Wimbledon College

Wimbledon College has a strong Drama department and excellent facilities. The main hall hosts a revolving stage which is used extensively in dramatic productions.

Lower Line

In the Lower Line, Drama is an arts rotation subject. Therefore all boys in years 7 -9 will study Drama at for some period each year.

Figures Rotation 1

Retelling a story using mime, freezeframe, still image and narration
Retelling a story using puppet theatre
Greek theatre history and performing in a Greek play

Figures Rotation 2

Shakespeare’s Theatre and performing part of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Physical Theatre and performing the play “Hedgehopping”

Rudiments Rotation 1

Exploring character and role through teacher-in-role, interview and reconstruction
Chinese Mask Theatre
The history of Commedia dell’arte and
Pantomime – performance skills and
contextual theory.

Rudiments Rotation 2

Shakespeare’s Theatre and exploration of
Macbeth: the characters and the themes
Epic Theatre, Brecht, and performing extracts from Threepenny Opera

Lower Grammar Rotation 1

Exploring alternative points of view through monologue and interview
Radio Drama
The history of Melodrama and Grand
Guignol theatre – performance skills and contextual theory

Lower Grammar Rotation 2

Silent movies: technique, history, and analysis
Genre Review: applying genre to text

Higher Line

Drama is offered as a GCSE option.

Drama GCSE complements other option choices well, and helps cultivate life skills such as the ability to work with others, the confidence to perform and present in front of an audience, and the knowledge of how to research and look for meaning in texts.

Grammar Term 1

Exploring character, creating atmosphere and devising narrative
Working with text: actors’ skills and tools in exploring scripts
Performance to audience and development of critical skills

Grammar Term 2

Developing movement skills and choreography
Applying theory to practice – putting science into a choreographed dance
Performance to audience and development of critical skills

Grammar Term 3

Theatre –in-Education – exploring Shakespeare with a younger class to develop teaching through drama skills
Research and presentation skills
Set text analysis: reading and analysing Dr Korczak

Syntax Term 1

Genre study: revision of the expectations of different genres
Devising skills: developing character, narrative and dialogue
Rehearsal and performance skills: preparing for performance

Syntax Term 3

Critical writing: rationale, development and performance analysis
Performance from text: acting skills
Set text analysis; reading and analysing a text

Syntax Term 3

Rehearsal and critical direction of unit 2
Revision of analysing and writing about a text

Sixth Form

At A level, the course aims to develop an interest and enjoyment in drama and theatre both as a performer and an informed member of an audience and to foster an enthusiasm for and a critical appreciation of the subject.

Drama is an extremely popular extra-curricular option offered by the College. The College has a history of successful school plays - backed by enthusiastic actors from right across the school, as well as a creative and hardworking stage crew, who design and build the plays' sets.

Poetry Term 1

Set Text Study; practical workshops on practitioner methods of text exploration
Set Text Study; written analysis of research and critical analysis of practical exploration
Critical review of a piece of theatre

Poetry Term 2

Monologue/duologue acting skills – rehearsal and performance and development of a role
Conceptualisation of a playwright’s vision – roleplay
Directed performance skills – following the vision of a director as an actor or designer

Poetry Term 3

Contextualising Greek Theatre practices – research of history and reading texts
Reviewing a historical play – understanding a play performed in its own context

Rhetoric Term 1

Devising skills: developing character, narrative and dialogue
Rehearsal and performance skills: preparing for performance
Research of context, fact
and theatre practitioner

Rhetoric Term 2

Critical writing: research, development and evaluation of performance aims
Compiling of rehearsal techniques and practices
Creation of director’s vision and rationale

Rhetoric Term 3

Historical contextualisation of Greek theatre and ELizabethan/Jacobean theatre
Practice of exam technique

Our students are

Drama