Drama

The Drama Department has created an energetic and exciting working environment for students to develop a wide range of skills. A wonderfully resourced department will this year see the addition of a superb new 950 seat auditorium. The department has 4 talented members of staff who share the teaching load at KS3, GCSE, AS and A Level.

Communication is the central focus of our teaching at KS3. Students are introduced to the collaborative nature of the subject and are encouraged to initiate and respond to ideas whilst developing a sense of trust and cooperation with a group dynamic.

At KS3 Drama is taught as part of the ‘creative arts circus’ along with Art and Design Technology. Students are split into 3 groups which are then divided equally between the subjects. Drama is then taught 3 times a week for a module of work before the groups rotate on to the next subject. At KS3 Drama is taught in small working groups over an intensive period of time. As a result students gain confidence very quickly and achieve a high level of success at an early stage in their development. In addition, Year 9 students have a clear idea of the demands of Drama and Theatre Arts when they choose their GCSE options for Years 10 and 11.

A large number of students opt for GCSE Drama and Theatre Arts and the Department has up to three working groups of approximately 15 students taking the subject in Years 10 and 11. The Drama Department’s results are truly outstanding.  In addition, the College has had GCSE work recorded and used for training and standardisation purposes by EDEXCEL. This year, the department was chosen to provide examples of exemplary teaching for the new GCSE course starting in 2009. The training DVD is being used by EDEXCEL in centres across the United Kingdom. Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level Drama and Theatre Arts are offered in the Sixth Form with groups of approximately 15 students. The results have been equally impressive as KS4. The high standard of drama is achieved by outstanding teaching methods coupled by giving students exceptional experiences throughout the course.

The annual Dubai College theatre trip to London (now in its seventh year) allows students to see up to 8 productions at places such as The Royal National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, the West End and even some fringe theatres such as at the Tara Studios in South London. For the past 16 years, the department has enjoyed a biennial theatre exchange with Bedales School in the United Kingdom. In recent years, Dubai College has taken the A2 Unit 4 presentation for performances at Bedales and other schools in the Hampshire area. The department has very high expectations of its students and allows them to tackle very challenging theatre works.

Over the past few years performances such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Mourning Becomes Electra, Death of a Salesman, A Day in the Death of Jo Egg and Accidental Death of an Anarchist have featured in final performances of AS and A Level groups. Some of our students go on to study at prestigious drama schools in the UK such as The Guildford Conservatoire, Rose Bruford, RADA and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.