We know that drama brings out the best in all our pupils and when linked to the curriculum can enrich the learning and understanding in many subject areas such as History, Literacy and even Maths.
We encourage children to value their voice; we want them to be heard, not only in drama and assemblies but through their opinions, in making their personal contribution and learning to become confident in sharing ideas. We want them to develop their own talents and to respect the talents in other children.
The children take part in a variety of different drama activities and usually one major production each year in Early Years, Key Stage One and Key Stage Two.
We have produced the staging of Christmas Performances of 'Oliver', 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Scrooge' as well as 'The Pied Piper of Hamlyn' and even William Shakespeare’s 'A Midsummer Nights Dream'.
The performances are always of the highest standard and are staged, lit and costumed. The children often work with professional musicians and choreographers.
Those who prefer to be ‘Behind the scenes’ are encouraged to take an active role by becoming part of the Creative Team by helping with costumes, props or being involved in light & sound production.
These are ways of using drama to explore topics, themes, issues, play texts and performance
Role Play The actor takes on a character and plays out a scene as that character. | Still Image When a frozen picture is created to show a certain moment or scene | Soundscape A group work together to create a collection of noises that sound like a given theme, topic or place. |
Hot Seating Hot-seating is when you ask a character questions to find out more from them. | Thought Tracking Thought tracking is when the actor speaks a line that their character is thinking at a given point in the drama. |
Role-on-the-wall In the outline of a body, words or phrases are written to describe a character from a given scene |
Narration When one or more actor talks to the audience to tell a story or given some information |
Marking the Moment This is when you use different strategies (like narration, slow motion or still image) to emphasise an important moment in a scene | Cross - Cutting Two scenes happen side by side and performers can switch between the scenes. |
Forum Theatre A scene is shown and then replayed. In the replay, actors can stop the scene and change the action. | ||
These are the different parts of a dramatic performance that relate to the story being told, the themes being developed and the ways the characters are presented.
Action, plot & Content The story, characters and / or themes of the drama | Characterisation The means used to portray a role using vocal and physical skills. | Symbols The representational use of props, gestures, expressions, costume, lighting, and / or setting. |
Conventions The techniques typically used in differing styles of drama. | Rhythm, Pace & Tempo The rate at which the action moves along and the extent to which these change | Contrasts Stillness vs activity Silence vs noise |
Forms The way the story is told, the characters portrayed, and / or theme depicted |
Climax and Anti-Climax Building and / or releasing tension, and / or sense of expectation
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These are the different ways in which dramatic meaning (ideas) are communicated to an audience.
Movement, Mime & Gesture Movement is the physical action that happens on stage. Mime is when actors remain silent and convey through actions. Gesture is a single movement, made by part of the body, such as a fist clenching | Voice Using vocal techniques such as pauses, pitch and tone | Spoken Language The choice of words used |
Spade and Levels Using heights and proxemics to demonstrate meaning and relationships to the audience | Set and Props The set is the constructed or created setting in which a play takes place. the props are the items used during a performance. These may have symbolic meanings. | Costume All the clothes and accessories an actor wears to demonstrate meaning and / or character. These may have symbolic meanings. |
Masks and Make-up Masks are a form of covering the face. Make-up is the cosmetic paint, powder and colouring used on stage to make faces and expressions visible to the audience. These may have symbolic meanings. | Lighting The use of artificial light to create a range of effects and moods, or to direct the audience's attention. These may have symbolic meanings. | Sound and Music This includes everything the audience hears. These may have symbolic meanings. |