Drama

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The drama department at St Bede's consists of four specialist drama teachers and all lessons are taught in the purpose built Creative Arts block, which houses three drama classrooms.Two of these are fully equipped rehearsal studio spaces, with in built stage lighting grids. One of these rooms also has wall to wall mirrors for rehearsal purposes. The third and larger teaching space is The Drum, a highly flexible studio theatre, which is fully equipped with a large lighting grid, sound equipment and blacked out walls. School productions take place in the main school hall, which has excellent lighting and sound facilities.

All students in Year 7 and Year 8 have two hours of drama lessons every two weeks. During this time, students cover a wide range of theatre genres, as well as exploring relevant social issues which affect their lives. In Year 9 students who select to continue drama have three hours of drama every two weeks, and start to develop their understanding of the key skills required if they continue on to GCSE drama.

GCSE drama students have five lessons of drama every two weeks, and A level drama students have nine lessons of drama every two weeks. Both follow the Edexcel syllabus. 

There is a big focus on extra curricular drama at St Bede's. This includes Year 7 drama clubs which is run at lunch time, a sixth form drama group after school and, currently, a musical production for Years 7 to 13.

For more information about each key stage, please click on each the sections below

Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8, 9)

Throughout Key Stage 3, students develop their social skills and creativity through group work and performance.

Year 7

Drama students explore a wide range of drama conventions, genres and skills. Embedded throughout all their work students have to demonstrate trust, focus, group dynamics, body language and image creation. They have the opportunity to explore storytelling through avenues such as ‘Mime’ and exploration of a play text such as ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.’ Students regularly perform their work to their class and evaluate what goes well in their performance and the performances of their peers as well as consider how to improve their practical work.

Year 8

Drama students are introduced to new theatre styles and forms of storytelling. They use different drama forms to explore ideas, topics and issues, for example: bullying, faith and consequences. Students continue to develop their skills in voice, movement and teamwork.

Year 9

Drama students learn how to devise their own original work. They learn to manipulate voice and movement to create and perform character. Students are also introduced to the theatre style of physical theatre and create performance work based on conventions of this style.

Key Stage 4 (Years 10, 11)

Year 10    

Term 1

Theatre practitioners - developing different styles and genres of drama

Term 2 

Devising skills and introducing The Crucible

Term 3 

Component one devised exam - Devising Theatre

Year 11  

Term 1 

Component Two preparation - Scripted Exam

Component Three preparation - The Crucible and Live Theatre Review work

Term 2

Component Two Scripted Exam

Term 2 & 3

Component Three preparation and final written exam

Sixth Form (Years 12, 13)

A level Drama

In drama, your skills of listening and the confidence to express your own views and ideas will be developed, as well as learning new drama techniques and putting them into effect. You will explore and analyse a wide range of theatrical practitioners, genres and texts and learn to interpret meaning from different perspectives. If you like the idea of risk taking and a world of the imagination where anything is possible, this is the course for you!

For more information about this subject at KS5, please click here and go to the relevant subject leaflet.