DRAMA
Theatre should give people a sense of community and identity, and the KES Drama department aims to nurture and encourage this sense of community through participation in school plays, drama clubs, theatre trips and professional workshops, as well as their collaborative style of working during lessons.
We put on at least three spectacular productions each year, one aimed at Years 10-13, one for Years 8 & 9 and the third for Year 7. Our shows are renowned for their exceptionally high professional standards, their creativity, physicality and visual impact. Pupils are privileged to work alongside professional sets and props, lighting and sound designers and technicians and in many of our musicals, such as We Will Rock You, they worked with professional musicians as well. Colleagues also collaborated to write and produce an original musical called POP! from which pupils were also able to record a live studio album of the new songs.
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Arts FestivalWe also offer the incredible opportunity for pupils to perform at the most prestigious Arts Festival in the world, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Upper School and Sixth Form pupils have come together as a professional Theatre Company to produce and perform shows including music, singing, dancing and acting to perform in Edinburgh to sell-out audiences and rave reviews. |
Plays & tripsAll Drama exam pupils are expected to attend a minimum of three live theatre shows a year, and by the end of their studies at KES it is hoped that they will have seen some of the most inspiring companies in the country perform in some of the nation’s most prestigious venues. The shows we go to watch, are often challenging, groundbreaking and inspiring. And it isn’t just the older pupils who benefit from these trips; the lower years and middle years are also invited on theatre trips. |
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To encourage a sense of passion for Drama and to gain a better understanding of life in the industry, we often enhance our teaching with visiting workshops from outside practitioners and professionals. In recent years, these workshops have included physical theatre, stage combat, lighting design, script-writing, and devising workshops with companies such as MC Combat and the renowned performers from award-winning Frantic Assembly.
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drama clubsIn addition to the plays and trips, we offer two drama clubs, a popular tech club run by our in-house professional technicians and a plethora of performance opportunities. Year 7 pupils are offered the opportunity to perform in the inter-form drama competition. We continue to offer one-to-one and paired lessons for LAMDA examinations (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) and last year all pupils were awarded either a pass with Merit or Distinction for their exams. Over fifty pupils from the Senior School are currently taking LAMDA lessons. |
This aspect of our teaching has continued to increase over the last few years and has proved extremely successful in honing the dramatic skills and confidence of individuals. We also have a tradition of leavers returning to help direct, choreograph or assist with musical direction of the main school play. We offer an annual position to a Post Graduate Drama professional who assists in our thriving department in lessons, clubs, with productions and all other exciting opportunities we offer in Drama.
