Drama
At Hill House we recognise the importance of creative and dramatic skills in a child’s development. Therefore, drama is highly valued at Hill House and is part of the curriculum. During lessons pupils are introduced to a world of wonder, imagination and play where developing the skills to work together as a group and creative thinking are encouraged. Pupils’ self-confidence and self-expression are honed as they progress through the school and there are many performing opportunities in the form of Drama Showcases.
Drama is taught at Founders’ Hall, a specialist centre for the teaching of the arts subjects. The hall has flexible staging and a specialist lighting system.
From Year 1 pupils are taught Drama by specialist teachers with industry experience. Learning develops self-expression by focusing on the voice and body, and by learning drama concepts including mime, physical theatre and exploring and performing text. Pupils enjoy a range of different units that are cross-curricular and designed to enhance learning across a wide range of subjects including Literacy, Numeracy, Science and History. They study a range of contexts from Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Just So Stories’, ‘World War II Evacuees’ and a variety of stories including ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ and ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’
In Lower and Middle school, pupils perform in the annual Christmas musicals. In Years 6 and 7 pupils take part in Drama Showcases for friends and family. Previous musical productions have included ‘Matilda,’ ‘Oliver,’ and ‘Toys in Pieces’.
Each year the Drama department runs a course in Switzerland. Previous performances have included ‘He is Risen’, ‘Noah the musical’ and ‘Joseph and his amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.’
The Drama department runs a Drama and Dance Friday Club in which previous opportunities have included performing in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for The Shakespeare Schools Festival and performing a range of solo and choral poems for the annual John Betjeman Poetry Competition.
