduated as an actor from the Icelandic Acting School 1989 and worked as a freelance actor, director, and teacher for 14 years before becoming a full time drama teacher in 2003. He graduated with a diploma in teaching 2003, and has since devoted himself to building up drama as an art subject in primary and secondary education in Iceland. In 2009 he finished an MA degree in Applied Drama in Educational, Social and Community contexts from Goldsmith‘s College, University of London.
In 2005, He established FLISS together with other teachers working with drama in the Icelandic education system. FLÍSS is an association that focuses on the development of drama as a subject in its own right in the Icelandic school system. He became the first chairman of that association.
He started working for IDEA in 2017 at the general council meeting in Evora, Portugal. He became the vice president of the Accountancy Committee of IDEA until 2021 and after that he became the congress director for the IDEA congress held in Iceland 2022.

Nancy Franco

EC Secretary, Colombia

 Nancy Franco is a Colombian performing artist, theater educator and director specialized in projects made with and for children. Theater researcher focused on the impact theater has on the individual through childhood performing arts experiences. Acquainted in the creation of innovative educational projects. She has a BA degree in Theatre Education (Merit Thesis Award on Theatre sustainability). And a master’s degree in education (Cum Laude – research on the impact of theatre on people that had theatrical experience during their childhood). The last two years she has participated on several international congresses and regional discussions around her subject of investigation. She is Executive Committee Secretary of IDEA (International Drama/Theatre Education Association), teacher at La Sabana University – Education Faculty (Subjects related to arts and education), and Drama Teacher at the international school Colegio Nueva Granada in Bogotá Colombia.

Nikos Govas

Treasurer, Greece

Nikos Govas, born in Athens, Greece, is an experienced theatre/drama practitioner and pedagogue. Founder and Chair of the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr,1998-2008), founder and chief editor of the «Education & Theatre Journal» (2001-2021) and member of the Editorial Board of the Research in Drama Education Journal (2012-2017). Actor, musician and director in several theatre companies in Greece and Artistic Director of Theatre Lab Company London (1994-1998) participating in several international festivals. Drama/theatre tutor in teachers’ in-service training courses, in Universities, Municipal Theatres, Associations etc. Visiting lecturer/facilitator at the M.A Dramatic Art in Education Course of the University of the Peloponnese Greece teaching Forum Theatre in Education. He has written and edited several books and articles on theatre/drama and education  and is awarded the “Hellenic Foundation Award London” (1997) and the “Grozdanin Kikot” (2002) award for his contribution to development of drama in education. Since 2015 he coordinates the “it could be me – It could be you” project in collaboration with UNHCR Greece.

Beth Murray

Director of Publications, USA

Beth Murray is an Associate Professor of Theatre Education at University of North Carolina-Charlotte. With deep practical roots in both pre-K-12 and community-based arts, Beth creates, researches, and helps others foster inclusive, arts-based multimodal literacy practices and environments. Over a career, Dr. Murray has been a public-school theatre teacher, a freelance teaching artist, a program development facilitator, and a playwright/author/deviser for young and community audiences. These experiences inform her current position coordinating the theatre teacher preparation program, teaching courses in applied theatre and theatre for young audiences, and conducting creative, collaborative qualitative and mixed-methods research. Beth has published and presented in local, national and international venues. She is the current Director of Publications for the International Drama/Theatre and Education Association, past editor of AATE’s Youth Theatre Journal, and a core faculty member for her university’s Center for Community, Heritage and the Arts (CHArt).

Zeki Özen

Director of Research, Turkey

Zeki Özen is doctor in Ankara University Faculty of Educational Sciences and he has academic studies on drama, children’s games and art education. He graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Educational Sciences, Department of Elementary Education in 2003. During his university education, he became interested in drama in education. He held various positions in the field of facilitation/training and social communities. Between 2004-2005, he worked as a volunteer worker in Mourne Grange Camphill Community with disabled people in an educational and living institution in Northern Ireland. In 2005, he completed the Drama Teaching Program run by the Turkish Contemporary Drama Association. Between 2005-2011, Zeki was a student at Ankara University Institute of Educational Sciences Creative Drama Master’s Program. During the same years, he was a board member at the Turkish Contemporary Drama Association. He worked as a drama teacher at TED Ankara College between 2005-2006 and at Ankara University Development Foundation Private Schools during 2006-2010. Since 2010, Zeki has been working in Ankara University Faculty of Educational Sciences, Department of Elementary Education. In 2018, he completed his Ph.D. study at Ankara University, Institute of Educational Sciences, Department of Fine Arts Education. He is educator and academic advisor for Ankara University Faculty of Educational Science Drama Society. He produced and directed many plays with university students and youths in different themes out of improvisations. Some of the themes about these plays are : Discrimination, Women’s issues, Criticism about the education system.

Christine Hatton

Director of Communications, Australia

Christine Hatton is a Senior Lecturer in Drama in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle, in Australia. Her research interests include gender in drama education and the impacts of drama-led curriculum projects in schools. Recent projects have investigated teacher artistry, theatre for young audiences, and sustained arts residencies in schools. Her current research focusses on using Dorothy Heathcote’s ‘rolling role system’ for curriculum innovation and climate activism with young people. She engages in research using arts-based and poetic methodologies such as research-based theatre and critical autoethnography. She is a Life Member of Drama NSW, she serves as the Director of Research, for Drama Australia and as the current Director of Communications for IDEA. She is also the Chair of the Board, for the youth theatre company, Tantrum Youth Arts in Newcastle, Australia.

Miao Bin

Director of Projects, China

Miao Bin is the Project Director and member of the Executive Committee of the International Drama/Theatre and Education Association. He is the Director of Drama Education Research Centre of Tianfu No.7 High School and Director of the Art Education Team of the Primary Section. He graduated from the master program and is now a PhD candidate at the Department of Theatre Studies, University of Peloponnese, Greece. Besides primary, secondary and high schools, he also teaches drama in education in the universities, including Chengdu College of Arts and Science and College of Chinese-ASEAN Arts, Chengdu University. He serves as the drama educator for Zhejiang Zhipu Public Welfare Foundation and Zhen’ai Public Welfare Foundation, as well as a resident director at Starlight Theatres. He pioneered the introduction of compulsory drama classes in primary and secondary schools in China. He developed a comprehensive drama curriculum and formed a team of five full-time drama teachers in the school. Proficient in children’s theatre, he has tutored students’ theatrical works to be performed in Daliangshan Theatre Festival, China Children’s Theatre Festival, International Youth Ancient Greek Theatre Festival, etc. He has published his book “Drama in School: A Practical Guide of Drama Education for Primary and Secondary Schools“.

GENERAL MEETING COMMITTEE

The General Meeting Committee (GMC) is elected by the General Council and manages the preparation and guidance of the Meeting of the General Council.

Ása Helga Ragnarsdóttir

GMC President, Iceland

Ása Helga is the chairman of FLÍSS the Icelandic drama and theatre association. She is an adjunct in Arts and Drama Education at the School of Education, University of Iceland and a drama teacher at Iceland Academy of the Arts. She holds a degree Master of Arts in Drama and Theatre Education from the University of Warwick in England, 2002.   Ása has been involved in curriculum development in Iceland and introducing drama in schools and higher education for over 35 years. She is an author of both textbooks and scholarly publications and articles on drama in education and has been a researcher for years.  Her research interests are aesthetic learning processes in professional and interdisciplinary work. She is a professional actress and was a host at the children’s program in the Icelandic television for several years.

Matthew Sheahan

GMC Vice President, Canada

Matthew Sheahan is the Past President of the Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators (CODE), after having served as President from 2020-2024, and a founding member of the editorial board for Provocations Drama and Dance Journal. He is a veteran Drama teacher and an instructor with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in Intermediate and Senior Drama. He has delivered workshops all over Ontario and Internationally. Matthew is a playwright and a performer in many different capacities.

Tom Willems

GMC Secretary, Netherlands

Tom Willems is creative producer, teacher and coach at the University of Arts in Amsterdam department Academy for Theatre and Dance. He is specialized in side-specific interdisciplinary theatre. He’s also coach for young theatre professionals. Next to that he works with various groups, training them and making performances with amateurs and semi-professional actors. In 2007 he got involved in IDEA and has a lot of Intenational experience. Since July 2017 he is Director of Projects and Concepts of IDEA.

ACCOUNTANCY COMMITTEE

The Accountancy Committee (AC) is elected by the General Council and entrusted with appointing an independent auditor to perform the annual auditing of IDEA’s books and reporting it to the General Council.

Dagmar Hoefferer

AC President, Austria

Teacher  & Theatre- / Drama Teacher in Austria; dance and theatre projects with children and youth; tracher*s training primary level;

in the board of ÖEBV THEATER: responsible for children- and Youth projects; responsible for Teacher trainings and Drama in Education.

In the board/chair of IDEA AUSTRIA. Network Drama / Theatre in pedagogical context. University College for Teacher Education.

Elected Officer for IDEA – 2017 bis 2020  AC Secretary / 2021 bis 2024 AC President / since 2025 AC President

My statement: “The spirit of IDEA is great, their board and members are working in nearly the whole world and prepare the ground for upcoming projects, festivals and (scientific) events. Non-profit and voluntary.”

Suzana Durão

AC Vice-President, Portugal

Suzana Durão is currently Executive Director of Companhia João Garcia Miguel, a Portuguese Contemporary Theatre Company with over 20 years of activity. She is known through Mockingbird, a consulting firm specialized in managing digital transformation projects in the Culture sector, particularly at DGARTES where she has been supporting the technological modernization of management support platforms for 6 years. With an international career in global markets, she has worked at major multinationals such as Avast Antivirus in Prague, with extensive experience in management, marketing, and digital areas. She holds a degree in Art History (NOVA University of Lisbon) and is pursuing a master’s degree in Culture, Communication and Information Technologies (ISCTE, Lisbon), and also holds a certificate in Innovation Leadership (INSEAD).

Aishwariyah (Asha) Nathan

AC Secretary, Singapore

Aishwariyah (Asha) is a Drama Educator, Practitioner, and Arts Advocate with nearly two decades of experience in Singapore’s arts education sector. She has worked extensively across schools, communities, and institutions, using drama as a powerful tool to engage, educate, and empower.

Asha lectures at tertiary institutions, leads professional development programmes, and directs as well as devises original work. Her inclusive practice spans a diverse range of communities, including learners with special needs, youth in rehabilitative spaces, and beneficiaries of social service agencies, reflecting her belief in the arts as a medium for meaningful connection and social change.

Passionate about bridging traditional and contemporary forms, she often works across disciplines and languages, particularly in English and Tamil.

Asha currently serves as President of the Singapore Drama Educators Association (SDEA), where she advocates for the role of drama in education, performance, and community.