Welcome There is something unique, almost magical about creativity as a child and a young adult. The opportunity to conjure something from within into being is an experience like no other. It is an expression of yourself, and yet a form of escapism. It is as powerful as it is liberating. The establishment of CADA is significant for both pupils at the School and children across Oxfordshire, providing a means of accessing the invaluable skills and experiences that come from Drama. The wealth of opportunities to get involved in productions is special. The passion and talent of the staff and stage crew who support and lead those productions is invigorating. It is such an incredible environment to be in. As an actor who didn’t go to drama school, I owe everything to the Drama Department at Cokethorpe. Mrs Hooper encouraged and prepared me to pursue a career in the Arts and I will be forever grateful for having her as a cheerleader. Cokethorpe gave me the freedom to learn to love performing and without that I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Selected Credits Game of Thrones How to Grow Up Despite Your Parents I’ll Find You Tristan & Kelly Coffee Wars
Toby Sebastian Pugh (OC 2009, Harcourt)
About CADA Established in 2023, the Cokethorpe Academy of Dramatic Arts (CADA) was founded with a simple objective: to help more children at the School, and across Oxfordshire, discover, enjoy, and benefit from the transformative effects of the Dramatic Arts. In keeping with Cokethorpe School’s commitment to providing exceptional breadth, CADA embraces and celebrates a full range of performance skills and explores wider technical support roles. Acting is integral, of course, with the chance to embrace with, and engage in, acting of tangible benefit to those whose ambitions lie in stagecraft in any of its varied forms. Students can expect to enjoy a wide range of benefits and opportunities, from performance tours to the Edinburgh Fringe, festivals, theatres, and schools, to access to workshops with highly regarded visiting professionals, discounts on theatre tickets and the STAGE magazine. For more on the benefits, read ‘Why Audition for CADA?’ overleaf. As a member of CADA, students are expected to contribute actively to productions at the School, to study A Level Drama, and to help facilitate the CADA Summer Arts Academy, open to children from across the local area.
Why Audition for CADA? Do you love being creative? Does storytelling make you tick? Does the buzz from acting and stagecraft get you out of bed in the morning? Are you looking for the right course to set you on your way into the industry? Well then, CADA is for you.
What do you get?
Aside from the opportunity to study Drama in an impressive setting with tuition from leading practitioners, the benefits of joining CADA include:
Accelerate your Career
CADA provides membership to a Spotlight accredited, global creative community. Gain access to celebrity masterclasses and industry workshops, apply for cast and crew opportunities, mentoring from current actors of stage and screen, access to a library of on-demand additional courses, and much more.
Discounted tickets to local productions
Experience some of the latest and most innovative theatre around at the Oxford Playhouse and the Old Fire Station, Oxford.
Workshops with nationally-renowned theatre troupes
Sessions with Gecko, Frantic Assembly, Paperbirds, and Vamos to name but a few. Visiting professionals, including feedback on devised pieces and preparations for LAMDA qualifications.
Subscription to THE STAGE
Keep up to date with all the latest news and developments in the sector.
Go on Tour
Members join CADA’s touring company, which takes its own devised production to the Edinburgh Fringe, along with a variety of other arts festivals and venues, including drama competitions.
Specialist Support
Learn from industry expertise of staff who have been there and done it, giving you the edge for auditions and drama school applications.
Behind the Scenes Access
See behind the scenes of working theatres during productions and visit drama schools and conservatoires.
CADA Summer Academy
Be part of the team running the CADA Summer Academy and put your skills and leadership qualities to the test.
Drama at Cokethorpe Drama has an invaluable role to play in the daily lives of pupils at Cokethorpe. In the Prep School, the pupils enjoy the benefits of exploring creative expression - a skill of real significance to all their subjects - whilst gaining confidence in performance and public speaking. In the Senior School, the Dramatic Arts play an important role in the cultural life of the School. Encouraging pupils to think beyond the page and question the world in which they live, Drama helps them to formulate their own opinions and develop self-confidence and creativity. Significantly, Drama at Cokethorpe extends beyond the stage with pupils learning and undertaking the support specialities of sound, lighting, make-up, set design and supporting the Wardrobe Department. There are copious opportunities for performance in both the Prep and Senior Schools, with the majority of performances taking place in the School’s purpose-built black box theatre, with a 200-seat capacity, affectionately known as The Shed.
I have learnt so much in Drama. People who think it is just about acting could not be more wrong! I have really enjoyed taking ownership of my learning and being encouraged to take risks. It has made me feel much more confident about myself.
A Level Drama Why study Drama at A Level? For starters, how about the course allowing students to develop skills offered by no other A Level? You will devise, write, direct and perform original work for a live audience, you will participate in thought-provoking and creative tasks, and explore challenging theatrical texts and practitioners in an academic and practical environment. You will get to work autonomously as well as collaboratively, with the devised pieces an important aspect of the course and, in so doing, you will be developing invaluable skills for life at university and in the workplace. Still not convinced? Then consider that Drama is a useful qualification for students wishing to pursue a career in the Arts, law, education, PR, marketing, diplomacy, journalism, politics; basically, any occupation that involves the exchange of ideas and people-related skills. What is more, A Level Drama is accepted by all leading universities.
Researching significant cultural, historical and political events has made me think about so many important issues. I am so proud to have created work during the course that I know I will never forget.
Productions Productions at Cokethorpe are as impressive as they are diverse. Pupils have their first opportunities to tread the boards as early as the Reception Class in the Prep School, with the Pre-Prep Nativity, and whole Prep School productions in the Michaelmas and Summer Terms. The inclusive approach continues at the start of the Senior School with the First Form and Second Form productions, offering pupils the chance to get to grips with the creative process associated with studying Drama at GCSE and A Level. A key differentiator of Senior School productions at Cokethorpe, auditions for all roles are open to all year groups, meaning that pupils in younger year groups have the chance to audition for leading roles. The quality of those productions is well known. The School’s productions have become legendary for their vast scale, vibrant design, and ambitious scope, aided in no small part by the stylish and extensive Wardrobe Department with several thousand costumes. The recent perfomance of Animal Farm saw an ensemble cast and crew of more than 5o pupils perform a superb depiction of George Orwell’s timely tale of revolution and the corruption of power.
Cokethorpe School Witney Oxfordshire OX29 7PU
admissions@cokethorpe.org
cokethorpe.org