OUR VISION
“To develop excellent communicators with a strong sense of empathy for the world we live in.”
Drama is an explorative and creative subject, where pupils learn about topics, through practical study. They learn about real life issues and the world around them, exploring a range of characters and situations, both factual and fictional. Pupils learn how to use techniques to structure meaningful drama and practise the tools of play writing, designing and directing. They study plays from different genres and time periods, learning about theatre history along the way.
Why it is important to study drama? Drama is predominantly a practical subject, where pupils work collaboratively, in a safe and creative environment. It is a subject that develops and stretches social skills, communication and confidence; vital for any future career. Drama has a cross-curricular nature, linking closely with English, History, Art, Media and PSHE. Pupils studying drama develop a solid grasp of empathy and understanding of others in the world.
OUR TEAM
Mrs R Carey – Head of Faculty, Drama Teacher
YEAR 7
Pupils have one lesson of drama per week and explore the 5 ‘C’s’ of drama; Co-operation, Confidence, Creativity, Communication & Concentration. They learn basic techniques for structuring drama through the following topics:
| Autumn | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Drama Techniques Exploring the main techniques for structuring a piece of drama – Still Image, Thought Tracking, Narration, Flashback, Split Scene & Slow Motion | Script – The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpty Exploring the structure of script through the theme of bullying | Greek Theatre Exploring theatre history through myths and legends |
| Status & Melodrama Exploring stereotypical characters through the genre of melodrama and stock characters such as the hero, villain and damsel‑in‑distress |
YEAR 8
Drama is taught on a rotation with Art & Music so will study the following units of work:
| Rotation 1 | Rotation 2 | Rotation 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Vocal Skills Exploring the capacity of voice, vocal skills and soundscape | Blood Brothers (Script Unit) Script‑based exploration of taking text from page to stage | Evacuees An improvisation and role‑play unit based on a real historical event |
YEAR 9
Drama is taught on a rotation with Art & Music so will study the following units of work. These also act as an introduction to GCSE level content.
| Rotation 1 | Rotation 2 | Rotation 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Theatre An introduction to performance styles, using physical skills for symbolic storytelling | Verbatim Theatre – Missing Dan Nolan Issue‑based drama exploring the techniques of verbatim theatre | Devised Performance Pupils create their own work using a stimulus to explore how a performance can be devised and staged |
GCSE DRAMA
| Year | Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Year 10 | Improvisation Introductory unit to the GCSE course, exploring genre, structure and form Stanislavski & Brecht Exploring theatre history and the theories of two leading practitioners: creating a ‘truthful’ character and understanding ‘epic’ theatre | Component 3 – An Inspector Calls Studying the set text for the exam through practical and technical application | Component 1 – Devised Theatre |
| Year 11 | Component 1 – Performance Exam & Portfolio | Component 2 – Text in Performance Preparation of monologues and duologues | Component 3 – Exam Preparation Revisiting the set text and reviewing live theatre |
Contact Details
For further information, please contact rachel.carey@castlephoenixtrust.org.ukÂ