Participating in Drama and Performing Arts means being part of a great tradition, the kind that inspires others and gives them the drive to pursue their dreams. As well as being fun, this space represents significant learning in the personal, social and professional development of the individual, so there is no better way to start a short and well-deserved holiday than by witnessing the progress and advancement of our artists.
Through Drama and Performing Arts we try to give back to the students the possibility of composing and expressing their creations, which awakens in them the love to continue learning. We love to accompany them on this path of discovery and always provide them with the best tools thanks to the unstoppable professionalism of our teachers.
The Art of Confidence, Resilience and Compassion
At St Bede’s we encourage our students to take part in Drama and the Performing Arts. Being able to perform in front of one’s peers and families whether it be singing, acting or playing a musical instrument is an important part of a child’s development. Acting helps develop confidence, resilience and compassion which are attributes that can be taken into so many other facets of learning and life. With the confidence gained from acting our students are able to meet and greet guests to the school and talk to them about the school and the wonderful experiences it has given them.
When being interviewed for university or employment our students have the confidence to speak in front of a panel without feeling anxious. Resilience is developed in acting as an actor will receive rejection for roles but they carry on or a scene may not work but they carry on.
Learning to accept setbacks, critiques and rejections helps build a resilience that will be crucial in their personal and professional life. Acting helps develop compassion and empathy. When playing a role an actor needs to really understand their character. An actor must ‘like’ their character or find something likeable about their character to portray them truthfully, even the meanest of protagonists. As such, this enables our students to have compassion and empathy which, as Christians, is something we all strive to do in our daily life.
Mr J Joyce-O’Keeffe
The Gospel Story
Prep students delighted us with this play performance: The Gospel Story. Thank you for sharing your talent with us, we enjoyed it a lot.
The holistic education of all pupils, regardless of their age, places a strong emphasis on strengthening their talents and skills, which they discover throughout their time at the school.
At the end of a long term, we are thrilled to look back on incredible performances, the result of much effort, dedication and commitment from our students and teachers, who pay attention to even the smallest detail so that we all enjoy every performance.
A Long and Outstanding Tradition of Performing Arts
St Bede’s has a long and outstanding tradition of performing arts, often realised by the successes of our school shows. Each year our big calendar events are the annual school musical and our Shakespeare picnic on the lawn. The outside eye might see these two as very different productions although they are actuality not dissimilar at all. The creative process in building a performance is complex and requires a huge amount of dedication and skill. Organisation aside, performance opportunities give students at St Bede’s the chance to be part of projects that expand their creativity, their confidence, their friendship circles and ultimately their communication skills.
In a world of Tok-tok and NETFLIX, Drama and Theatre Studies inside the classroom (as part of the curriculum and a GCSE and A level) is an academic exploration of the world of Theatre. Popular/commercial theatre is replaced in the classroom by classic and modern classic playwrights. Social and historical context is explored through a broad range of texts such as the ancient Greeks Euripedes and Sophocles, moving through time to Renaissance theatre and Shakespeare to modern classics such as Ibsen, Berkoff, and Tennessee Williams.
Every drama student at St Bede’s gets the opportunity to work with drama teachers Mrs Alderson and Mr Dickson, whose combined experience in teaching drama and working professionally within the industry benefits the vision of creating unique performances throughout the year both inside and outside of the studio.
Drama training contributes massively to development and character formation of our young people, teaching our students the confidence and creative thinking skills to produce exciting performances. Reflecting and evaluating the process academically encourages; a critical eye, a freedom of expression and allows our students to understand the power of their voices, ideas and imagination.
Mr J Dickson
The Circus of Life
After many months of hard work, the Prep 6 pupils were proud to present their fabulous production, ‘Circus of Life’, based on the history of Phineas T. Barnum and his incredible circus. The show opened with a stunningly choreographed cane-stomping, highly energetic dance number which set a vibrant and thrilling atmosphere for the rest of the evening.
From the exotic to the macabre, each act succeeded in wowing and amazing the audience with acts such as the Bearded Lady (Sophie), Zelda the Powerful (Martha) and Tom Thumb (Lucy). This remarkable year group of 10 and 11 year olds showcased their dazzling talents with fantastic dancing, singing, gymnastics and acting. Particular highlights included Hugo the Human Cannonball (Caleb) being fired across the Academic Hall; breath-taking solo performances from Charity (Francesca) and Jenny Lind (Ann-Sophie); and the boys’ polished business-bartering bar scene (including Cleon, Nathan, Oscar and Ethan).
Stunning costumes, props, sets and scenery, combined with fabulous lighting and sound, really added to the exciting ambience of the occasion.
Every child’s invaluable individual contribution and their collective teamwork made this an astonishing and incredibly heart-warming night to remember. The Prep 6 production 2022 really was ‘The Greatest Show!’
Mrs Harrison
Upper Fifth Annual Showcase
Drama students from Upper Fifth upwards wowed an audience of parents and friends last Wednesday evening, 30th March, at their annual showcase of work produced for BTEC, A Level and GCSE practical examinations. Bedian parents are very familiar with seeing our students perform in annual musicals and Shakespeare picnic productions, but the audience sitting in our bijou Studio on the top floor of the Beck building expressed their amazement at the range of texts, genres and dramatic styles our students tackled as part of their academic studies in Drama. And, we’re proud to say, they tackled them well, with mature levels of understanding and sensitivity.
“There is never a dull moment in the Drama Department at St. Bede’s College, that’s for sure!”
The work shown last Wednesday was merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of what our classes produce on a routine basis; as teachers, this gives us the professional confidence we need to trust our students in challenging productions such as our upcoming brand new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (original language but set in the 1980s), and the spell-binding international smash, Evita. There is never a dull moment in the Drama Department at St. Bede’s College, that’s for sure!
Showcase Programme
Upper Sixth BTEC Group
Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare, 1597)
Olive (Juliet)
Hedda Gabler (Henrik Ibsen, 1891)
Stephen, Olive (Hedda, Judge Brack)
Servant Of Two Masters (Carlo Goldoni, 1746)
Seamus, Stephen, Olive (Truffaldino, Florindo, Beatrice)
Lower Sixth A-Level Group
Servant of Two Masters: Reimagined in the style of theatre practitioner Emma Rice
Tom, Katy, Matthew. Ava, Izzy (Pantaloon, Brighella, Truffaldino, Florindo, Beatrice and many other roles played by members of the group)
Upper Fifth GCSE Monologues
Antigone (Sophocles, 441 BC)
Kathryn (Antigone)
Joseph (Teiresias)
Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller, 1949)
Tom (Biff)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Dale Wasserman, 1963)
Henry (Billy)
The Kite Runner (Matthew Spangler, 2009)
Adam (Rahim)
Original lighting and sound by Barney and Lewis