Developing great people through
DRAMA
RGS DRAMA
Extra-curricular drama is a great strength of Reigate Grammar School, with a busy programme of theatre events throughout the year.
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“The opportunities provided by the Drama department are quite simply phenomenal. The quality of school productions and examination pieces far outshine any student theatre I have seen throughout my time at university.”
There are usually three or four major productions each year in addition to evening showings, competitions, performances of examination pieces and visiting shows. There are strong links with the Music department with musicals staged regularly. Productions in recent years have included: Les Misérables, Macbeth, The History Boys, The History Girls (devised by the company), Guys and Dolls, Far Away, Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations, Back to the 80s, Brief Encounter, One Man, Two Guvnors, Silence at the Song’s End (devised by the cast with Libby Purves, for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival), StruwwelPeter, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Odyssey, Oliver!, Hansel and Gretel and Monstrous Stories.
The department regularly attends the National Student Drama Festival in Scarborough, as well as the Leatherhead Drama Festival and the Edinburgh Festival, with previous attendances gaining awards. The department is housed in the Drama Centre, consisting of three fully equipped studios. The studio spaces are used for examination performances and smaller productions whilst major school productions take place in the Concert Hall – a versatile performance area that can be adapted to accommodate largescale musicals or smaller studio-style productions.
There are frequent visits to local and national theatres (over 25 in a typical year) and visits by practitioners and touring theatre companies are welcomed. Drama may also be studied at GCSE and A Level. There are drama and dance clubs and opportunities to be trained in all areas of technical theatre.
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WHAT WE DO Drama skills give students an edge in a competitive workplace and help them to become curious, sociable and courageous team players, capable of succeeding in a variety of situations. The RGS Drama department provides opportunities for all students to experience both drama and theatre in and beyond the classroom.
“It is no secret that the drama at RGS is of a standard unmatched by all other schools in the area. Theatre is an essential part of our lives, not just a standalone art, but as a medium for projecting concepts from other subjects.”
Our aim at RGS is to promote a wide-ranging understanding of theatre and performance and enable students to make critical, interpretative and creative judgements about the work they encounter. The subject is taught by theatre specialists and skilled staff, who have as much passion for learning as they do for professional theatre experience. We are extremely proud of our outstanding academic success and our national profile. Drama adds value to every student’s experience.
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CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE For some, Drama is a subject to study at school - something different to the norm that allows students to push themselves in areas other subjects don’t. For many however, it is or becomes a passion. Outside the classroom there is a myriad of opportunities to take what they have learned to another level or to explore other areas of the subject. RGS students, both past and present are members of societies such as the National Youth Theatre, National Youth Music Theatre, National Youth Ballet and The BRIT school. Students have taken part in West End plays including Harry Potter and appeared in hit TV shows such as Us, Too Close and The Alienist. Students have also performed in several recent Rambert Dance Company productions.
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There is great enthusiasm for community outreach theatre including The Orpheus Centre, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the National Autism Campaign and our own Puppet Theatre tour of local schools. The opportunities are endless. However a student wishes to progress their love of the subject and wherever they want their journey to take them, the RGS Drama department will support them to be the best they can be.
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OUR RATINGS Here is a guide to the ratings you will find for our productions. At RGS we aim to produce a programme with a mix of styles and themes, and we feel it is important occasionally to produce challenging work as part of our goal to educate our students fully in the world of theatre. If you are in doubt about whether a particular show is for you, please get in touch and we can give you more details.
Content is generally suitable for all ages. May contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. But probably won’t!
Content is generally suitable for ages 11 and up. May contain more stylised, cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humour, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language. Generally suitable for ages 16 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. Generally only found on exam pieces, where students are encouraged to push the boundaries of theatre. 11
Reigate Grammar School, Reigate Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0QS 01737 222231 admissions@reigategrammar.org reigategrammar.org rgsdrama.net @RGSDrama Reigate Grammar School