Drama and Theatre Studies

Course summary

The Drama and Theatre Studies course enables students to pursue their interests and develop their skills in a range of practical drama elements. Primarily, we focus on acting and directing, but students are encouraged to experiment with the design elements of costume, set, lighting and sound, according to their own interests. In addition to valuable performance or theatre design skills, Drama’s demanding written paper (40%) and devising portfolio (30%), give students an entry qualification for courses in higher education. The higher-order thinking skills of observation, analysis and evaluation tested here all lead to intelligent creative thinking: these not only support a career in drama or the media, but also a host of professions ranging from law, advertising or occupational therapy to social work or teaching. Drama students learn to meet performance deadlines and work both independently and collaboratively, problem-solving and ‘thinking outside the box’. As well as being fun, Drama students often find themselves at the forefront of the annual inter-house Drama Competition. Any Drama student needs to see as much live theatre as possible. Evening theatre trips are arranged depending on what is programmed in the region (from Plymouth to Bristol). Digital recordings of current live productions by the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company are also permissible for the exam question analysing live theatre. It is helpful, but not obligatory, to have studied Drama at GCSE.