Drama

“Theatre is a form of knowledge; it should and could also be a means of transforming society. Theatre can help us build our future, rather than just waiting for it”

Augusto Boal

At Key Stage 3 level, our aim is to take the students on a journey through theatre history; exposing them to a range of theatre styles, practitioners and plays to develop their performance skills and to prepare them for higher education courses in the field.

In Year 7 students focus on developing their acting skills by performing a range of characters in areas of study of that include: Greek Theatre, Commedia dell’ Arte, Pantomime and Blood Brothers. When students progress into Year 8, they start to consider the style and presentation of their performance work and the impact on the audience as they learn about contemporary theatre.

As the KS3 journey comes to an end in Year 9, students start to look the wider spectrum of roles and responsibilities within the theatre industry and how they collaborate on professional works to achieve the intended creative intentions. Students have the opportunity to take on the role of the director and develop their oracy skills through assessed presentations.

Drama is an option subject at Key Stage 4 where we offer the AQA GCSE in Drama.

Theatre trips, in-house performances and workshops are made available to all year groups and where live theatre isn’t possible, we have also invested in Digital Theatre as an additional provision for our students. We have strong links with the colleges, and we always enjoy welcoming back ex-students and their new classmates to work with our current cohorts. Students are encouraged to join the Harry Potter Studio Tours Trip run by the technology department, and to attend careers events and work experience to gain wider exposure to the different job roles within the industry.

As part of our extra-curricular provision, students can take part in our full-length productions that take place every year, in a variety of roles including performance, front of house and technical support. We have had students perform at local theatres as part of community projects and take part in local festivals. We also run our own extra-curricular drama club.