Drama provides students with the opportunity to build confidence, courage, imagination and performance skills in a supportive, creative atmosphere.
Students can become adept at problem solving, negotiation, self-motivation and the ability to be assertive when working in groups to devise entertaining, original theatre — all qualities that are advantageous in the general workforce.
Stages 4 and 5 (Years 7 - 10)
In Drama, students learn and practise a variety of performance skills: comedy, serious acting, mask-work, clowning and exaggerated characters, physical theatre. We study the history of theatre, but the vast majority of the work is practical. Through group-devised and individual projects, the students develop personal and interpersonal and skills: confidence, understanding and consideration of others, self-discipline, resourcefulness, memory training, organisation, spontaneity, empathy, sympathy, compromise, tact.
Stage 6 (Years 11 + 12)
Elective courses offered in Drama in years 11 and 12 offer students the chance to explore Drama content, both practically and theoretically. Students in Year 12 are able to select one of the following topics when devising their Individual Project:
- video
- theatre reviews
- directing
- research
- costume design
- set design
- lighting design
- promotional items (artwork)
- scriptwriting
- performance
Senior Drama also involves a compulsory group-devised performance, where students form groups between three and six in number to create their own performances for examination in any style they wish, and theory topics studied throughout senior Drama, with students writing essays on those topics.