The thesis begins with an academic introduction to relevant material and an overview of the major philosophical themes and debates in drama in education over the past fifty years. This also provides important background information to the rest of the study, placing the school production, drama, the teachers and the curriculum development work in a broader context. A representative range of schools in the Melbourne metropolitan area with a history of school performance of at least ten years was surveyed. The survey sought to find out how and why things had changed over this period, in general and in particular. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. The information is presented under themes which lead to considerations of models and possibilities regarding the school production and drama performance in schools.