A scene from 'Wind in the Willows'

Drama

Drama at Central High.  What is it?  Are we looking to produce the next Dame Judi Dench?  No (although we do have some potential candidates!).  Drama at Central High is about communication.  It is about exploration of personal and social issues.  It is about team work, confidence and motivation.  It is about looking at the world from all angles and expressing one's opinions and beliefs.

And how do we do it?

In Years 7, 8 and 9 emphasis is placed on communication skills. Through group work, students explore social, cultural and historical themes through role play and improvisation.  Girls are introduced to drama skills and techniques and are encouraged to develop their own ideas through practical exploration.  Drama at this stage is not only a creative and expressive art form but also an opportunity for cross curricular learning: themes and issues arising from other curriculum areas are addressed within Drama lessons.

At GCSE level the emphasis shifts to theatre and performance skills.  Students are able to create their own pieces of theatre for a variety of audiences and also begin to analyse the work of others by reviewing the plays they have seen on School Theatre Trips.  Girls at GCSE are also given the opportunity to perform in the Shakespeare Schools Festival.

At A Level, Drama and Theatre Studies enables students to explore theatre in more depth.  Through the study of practitioners and theorists, students begin to develop both their own ideas and the ideas of others through analysis and exploration.  Students are able to specialise in either performance or design skills and become theatre practitioners themselves.

Drama at Central High is very much about teamwork.  From Year 7, girls understand the importance of working together as part of a group.  The skills developed in Drama can be transferred into any other curriculum area.  Excellent technical facilities in the form of digital lighting, video and sound equipment, provide the students with a fantastic creative resource and widen the possibilities in performance.

The Drama Department produces some excellent pieces of theatre.  We are pleased to have links with The People's Theatre, Bruvvers Theatre Company, and The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Shakespeare Schools Festival, and Seven Stories.  Our School Productions are open to all students form Year 7 - 13 and are either performed in -house or on the main stage of The People's Theatre - an exciting opportunity for all involved.  Previous productions include Wizard of Oz, Wind in the Willows and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Central Pulls It Off!, Animal Farm and Our Day Out.

The Drama Department offers a weekly Drama Club for all age groups, Sixth Form Productions and a Drama Summer School; a week long course which gives students the opportunity to work intensively on a play for performance.