Drama

Lower School curriculum

All pupils in Years 6-8 study drama in their form groups (one lesson per week in Years 6 and two per week in Years 7 and 8). In year 8, pupils will opt whether to continue with Drama into Y9. The programme teaches characterisation skills, theatre history and the study of text. Example texts include Skellig, Wendy and Peter, and A Monster Calls. 

IGCSE

We follow the IGCSE Drama specification. Typically, many pupils in Year 9 will opt to take the subject forward to GCSE (between 30 and 40 each year). This course is composed of creating and performing three pieces of practical coursework (worth 60%) and a written exam (worth 40% of the final grade). Pupils will develop the stagecraft skills needed to successfully move from page to stage in their monologue and duologue pieces whilst drawing upon the work of Stanislavski and Brecht. They will also create a group devised piece applying the methodology of The Paper Birds to a given stimulus. In the IGCSE there is no accompanying portfolio document.  

A level

We follow the Edexcel specification and all students perform a directed monologue and scripted piece. Recent A level performances include ‘5 Kinds of Silence’, ‘Blood Wedding’, ‘Holes’, and ‘4:48 Psychosis’.  

Students also complete a devised performance using the methods of Frantic Assembly. This is accompanied by a written portfolio where pupils demonstrate analysis and evaluation of the process and final performance.

Year 6 play

As part of Drama lessons in Year 6, pupils work on preparing a full-scale production which includes every member of the year group. This is performed in the Fiennes Theatre in the summer term. Recent productions include ‘Matilda’, ‘Shrek: The Musical’, and ‘The Aristocats’. 

Year 7 and Junior play

The Year 7 and 8 Junior play is hugely popular annual event. Pupils audition for and rehearse a full-length play which is performed in an evening of the summer term in the Fiennes Theatre. Previous plays have included ‘The Mouse and his Child’, ‘Grimm Tales’ and ‘Illuminous’. 

Middle school play

The middle school play is a biennial event for pupils from Years 9-11. Plays run over the course of three nights in December, performed in the Fiennes Theatre. Previous productions include ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’.

Senior play

The senior play is a biennial event for pupils from Year 10 to the Upper Sixth. Plays run over the course of three nights. Previous productions have included ‘Oedipus / Antigone’, Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ and Noel Coward’s ‘Brief Encounter’. 

The school musical

One of the key features which sets Emanuel drama apart from other London day school’s is that we produce and perform a large-scale musical each year. We alternate the year groups involved so that we can produce a more eclectic range of productions. This enables members of the senior school who wish to audition for drama school courses the ability to add more mature performance work to their portfolio.  

The school musical is a whole school event, which typically involves over 100 pupils. This is performed in the Hampden Hall in March over the course of a week. Past performances have included ‘Oliver!’, ‘Made in Dagenham’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘The Producers’ and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’.

ETC Project

Pupils in the Lower Sixth are given the opportunity to direct their own play at Emanuel, in which they cast Year 9 or 10 pupils in a play performed in February. They are in charge of all steps of the process, including choosing a play, budgeting, costume, lighting, set design and directing.

Play in a Week

We finish each school year with a performance including a range of pupils from Years 8 all the way to the Upper Sixth (depending on the project). This is rehearsed and created within a week. Previous performances have included a promenade site-specific performance on Dacre Day, ‘Rhinoceros’ and ‘Zero for the Young Dudes’. 

Technical Club

Pupils more drawn towards the technical side of drama are encouraged to join Technical Club. The department runs two technical clubs a week, which prepare the Fiennes Theatre for all of the shows mentioned above. Pupils can learn how to rig lights and speakers, find out they work and even operate the shows. 

Costume and Craft Club

Emanuel also offers two Costume Clubs a week in which pupils learn how to design costumes and make them for our shows. Pupils are taught about fabrics and colour and, in early sessions, make themselves small pieces to take home before advancing to creating costumes for the many shows we perform at Emanuel. 

Drama Club

For pupils who enjoy Drama but don’t enjoy performing, a weekly Drama Club is available to help pupils improve their confidence. Pupils are invited to create short pieces and play lots of fun games. This can also help to improve pupils’ skills when performing in their lessons.  

There are currently four drama clubs, one for each year from years 6-9. Pupils who attend these clubs are offered the opportunity to perform in an end of year showcase, with year 6 pupils additionally performing a devised panto in the Headmaster’s Christmas assemblies.
 

Every other year, the Emanuel Theatre Company (ETC) takes over 20 students to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to perform two shows. In 2022, we performed an adaptation of ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’ as well as the much beloved children’s play ‘Our Teacher’s a Troll’. We performed to sold-out audiences and received a number of 4 and 5 star professional reviews. 

The Drama department is housed in the Fiennes Theatre: a fully equipped, purpose-built performance space, with an audience capacity of 118. There are also two further rehearsal studio spaces which are fully equipped with a lighting rig and sound capabilities. 

The drama department also collaborates with film on various projects which includes pupils utilising the film studio, camera equipment, and editing suite. The department also uses the Hampden Hall for some performances, which has an audience capacity of 500. 

Academic and co-curricular drama are supported an excellent team of support staff including a theatre and events manager, two theatre technicians, a full-time director in residence, and a performing arts graduate assistance. 

We warmly encourage students who are thinking of a career in the performing arts at Emanuel, taking them through all of the options, be it a university course followed by drama school, straight to drama school, drama school foundation places or even routes directly into the industry. We have a comprehensive careers library located in the Fiennes Theatre foyer which outlines courses available at a range of reputable institutions to help students with their first steps. For those who decide to apply for drama schools we run an audition technique masterclass early in the Upper Sixth year, where students can prepare for approaching auditions. Throughout the spring term we offer one-to-one support with audition pieces, preparing a range of monologues and offering advice for development. For successful applicants we take students through the process of re-calls and how to prepare for the different elements of audition.