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Drama Scholarships
Drama forms a valuable part of community life at Marlborough. Performers work with outstanding teachers to hone their skills, rehearse pieces and, ultimately, to face the challenge of performance. Drama is both exuberant and rigorous; standards are high and much is expected of those who undertake this testing but fulfilling process.
The Drama Department works under the direction of the Head of Drama. The department comprises two full time teachers as well as a full-time technical team; production manager, lighting designer and costume designer. The graduate director-in-residence program allows the students to work with young professionals at the cutting edge of theatre practice.
The Department works principally in two well equipped spaces. The Bradleian Theatre is excellent as a teaching room and doubles as a 135-seat studio theatre. This space is ideal for the performance of pupils’ own work and for the hosting of the professional touring companies that visit the College several times each year.
The Ellis Theatre boasts an exciting and distinctive atmosphere and can be converted into a variety of stage formats. In a conventional end-stage configuration, it accommodates just over 200; as a thrust stage it holds 360 and, as a theatre-in-the-round, it seats nearly 450 including almost 100 in the surrounding balcony. Pupils thus gain experience of performing in a variety of spaces.
A drama scholar at Marlborough will be engaged with each element of theatre-making; performance, production, writing, directing and design. They will be mentored by our professional production team to foster and develop their talents both in performance and production giving them opportunities to foster and nurture their abilities whilst also introducing them to new and exciting theatre skills. Candidates will be highly motivated and engaged and should have relevant experience from their previous school. Experience in performance and production, speech and drama examinations and/or competitions and festivals will all be taken into consideration. Drama scholars are expected to be heavily involved the theatre at Marlborough which may include school productions, House productions, independent production as well as the study of drama to at least GCSE level. Drama scholars are expected to positively promote the integral role that the theatre plays in a community like Marlborough – as an arena for debate, experimentation and creative celebration.
Progress and scholarship status is reviewed by the Head of Drama in the form of an annual assessment which will reflect on the scholar’s contribution and engagement with the theatre.
