How Drama is taught throughout the school: Drama is a popular subject at HMSG.  In years 7 and 8 it is taught in half classes (maximum 12 students) in a carousel of lessons with Textiles and HE Food, allowing one term of a double lesson per week.  In year 9 there is one double lesson per fortnight (PSE is taught in the other week), again taught in half classes.  Students choose their options for GCSE studies at the end of year 9.  In years 10 and 11 option GCSE students receive two double lessons per week.  This year 51 students have opted for Drama in years 10 and 11.  In the ‘sixth form’ students study AS and A2 (full ‘A’ level) Drama; currently there are 17 students who study this subject for AS/A2.  Our examination board for GCSE and ‘A’ level is WJEC, chosen because there are strongly academic and practical requirements for both levels.

Many leavers go on to study Drama or Drama and English at university.  Some girls study technical theatre or acting at specialist Theatre colleges (e.g. in 2006, one student received an unconditional offer to study technical theatre and stage management at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and in 2007 another student received an unconditional offer to study stage management at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.  Both students are thoroughly enjoying their studies).

Where is Drama taught? Drama is taught in the Drama Studio, a curtained ‘black box’ facility in Glover House, with an adjoining fully equipped dressing room (Room 101).  Lessons also take place in the new Drama Suite above the Main Hall; this area comprises two main teaching rooms, one of which has floor-to-ceiling mirrors, a ‘wet room’, for teaching make-up and small scenery/ props/ masks construction, a small mirrored rehearsal room and the departmental staff room, which can also double as a further small group rehearsal space.  Speech and Drama lessons are now taught in this area, too.

What extra curricular activities are offered here? Examination classes produce performances for friends, family and other invited audiences in October, November, March and May, but these are not the only productions at HMSG.  Each year there are at least two non curricular events.  Past productions include; the joint (HMSG and MS) whole schools’ musical, ‘Pink Champagne’, performed in March, involving a very large number of dancers, musicians and actors as well as a student technical team and directing staff.  The younger enthusiasts (years 7 -9) take part in a Drama Laboratory Workshop on Monday evenings; last year this lead to a lively all-girl adaptation of ‘The Lord of the Flies’, complete with island!  Also last year older students (years 10 to 13) from both HMSG and Monmouth School made up the youth theatre company ‘Dashers!’.  All year groups also had the opportunity last year to take part in ‘Decades’, a history play based on life in the UK over the past forty years, which was produced in January and ‘The Spring Extravaganza’, performed in March, which included excerpts from ‘Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’.

This year upper school students from both HMSG and MS will also have the opportunity to join ‘The Drama Society’.  Run and directed by members of the upper sixth form guided by their staff mentor, this society’s aim is to produce a dramatic presentation in which all the organisation, acting and technical requirements are provided by the student members themselves.  The society will meet in the Main Hall HMSG on Tuesday evenings after school.

Technical additions Lighting in the Drama Studio is operated by a Zero 88 ‘Frog’ fully computerised lighting desk.  The Main Hall theatre lighting is managed using a rather more sophisticated system incorporating a Strand 300 lighting desk (suitable for school productions and for use by external bookings, such as visiting theatre companies).  Both Drama areas also have modern sound equipment.  This system is augmented by a state-of-the-art follow-spot, kindly donated to the school by The Friends of HMSG in 2007.