Drama

Studying Drama offers students the opportunity to explore an ambitious, broad and creative curriculum.

Personal expression is key, as students develop their confidence and make direct cross-curricular links to subjects such as English and History.

Students will develop their drama skills, many of which are transferrable to many other aspects of life, and learn about the performing arts industry too. They will explore and perform published play and have the opportunity to attend and evaluate live theatre.

Year 7 - Lights, Camera, Action!

In Year 7 Drama, students begin with Lights, Camera, Action!, an exciting introduction to the basics of performance. They learn how to create believable characters using facial expressions, body language, movement, and voice. The journey continues with an exploration of Greek Theatre, focusing on mask work and performing as a chorus.

Next, students dive into The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpty, a powerful play that tackles the theme of bullying, encouraging students to act out scenarios and develop empathy through performance. They then explore the horror genre in Darkwood Manor, using dramatic techniques to build suspense and tension.

Later in Year 7, students discover the lively world of commedia dell’arte, a historical Italian theatre style full of exaggerated characters and physical comedy. They finish the year by working with a script from Matilda, bringing the beloved story to life through character work and performance skills.

We must all do theatre to find out who we are and discover who we could become.” Augusto Boal

Years 8-11 - developing drama skills

In Years 8 and 9, students continue to develop their drama skills and techniques through exciting new schemes of work. They explore powerful texts like Blood Brothers and Shakespeare’s Macbeth, as well as physical theatre through mime. Students are also introduced to key drama practitioners such as Bertolt Brecht and Konstantin Stanislavski, gaining a deeper understanding of different performance styles and approaches to acting.

These foundations lead smoothly into the Eduqas GCSE Drama course in Years 10 and 11, which is made up of three components:

• Component 1 – Devising Theatre: Students create and perform original work based on a stimulus.
• Component 2 – Performing from a Text: Students rehearse and perform scenes from a published play.
• Component 3 – Interpreting Theatre: A written exam analysing a set text and evaluating live theatre.

“Drama is exposure; it is confrontation; it is contradiction, and it leads to analysis, construction, recognition and eventually to an awakening of understanding.” Peter Brooks