Drama is central to the cultural life of the School and works closely with the Art, Music and English Departments to deliver a creative and culturally diverse curriculum.
Drama is creative, bold, wide-ranging and diverse. Our productions are of the highest standard both on stage and off, giving boys the opportunity to be part of a major show and to showcase their talents.
Located in the EM Forster Theatre, the Drama Department offers unrivalled facilities available to all Tonbridgians whether they are studying drama and theatre or taking part in co-curricular productions. We encourage participation in all its forms, whether it is working backstage with our professional team of technicians, performing in the 400-seat theatre or enjoying the programme of professional productions as a member of the audience. Every boy at Tonbridge can participate in a way that interests him, be it as an actor, director, writer, singer or technician.
Academic teaching
All boys in the Novi participate in a six-week drama course and the curriculum introduces students to a range of dramatic techniques and conventions, regardless of prior experience. It is part of a carousel of activities and if boys choose to continue with drama, they are then introduced to a range of devising, performance and technical skills using the professional-quality equipment available in the EM Forster and studio theatres.
At GCSE, the Eduqas course suits boys with a genuine love of theatre and performance. It offers a unique challenge to students who enjoy expressing themselves in a variety of creative ways, either as actors or designers, and who relish being actively involved. The course includes elements of creating an original piece of drama, performing two extracts from a published play script and studying a set text.
At A Level, theatre studies is a highly demanding but enjoyable A Level. The AQA course requires a high degree of creativity with most of the course being taught practically involving assessments of devised and scripted performances. The course is academically rigorous and culminates in a three-hour paper at the end of the two-year course. There is a combination of the practical exploration of play texts as an actor, director or designer and an opportunity within the final paper to produce a live theatre review.
We stage an impressive range of productions over the course of the academic year including a whole School play or musical in the Michaelmas Term, a Junior play, a Lower Sixth play, four or more House plays scattered through the year, as well as numerous exam performances in all three terms.
Boys take part in workshops run by visiting actors, practitioners and theatre companies such as Frantic Assembly, Shared Experience and most recently Paper Birds.
With a range of theatre trips to London and beyond, the Drama Department offers a wonderfully rich experience of theatre.
Head of Department
