John Nicholas Saunders is the Head of Drama at Ambrose Treacy College, Brisbane.
Initially a drama and English teacher, John has extensive experience in drama, arts, English and literacy education and has taught in primary, secondary, tertiary and in juvenile justice contexts.
He has held positions as Head of Department: The Arts at Southern Cross Catholic College; Senior Curriculum Co-Writer with the Queensland Studies Authority; board member of Playlab Press; Associate Academic at Australian Catholic University; President of Drama NSW and Drama QLD; Education Consultant to the Brisbane Festival and guest lecturer at The University of Sydney, Western Sydney University and University of New South Wales; Chair of the Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG) Education Network; and, Drama Curriculum Advisor to ACARA.
John currently holds positions as President of Drama Australia and Chair of National Advocates for Arts Education, as well as Honorary Associate at Sydney Theatre Company. He also teaches drama curriculum at Griffith University, Queensland.
John's award-winning PhD, which he completed at The University of Sydney, explored the impact of drama-based pedagogy on English and literacy learning.
Prior to joining Ambrose Treacy College, he was Director of Education and Community Partnerships at Sydney Theatre Company.
