Drama
Drama is serious fun. It stretches a child’s intellectual ability, challenges their way of seeing the world and increases their ability to communicate ideas. We stage whole school production on an annual basis. This gives a wide range of pupils an opportunity to experience the excitement and challenge of theatre first hand. We hope our shows will bring pleasure and entertainment to the audience of parents and friends that come to see our performances. Recent shows have included “Oliver!” and “Bugsy Malone.” This year we plan to put on a performance of “Little Shop of Horrors.”
As a Drama department we hope to offer courses that are challenging and dynamic, that will spark creative ways of thinking, give pupils increased self-confidence and above all, instil in them a love of theatre that they will carry with them throughout their life. In the lower school drama lesson opportunities are offered through PSHE and Citizenship lessons and as part of enhancement activities.
G.C.S.E.
We now have an exciting new G.C.S.E. course on offer, which allows those who are talented at Drama to pursue their gifts. The syllabus requires the students to perform and analyse their own and other performances. They learn how a piece of theatre is constructed and this helps increase their appreciation of productions they see.
Drama (AS and A2)
The course gives students a good working knowledge of theatre practitioners, from Stanislavski to Brecht. It requires them to study plays in depth and will also enable them to develop own performance skills. In the first year they study two texts from a dramatic point of view; take part in a group production and then sit an examination in which they write about their performance piece and analyse a production they have seen. Y13 students are required to devise their own piece of theatre and then write an extensive piece of coursework analysing the process. They then take a text and produce an abridged adaptation for their practical unit, and finally sit an examination where they must write about their directional ideas for a script, such as “The Beggars Opera.”
Theatre Trips.
It is important that drama students have the opportunity to see as much live theatre work as possible. Last year our students have seen “Romeo and Juliet” and “As you like it” at The Globe, “The Winters Tale” at the Old Vic and a joint Drama and Maths trip to see a brilliant production of “Arcadia” at The Duke of York. With easy access to the West End, they have the opportunity to see world-class drama and more experimental work. Trips planned for this year include, “War Horse,” “Blood Brothers” and “Billy Elliot.” We have strong links with the Redbridge Drama Centre, all examination groups visit the centre regularly to attend workshops and see performances.
Parent Booklets
