Drama
Ash Manor School has a thriving Drama department that aims to challenge and stretch our students’ as performers as well as individuals. Drama is a powerful tool that helps students understand the world they live in whilst nurturing their self-confidence, creativity and communication skills. With the Ash Manor Core Values of Community, Excellence, Integrity, Respect and Resilience embedded within the teaching and learning of Performing Arts, and our students are given the opportunity to develop their own aspirations as performers through an engaging and varied curriculum.
Key Stage 3 Curriculum information
At KS3 we aim to introduce students to a wide range of acting styles and genres, exploring both script and devising work that aims to stimulate, educate and inspire. Drama is compulsory at Ash Manor with students participating in 100 minutes of learning a fortnight, exploring topics such as Greek Theatre, Melodrama, Commedia De’ll Arte, Naturalism and Devising, as well as scripts from Shakespeare. Within each scheme of work, students are introduced to a full range of rehearsal and performance techniques such as characterisation, mime and stagecraft.
In Year 9, students can opt to specialise in Drama with 100 minutes of learning a week, where they begin to build the foundations for a BTEC Performing Arts. In this year, students start to develop acting and interpretive skills, examining influential Theatre Practitioners when exploring different acting styles and genres. Students explore a wide range of styles of theatre including Physical Theatre, Naturalism and Epic theatre through the study of devising from a variety of stimuli and plays including Blood Brothers by Willy Russell and Macbeth by Shakespeare.
Key Stage 4 Curriculum information
At KS4, Drama is a popular subject with our students following the Edexcel BTEC Tech Award in Performing Arts. Students have 300 minutes of learning per fortnight as well as the opportunity to attend live theatre events in local theatres and the West End as part of their studies.
The BTEC Tech Award in Performing Arts focuses on the practical aspects of theatre, with students analysing a wide variety of rehearsal and performance techniques to reflect and improve their skills as actor, as well as developing their understanding of the purpose and intentions of theatre. Students will study different theatre practitioners through practical workshops, analysing live theatre and the rehearsal and performance of scripts. Students will devise a piece of theatre to a brief, set by the exam board.
The course is made up of three components;
Component 1: Exploring the Performing Arts (30%)
Component 2: Developing Skills and Techniques in the Performing Arts (30%)
Component 3: Performing to a Brief (40%)
Essential trips, visits and costs
Theatre trips to see live Theatre Productions for Component 1 and workshops to experience the world of work in theatre with lighting, sound and costume specialists. There will also be trips available in Year 11 to watch devised productions to help with exam preparation. Practitioners will also visit Ash Manor School and lead practical workshops that will encourage devising and the exploration of different theatre styles. All KS4 students are encouraged to wear the Ash Manor School Performing Arts uniform.
Skills and qualities - from studying drama and the performing arts
There are a range of apprenticeships that link to an interest in performing arts, including:
Careers in and using Drama
Actor, Director, Playwright, Producer, TV/Radio Presenter, Arts administrator, Barrister, Broadcast journalist, Choreographer, Cinematographer, Copywriter, Costume designer, Newspaper journalist, Store manager, Interior designer, Customer services manager, Nurse, Doctor, Primary school teacher, Drama Teacher, Set designer, Stage manager, Television presenter, Television/film producer, Theatrical producer, Writer, Youth and community worker.
Key Stage 3 Curriculum information
At KS3 we aim to introduce students to a wide range of acting styles and genres, exploring both script and devising work that aims to stimulate, educate and inspire. Drama is compulsory at Ash Manor with students participating in 100 minutes of learning a fortnight, exploring topics such as Greek Theatre, Melodrama, Commedia De’ll Arte, Naturalism and Devising, as well as scripts from Shakespeare. Within each scheme of work, students are introduced to a full range of rehearsal and performance techniques such as characterisation, mime and stagecraft.
In Year 9, students can opt to specialise in Drama with 100 minutes of learning a week, where they begin to build the foundations for a BTEC Performing Arts. In this year, students start to develop acting and interpretive skills, examining influential Theatre Practitioners when exploring different acting styles and genres. Students explore a wide range of styles of theatre including Physical Theatre, Naturalism and Epic theatre through the study of devising from a variety of stimuli and plays including Blood Brothers by Willy Russell and Macbeth by Shakespeare.
Key Stage 4 Curriculum information
At KS4, Drama is a popular subject with our students following the Edexcel BTEC Tech Award in Performing Arts. Students have 300 minutes of learning per fortnight as well as the opportunity to attend live theatre events in local theatres and the West End as part of their studies.
The BTEC Tech Award in Performing Arts focuses on the practical aspects of theatre, with students analysing a wide variety of rehearsal and performance techniques to reflect and improve their skills as actor, as well as developing their understanding of the purpose and intentions of theatre. Students will study different theatre practitioners through practical workshops, analysing live theatre and the rehearsal and performance of scripts. Students will devise a piece of theatre to a brief, set by the exam board.
The course is made up of three components;
Component 1: Exploring the Performing Arts (30%)
- Examine professional practitioners’ performance work
- Explore the interrelationships between constituent features of existing performance material.
Component 2: Developing Skills and Techniques in the Performing Arts (30%)
- Develop skills and techniques for performance
- Apply skills and techniques in rehearsal and performance
- Review own development and performance.
Component 3: Performing to a Brief (40%)
- Create and develop a performance from a stimulus
Essential trips, visits and costs
Theatre trips to see live Theatre Productions for Component 1 and workshops to experience the world of work in theatre with lighting, sound and costume specialists. There will also be trips available in Year 11 to watch devised productions to help with exam preparation. Practitioners will also visit Ash Manor School and lead practical workshops that will encourage devising and the exploration of different theatre styles. All KS4 students are encouraged to wear the Ash Manor School Performing Arts uniform.
Skills and qualities - from studying drama and the performing arts
- Teamwork, technical ability, physical fitness, time management, organisation, communication, creativity, attention to detail, customer service, discipline.
There are a range of apprenticeships that link to an interest in performing arts, including:
- recording engineer
- community arts administrator
- music publishing assistant
- theatre technician
- exercise instructor
- playworker
- radio broadcast assistant
Careers in and using Drama
Actor, Director, Playwright, Producer, TV/Radio Presenter, Arts administrator, Barrister, Broadcast journalist, Choreographer, Cinematographer, Copywriter, Costume designer, Newspaper journalist, Store manager, Interior designer, Customer services manager, Nurse, Doctor, Primary school teacher, Drama Teacher, Set designer, Stage manager, Television presenter, Television/film producer, Theatrical producer, Writer, Youth and community worker.
