Arnold House School

At Arnold House, Drama is embraced in both timetabled lessons and the extracurricular program. Boys have timetabled Drama lessons in Years 1 through to 6 where they are encouraged to engage in exploratory play and imaginative performance making as they work both independently and collaboratively with their peers. The classroom environment is fun, fast paced and interactive as the boys learn to work as part of a community whilst honing their own performance skills. Weekly Drama clubs are offered at all year levels and are very popular with the boys; some choosing Drama for fun and interaction, others for the way it improves their self expression and confidence. The Drama curriculum aims to guide boys toward a comprehensive understanding of them many movements in theatre throughout history. In Years 3 and 4, lessons are focussed on performance skills, characterisation and storytelling. Boys in Years 5 and 6 explore theatre history with units on Commedia Dell’Arte, Slapstick Comedy, Shakespearean Theatre, Puppetry and Melodrama.

In Pre-Prep, the boys take part in a Harvest Festival play and a Nativity Play. Additionally, there is classroom Drama on a two-week cycle for Years 1 and 2. In the Junior School, Drama is an exciting part of the boys’ timetable; a chance to play games, sing songs, work in small groups and experiment with Drama skills in an inclusive and caring environment.  In Years 3 and 4 the boys take part in an annual Arts Festival where boys perform over two nights at Canons Park. The program features a special program of music, drama and verse-speaking. Classroom Drama is also taught in Years 3 – 6, with a feature performance by Year 6 pupils in the Lent Term, as part of the Compass Course.

In Y7, the boys go to Canons Park periodically for ‘Drama Days’ and have a timetabled bi-weekly Drama lesson. The focus is on using Drama as a tool for both creative expression and developing understanding, with boys exploring their English set texts in dramatic ways.  Finally, in Y8, the boys have the chance to take part in the Shakespeare Schools Festival on a professional London stage. The school is now in its third year of involvement in this exciting program and our boys have performed at the Unicorn Theatre in productions of ‘Macbeth’, ‘Julius Caesar’ and ‘The Tempest’.