Drama is like life with
the dull bits cut out – Alfred Hitchcock
The philosophy of the drama department
is inclusivity. Every student at Wellington should have the opportunity to
participate in any type of performance that interests them, whether that is as
an actor, dancer, director, writer or technician. Access to the arts is at the
heart of what we do, encouraging students to have a lifelong love of drama and
performance.
Performing Arts are at the heart of
the philosophy of Wellington College. Over a third of the students at
Wellington participate in drama as either a curricular or extra-curricular
activity. The Drama and Dance departments at Wellington College work well together,
creating an exciting programme of events for our students, feeder schools and
local community. We aim to put on one major production every half term,
including musicals, straight drama, dance shows, pantomime, talent shows and
student directed and devised work. All these events are open to the public and
can be ordered via our box office system.
The drama department offers a range
of courses all taught in our newly renovated 360 seat performance space The Christopher Lee Theatre. These include Drama at GCSE and MYP as
well as Drama and Theatre Studies A Level, all of which are enormously popular
curriculum subjects, many of which have waiting lists to join.
The drama department outreach
programme is one of our greatest strengths featuring a number of core activity
strands under the name of W-Side.
Take a look at our website www.w-side.org.uk and you’ll be able
to see Brightside, our children’s theatre group for students aged 3 - 11,
Flipside our physical theatre group for boys aged 14 – 18, Kerbside our local schools and community drama
group and Onside, our outreach programme in local hospices and hospitals. Co-ordinated by Rose Hall Smith, these
projects are run by our highly trained drama staff with assistance from
Wellington College students. There
are plenty of opportunities to get involved and Rose is always keen to hear
from community groups and schools who would like a free taster drama workshop.
Brightside children’s theatre is
currently recruiting new members. Classes run on Saturday lunchtimes 12.30- 2.00pm and offer
two hours of drama, singing and dance for a very reasonable £5 per session.
Students get the opportunity to perform in their own showcase and the
Wellington Panto. Contact Rose Hall Smith for details
Drama scholarships are available for
new students entering the third form and the lower sixth form. Students will be
expected to prepare a monologue from a play post 1950, learned by heart to be
performed to an assessor. Students will also participate in a short group
exercise to assess their improvisation skills. Students should also bring a
portfolio of their drama achievements for assessors to look it. This can take
the form of photos, programmes, essays and should demonstrate an excellent
commitment to the arts. Successful candidates will be expected to take drama
and theatre studies at GCSE, MYP and A Level if given a scholarship and must
also commit to joining in with the wider extracurricular life of the
department.
More information please contact the admissions office at
Wellington College.
Director of Drama and Head of
Academic Drama: Sarah Spencer
Sarah has been Director of Drama at Wellington College since 2006, having spent 6 years as Head of Drama at St Thomas More RC School in North London. Sarah is an Advanced Skills teacher and
was the first drama teacher in London to gain this award. Sarah was creative
director of Haringey Shed Inclusive Theatre Company and also ran her own youth
Theatre group Still Ahead. Sarah was nominated for teacher of the year in
2005/6 as recognition for her classroom practice and Outreach work
Head of Outreach Drama: Rose Hall
Smith
Rose joins the department as a
teacher of drama having completed her MA in Applied Theatre (Drama in the
Community and Drama Education) at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Rose
runs the programme of primary school outreach here at Wellington. Contact Rose
if you know a local primary school who would like a performing arts session.
Head of LAMDA: Katie Hamilton
LAMDA has grown into a popular and
thriving area of the drama department under the guidance of Katie Hamilton.
Katie is an highly experienced drama teacher who has worked at Wellington for a
number of years. Katie also acts and directs with many high profile community
theatre companies.
Assistant Director of Drama: Hugh
Macgregor
Hugh Macgregor trained at the Oxford
School of Drama and worked as an actor prior to his teaching post at Oaklands
College in Hertfordshire. He served as Head of Theatre Studies and Assistant
Housemaster at Bearwood College for three years before joining Wellington in
2009. He tutors the Blücher Lower 6th and coaches Hockey and Cricket.
Lighting and Events : Visions
Lighting is provided by event design company Visions, who have provided
technical support at many of Britain’s top venues including the O2 arena and
the Barbican, working with many big name artists. Visions are very happy to be
working in partnership with Wellington and look forward to a long and ongoing
relationship.
Theatre Manager: Dan Clements
Dan joins us at Wellington from his position in Theatre Management at the
English National Opera. As well as overseeing the management of the theatre,
Dan is also producer for all large scale shows here at Wellington, including
the Royal Albert Hall gala and the Round Square International Conference
We have a photo archive of a number
of our past productions 2008 - onwards. Do get in touch if you would like to
order any of these. DVDs of some
recent productions can be ordered from www.officalschoolmovie.com
|
Les Miserables
A Chorus Line
Cinderella
The Ragged Child
Billy Elliott
Boney and the Billy Ruffians
Othello
Into the Woods
Hamlet - the musical
|
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Talented Mr Ripley
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The History Boys
Aladdin
Little Shop of Horrors
Bouncers
Twelfth Night
After Juliet
|
Pinter Shorts
Brave New World
Antigone
The Gut Girls
Frost / Nixon
Guys and Dolls
Oliver
No one sees the video
Macbeth
|