We produce three school plays every year: the Senior Play (Years 11-13); the Year 9 & 10 play; and the School House play (Years 7 & 8). Every other year, one of these will be a musical. Open auditions are held for all productions and we try to accommodate as large a cast as possible. In addition to the on-stage cast, we have a student crew for each production allowing students to hone their technical theatre skills under the guidance of our Theatre Manager and Wardrobe Mistress. The plays are directed by members of the Drama Department and rehearsals take place during Activity time and lunch hours. These productions attract enthusiastic sell-out audiences rewarding the students’ hard work with rapturous applause!
In addition to the performances, we run various clubs during after-school Activities including Theatre Technology, props and costume making and School House Drama club.
A large number of students take extra-curricular Speech & Drama lessons and we have enjoyed a huge amount of success with the exams that the students take. We have a 100% pass rate and over 95% of students are awarded Distinctions. The higher grades carry UCAS points are a valuable addition to students' Personal Statements and CVs.
We ensure that students have access to the work of theatre industry professionals either through regular visits to watch live theatre or by inviting professional practitioners in to the school to run workshops. Any student interested in pursuing an acting profession or joining the National Youth Theatre will be given coaching to prepare for audition by experienced Drama Department staff. We also maintain contacts with national casting agencies who have visited the school to hold auditions for TV and film work.
