Drama Performance Examinations

by Carly Bartlett

We have had an exceptionally busy two weeks in the Drama Department with both GCSE and A Level students undertaking practical performance examinations. All students worked exceptionally hard in the lead up to these exams, and all can be very proud of the performances that they gave.

Our Lower Sixth A Level students created a wonderful, moving piece of work in the style of award winning theatre company The Paper Birds. Exploring the issue of the gender pay gap, the group created some very powerful theatre which made members of the audience think carefully about the issues they were exploring. 

We were also exceptionally lucky in having The Paper Birds undertake workshops with our students which provided invaluable expertise for our actors. This opportunity to work with world leading creative practitioners stands students in such good stead when creating their own work and thinking about what it means to be a theatre maker in a modern world.

"I felt inspired by Jemma's extensive knowledge. She really helped us think about how we wanted to get out message across - what was important in our performance. We felt very lucky to be able to work with her".

"Having the opportunity to workshop with The Paper Birds was fantastic, particularly as we developed all the contrasting characters in our piece. It was invaluable".

We also had our GCSE students performing six original theatre pieces for an invited audience, all counting towards students' final GCSE grade. We saw some excellent performances, and highly creative work which reflected lots of different stories and styles. This is no easy feat, less than one year into the GCSE Drama course.  Well done Year 10!