Our school has been alive with the magic of drama this term! From captivating performances to inspiring workshops, our students have showcased their talents and creativity in remarkable ways

Greg Fossard from Stage-Ed Theatre Company

Early in the term, we welcomed Greg Fossard from Stage-Ed for a two-day workshop with our Year 11 drama students, focusing on devising. Greg, a highly experienced practitioner, introduced many new ideas and encouraged the students to step outside their comfort zones. As a seasoned actor and director, Greg’s insights and first-hand experience greatly benefited the students.

 

Our Country’s Good Theatre Trip

In late September, the Year 10-12 Drama students attended a performance of Our Country’s Good at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. As an A Level set text and a highly informative piece of live theatre for GCSE, watching it live was a fantastic opportunity for both KS4 and KS5 Drama students. It was a thought-provoking evening that we hope has inspired our drama students.

 

Junior Drama

The longstanding and affectionately nicknamed “JD” was a wonderful evening. Year 8 students performed pieces written and directed by our Sixth Form, all of which included dance, acting, and some very enthusiastic house chants! The Inter-House competition had everyone on the edge of their seats, including proud parents, esteemed judges, and talented students. The pieces were judged by Juliette Stark, Associate Producer with Glynis Henderson Productions, and Sofia Fallea, our recent PGCE drama student who choreographed our 2024 Lower School Production. The audience was wowed by some incredible drama performances, and the deliberation was tough, but the cup was awarded to Quant House for their performance of ‘What Makes You Beautiful’. The evening raised over £300 for Quant’s chosen charity, Young Minds.

 

Come From Away Theatre Trip

On 11th of October, the Year 10 Drama GCSE students and the Year 12 A Level students went to see the musical Come From Away at the Wimbledon Theatre in London. Come From Away is set in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, and follows the events in the town during the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The story focuses on both the stranded passengers (“come from aways”) and the residents of Gander as they form unexpected friendships, care for one another, and find peace in each other’s company. Through humour, music, and heartfelt moments, the play celebrates human kindness and resilience during and after such a devastating event. It was clear that the drama students left the theatre feeling emotional and touched, and that they listened to the soundtrack repeatedly when they got home! It was a brilliant, well-thought-out trip by Ms. White and Miss Whitfield, where students not only had a chance to learn and develop new acting skills, but also to experience a powerful and moving story showcased in such a beautiful way.

Natasha M-R, Year 10

 

Year 11 Devising Performance and Exam

Our GCSE Drama students spent the first part of the term preparing for their initial practical assessments. They even dedicated time to rehearsing at school on a Sunday, allowing them to add depth and detail to their work. After a half term of intense technical and dress rehearsals, they all performed brilliantly, both during their dress rehearsal for family and friends and on the exam day.

 

The Paper Birds Theatre Company Workshop at Farnborough Hill

On 5th of November, Year 12 had the brilliant opportunity to take part in a workshop with The Paper Birds Theatre Company, hosted by Farnborough Hill School. The Paper Birds is a devising theatre company that focuses on Verbatim theatrical performances and is recognized as UK leaders in this method. Verbatim theatre is a form of performance based on the spoken words of real people, conveying important cases or political messages through performance.

In this workshop, we collaborated with the Year 12 class at Farnborough on elements of theatre such as the importance of physicality and its influence on specific lines in a script, choreography, and how physical movements in an ensemble enhance key themes within the text. We also worked on developing our confidence in collaborating with new people. Our focus script was taken from Willy Russell’s Educating Rita, which examines themes of social class, identity, and education.

It was incredibly beneficial to learn about a new text and discuss these key themes with the group at Farnborough. Working closely with The Paper Birds was a fantastic opportunity for us, as it sparked inspiration ahead of the start of our devising process and allowed us to ask questions to a key practitioner in the devising theatre industry. Ultimately, it was a brilliant experience, and we really enjoyed collaborating with another school to learn new skills from key practitioners whom we study as part of our course.

Erin S, Year 12 

 

LAMDA Showcase

The LAMDA Showcase is a new event in the drama calendar and provided an opportunity for LAMDA students, who are taking their exams in February, to showcase their work to friends and family. This included a mixture of acting and public speaking, covering a wide range of topics. From Shakespeare to Moffat, to speeches on being a twin and true crime podcasts, it was an eclectic mix! Congratulations to all the students involved; the performance quality was fantastic, especially considering these were all works in progress.

 

Y7 Drama Club Pantomime

The Year 7 drama club has been working hard to deliver a fantastic performance on Wednesday lunchtime in the final week of term. We are delighted with the progress they have made throughout the term and the energy they have brought to the weekly rehearsals. Well done, everyone!

 

RENT! Rehearsals

The rehearsals for the senior school production of RENT! School Edition have been going really well! RENT! is a fantastic production with an inspiring message about coming together during times of adversity. Our wonderfully talented cast has been working hard in their singing rehearsals and has almost finished blocking the entire show. We are looking forward to welcoming the SWPS community to the opening night on 7 February 2025.