Director of Drama: Mr Gavin Henry  geh@sevenoaksschool.org

The Drama Department
Vibrant, busy, creative, purposeful, the Drama Department is staffed by teachers who are themselves theatre practitioners with a breadth of experience. Relationships with pupils are informal and productive, and the ethos throughout is one of shared endeavour and exploration.

The academic work of the department is complemented by a range of co-curricular productions which provide opportunities for pupils to act and assist in a variety of technical and backstage capacities. Every year there are also productions for which the students take full responsibility, directing and often writing their own script.

In all our work we stress the importance of theatre as a communal, collaborative art form.

Years 7 to 9
All pupils experience timetabled Drama in the first three years of the school. In these classes emphasis is placed on the development of confidence, concentration and physical control; freeing the imagination; and the importance of productive co-operation with others. Basic dramatic skills are taught through practical exercises and all students are encouraged to explore the challenges of improvisation and performance, and the nature of effective communication in the theatre.

 
Years 10 and 11
Drama is available as a GCSE option. Students follow the AQA syllabus, undertaking a series of group practical assessments. Recent examples include devised pieces based on World War I, technology or eating disorders; ghost stories; and scripts such as The Crucible and The History Boys. In addition, students are taken to a number of live theatre productions in preparation for a written paper at the end of the course. For more information about GCSE Drama you can download a pdf brochure.

 
The Sixth Form
In the Sixth Form, IB Theatre is available at Standard and Higher Levels. The course involves a wide-ranging study of many aspects of theatre including theorists like Stanislavski, Brecht and Artaud; world theatre traditions like Noh, Kathakali and Commedia dell'Arte; and practical skills such as set design, directing and scriptwriting. The course is supplemented by regular theatre visits and workshops and allows students considerable freedom to explore their own theatrical interests.

The Department also runs a Standard Level course, Text and Performance, a synthesis of English and Theatre which students can take instead of Standard Level English.

Click here to see examination results