Performance Arts

The Performance Arts have a very strong tradition at BMS and we are a thriving Faculty offering Drama, Dance and LAMDA Speech and Drama courses to every year-group. The experiences that the Performance Arts can offer are both enriching and broadening in their effects. We believe that they should be available to all pupils as part of their general education.

We have outstanding facilities including a 300 seat auditorium with a large lighting rig and comprehensive sound system, a theatre workshop, a dance studio and two drama studios.

As well as the practical work in lessons we encourage as many students as possible to get involved in performances throughout the year. We adopt a fully integrated approach to the Arts, working very closely with the Faculty of Music with whom we produce two large scale shows a year. Recent shows include 'We Will Rock You', 'Oliver!', The Pirates of Penzance' and 'High School Musical'. We also offer students opportunities to be involved in several smaller events such as a Cabaret Evening, House Drama Competition, Speech and Drama Evenings, a Dance Showcase and a Shakespeare Festival. Our Sixth Form students have their own theatre company, Theatre in Transit, allowing them to rehearse and perform challenging plays in local theatres. They have recently produced 'Mother Courage' and 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Drama is taught to all year-groups, becoming an option in Year 9. For the younger students we are equally interested in their development as people as in the growth of their technical skills; later when they opt for examination courses, they are encouraged to broaden their own interests in both performance and the technical aspects of theatre. We seek to develop a range of specific dramatic skills, including movement and spatial awareness, mime, speech, improvisation and scripted performance. All drama lessons are taught by one of our three full-time Drama teachers.

Dance lessons are available throughout the week, including Ballet, Tap, Modern, Jazz and Streetdance. The majority of students work towards their ISTD qualifications under the guidance of a fully qualified Dance teacher. We also have approximately 200 students in Years 3 - 13 studying LAMDA Speech and Drama with two specialist teachers. Junior students study Verse and Prose whereas the majority of Senior School students study Acting.

Please click here to go to the Faculty of Performance Arts website where full details of our activities, past and present, are available.