Drama is a thriving and popular subject at the school and can be taken as an option at GCSE and A Level.

Why choose Drama?

  • It builds personal confidence and presentation skills.

  • It helps you to develop skills for working with others.

  • It is practical, and provides relief from the more class-based subjects.

  • Drama is not restricted to acting - you can learn about the history of Drama, and the development of literature and film.

  • It enables you to learn about other people, times and attitudes.

  • It can help you to prepare for a career in the performing arts.

All boys in Years 7, 8 and 9 have a timetabled lesson of Drama per week, during which they explore performance skills and techniques as well as elements of dramatic style and history. These are the core skills that are developed over KS3 and students get the experience of writing, devising and performing their own work.  Extra Curricular participation includes the Lower School plays; the latest being "Treasure Island". 

Students studying Drama for GCSE Level are allocated six lessons per week. Results at this level are good in what is a tough GCSE to get an A* in. We have found that between 1 in 3 and 1 in 4 of the students in Years 10 and 11 have taken drama and it is a very popular option, perhaps as a result of a slightly freer curriculum and more practical learning.

Extra-curricular Drama is also thriving; the school puts on an annual senior-school production, and every-other-year teams up with Sutton High School for Girls to produce a joint musical. These productions are always of an extremely high standard, and have earned a strong reputation for being the best in the local area. The boys involved each year play a full role in all aspects of production, from performing to lighting and sound engineering, and thoroughly enjoy the challenge and experience. Recent productions include "Grease", The Addams Family" and Little Shop of Horrors" and this is in addition to curricular based productions that the students do.

A further annual event on the Drama calendar is the House Drama competition. Every Summer, boys in Year 9 are responsible for writing, directing and producing a House Play to compete for the House Drama Grail. These half-hour plays must involve boys from throughout the Lower School (Years 7, 8 and 9) and the competition is always conducted to a professional standard.