'All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players’; never was this truer than in today’s ‘digital age’. Drama at King Edward’s School is so much more than just the study of texts and performing on stage; it is an exploration of life, ourselves and our relationship with the world around us and with others. It is considered to be one of the most collaborative of the arts, incorporating a range of skills and giving pupils the chance to explore their diverse interests and passions through performance, sound engineering, lighting design, set construction or costume design. The School has a long tradition of producing exceptional theatrical work and is regarded as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for its creative and challenging performance work at both GCSE and A Level. The Rose, our new state-of-the art drama centre, has recently opened and incorporates two full-size studios and additional teaching spaces. The two-storey facility provides a new hub for drama at the Senior School and is used in conjunction with the established Wroughton Theatre as a specialist teaching setting for Drama and LAMDA lessons, as well as a performance venue in its own right. Pupils will be offered the opportunity to watch the best live theatre in some of the most prestigious theatres in the country and encouraged to use these experiences to inspire their own work. All pupils learn to approach theatre from the point of view of an actor, a designer, a director, as well as that of an audience member and a critic, and are encouraged to express their ideas and opinions in a creative and confident manner. Our courses go beyond the classroom as much as possible. Performance in front of a live audience is an integral part of the syllabus for all year groups. However, we also offer additional performance opportunities and theatre trips for all year groups throughout the year, making this a very busy but exciting department to be a part of. GCSE This is a popular and exciting subject at GCSE, where we follow the EDUQAS specification. The course incorporates both practical and written work and develops confident, creative, articulate, passionate and well-informed drama pupils. Pupils create their own devised work, as well as performing scripted pieces, study a set text from the point of view of an actor, director or designer and they will see several live professional shows. By the end of the course, pupils should have a well-rounded understanding of how theatre is created. Over the past five years, we have achieved excellent exam results and the course is a strong foundation for A Level. A LEVEL The new EDUQAS A Level for Theatre Studies is an exploration of significant theatre companies and practitioners such as Kneehigh and Frantic Assembly, alongside the study of classical texts such as Trojan Women, giving the pupils an extremely broad range of theatrical understanding and experience. Extensive exploration allows pupils to appreciate all aspects of theatre including performance, direction, design and critical review. Numerous trips and visiting practitioners all support the pupil’s growth into independent creative performers. Many of our pupils go on to study Theatre Studies or Drama at University and it is a delight to see many of them working in the production and media industry.