Drama
The Mount School has a strong dramatic tradition. We encourage enjoyment and participation of drama at every level; during English lessons, Speech and Drama lessons, by participation in school productions and Creative Arts events or through the regular theatre trips organized by the department.
Drama is an integral part of the English curriculum in Years 7-9. Opportunities for exploring literature through Drama are built into our Schemes of Work and all members of the English Department are also Drama specialists. Drama and role play activities may take place in the class-room or in our specialist ‘black box’ Drama Studio. Students are introduced to improvised and scripted work, physical and vocal techniques and a variety of dramatic methods such as the creation of tableaux and mask work.
We also work with other departments such as Art, History and Music to develop cross-curricular links. We organise a bi-annual Creative Arts Event, which sees many departments working collaboratively on a single theme over three days, culminating in a showcase of students’ work. The 2009 theme was inspired by Indian culture; our next event [July 2011], will have an Environmental focus. All students in Years 7-9 participate in this inclusive event, which combines the creative skills of Mount staff with the expertise of visiting professional artists such as Annapurna Dance Company.
Drama and Theatre Arts are offered at GCSE and A Level, where the focus is on the development of performance and design skills and analysing live theatre. Students have the opportunity to devise work at GCSE and A2 and prepare a scripted performance inspired by a particular theatrical style at AS. Mount pupils are regularly given the opportunity to work with local and national theatre companies, such as the West Yorkshire Playhouse or Expressionistic theatre company, Shared Experience, working on different approaches to text and performance. Many students gain excellent examination results and some go onto study the subject at university or a specialist drama institution.
Performance is an important part of the dramatic experience. In recent years productions have included musicals such as ‘Smike’,’ Annie’ and ‘Dracula Spectacular’ and challenging plays such as ‘The Accrington Pals’, ‘The House of Bernada Alba’ and ‘The History Boys’. All KS3 pupils participated in an open- air ‘Shakespearean Festival’ in June 2010, performing excerpts from plays and sonnets around the school grounds. We are particularly proud of The Mount tradition of our College 2 students applying to direct an annual production; College 1 students entertain the school with a traditional seasonal pantomime.
Many students opt to take individual or group Speech and Drama lessons, taking public examinations with the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. We have an excellent record of results, with many students achieving Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals. Speech and Drama pupils present their work annually in our LAMDA showcase ‘I See A Voice’.
We are extremely lucky to have the West Yorkshire Playhouse nearby and run regular theatre visits to Leeds and York Theatre Royal. We also venture further afield-to London, Manchester’s Royal Exchange or Newcastle’s Theatre Royal. A bi-annual College residential visit is organized to Stratford- upon- Avon , where students see two or three productions, visit the Shakespeare properties and attend lectures and workshops.