Drama

Co-Curricular Drama

The Drama department offers a variety of co-curricular clubs, supporting students’ exploration and development of their God given talents. Students across all year groups with a passion for the Performing Arts, irrespective of experience, are encouraged to join.

Drama Club

We offer budding actors and directors a place to have fun and hone their craft. We facilitate drama games and improvisation activities to develop devised performances. These activities also support the development of teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, patience, and communication skills. Students receive support with scriptwriting, as well as performing from a text. GCSE students are given the opportunity to direct the work of younger students and lead warm-ups.

Musical Theatre Club

Students explore all three disciplines of Performing Arts: acting, singing, and dancing, with opportunities for musicians to apply their skills as well. They work together as a whole cast to learn ensemble musical theatre numbers, mastering choreography and harmony lines. Students also have the chance to engage in smaller-scale performance work, including duets and solos. GCSE students are given the opportunity to contribute to choreography and lead vocal warm-ups.

Tech Club

Supported by our Theatre Technician, this program offers students of all ages a ‘behind-the-scenes’ insight into the world of theatre technology, fostering practical and theoretical skills. Students learn to design lighting and sound appropriate to style and content, followed by exploration of how these elements are rigged and operated. Students can also support the department at events and choose to focus their GCSE course of study on lighting or sound design if they wish.

Drama Club, Musical Theatre Club, and Tech Club combine the design and performance material they have created over the academic year, culminating in a showcase to their friends and families in the Summer Term.

Extra Sessions

These sessions are available to GCSE Drama and A Level Drama and Theatre Studies students weekly throughout the academic year. During these sessions, students can choose to rehearse practical material, revise exam content, practice exam techniques, or receive one-to-one support with coursework from the Head of Department.

House Drama

This is another opportunity for students to have fun and engage with the Performing Arts. Each year, a theme is chosen, and each house picks a named play/film/novel from the ‘sorting hat’ to base their House Drama performances on. In 2022-2023, houses were inspired by Harry Potter, and in 2023-2024, houses were inspired by Disney.

The performances are marked on:

• Scriptwriting and clear links to the chosen novel
• Acting skills and communication of relevant characters
• Direction from Sixth Formers and teachers (not Drama teachers)
• Inclusion of different year groups
• Communication of a variety of emotions
• An ensemble Musical Theatre number
• Supporting technical elements; set, costume, props, hair and makeup, sound, lighting, audio visual

This ensures that students and teachers across all areas of the school, with a variety of interests and skills, can collaborate to create and perform an entertaining piece of performance material.

LAMDA

LAMDA lessons are available to any students wanting to improve their performance skills. Those with a more technical inclination have the opportunity to work on a variety of productions and events throughout the year with a specific focus on sound and lighting.