Drama and Theatre Studies

Drama at St. Edmund's is an optional subject throughout the Senior School, although large numbers of our pupils choose to take either GCSEs or AS/A2 Levels in the subject. It provides an outlet for self-expression and helps develop the imagination and an individual's artistic awareness. It can therefore be instrumental in promoting social awareness, self-confidence, mental agility, fluency of speech, and self-discipline.

In the Lower Fifth, drama technique is taught in support of developing pupils' skills not only of expressing their feelings and ideas , but also of communicating those feelings to others, and being communicated to in turn. The course will include creative games, mime, improvisation and role-play, body language, intonation and projection. We also introduce our pupils to scriptwriting and theatrical techniques such as stage blocking and body language.

At GCSE level, the course is a mixture of written and practical work, with the majority of the final mark being for the practical work. This is selected from a range of options including scripted performance, improvisation, dance, set design and construction, lighting, sound, costume and make-up. In the A Level years, the opportunity exists to pursue particular areas of study within the wider teaching of theatre studies; for example, modules at both AS and A2 level allow for the detailed study of one particular theatre practitioner, whether this might be an author, director or set designer.

St. Edmund's enjoys excellent drama facilities, including a 450-seat theatre, which is equipped for all types of performance; teaching also takes place in the theatre annex and in the music school dance studio. We have a wide range of contacts in the professional theatre and our pupils make frequent visits to theatrical productions as part of their coursework.

Our school productions are well-known and very popular, and we have over the years seen our productions transfer to the Marlowe Theatre here in Canterbury, and even travel as far as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Examination moderators' comments will give you an idea of how effective our productions are: "the best thing I have seen all year" was an observation from 2005, whilst "performances off the scale" was one from 2006.