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We take drama very seriously here at King’s Worcester. Curricular, examination and co-curricular activities enable pupils of all ages and abilities to gain experience of acting, creating, and appreciating, through a blend of practical, intellectual, and creative activities. We aim to educate and instil a love for the theatre and its varied art forms, whilst increasing and supporting confidence and creativity.
The Drama Department is staffed by the Head of Drama and a further subject specialist teacher of Drama. Dance is taught by our specialist part-time Dance and Yoga teacher. Technical support is offered by our Theatre Manager and our Theatre and Events Technician. A talented and dedicated team of peripatetic Speech and Drama teachers offer individual and small group tuition leading to LAMDA and Trinity Guildhall examinations in Acting, Musical Theatre and Public Speaking.
Drama Facilities
The department operates from the top floor of the Keyes Building where we have a black box studio, the Wightman Studio, fully-equipped to industry standard with computerised lighting, sound, and projection facilities. Used as our main teaching space, it is also a wonderfully intimate studio performance space, ideal for certain full-length productions and showcases as well as for the performance of examination work. We are next-door to the fully-equipped Dance Studio, the Crow Studio, which has a sprung wooden floor and integrated sound system which can be used to support the development of physical theatre skills.
We also use the John Moore Theatre (which seats three hundred people and is also equipped to industry standard) as both a development space and the venue for full-scale production performances. The department has a significant stock of costumes, props, and scenery in addition to construction facilities. The facilities and technical aspects of the Drama Department are overseen by our Theatre Manager who has extensive experience of the professional theatre. He is assisted by our Theatre and Events Technician. Our top of the range facilities are frequently in demand by external hirers. More information about the technical specifications of our facilities is available here.
Curriculum Drama
Drama is a compulsory part of the Lower Years curriculum, bedding in core skills which are essential to the subject but also cross-transferable to other subjects and walks of life. The Year 9 Drama curriulum allows pupils to opt for further study which draws on multiple production elements to gain additional insight into the creation and appreciation of theatre. Excellent foundations are laid for GCSE Drama and A Level Drama and Theatre both of which are exciting, practically stimulating, academically rigorous courses for those with a true passion for our great theatrical heritage. Residential trips to London are organised for both GCSE and A-level pupils, who benefit from an intense period of theatre-visiting, backstage tours and specialist workshops. The department enjoys considerable academic success and also prepares students to extend their training and production opportunities. Former students have gone on to win coveted places at the country’s top Drama Schools and can regularly be seen performing professionally on stage and screen or using their expertise in production or events management.
Co-curricular Drama
Each year we stage ambitious pupil productions to full houses, as well as more intimate pupil-led performances including the work of our GCSE and A-level cohorts. We offer technical theatre and design as options alongside acting and directing at every level. Weekly practical clubs for all ages foster a spirit of creativity and curiosity, allowing pupils to develop their talents in the supportive company of like-minded individuals. Many pupils in Years 7, 9 and 12 are able to choose Drama as their nominated skill in the Bronze, Silver and Gold Arts Awards accredited by Trinity Guildhall.
Links with the industry are strong and there are regular workshops with professional practitioners, as well as visits to theatres all over the country. We enjoy close ties with local theatres and other schools and colleges in Worcester and the surrounding areas.
Co-curricular Highlights
• The major Senior School production for Year 11 upwards held annually in the Autumn Term.
• The annual Removes production for Years 9 and 10 in the Spring Term.
• The annual Summer Term production for Year 7 and Year 8.
• Technical Theatre Clubs, which are opportunities to work backstage with an experienced set and technical theatre director, and support the staging of the School’s major productions.
• Regular entry for the King’s Theatre Company to external projects such as the National Theatre Connections Programme.
• Active encouragement and support for creative student leadership projects.
• A regular programme of visits to London and the provinces to plays, musicals and workshops.
• A regular programme of performances and production workshops by visiting practitioners.
• Optional Speech and Drama tuition for all years, offering one-to-one or small group tuition with the opportunity to gain LAMDA and Trinity Guildhall accredited awards in Acting, Musical Theatre and Public Speaking.
• ALL pupils welcome to participate in the co-curricular work of the Drama department, not solely students taking GCSE and A Level.
Meet our Cast
Sophie P and George C are Upper Sixth students whose journeys through the performing arts have brought them together, culminating in their performance as king and queen in the 2023 Senior Production of “The Madness of King George III”.
Below they recall the special moments they have spent in the performing arts at King’s Worcester.
Speech and Stagecraft
Pupils in the King’s Foundation can opt for additional tuition with one of our peripatetic tutors in the Speech & Stagecraft team. Pupils follow an individualised programme, developing core performance/presentational skills. Work builds to graded examination and a range of options for assessment are available to suit the needs of individual pupils.