Drama is offered as one of the Creative and Technical options in Year 9 and is an excellent choice as a stand-alone year of developing transferrable skills or as a foundation for GCSE and A Level Drama and Theatre. This year builds on the work from year 7 and 8 and students explore a range of styles and practitioners ranging from Physical Theatre to Realism and learn how to devise their own original pieces from a range of exciting stimuli. Written skills are developed in year 9. Students watch a variety of live and digital theatre to both inspire and to support their theoretical understanding of the subject. Students learn how to identify, evaluate and analyse the vocal and physical skills present in their own work and that of others. Play texts are practically explored and performing skills are developed and broadened. Practical and written assessments (teacher, peer and self) take place during each area of study where students are given feedback on: Devising, Performing, Verbal and Theoretical Understanding. Students then use this feedback to set appropriate targets for improving their practical and analytical verbal and written responses. At the end of the year students will have both a written and practical assessment.

GCSE Drama is a creative, practical and theoretical subject where performance skills evolve, plays are explored, and original theatre will be produced and performed. The AQA Course is a mixture of practical work, documenting the practical process and a final written examination. The skills developed lower down the school really support the exciting challenge of Drama GCSE.

Component One – Understanding Drama (40%)

• This is an open book written examination taken in the May of year 11.
• Study of one set text from a choice of nine plays
• Analysis and evaluation of a live theatre production

Component Two – Devising Drama (40%):

• Process of creating devised drama, performed in year 10
• Performance of devised drama (students may contribute as performer or designer)
• Analysis and evaluation of own work

Component Three-Text in Practice (20%)

• Performance of two extracts from one play (students may contribute as performer or designer)
• Free choice of play but it must contrast with the set play chosen for Component one
• Performance is in front of a visiting examiner during Lent Term in year 11

Studying Drama opens eyes to a world beyond the classroom and the skills that are developed and refined will support wider studies and further education. In a world that is increasingly digitalised; communication, empathy, creative thinking and holding the attention of an audience, is as useful on the stage as it is in a boardroom. Studying Drama is a gateway to infinite pathways of success!

We follow the AQA Drama and Theatre specification which is rich in variety and provides students with a diverse and challenging experience of the subject. The course provides a balance of challenging practical work and academic rigour which makes it a wonderful course to pursue-there is never a dull moment! The course is fast paced and requires a broad range of skills including practical devising skills, exploration of practitioners and dramatic texts and analysis of acting and how theatre is made and performed.

Component One – Drama and Theatre (40%)

• 3 hour open book written examination taken in the May of year 13
• Questions based on 2 set texts and Live Theatre seen during the course
• Marked by AQA

Component Two – Creating Original Drama (30%)

• Devising drama influenced by a practitioner as an actor or designer, performed in year 12
• Practical work accompanied by written working notebook
• Marked by teachers and moderated by AQA

Component Three-Making Theatre (30%)

• Exploration of 3 contrasting extracts from different texts, one performance as an actor or designer, of one extract for a visiting examiner
• Practical work accompanied by a written Reflective Report
• Marked by AQA

Drama and Theatre is a challenging and respected A Level, accepted by leading Universities including Cambridge. We thoroughly support students that wish to apply for Drama School, and we are experienced in supporting students through the unique audition and application process. Studying A level Drama and Theatre can complement all subjects. There is a place for it alongside Arts, Humanities, Languages and Science subjects alike. It will support all higher education paths from Politics to Medicine because it is uniquely placed in terms of the academic learning, exploration of practical skills and its ability to support students to gain confidence, develop excellent communication skills and learn about themselves in a distinctive way; the latter being much sought after skills in our rapidly changing and digitalised world. The course is demanding in the best possible way. It requires energy, focus and commitment from students and teachers but it also has the ability to opens minds to infinite opinions, options and pathways-which is why it such exciting course to take!

Drama is a thriving subject in and out of the classroom at LGS. There are many opportunities for students to be involved in Drama, and we encourage participation in whatever capacity a student might enjoy. We run several co-curricular clubs at lunchtimes and afterschool which range from age specific Drama Clubs that focus on improvisation and script work to Dance and Physical Theatre Clubs where key practitioner work is explored and performed. We stage a variety of performances including a large scale biennial whole school musical, site-specific events within our beautiful grounds, Club performances, plays, exam work and showcases. Student participation is considerable: alongside the cast, the lighting and sound is run by the student Technical Team, and students are involved in all aspects of the production including front of house, costume, make-up, props, scene shifting and publicity.

The biennial House Drama competition enables large numbers of students to get involved - in directing, performing and providing backstage support. Those whose strengths lie in technical elements of Drama can join the Technical Team: our technician runs weekly training sessions on all aspects of lighting, sound and audio-visual, and the participants set up and operate the technical aspects of all examined performances and productions for the Drama Department, as well as regular activities and special events in school.

We offer one-to-one Speech and Drama lessons for students wishing to take LAMDA examinations, the higher qualifications carrying UCAS points. The School is also fortunate to have strong links with Lemon Jelly Arts, which runs weekly classes at LGS and locally. They offer a wide range of activities including film-making, street dance and acting. Their annual summer school and regular week-long courses are also very popular and well-attended.

We encourage students to take advantage of the many opportunities we have in Drama and to be part of our ever-growing Drama Team! There really is something for everyone!

In addition to in-house performances, we run a number of theatre trips each year, making good use of the excellent work locally at Curve in Leicester, as well as going further afield to venues such as Warwick Arts Centre, Nottingham Playhouse and London. We also have theatre companies that visit LGS and invite professional actors to work with students in workshops. These vary year on year, but events have included performances by Splendid Productions, Year 7 learning basic mask techniques with a practitioner and actor, Year 8 exploring Commedia Dell’Arte with a workshop leader.