Drama

The Drama Department has enjoyed another exciting year, putting on productions as well as organising workshops and theatre visits for the students. Last year's GCSE and A-Level Theatre Studies students acquitted themselves well, with the AS students gaining particularly impressive marks for their practical units.

School productions continue to be a highlight of the school calendar. It is a testament to the commitment of staff, parents and students alike that we are able to produce such professional shows. This year's major school production was William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and students from Year 9 and above produced high quality performances under the direction of Neil Walker. The students got to grips with the original Shakespearian language and produced an intelligent, accomplished and highly enjoyable performance.

In the summer term, Mrs. Elaine Bennett directed The Dracula Spectacular in collaboration with John Pennington and the Music Department. The show was a huge success and extremely enjoyable for all involved.

The Department continues to be active in the wider community. Ian Clarke, accompanied by a team of A-Level Theatre Studies students visited local primary schools, giving Drama workshops as well as workshops for our own preparatory school and Neil Walker judged the Junior School's poetry reading competition. In the summer term, Rain or Shine Theatre Company made their annual visit, this year performing The Importance of Being Earnest outdoors on a very pleasant June evening.

We took all year groups to see productions at a variety of theatres in the area, with trips to The Woman in Black at the Lowry Theatre and Of Mice and Men at The Duke's Theatre being particular highlights.

This year's residential trip combined the literary and the theatrical as students spent the weekend in the Lake District, seeing performances of The Memory of Water and A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as receiving a backstage tour of the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick. This gave students a particularly interesting insight into the way a theatre accommodates a repertory season and the way in which acting spaces have to be adapted for different productions.

In the coming year we intend to strengthen the A-Level Theatre Studies course, learning from delivery of the first full cycle of the new specification and look forward to introducing a more varied curriculum at Key Stage Three level. Casting for March's production of Oliver! is under way and other plans for the year include the development of a Musical Theatre Club in Senior and Junior School.