Like most subjects, Drama has been revised and altered considerably over the last few decades. Gone are the days where children are expected to move creatively around a cold sports hall, pretending to be a tree in the wind to the rattle of an incompetent tambourine.  Educators have recognised the potential in Drama to be both a subject in its own right and as a method of exploring other areas of an ever expanding curriculum.

The learning objectives in Drama remain constant throughout the teaching years and progress is recognised and defined through the interpretation and performance of the given stimulus, as it becomes increasingly more complex in nature and style.  Drama, as a subject, is divided into three separate teaching and learning areas. These are as follows;

• Creating Drama
• Performing Drama
• Responding to Drama

Click here to download Drama Long Term Plans

Creating Drama

• Demonstrates an ability to work positively with others.
• Participates in the mutual development of drama in response to a variety of given stimuli.
• Demonstrates the ability to use a variety of established dramatic techniques and styles when creating work.
• Creates drama which is both appropriate and realistic to the given stimuli.
• To demonstrate an awareness of dual or multiple ownership of work.

Performing Drama

• Demonstrates the ability to create and sustain an appropriate role.
• Demonstrate the ability to use a variety of dramatic research techniques to create characters and storylines which are complex and realistic.
• Demonstrate an awareness of different dramatic situations within the same context.
• Create drama which shows an understanding of and evident experimentation with elements of tone, atmosphere, space, levels and pace.
• To create drama with structure.

Responding to Drama

• Demonstrate the ability to make a personal response to the experience of participating in drama.
• Demonstrate the ability to make a personal response to drama seen.
• To show an ability to identify any dramatic techniques or styles used and the affect they had on the drama itself.

LAMDA at St Hugh’s

As of September 2007, St Hugh’s will be able to offer the opportunity for children to work towards the LAMDA Speech and Drama examinations. Classes will be held after school and information will be posted shortly. So watch this space!

Performances at St Hugh’s

St Hugh’s has a strong tradition of performance. In Pre-Prep, the children enjoy their annual Christmas play and arrange smaller, internal projects throughout the year.  In Middle School, the children perform their Harvest Festival assembly. This assembly is a mixture of role-play and demonstration, which explores an important environmental, agricultural or cultural issue.  In Upper School, the children will perform three plays. These vary in style, some performances are from an established text, some are produced and written internally in response to work which the children have been exploring in class. All performances include an entire year group and are ‘ensemble’ in nature.

Spring 2007 'The Passenger List' - click here for further details