Drama School
Fyling Hall drama school is in many ways founded on the principles of the drama and the stage. Mrs White, our former Principal was a professional actress for many years and her legacy continues with our current cohort of young actors, instilling confidence, poise and communication skills in all our pupils.
Nowadays, Drama at Fyling Hall is a bustling department where pupils are challenged through practical performance to consider different opinions, cultures and lifestyles to their own. They improvise their own performances, rehearse play texts from a wide range of playwrights and have the opportunity to see professional theatre companies across the local area.
In years 10 – 13 pupils have the opportunity to perform increasingly challenging roles and explore classics such ‘Pygmalion’ or the work of Bertolt Brecht as well as more modern texts such as ‘100’ or ‘Blood Brothers’. We study practical qualifications from year 10 onwards with a focus on performance and evaluation rather than a final written exam.
Drama is in many ways the exploration of self, a place to grow in confidence, an understanding of the stage and the study of great literature; we aim to give pupils an experience of all these areas.
(Current ESL and drama student)
Drama School Facilities
Our Drama department is located at the heart of the school, in our purpose built theatre, the Barn, which can house an audience of a hundred. The space is available for Drama lessons from Year 3 through to year 13 and is regularly used for performances by all ages. We also have the use of professional standard lighting and sound facilities and pupils are encouraged to learn how to use these from the start of the secondary school.
Outside of the classroom, our Rose Garden theatre is used for annual summer performances shared with the music department, and with stunning views over the coast, events here are quick to fill up.
Performance
At Fyling Hall drama school, performance is a vital part of the Drama curriculum and all pupils are encouraged to take part in regular evening showcases and larger performance events. The whole of Key Stage Three has the opportunity to take part in local arts competition, the Eskdale Festival, where the school has regularly won Group Drama, Poetry Recital and Shakespeare Solo classes over the last decade. Our outstanding pupils are also often asked to appear at the “Best of the Festival” concert, where their work was showcased for an audience of 1000.
Drama School shows are popular events, the Junior School perform an annual Nativity and often join the Senior School in musical shows too; recent Senior School productions include ‘Grease’ and ‘Annie’.
Drama school pupils are present at all major events in the school calendar: reading in church, compering concerts and entertaining members of the local community. With the addition of a dedicated stage crew, pupils are able to gain a wider understanding of the careers available in the theatre. They work as a team to put together props, staging and lighting for our school shows showing a professional attitude throughout, giving these pupils excellent preparation for work experience in local theatres.