Drama

Drama enhances the personal development of all our young people, allowing them to engage with the world around them in a creative and practical way. The skills and qualities developed in lessons, such as teamwork, creativity, leadership and risk-taking are transferable skills that will prepare our young people for life and work in a fast paced, technological world.

Key Stage 3

All students participate in one lesson of Drama a week, they will learn new skills in Drama as well as researching current issues and experiences in a safe, supportive environment. There is a great emphasis on developing the students’ ability to express themselves physically, as well as vocally, giving them the tools to behave appropriately in a social context.

The following is an overview of our Key Stage 3 programme.

Drama Overview

Key Stage 4

In Key Stage 4 we offer The Arts Award; as a vehicle to ensure we build on our enriched arts experience, where all students can achieve. The course will also be available for all students selecting Drama, within this subject, every term, each student will;

Explore the Arts as a participant
Explore the Arts as an audience member
Research and investigate artists
Share their arts skills with others

We believe every child should have the opportunity to create, compose, and perform, as well as to visit, experience, participate in and review extraordinary work. Students have regular workshops with professional practitioners, an annual tour of the TR2, opportunities to participate in a week long residency with the Theatre Royal, and lead on workshops in other schools.

The course is renowned for developing leadership skills and building on cross curricular links to enhance and embed learning in other subject areas. Whilst developing skills in each art form is essential for a student to fully engage in the course, nurturing creativity in young people gives them the practical, problem solving, life skills.

The aim is for all students to complete a Bronze Arts Award (level 1 qualification/GCSE D-G) with some students progressing to a Silver Arts Award (level 2 equivalent GCSE A-C).

For more information please visit;

DRAMA Home Learning

Website updates

Website: https://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/nt-connections/

This is a great resource for Key Stage 4 students. There are some great workshop videos provided during the first lockdown back in 2020 and your child can now participate in these activities online via the link above.

More information below from the 2020 online festival;

National Theatre Connections Festival 2020

Welcome to our first ever Online National Theatre Connections Festival!

Hello and Welcome!

Each year the National Theatre commission 10 new plays for young people to perform as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival. Over 300 groups perform at partner theatres across the country and Royal & Derngate host the largest of these.

This year, as we cannot meet in person, we have asked those who were able to record their home performances to send them to us so that we can share them via our website and we have asked Jack Smith and Hannah Conway to provide a few workshops that you can watch and take part in at home.

We hope that you enjoy the workshops and the performances and join us with celebrating the hard work that these young people and their directors have put into creating their productions.

Stay Safe!

Erica Martin Creative Learning Associate

Website: https://www.rsc.org.uk/

All KS3 students have the opportunity to experience and perform Shakespeare, the Royal Shakespeare website has some incredible resources to support their learning in fun and interactive ways! Scroll down the page and you will find the ‘Learning Zone’, this has some fantastic information about Shakespeare as well as links to information about his plays and how you can view these being performed online

Website: https://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/series/bbc-drama-films-and-documentaries-iid-161330

Great resource for KS3 and KS4 showing adaptations, by the BBC, of work from famous writers. There are also interviews with different writers about their work. The works also include some adaptation of Shakespeare’s plays.

Website: https://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/nt-connections/

This is a great resource for Key Stage 4 students, particularly Year 11. As part of the Arts Award course this year we performed a National Theatre Connections play, your child can now participate in these activities online via the link above.

More information below;

Welcome to our first ever Online National Theatre Connections Festival!

Hello and Welcome!

We hope that you enjoy the workshops and the performances and join us with celebrating the hard work that these young people and their directors have put into creating their productions.

Stay Safe!

Website: Resources — Frozen Light (frozenlighttheatre.com)

A few years ago we had the fantastic opportunity of attending a performance by a company called Frozen Light, follow the link to find some amazing sensory resources provided by them for your child.

Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=409&v=uqaKvjTBrqo&feature=emb_logo

Just in case Arts Day is cancelled this year this is a great resource to reminisce on our past shows. The video is a tutorial of the choreography for ‘The Greatest Showman’ ,you can do this one as a family, or applaud your child when they show you their amazing performance skills!!!

Website: https://www.voicemag.uk/

This online magazine is linked to our KS4 Arts Award course but is fantastic for a student in KS3 too! The website has lots of ideas for Arts activities, articles about careers in the Arts and online blogging. Your child can also participate in interactive online activities such as showing their Arts work or completing some of the tasks that are suggested.

Website: http://www.bbbpress.com/2020/03/remote-drama-activity-virtual-monologues-2/

This particular website page has a list of monologues (speech for one person) a student can learn and perform at home, it then gives suggestions on how this can be filmed using their own technology (they can share with me via school email if they would like to). Monologues can be a little scary but as guidance we normally work up to a student completing these in Year 9 during the Titanic scheme of work.

Website: https://www.rsc.org.uk/

As all KS3 students were in the middle of doing their Shakespeare performances what better way to continue this than on the Royal Shakespeare website! Scroll down the page and you will find the ‘Learning Zone’, this has some fantastic information about Shakespeare as well as links to information about his plays and how you can view these being performed online.

Other learning activities you could do with your child

Look at the following website and play some of the games with your child/children that are suggested https://www.jigsaw-arts.co.uk/favourite-drama-games/
Write a letter to your future self with some facts about Lockdown
Learn a Shakespearean monologue (speech for one person) you can find a selection here https://www.shakespeare-monologues.org/home
Research Theatre from different era’s such as Greek and Medieval Theatre and make a collage or document to show your findings
Look at images of different types of Theatre spaces such as Greek Theatre/Modern Theatres, create a model of one of these using materials from around the home.