King’s has an outstanding Drama and Theatre department with a long history of being a valuable and distinguished part of school life. The department drives to better itself each year with new facilities, first-class productions, accessible courses for all, high standards of teaching, and extra-curricular events and clubs. We aim to stimulate and challenge the minds of all students and develop new skills in all aspects of performance and theatre work. The department was recently awarded 5 stars at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by Broadway Baby with their original production, ‘Ugly Youth’, and in 2020 were nominated for ‘Outstanding Drama Department’ at the Music and Drama Education Awards.

Each year there is a breath-taking number of shows, which include a musical theatre production, contemporary and classical studio pieces, academic showcases, open mic nights, Trinity Speech and Drama showcases and attendance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Recent productions have included ‘Made in Dagenham’, ‘Education Education Education’, The Merchant of Venice’. ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, ‘Lord of The Flies’, ‘The Dreaming’, ‘The Lion King’, ‘Arabian Nights’, ‘Grimm Tales’, ‘Around the World in 80 Days’, ‘Frankenstein’, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, ‘Les Miserables’, Seussical, ‘Electra’, ‘The Electra Project’, ‘Into The Woods’ and ‘Grease’. The department organises no less than 8 theatre trips a year and is currently organising an educational trip to Los Angeles in October 2020.

A Level Drama and Theatre pupils have achieved 100% A*-B for the past 5 years and in 2015 pupils achieved 100% A*. Last year 9/19 pupils achieved a 9 in GCSE Drama with 84% achieving a 9-7 grade and value added for exam pupils is statistically the best in the school.  The exam board taught for GCSE Drama, GCSE Dance and A Level Drama and Theatre is AQA. Trinity Speech and Drama lessons are available and taught by the Speech and Drama teacher, and most students achieve a Distinction in the exams which take place three times with an academic year.

Drama and Dance is headed by Director of Drama and Theatre, Nick Huntington, and is housed in a modern Dance Studio, a Black Box studio and the Hayward Theatre in King’s Ely Senior. King’s Ely Junior has its own Drama Studio and bigger productions take place in the Morbey Hall or the Hayward Theatre. The department is buzzing after school, every evening and most weekends with rehearsals, Theatre Masterclasses (run by professional practitioners), drama and dance clubs, academic rehearsals and Technical Theatre clubs. We are proud to have successfully prepared several candidates for theatre school auditions and interviews and can boast a growing number of King’s Ely alumni in the performance industry. The department is financially well supported and well-staffed with a full time Performing Arts Co-ordinator, Theatre Technician, three full time teachers and a full time Speech and Drama teacher.

Some example trailers from King’s Ely Senior’s latest productions can be seen here…