Dramatic Arts

Dramatic Arts will provide your daughter with a knowledge and appreciation of the performing arts and an understanding of how the arts have been used to reflect and comment on human behaviour and society throughout history. Your daughter will also acquire valuable academic, social and communication skills that will equip her for life and for any career path that she chooses to pursue.

Dramatic Arts produces pupils who are creative, confident, mature, disciplined and articulate.

The syllabus is aimed at developing the whole person. It is a comprehensive syllabus covering both theory and practical work.

Theory

• Play Analysis – plays are studied along similar lines to the study of literature in English but greater focus is placed on the play as a blueprint for performance and on the issues that motivate human behaviour.
• Theatre History – this is an exploration and examination of the origins of drama and theatre and traces the development of theatrical movements, spaces and styles throughout the ages. We begin with the ancient Greeks and make our way chronologically through time up to and including contemporary times. Both European and South African theatre comes under the spotlight. The subject is of great social relevance as theatrical innovation is always explored within the context of social development and change.
• Voice/Speech – this component of the course focuses on the voice as a tool for communication and characterisation and covers the mechanics of breathing and speech.

Practical:

• The implementation of voice theory through a variety of vocal exercises and projects.
• Movement and forms of non-verbal communication.
• Acting and presentational skills related to the plays and styles covered in the theory component.

House Plays

The House Play process is an opportunity for young theatre practitioners to explore their creative abilities outside of the classroom. There is a wonderful sense of healthy competition between the three houses (Bears, Kats and Lambs). Any student in the Senior School can participate in various capacities, such as performance, directing, stage managing, backstage, technical and recently added IT. The Matric students, as directors of these plays are encouraged to script their own original works or adapt published plays. This allows for a variety of prevalent themes and social matters to be explored and staged in a theatrical and thought-provoking manner. 

School Play

The annual school production directed by the Drama Department staff is an opportunity for all Senior School students to be a part of an extensive process in which a variety of theatrical skills are explored. These skills include intense characterisation, production planning, ensemble work, collaborative problem-solving, effective communication as well as the ability to manage the technical and backstage aspects of a production. Productions are varied in style and genre from year to year. The School Production is a highlight on the Roedean calendar.