All our Foundation schools share a rich programme of drama in performance, with breathtaking productions throughout the year and across all levels of the schools. Our facilities and stage technology are of professional standard supported by an industry-experienced team of technicians and theatre professionals. All pupils have meaningful access to the Bridge House Theatre, on the Warwick School site which for 25 years has provided an outstanding environment for theatre for the whole community. Pupils from across the schools play active roles in all aspects of production, and pupils in their time at school will engage in a diverse and enriching range of production styles and forms, broadening that experience with professional workshops and special access to professionals in residence.

Unsurprisingly, a good number of our pupils have aspirations towards professional careers in the theatre, and many have gone from Warwick into acting on stage, on TV and in film. An equal number have taken professional roles in technical theatre, design and other areas of production support. Warwick provides the foundation on which these careers can be built.

Throughout their time at School we advise potential candidates, provide leadership opportunities (for example through our Drama Ambassadors and student directorial projects) and by maintaining the highest production standards ensuring they are as well-prepared as possible to realise their aspirations but skilled enough to understand how best they might contribute. Many of our weekly clubs are delivered by senior pupils seeking to broaden their experience of theatre, and productions at all levels are supported by pupils taking responsibility for back-stage areas such as technical operators, stage managers, costume or make-up artists.

Year 7 Onwards

• All interested pupils are invited to attend professional productions hosted at the Bridge House Theatre, often with workshop or direct access to the creative teams, deepening the value of having the theatre onsite

• LAMDA lessons are available from year 7 led by a dedicated team of teachers alongside the drama curriculum.

• Specialist clubs run in association with KHS offering breadth of opportunity. For example, the ACT club (Aspiring Creatives in Theatre)
• Production opportunities for all years (3 major productions per year)
• Bridge House Young Company offers outstanding opportunities for pupils wishing to extend their experience at the weekend – including projects alongside professional actors and practitioners.

Year 9 Onwards

• All the above continues and deepens with the added opportunity to attend more theatre trips to enrich the curriculum

• Our Friday Afternoon Activities programme features speciality opportunities from year 9 for Drama students including Improvisation (which itself leads to performance opportunities on a termly basis) and Theatre Technical and Production activities based in the Bridge House Theatre. This range is enhanced by the availability of workshops and activities led by staff at King’s High School

• Further production opportunities and competitive acting competitions (such as the Performing Shakespeare Competition)

Sixth Form

• We actively support our pupils aspiring to academic or vocational training in theatre either as actors, theatre makers or within production support.

• Challenging principal roles are offered to our most gifted performers in high quality, technically demanding productions. Throughout the process actors are coached to ensure they are able to sustain the role over the production run, whilst maintaining busy academic lives in School.

• Directorial experience – we provide opportunities for sixth formers to direct projects with younger year groups through weekly clubs or towards special events such as festivals
• Drama Ambassadors – establishing suitable boys as role models to inspire younger drama specialist pupils
• Production design – for those who aspire to design for theatre, we are able to fully include them in the getin, fit-up and rigging and scenic artists’ processes of major productions to enrich and deepen practical experiences ahead of vocational training in their specialist field.

For those looking to follow vocational training, we provide a range of support to them:

School/course selection

• We work with the pupil to explore their suitability for professional training/academic study and assist in the selection of Universities and schools to shortlist based on their pre-existing skills and attributes and long-term aspirations.
• We assist in the preparation of CVs, applications and provide appropriate references in support of both University and Drama School courses.

Auditions/Interviews

• Text selection – Working in partnerships with our LAMDA team we advise on suitable texts from classical or modern works that suit the individual and maximise the presentation of their skills and attributes. We take into account the fact that many Universities and Drama schools prefer NOT to see famous speeches from Shakespeare and many supply lists to avoid
• We rehearse 1:1 with pupils in preparation for auditions using studio spaces to bring each piece physically to life in the most appealing way as possible
• We will assist in the preparation of self-tape auditions – providing a quiet, well-lit space for videoing and advice on editing if required.
• We help address feedback and apply guidance as required by the drama school and university and even simulate scenarios to further prepare candidates for interview.