drama at Emanuel
annual productions
March: Whole School Musical Years 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Sixth Form The annual school musical takes place every year in March. With a cast of roughly 90 pupils, this is a fantastic opportunity for so many to be involved. Years 9, 10 and Sixth Form Alongside the cast of 90 for the musical, the entire technical team is made up of approximately 20 pupils who work with the drama technicians on all technical aspects. Roles include stage manager, deputy stage manager, lighting/ set designer, lighting/sound operator, props manager and set builders.
May:Year 7 Play Year 7 A cast of 30 Year 7 pupils take part in the Year 7 play each year, with a second evening performance for friends and family being added in from 2019. Year 8 For the Year 7 play, we encourage Year 8 pupils to involve themselves in technical roles, including stage manager, technical operators, lighting/sound designers, lighting/sound operators, props manager and set builders.
June: Hill Form Play Year 6 All Year 6 pupils take part in the Hill Form play, with rehearsals taking place within timetabled drama lessons from January onwards.
July: Play in a Week Year 10, 11 and Sixth Form In the penultimate week of the Summer term, the drama department put on an entire play which is created, rehearsed, and performed within just seven days. The technical team create and build the set, create lighting and sound designs and stage manage the entire production.
December: Junior Play (every other year) Years 8 and 9 A cast of 30 Year 8 and 9 pupils are involved with the junior play, which alternates with the senior play each year. We also encourage pupils to involve themselves in technical roles that include stage managers, technical operators and lighting designers. Year 11 We have previously offered opportunities for Year 11 pupils to get involved with assistant directing for the junior play. In 2018, three Year 11 pupils took on the role of assistant directors, running parts of rehearsals, leading warm-ups and providing overall support to the show.
December: Senior Play (every other year) Year 10,Year 11 and Sixth Form A cast of roughly 30 pupils from Year 10,Year 11 and the Sixth Form are involved with the senior play, which happens every other year (alternating years with the junior play). Alongside the cast of the senior play, we also offer the opportunity for older students to get involved within the technical team, including stage management, lighting and set design, lighting and sound operating and set building.
co-curricular involvement
Drama Club Christmas Performance Sketch Years 6, 7 and 8 Every December, pupils in Drama Club create a Christmas Comedy Performance Sketch to perform in the Headmaster’s Christmas Assemblies in front of the entire school.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival Years 10, 11 and Sixth Form Every other August, we take 20 pupils up to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – the world’s largest arts festival that showcases roughly 4,000 shows in 25 days. We take up two different shows, meaning two separate casting opportunities for pupils to be involved in. There is also the opportunity for pupils to involve themselves with the technical side of set, lighting and sound throughout the trip.
House Drama Competition All years (Junior:Years 6-9, Senior:Years 10 to Sixth Form) There is an annual house drama competition where pupils from each house compete against each other in groups. Pupils are given a stimulus from which they create a performance piece and are judged by a member of the drama department to determine the winning house. Pupils from Years 6-9 enter the junior competition to compete against other junior houses, and pupils in years above enter the senior competition to compete against the senior houses.
Theatre workshop and performance Year 10, 11 and Sixth Form Each year, a professional theatre company runs a collaborative workshop with pupils from Years 10, 11 and the Sixth Form. Pupils develop performance skills and explore the devising process of theatre in more depth.
Assistant Directing Opportunities Sixth Form Drama Scholars It is the responsibility of some of our drama scholars to support the cocurricular clubs within the department. Drama Club specifically – which two scholars support every week for a term each – requires assistant directors for the Christmas Performance Sketch. With roughly 50 of our younger pupils being involved in this short performance, it is a great opportunity for the scholars to learn how to direct and manage large casts.
clubs and facilities
Costume Club Emanuel also offers five costume club sessions a week in which pupils learn how to design costumes and make them for our shows. Pupils are taught about fabrics and colour and, in early sessions, make themselves small pieces to take home before advancing to creating costumes for the many shows we perform at Emanuel.
Drama Club For pupils who enjoy Drama but don’t enjoy performing, a weekly drama club is available to help pupils improve their confidence. Pupils are invited to create short pieces and play lots of fun games. This can also help to improve pupils’ skills when performing in their lessons.
Technical Club Pupils more drawn towards the technical side of Drama are encouraged to join technical club. The department runs two technical clubs a week, which prepare the Fiennes Theatre for all of the shows mentioned above. Pupils can learn how to rig lights and speakers, find out they work and even operate the shows.
Drama Facilities The Drama department is housed in the Fiennes Theatre: a fully equipped, purpose-built performance space, with an audience capacity of 118. There are also two further rehearsal studio spaces which are fully equipped with a lighting rig and sound capabilities. A new film/TV studio was opened in 2017 which the department has use of. The department also uses the Hampden Hall for some performances, which has an audience capacity of 500.
drama scholarships
Scholarship overview We offer drama scholarships to exceptionally-talented pupils at 10+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ entry. Scholarships can be worth up to a 50% reduction in fees. In most cases the successful candidates will have appeared in drama productions both in and outside their school and the application must include a reference from a teacher or instructor who can verify the pupil’s dedication and talent. The required documentation for the application must include: •
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A statement of interest written by the candidate about why they would like to be a drama scholar at Emanuel School, including a summary of what the pupil can offer the school in terms of drama and what they would hope to gain by being part of the drama scholarship programme. A theatre review written by the candidate about a play or performance they have seen in the last year (maximum length 500 words).
Summary of audition There are two parts to the drama scholarship audition. In the first, candidates take part in a workshop where they are seen together and assessed in terms fo their ability to interact with each other to create drama. Candidates are assessed on their ability to collaborate with others; suggest creative ideas; develop others’ ideas into successful drama and focus and commit enthusiastically. In the second part of the audition, candidates deliver a monologue that they have prepared in advance of between one and two minutes. This must be from a published play or piece that has been performed on the professional stage, and candidates may be questioned about the role in context to the whole piece. They will be assessed on their ability to use voice and movement in context; to reflect upon their performance choices; to answer questions about the character and to be a part of a focused and supportive audience.
For more detailed information about drama scholarships at Emanuel School, please refer to our website:
https://www.emanuel.org.uk/admissions/fee-assisted-places/
Emanuel School Battersea Rise London SW11 1HS Tel: 020 8870 4171 Email: enquiries@emanuel.org.uk
www.emanuel.org.uk