Drama

Curriculum

Facilities for our drama lessons are excellent. We have two drama studios providing flexible rehearsal and teaching spaces, one of which also doubles as a small performance venue. Schoolroom’s students have two lessons a fortnight where we cover a wide and varied curriculum. Our focus in schoolrooms is to build key drama skills whilst also building an individual’s own confidence. We heavily promote transferrable skills such as leadership, empathy, research, and teamwork through practical learning. The topics we explore include emphasis on different types of genres, theatrical styles, theatre practitioners and a particular focus on creating Drama based on influential figures or well-known historical events.

After three years of Schoolrooms Drama students have the option to choose GCSE Drama for Seniors. At GCSE they will have 5 lessons a fortnight. Students also have the option to choose A-Level Drama & Theatre when they move on to college where they will have 10 lessons a fortnight. At GCSE and A-Level the practical skills are developed further and are assessed via a range of practical exams. In addition to this, students gain a highly developed range of research, reflective, interpretive, analytical, and evaluative skills as part of the theoretical part of the courses.

Speech & Drama [LAMDA] Qualifications at Bootham School

LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art] offers a wide range of internationally recognised qualifications in speech and drama (qualifications at Grade 6 level and above count towards UCAS points for university entry). LAMDA exams give students the opportunity to develop their skills in a range of disciplines:

  • Acting
  • Public Speaking
  • Speaking Verse & Prose
  • Performing Shakespeare
  • Reading for Performance
  • Devised Theatre

The Drama Department offers all students, across all year groups, the opportunity to take LAMDA lessons – which are taught during the school day and are available throughout the school year. We have a 100% success rate at examination level – with 89% of students gaining a distinction in the most recent (2022) exams.

For further details please read ‘A Guide to LAMDA at Bootham School’ below, or please contact our Speech & Drama [LAMDA] coordinator: simon.benson@boothamschool.com

A Guide to LAMDA

Productions

Our aim is to provide two productions a year. One production will be at a large scale of a well-known West End Musical. This will involve a large cast of both main roles and ensemble roles, a full live band and a backstage team predominantly made up of students interested in the design and technical side of theatre. Our second production will be a smaller scale play. This will include a small group of students in non-exam year groups where we will explore a published play to put on for performance. Please take the time to look through photos of previous productions.

Find Me 2023

Les Misérables 2023

The Crucible 2022

Beauty and the Beast 2022

West End Showcase 2021

Hairspray 2020

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe 2019

The Importance of Being Earnest 2019

Theatre Trips

We do not put a limit on how many theatre trips we run. We believe that the opportunity of seeing live theatre is one of the best forms of education. Students who study A-Level and GCSE are likely to attend theatre trips on a regular basis as this is a crucial part of their course. We also arrange at least one theatre trip for each full schoolrooms year group to see a big production. In the past Lower & Middle Schoolrooms have been to see ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ at Leeds Playhouse and Upper Schoolroom went to see ‘Blood Brothers’ at Leeds Grand. We aim to run an annual West End Theatre Tour residential trip to London. On this overnight trip students will take part in two practical workshops lead by West End performers at Pineapple Dance studios, will have free time to watch street theatre at Covent Garden and will go see two West End productions.

Technical Theatre

The Drama department boasts a vast array of technical provisions with both Drama Studios featuring industry standard lighting and audio systems. Additionally, our main house performance space is extremely well equipped. Students can access all equipment to learn and understand the technologies involved in producing theatre and events, both in and out of the classroom, all under the supervision of our full time Technical Manager.

Each year, students have numerous opportunities to join extra-curricular activities in which they are taught the basics of lighting, sound, video, staging and scenic disciplines, with the option to join the technical crew for our productions. Furthermore, the lower schoolrooms curriculum introduces technical theatre to our students at an early age. Additionally, after enjoying their time working on the numerous events throughout their academic career at Bootham, old scholars have returned as paid freelance technicians to provide extra support to current students and events

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