Drama at Ardingly

Imaginative and inspiring Drama is created and presented in our two Drama Laboratories and fully equipped Proscenium Arch theatre space. There are many productions over the course of the year, from musicals through Shakespearian Plays to some of the more challenging work by contemporary playwrights. All students of the Ardingly drama school are encouraged to become involved both on stage and backstage. Opportunities to create props, build sets, become part of the sound and lighting teams are available to all students. Regular theatre trips and visiting theatre companies allow the students to experience a wide range of theatre.

2009/10 Productions

It’s always amazing to look back on the year and see just how much we do as a Department. The year began with the whole school production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht, adapted and directed by Jonathan Caldicot, with original music composed by Darren Jameson.

The Lent Term was the Sixth Form’s turn to take centre stage, with three very different productions. The first of these was Samuel Pepys and the Great Fire of London, a devised piece by the U6 IB students Sam Elwin, Caroline Hirst and Katya Higham-Stoianova. The intrepid trio ventured into the dangerous world of Theatre in Education as they set out to come up with a performance that would reinforce the Year 2 scheme of work.

In March, the two Drama Labs were packed with audiences eager to see the AS and A2 Theatre Studies students perform. Not only were the Sixth Form students praised by all who attended the evening, but they then went on to achieve a fantastic set of practical grades in their examination and were commended by the moderator for the high standard of their work.

The Summer Term brought the Fifth’s GCSE final scripted pieces, Bench by Richard Parsons, and Travel Club and Boy Soldier by Wole Soyinka. Their examination performances were outstanding – with this year group gaining some of the best practical results we have ever had, and a handful of students deemed to be ‘off the scale’.

In May it was Shell’s turn to take the stage – in a collaboration with Drama, Art, Music and English they produced work around the theme of Travel. The Under was full to capacity as Shell guided the audience through a cornucopia of performance.

Finally, the Remove GCSE gave an outstanding performance of Spring Song Singers by Richard Tydeman and The Interval, by our very own Mr Caldicot.

Drama scholarships are available at Ardingly College.