Drama and Theatre Studies is an exciting subject which challenges students across the board. Not only does it enable students to work creatively as performers, directors and designers, it encourages them to manage projects, work as a team, to make and follow through creative choices and explore their perception of human behaviour and the society around us.

The Drama Department strives to develop and nurture enthusiasm for theatre and performing arts across the student range offering many opportunities for involvement and creative input. We offer a variety of opportunities to take part in performance work ranging from drama clubs at U3 and Lower 4, to involvement in the whole school production, to seasonal projects, to GCSE and A Level. Overall we produce between 8 and 10 productions per year taking place in our drama studio and the main school hall. Drama at all levels in the school provides excellent potential for creative, independent learning and team work.

At Key Stage 3 Drama follows a series of interactive projects using play texts, improvisation and storytelling techniques to develop interpersonal skills, social dynamics and communication – and to have fun making drama. Our exceptionally popular drama groups for both Year 7 and Year 8 mean that all girls interested in developing their skills get the chance to work on numerous extra curricular productions per year often offering technical support for at least one other show.

The GCSE and A Level courses (Edexcel Examination Board) offer opportunities for performance work with practical exploration of different genres of theatre and theatre practitioners both old and new. Vital to personal progression within both courses is experiencing professional work and our many theatre trips make students aware of the work happening in British theatres today. We try, where possible, to forge links with professional companies and independent practitioners. Companies we have studied and worked with in the past few years include Frantic Assembly, Theatre Alibi, Pilot Theatre Company, Cygnet Drama School, The Shakespeare for Schools Festival.

 

 

The Department supports a rich extra curricular programme within the senior school. All girls are encouraged to take part in our many school productions both on stage and in technical roles from sound and lights to designing and making costume and set to directing and producing.

Our Key Stage 3 drama groups run weekly during lunch breaks with some rehearsals after school on the run up to productions. Alongside termly workshop projects recent shows (2009-11) include; 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' by C.S. Lewis, 'Peter Pan' by J.M. Barrie, 'The Last Laugh' by Ben Payne, 'Fantastic Mr Fox' by Roald Dahl, ' Our Street' ( devised from the poetry of Brian Patten's 'Utter Nutters'), a selection of 'The Just So Stories' by Rudyard Kipling, 'Trouble with Brother' by Andra Bishop.

The yearly whole school play is open to students from years 9-13 and is not only an event which showcases the talent and ability of our students but also is a chance for girls across the year groups to work collaboratively as a school – an exciting and memorable challenge. Often there is a collaboration with the music department in which musicians from the school form the band. Recent productions include 'Honk!' The Musical, 'Sweeney Todd', 'The Witches' and 'My Very Own Story'.

We also run peripatetic LAMDA classes taught in small groups by Pauline Leonard, either at lunch time or after school. The results for these examinations in recent years have been exceptional with girls regularly achieving Distinction for their grade work. These students also get the opportunity to take part in the Devon and Exeter Performing Arts Festival in March.

 

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