Drama


Students receive a lesson per fortnight in Year 7 and 8, rising to 3 lessons per fortnight in Year 9 and 5 lessons per fortnight in Years 10 and 11. Lessons in Key Stage 3 are workshop skills based, encouraging students to develop their performance, devising and analytical skills through pair and group work.

Year 7 and 8 Drama Overview:

In Year 7 and 8, students begin by exploring Greek Theatre in Autumn 1, understanding its origins, the use of masks, choruses, and exaggerated performances. They also study improvisation and connect Greek theatre to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. In Autumn 2, students shift to Modern Play – Matilda, performing scenes from Matilda the Musical to develop vocal, physical drama skills, and stage awareness while maintaining character throughout.

In Spring 1, the focus moves to Devising and Performance Skills through the unit I am the Director. Students work in groups, taking turns as directors to foster creativity, teamwork, and leadership. Spring 2 introduces Performing Shakespeare, where students perform scenes from Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, The Tempest, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They connect themes from Shakespeare's plays to devising work and English studies.

Summer 1 focuses on Folk Tales and Spoken Word Performance, where students adapt Grimm fairytales into spoken word pieces. Summer 2 continues this with students crafting original spoken word stories, blending creativity and performance skills.

In Year 8, students start Autumn 1 with Show and Tell, using personal items as stimuli for devised performances, developing skills like hot seating and physical expression. In Autumn 2, they study Modern Play – Peter Pan, building on stage awareness and character portrayal.

Spring 1 brings Page to Stage, where students devise performances based on literature, learning about plot, climax, and symbolism. Spring 2 introduces Silent Movies, exploring mime and physical expression, with cross-curricular links to Music. In Summer 1, students work on the I Wonder/Wander Project, drawing inspiration from Alice in Wonderland and Coraline to devise performances. The year ends with students refining these performances for a final showcase in Summer 2.

Year 9 Drama Overview:

In Year 9, students begin by studying Classic Play – Macbeth in Autumn 1, focusing on physical drama skills and non-naturalistic techniques. Autumn 2 introduces Devising – Physical Theatre, where students create performances using movement, inspired by Frantic Assembly.

In Spring 1, the focus shifts to Devising – Epic Theatre, where students study Bertolt Brecht and create political or socially driven performances using techniques like alienation. Spring 2 focuses on Live Theatre Evaluation, where students critique live performances, linking directly to the AQA GCSE Drama exam.

In Summer 1, students return to scripted work with Modern Plays – Blood Brothers and Noughts and Crosses, focusing on characterisation and rehearsal techniques, preparing for GCSE-level drama. Summer 2 deepens their performance and analysis skills, preparing students for future drama studies.

Year 10 and 11 Drama Overview:

Year 10 starts with an exploration of Drama Practitioners and Theatre Styles, including figures like Artaud, Brecht, and Stanislavski. Students study various theatrical styles, such as Commedia dell'arte and Physical Theatre, which inform their devised performances. Autumn 2 introduces Component 3: Texts in Practice, where students perform extracts from plays like Noughts and Crosses.

In Spring 1, students begin Component 2: Devising Drama, working on final devised pieces based on various stimuli and drafting their devising log. Year 11 continues with Component 2, where students perform or design for their devised piece, contributing to 40% of their GCSE grade.

Spring 2 focuses on Component 3: Texts in Practice, where students perform two extracts for an examiner, accounting for 20% of their final grade. The year ends with preparation for Component 1: Understanding Drama, a written exam covering drama knowledge, analysis of a set play, and live theatre evaluations, which accounts for 40% of the final GCSE grade.

Extra-Curricular Activities

This is a fundamental part of Music at Holy Trinity Academy and our students respond with great commitment and enthusiasm to the clubs we hold at lunch times and after school. We believe very firmly that the skills acquired in these clubs feed back into our lessons, enhancing the quality of outcomes and promoting a strong interest in the Arts. Students can use the department for individual and group practice at lunchtime, and rehearsals take place weekly after school.

As a result of these clubs we are able to hold music concerts, musicals and serious dramas. Most recently, we have staged the Wizard of Oz, Little Shop of Horrors, Gizmo, Private Peaceful, Disco Inferno and Songs from the Shows.  These have been in addition to our Christmas Showcases and Carol Services, as well as performance opportunities in venues such as Oakengates Theatre and Lichfield Cathedral.