SUBJECT FOCUS
WE ALL NEED A LITTLE DRAMA IN OUR LIVES Lizzie Nurse Director of Drama and Dance
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The VOICE Autumn/Winter 2020
Often decried as an easy or lightweight subject, Lizzie Nurse, Director of Drama and Dance proves the value of studying Drama and Theatre Studies. “If you think about it, the skills developed through Drama echo those behaviours and life skills needed for the boarding house, university and ultimately in the work place. Drama A Level is the only subject I can think of where every single lesson requires collaboration: you simply have to work with other people and work as a team. Each lesson, pupils are set a task with an expectation that they ‘show it back’ or perform it to the group. They must take ownership of their learning and develop the confidence to take feedback and give critique to others. Time management: during every lesson there is a time pressure to deliver their work which forces them to manage time and hit deadlines. Public speaking: there’s nothing like delivering lines in a school production to quell nerves – suddenly a presentation in a classroom (or in a work environment later on) doesn’t feel so nerve-wracking. Close friendships: they learn to trust those they are working with in a drama production and the bonds formed create a very unique group friendship. Reading body language: analysing drama scripts, plays and films teaches them how to read body language. Girls will learn how to interpret signals that give an insight into someone’s feelings which is invaluable
and has uses far beyond the drama classroom and exam questions. And finally, linguistics: the in-depth analysis of the use of language and lexicon choice considerably enhances every other subject they are studying. If you Google the list of ‘Top 10 Employee Skills’ valued by employers you will find everything I’ve mentioned above – another reason why Drama and Theatre Studies should not be underestimated. Aside from that, I’d argue that it is the most fun you can have in a classroom!” Lizzie went on to talk about the way the creative industries had rallied during lockdown. “What did everyone turn to in the first lockdown? Books, films – classics and old favourites - were revisited. Look at how inventive actors and production companies were, creating new ways to engage with audiences and making it all happen so quickly. Our girls have thoroughly enjoyed watching Romantics Anonymous live from the Bristol Old Vic, Crave from the Chichester Festival Theatre and the fabulous production of Emelia all from the comfort of The Merritt Centre.” With in-house productions of Fahrenheit 451 and Miles Apart: Letters from beyond the Theatre still going ahead, the Drama Department is adapting and rising to the challenges that socially distanced performances require to ensure that ‘the show must go on’.
