Drama

Pupils of all ages and abilities are encouraged to take part in a wide range of dramatic activities.

Many pursue the subject further at GCSE, AS and A-level. In addition, boys and girls from all age groups are invited to take part in full-scale school productions. You can find out about our school productions by clicking here.

We try to stimulate interest and enjoyment whilst aiming for work of the highest quality.



Drama skills taught include physical theatre, stage fighting, dance/drama and mask work. Extra-curricular Speech and Drama is popular with several pupils achieving the gold medal in Year 13. Younger pupils enjoy Drama Club, organised and lead by talented Sixth Formers. Emphasis is always on full participation and raising self-confidence.

Junior Drama Evening
On Thursday the Junior Drama Evening look place. All the pieces were devised by the children themselves. First on were 8CS with Shipwreck on Eco Island, a well performed piece about the rich Carbs meeting the Eco Warriors who are on a mission to convert the world.
A different style of theatre was then offered by 7HJ whose gothic rendition of A Night at the Museum where the Greek statues in gallery 13 were not exactly what they seemed to be, was truly entertaining.
Next 9C performed a modern day Romeo & Juliet called The Shrine. It convincingly explored the tragic consequences of violent rivalry between two gangs-the Cripps and Bloods and how mobile phones can change lives.
A complete contrast was then drawn by 8Gs Marvinland which was a strange tale of a tetchy picnic and a Marvellous Marvin. 9Bs The Trial used frames and physical theatre to explore how they've done something wrong, but what, and who was accusing them.
Finally The Magical Journey was humorously performed by 7HN showing that the pursuit of beauty can be dangerous.
Not only parents but the children enjoyed their evening and many commented on how such an evening develops skills and confidence.

The Globe Theatre Trip

At the end of last term Year 7 went by coach to London to visit the Globe Theatre. Firstly they enjoyed an exhibition which involved answering question about the Globe Theatre, Shakespeare and England in Elizabethan times. They found out many interesting facts and saw a picture of Nathan Field, who was the main character in the book, King of Shadows which they are reading in class.

After lunch they went on a guided tour of the exact reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, the original of which had been destroyed by fire. The theatre had no roof, so if you were a groundling (a person standing in the pit or yard) you would get wet if it rained. There are three galleries which have seats, the highest was were the important people sat, like the Queen or Prime Minister. Today the audience sometimes has the chance to sit on the balcony where Romeo and Juliet professed their love.

The reconstruction of the theatre would not have happened without Sam Wanamaker, he donated a lot of money to rebuild the theatre as it was in 1599. Many other people made donations and their names can be seen on the flagstones around the Globe.

'Shakers" by John Godber
On Wednesday the Year 10 and 11 Drama students travelled to the Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne to see a performance of 'Shakers" by John Godber. The play was about four young actresses portraying comical characters working in a trendy cocktail bar in North England during Maggie Thatcher's yuppie 80's.  It was a great show that was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Junior Drama Evening

Tragedy to Comedy at a Pace!
The Junior Drama evening, as always, revealed a host of talent and reflected the tremendous enthusiasm there is for Drama at Beechwood. The performances not only entertained the audience, but were also moving.
Year 9 had been working on scripted pieces and the depth of emotion they conveyed in both play extracts was exceptional for girls of their age. Lana as the Rector gave a particularly impressive performance.

Year 8 took us on a nostalgia trip with a well choreographed interpretation of two Beatles songs, in their dance drama, which they executed beautifully. 

Year 7 who had devised their own plays, produced two brilliant pieces: one set in war time, complete with evacuees and gas masks and poignant letters home from the front. The finale, Year 7's clown drama was a fitting end to a superb evening sending us on our way with fun and laughter.

This Junior Drama evening was a milestone for Drama at Beechwood in the Senior School with boys playing boys!

Puppetry Workshop

On Friday morning Year 8 pupils met in the Auditorium to take part in a Puppetry Workshop.

We started with a game of Wizards, Giants and Dwarfs and then went on to discover how to make Rodney the puppet come to life. We then progressed to learning how to do puppetry with ordinary and some not so ordinary objects.

It was great fun and we discovered that some of our Year are really talented especially Alice, Lily and Amy and Lana, Dara and Charlotte whose group performances were great.

Thank you to Mrs Prodrick who organised the workshop and to Becca and Yestin, the puppeteers, for making the morning fun.

History of Theatre

On Thursday, the Junior Division was lucky enough to experience the "History of Theatre" performed by the TIE group.  The interactive show gave us a glimpse of theatre through the ages starting from Greek theatre to modern day. 

A few pupils were selected from the audience to go on stage and show off their dramatic skills.  One of the selected pupils was Hannah Taylor, Year 8, who impressed us with her recreation of a play by Moliere in the Commedia del Arte style. 

All in all, it was a great afternoon.  Thank you to Mr & Mrs Truman and Mrs Prodrick for organising a fun-packed event.

Emily Brown & Amie Dinnage

Hobson's Choice

On the 21 November, Drama & English students from Year 10-12 went to the theatre in Eastbourne to see the humorous play "Hobson's Choice" by Harold Brighouse. The play was exactly how those who had studied it imagined it would be, with the entertaining drunken characteristics of Mr Hobson and his three "uppish" daughters. The performance had excellent comic timing that appealed to all ages. It was inspiring to watch the submissive character of Willie Mossop grow throughout the performance. The story willed Maggie to help Willie to transform into a successful businessman after being an underpaid boat maker in her father's cellar. The play proved that parenting is not as easy as you think!

Nicole Burgess and Stephanie Looker

LAMDA Medal Successes

Excellent Results for Speech and Drama
On Wednesday 25 February Speech & Drama examinations for Years 7-10 took place. There were 5 groups, three of which achieved the highest grade of Distinction and two, with just slightly lower marks, achieved Merits.
Lana & Kate from Year 9 took a duologue examination and we are still awaiting the result of this. Special mention should go to Kate Hamilton who, at the last minute stood in for a pupil who was unwell. Despite this, their group scored the highest mark of the day, a very commendable 88%.
Well done to all concerned, we now look forward to the Bronze, Silver & Gold medal examinations at the end of April.

Thespian Talent
Last Tuesday 6th March brought something of a change for those of us fortunate enough to be present at the Senior School Drama Evening. We were entertained with work from many genres as we ricocheted through laughter, pain, self awareness and stark historical reality. The girls brought depth to the many roles portrayed, leaving their audience richer for the experience and aware of the huge talent and dedication of both pupils and staff.

Chekhov at the Chapel
On Wednesday, Middle Division Theatre Studies students went to Islington to see a performance that was based on some of Chekhov's short stories. The acting was spectacular and basic props were used cleverly to create all manner of objects, including a wheeled cart.