Drama
The St Augustine’s Priory Drama Department develops individuality, encouraging students to express themselves with flair and confidence.
Children perform in or design theatre productions, or help out behind the scenes. Studying Drama engages the creative side of the brain and provides an ideal balance in students’ methods of study. Drama is a natural foundation to a well-developed sense of self.
We organise regular theatre visits for girls from all years and pupils have access to streamed theatre performances via Drama Online Library.
Theatre professionals come into school to perform plays and deliver workshops.
Our Senior Drama Studio is fitted with state of the art audio-visual equipment giving girls the potential to produce multi-media productions. Our outdoor stage is a perfect platform for girls to blend ancient theatre tradition and contemporary concepts.
In the Pre-Preps the emphasis is on the development of self-expression, creativity and confidence. In Prep II (Year 1) and Prep III (Year 2) Drama is delivered discretely within the English curriculum. Each term girls prepare a performance to an audience; nativity plays (Michaelmas Term), the Spring Concert (Lent Term) and Songs and Certificates in the Summer Term.
The aim of Drama at this stage is to develop the girls’ confidence, drama skills and teamwork. Girls in Year 4 and Year 6 produce performances for an audience.
The girls scrutinize genres and dramatic conventions, devising and presenting scripted and improvised dramas. They gain an understanding of how theatre can communicate in innovative, challenging ways.
In the Michaelmas Term, Year 7 girls perform a themed showcase and Year 8 perform in our Shakespeare Festival presented at Association Day. Girls in Year 9 produce end of Key Stage productions.
Drama is a popular choice at GCSE and requires the presentation of devised and scripted work, through either performance or design and the examination of the girls’ knowledge and understanding of different dramatic techniques and forms.
Drama and Theatre Studies at A Level develops students’ understanding of how theoretical and analytical study of drama is integrated with practical work. Students study and create theatre through drawing on various historical, cultural and contemporary theatre practices.
Preps
LAMDA examinations are very popular in the Preps.
Seniors
The biennial Senior School Production enables girls from Year 7 to Year 13 to work together on stage and backstage in a professional theatre environment. Recent shows include: Sister Act: The Musical (2023), Chicago: High School Edition (2019), Little Shop of Horrors (2017), The Comedy of Errors (2015) Guys and Dolls (2013), and The Ash Girl (2012). This year we will be staging The Addams Family at The Questors Theatre, Ealing.
Senior school students with an aptitude for performance and performance support are invited to participate in workshops and public performance projects, such as the Shakespeare Schools Festival at Watermans Arts Centre, as part of the Drama Gifted Pathway (DGP).