On Sunday 9 December, 2007 the School collaborated with the University of Birmingham and Royal Holloway University of London, to support How Was It For Us? British Theatre under Blair at the Writers' Guild Centre in London. Participants included Nick Hytner, and Nick Starr from the National Theatre, Michael Boyd from the RSC, actor and Equity activist Malcolm Sinclair, theatre consultant Peter Boyden, commentator Mark Lawson, actor/playwrights Kwame Kwei-Armah and Robin Soans, writers Alistair Beaton, Victoria Brittain and Tanika Gupta, and Kneehigh director Emma Rice.The day started with a keynote contribution from Tessa Jowell MP, the longest-serving Labour Culture Secretary, whose 2004 challenge to instrumentalism in the arts advocated a seachange in policy. Other contributors included conference organisers David Edgar, Steve Waters (playwright and director of Playwriting Studies, Birmingham University), Dan Rebellato (playwright and Professor at Royal Holloway), and Professor Janelle Reinelt (University of Warwick).