Drama

Therfield’s drama department is thriving and academically successful.  It provides a full programme of theatre-trips, curricular and extra-curricular productions and festival entries.

We have a large number of rehearsals taking place each week for both curricular and extra-curricular activities:

  • Years 7-11 involved in the School Show rehearse May-Jan for up to 3 nights a week.
  • Year 7-9 Drama Club rehearse one lunchtime a week.
  • Years 10-11 Leatherhead Festival cast rehearse Jan-May for up to 2 nights a week.

KS3

Students follow a progressive programme of study which focuses on the key areas of improvisation and performing text.

In Year 7 students are introduced to concepts such as sustaining a role, creating still images/tableaux and narration.  They create drama about topics such as Evacuation in World War II and also learn of theatre tradition in the Pantomime and Arabian Nights Units.

In Year 8 students are introduced to more theatre forms and traditions in ‘Commedia del Arte’ whilst continuing to create drama in the ‘Wild West’ and ‘Horror’ Units.

In Year 9 students work is predominantly based on texts with differentiated materials used for them to study the forms of ‘Melodrama’ as well as cross curricular texts of ‘Kes’, ‘Our Day Out’ and their English SATs text ‘The Tempest’.  The Drama department delivers a half term of intensive workshops to support the English department’s study of this Shakespearian examination text.

Our recent shows have been:

January 2006 Little Shop of Horrors

January 2007 Grease

January 2008 Bugsy Malone

GCSE

Students follow the AQA examination syllabus.  They perform texts such as ‘Blue Remembered Hills’ and ‘The Crucible’ and devise their own work using poetry or play extracts.  They also complete a coursework file.  In Year 11 they sit a written examination analysing professional theatre visits.

Since 2001 students have gained 100% A-F Passes

AS/A2

Students follow the Edexcel examination syllabus.  At AS students complete written coursework in their study of two set texts and practical activities.  They perform a text directed by the teacher to a visiting examiner and then analyse their performance and a professional theatre production in a written examination.

Since 2001 all students have gained 100% A-D passes

In 2006 AS students gained 100% A-C passes, 60% A+B grades

Recent AS/A2 productions have included;

Brecht – ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle’
Brecht – ‘The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui’
Lorca – ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’
Berkoff – ‘The Trial’
Copek – ‘The Inset Play’
Wertenbaker – ‘Our Country’s Good’
Dario Fo – ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’

3 students achieved 100% in their production marked by the visiting examiner.

In A2 Theatre Studies students devise their own play then cut a full length text which they direct and perform to a visiting examiner.  Their written paper analyses a Shakespearian play and ‘The Beggar’s Opera’.

Since 2001 students have gained 100% A-E passes

In 2006 students gained 100% A-C passes, 83% A-B grades