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Kingswood Secondary Academy

Ofsted Good

Drama

Your drama experience at the Kingswood Academy is far more intense than you might imagine. Drama is a subject that will require you to use a whole range of skills and hopefully it will develop your self-confidence in the process.

In order to be a convincing and effective performer you need to have the courage to work with other people and create a role or a character. Sustaining a role for any length of time requires immense concentration and the ability to work as a small team or company. To understand a character or a situation might mean that you would have to go away and undertake some basic research skills. For example in Year 8 we follow a scheme of work that is based around the experiences of evacuees during World War 2. To create a drama or a short scene based around young children being forced to leave their family, you might need to research some of the documentation that exists where evacuees recall their experiences.

Your own personal imagination is also a key element to creating a successful drama. A fertile imagination is essential to any performer if they are to become a different character and understand how that character might respond to certain situations.

Authors or playwrights also influence your drama experience. They are responsible for telling a story, but as actors or performers we have to consider how we could bring that story to life on a stage, in a studio or on film. Therefore another skill that you require is to be able to understand story telling and the inspiration or circumstances that inspired the story.

In drama we also have to consider ‘staging’. In other words, the requirements needed to bring a drama to the stage. This might include stage sets, lighting, music or even special effects. Staging takes into account any performance material from an audience perspective, to make it as powerful or effective as possible.

If you are inspired to follow Drama as an examination course you will go on to study drama in even greater depth looking at practitioners who have influenced drama and drama education including Stanislavski and Brecht. We also celebrate the practitioners that have been inspired at Kingswood and have gone on to national and international success.

Student Quotes

'I like drama because you get a fair chance to perform. We experience different workshops and we get the chance to go on loads of theatre visits.' 

'You forget what’s outside and relax.'

'Darkwood Manor is really fun because you learn about the story as you go along and you get to play different people.'

'Performing Arts at the Kingswood school allows you to develop the discipline, practical and intellectual skills involved in performing.  The practical sessions, rehearsals and performances allow you to put 100% effort and passion into each role you undertake.  Not only do the practical sessions help your performance but they also bring you out of your shell by mixing you with other students which can lead to creating new friendships.  I love the feeling of being able to put 100% passion and commitment into an art that I love furthermore leading onto growing as a performer but most importantly having fun at the same time.'

  • Ofsted
  • NOS
  • NOS 2
  • Career Mark
  • DofE
  • London Institute