Drama is central to life at King’s. Whether our students aspire to careers in the performing arts industry, pursue a technical route, develop public speaking skills or build confidence, Drama offers something to everyone.
We believe that Drama has the power not only to excite and stimulate audiences, but to hone crucial transferable life skills for those who study it. Our Drama department is founded on an ethos of inclusivity, creativity and extensive opportunity. Our ultimate aim is to develop performers and creatives that are bold, brave, full of initiative and inspired by the joy of theatre.
Drama is taught by an expert team of four specialist teachers and supported by a full time Drama Graduate. We collaborate regularly with the rest of the Foundation School, including the delivery of a shared A Level course with Warwick School. We use state-of-the-art facilities, including the Bridge House Theatre, Warwick Hall and two fully equipped professional studios.
Key Stage 3 (Years 7 – 9)
All girls in KS3 have weekly drama lessons and develop rapidly through an enjoyable programme of mime, movement, role play, improvisation and storytelling. This is designed to enhance creative and theatrical understanding but, just as importantly, to develop self-confidence, communication and presentation skills, empathy and teamwork. Our highly popular lunchtime clubs include both workshops for individual year groups and specialised options in musical theatre, technical theatre and scriptwriting, with all experience levels welcome.
Our King’s High Inspire Theatre Company, open to all KS3 students, rehearses after school, working towards studio theatre pieces on a regular basis. Many girls audition for the Lower School Production which takes place every year in the Summer Term at the Bridge House Theatre (Years 7-9) and the Middle School Production in the Spring Term (Years 9 and 10), with opportunities for younger students to take part in both plays and musicals.
We have large numbers involved in both cast and crew and our professional-grade productions are supported by professional designers. Recent shows have included ‘The Addams Family’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Year 9 students also have the opportunity to support Drama clubs at Warwick Preparatory School, leading small group workshops and developing their leadership skills.
Upper School (Years 10 – Upper Sixth)
Girls can opt for Drama at GCSE and A Level and it is a very popular choice, with a high number of girls currently taking Drama at examination level. These courses build on the grounding achieved in the lower years and develop further techniques for creating, performing and evaluating drama.
Students are invited to study Drama as a performance option, a technical option or through a combination route. Last year saw exceptional success in external examinations with our girls achieving 100% grades 9-6, 83% of which were grades 9-8 at GCSE. Additional workshops, masterclasses and trips are provided throughout the year and girls benefit from collaborative courses and productions with the boys from Warwick School. The A Level is taught jointly with the Warwick School Drama department.
We run weekly Drama clinics for our examination students that focus on dramatic theory and the written examination, as well as holding 1:1 mentoring sessions so students can receive specific and tailored support in both theoretical and practical units. The success of the department is clear, not only on the stage, but also in our excellent results year on year.
Our Senior Production in the Autumn term is a chance for girls to work with staff and professional designers in a focused way, leading to performances held in Warwick Hall in collaboration with Warwick School. The superb quality of performances (both plays and musicals) reflects the personal drive of our students to perform to their highest potential, with high numbers of students involved onstage, offstage and behind the scenes. Recent productions have included Henry V (performed in thrust), Sweeney Todd, The Great Gatsby and Jesus Christ Superstar. We are very fortunate to perform all of our major productions in the Bridge House Theatre, our 300 seat professional venue, working with professional designers and technicians.
Students are invited to hone their craft through regular weekly clubs ranging from practical skills development to specialist routes including multilingual performance. Students regularly participate in workshops and masterclasses from theatre companies such as Gecko, Highly Sprung and Vamos Theatre.
Students also regularly participate in competitions such as the ISA Drama Festival and the National Theatre Connections Festival. We firmly believe that theatre is for everyone and a wide and frequent range of theatre trips are scheduled for students to attend across the age spectrum, regardless of whether or not they have opted to take Drama as a subject. There are a range of Drama based Friday afternoon activities, which vary from year to year, but regularly include Improvisation, Stage Design and Drama Skills. Students are also able to opt for a Drama pathway as part of an Arts Award, an accredited qualification providing the opportunity for young people to grow their arts and leadership talents.
Aspiring leaders are invited to lead projects ranging in scope from supporting clubs and performances at Warwick Preparatory School to facilitating lunchtime clubs for King’s High students and taking the lead on directing their own performances for their peers. Every year, a team of ‘Young Directors’ from Year 10 support the Lower School Production, taking the lead on a wide range of elements from assistant direction to stage management.
Prior to auditions, older students with experience of productions and a passion for helping others are invited to peer mentor younger students, many of whom are auditioning for the very first time and would like some additional support. The wider community is very important to us and students are encouraged to share their talents and passions beyond the school gates, most recently performing a musical revue to a series of local care homes and staging an annual matinee of our Lower School Production, open to local primary schools.
Anyone wishing to hone their skills further are encouraged to join the Bridge House Young Company, a youth theatre community resident to the Bridge House Theatre. The group is made up of young people aged 7–18 working with industry professionals to create high quality theatrical experiences and runs weekly on Saturdays.
Co-curricular Drama is extremely popular and successful, with a wide range of activities available across all age groups. Many opportunities take place in close collaboration with Warwick School, further broadening students’ experiences and performance opportunities. Many students have also enjoyed weekend residential visits to London and theatre visits abroad, including joint trips to New York with Warwick School.
Facilities
As a Foundation, we are fortunate to benefit from outstanding on-site, state-of-the-art facilities. At King’s, students work in two Drama studios with sprung floors, professional lighting and sound. Our black box studio is equipped with a professional rig, enabling ambitious and technically sophisticated performances. King’s Hall also serves as a flexible performance space.
Across the Foundation, students have access to exceptional facilities including Warwick Hall, seminar and resources base, wardrobe and design rooms, and the 300-seat Bridge House Theatre.
We work alongside a professional and creative team of designers, theatre managers and technical staff. Strong links with professional companies who use the theatre further enrich the Foundation’s provision, ensuring outstanding opportunities for our students and the highest production standards.
Productions
Each year, the department stages three full-scale auditioned productions in the Bridge House Theatre, encompassing both plays and musicals. Students can participate as actors, crew members, hair and make-up artists, or take on leadership roles including directing, choreography, technical management and stage management.
The King’s High Inspire Theatre Company, open to all KS3 students and unauditioned, rehearses after school and works towards regular studio performances.
Recent productions have included:
Junior Productions (Summer Term)
Beauty and the Beast, No Place Like Home, The Addams Family and Alice in Wonderland
Middle School Productions (Spring Term – joint with Warwick School)
Skellig, Doctor Faustus and The Wardrobe
Senior Productions (Autumn Term – joint with Warwick School)
Little Shop of Horrors, The Great Gatsby, Sweeney Todd and Henry V
King’s High Inspire Theatre Company Performances
A Christmas Carol, The Changing Room and Fireside Tales
Students also take part in a Year 7 Play in a Day, club showcases and student-directed performances, with further opportunities to perform for wider audiences throughout the year.
LAMDA Qualifications
(London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art)
Our core curriculum is also supported by a fantastic LAMDA department, offering girls the opportunity to augment their skills through a range of accredited qualifications in Shakespeare, Verse and Prose, Acting, Reading for Performance, Speaking in Public, Musical Theatre and Devising.
LAMDA is extremely popular with over 160 girls currently taking lessons and the majority achieving distinctions under the guidance of our expert team of four LAMDA teachers. LAMDA helps pupils develop practical and transferrable skills, ranging from confidence, public speaking, reading, devising and analysing texts through to technical skills such as voice production. The later medal grades complement and run alongside the GCSE and A Level Drama courses, both in terms of content and skills, providing additional UCAS points for university.
