Drama

I enjoy Drama as it inspires me to explore all aspects of my creativity and express it in different and interesting ways.

Year 9 Pupil

Drama Department

At Farnborough Hill we strive for the highest standards of excellence and aim to draw out skills and talents in each and every pupil. The Drama Department holds to this ethos and enjoys the process of self-discovery with the pupils in all stages of their education.

We do not teach acting per se but aim to build confidence in the pupils so that they can express life both comically and tragically in an environment which is fun and non-judgemental. Assessments are conducted constructively and in relation to stage knowledge and craft.

We acknowledge that Drama may not be for everyone but recognise its unique value:- to face personal challenges, to 'meet triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same', to work with others, to meet deadlines, to learn great speeches off by heart understanding that performance rests on hard work and high standards of professionalism and discipline.

Facilities

Farnborough Hill's excellent facilities include a recently refurbished black box theatre (Theatre on the Hill) seating 105, a black box studio performance and teaching space (Princess Studio) and the School Hall all with an extensive range of lighting and sound equipment. The Hall accommodates a large audience for our popular musical productions.

Curriculum

Years 7/8

All pupils in Year 7 and 8 receive a weekly lesson in Drama as part of their KS3 curriculum. They are taught in their tutor groups which helps to cement friendships during the first years at secondary level.

At Year 7 we build on the many skills which are taught at junior level. Many of our pupils have had extensive experience prior to joining us in: musicals, showcases and plays. We concentrate on storytelling skills and building practical understanding and knowledge of theatre. They explore the medium of presentation through mime, poetry, prose, and script extracts and they focus on styles of performance such as comedy and tragedy. Shakespeare is taught through a course around The Tempest.

Year 8 pupils continue to improve and build on their physical skills by learning the elementary skills of stage combat and developing voice whilst pushing the boundaries of physical theatre through platform storytelling.

Year 9

Year 9 pupils may opt to study Drama as an additional subject where they receive two hours per week with a weekly homework of one hour. The course is both practical and theory based. Pupils will be introduced to key skills required for GCSE and become proficient in the terminology of theatre both in front of and behind the scenes. Our course acts as a foundation to prepare pupils for the GCSE course at Year 10.

In Year 9 the girls are introduced to all the three
components of the GCSE course and lay the foundation for Year 10:

Devising and creating theatre
Script exploration and performance of extracts of plays
Understanding and evaluating live theatre

The course is assessed via practical presentations, as well as a portfolio of ideas, which is put together like a giant scrapbook and includes write-ups of lessons and evaluations.

GCSE

At GCSE level we study the OCR board which covers three aspects: Devising, Performance and Response on the set text - Kindertransport by Diane Samuels.

The GCSE Drama course has been designed to be practical, engaging and creative. It provides opportunities to understand and create drama as a practical art form where ideas and meaning are communicated to an audience through informed artistic choices.

Year 10 receive two lessons per week and Year 11 – three. We accommodate both actors and designers at GCSE.

In addition to preparing pupils for A level Drama, a GCSE in Drama will improve their ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines. Pupils will improve their negotiating skills and powers of analysis when evaluating their own work and that of others. It will open up a world of fun and enjoyment, whilst also enriching their own world of imagination through professionally run theatre.

A Level

Beyond the Curriculum

Drama workshops at Farnborough Hill are an enrichment beyond the curriculum. They provide pupils with the opportunity to extend their skills and learn from high-achieving professionals. Workshops by Actor Trainer and Director Mr Geoff Colman and companies such as Frantic Assembly are ones that we hope to continue every year.

Frantic Assembly

Frantic Assembly is a company known for productions such as the 'Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time', 'Things I know to be True', and 'Love Song'; and our pupils have studied their work and seen performances for many years.

This workshop is an outstanding opportunity to learn directly from the artists who have created such iconic work. Workshop leader, Mr Steve Kirkham, has worked with Frantic Assembly since its formation in 1994, as well as with Sir Matthew Bourne (in his ground-breaking 'Swan Lake') and George Lucas on the latest in the Star Wars series.

The workshop is physically demanding and pupils are led through a development process that enables them to take a string of simple movements and body shapes and use them as building blocks to begin to tell a story on stage.

Geoff Colman Workshop

Mr Geoff Colman, Actor Trainer and Director, provides a dynamic and explorative two-hour workshop for the GCSE Year 11 Drama group. As a much sought-after acting coach with extensive experience in theatre and film, and as a past Head of Acting at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama for 20 years, he explores deeper levels of script. Mr Colman takes the challenging angle that ‘the text is something which happens’ but that ‘the text isn’t the final experience’.

Exercises are designed to work with the fourth wall and hesitations in natural speech are ironed out, encouraging young actresses to become aware of a meta level of thinking.

In This Section

I enjoy Drama as it inspires me to explore all aspects of my creativity and express it in different and interesting ways.