Drama at Buckswood

The Head of Drama, a professional actor himself, takes a dim view of GCSE Drama courses where writing about acting activities is awarded almost as many marks as actually performing on stage. The words “acting” and “rehearsal” do not, for instance, appear in the syllabus. As a result, Buckswood has dropped GCSE Drama in favour of a full-time practical approach, concentrating on acting, devising, voice training and movement skills, as well as experience in television and film production. Buckswood is intent upon training students to be confident communicators and insists upon instilling lifetime techniques for speaking in public and in & interviews.

Excellent English, articulation, voice projection and presentation skills are the goal, and to this effect, LAMDA exams in acting, devising and communication are taken at least once a year, earning UCAS points for the future and practical skills for the present.

In the Lower Sixth, students progress to A level Drama where the emphasis remains upon practical acting skills and the in-depth practical study of some of the world’s greatest plays.

Outside the classroom, there are termly productions or performance workshops for all age-groups, ranging from devised sit-coms to Christmas pantomimes and musicals.