A Level Drama and Theatre

"Drama is life with the dull bits cut out" Alfred Hitchcock

We examine what it is that makes good theatre work: the play, the story, the characters and language, the director's interpretation, the complex work of the actors themselves, and the technical and design elements that make theatre so alive.

About the Course

Drama encompasses all of human experience. As the world becomes more complex, our need to understand ourselves through the mirror of stage or screen becomes ever more urgent. Through Drama, you will develop intellectually, artistically and socially, as you explore ethical issues in a way designed both to entertain and to make your audience think, challenge and question.

In Drama, you will explore everything that goes into making great theatre, from text and performance to technical elements and design. You will study superb plays by brilliant playwrights and perform them alongside your own devised work. You will explore the work of the most influential directors of the modern age, supported by a dynamic programme of theatre trips and professional workshops.

Opportunities unique to this course

It’s the many opportunities to experience and create live performance that make this course so dynamic. You’ll be part of a community of more than 150 drama devotees, creating up to 10 shows a year, seeing up to 10 professional performances, staging your set texts and participating in exciting extra classes in improvisation, screen acting and physical theatre.

Key elements of this dynamic course are:

Drama through the ages

You will engage in practical exploration of two full-length plays by great playwrights. You will explore these from the perspectives of actor, director and designer by staging them in our purpose-built theatre supported by our dedicated technical team.

Live Theatre Productions

You will see and review many brilliant professional productions, both locally and in London, as well as up to ten in-house productions.

Creating Original Drama (devised performance)

One of the most exciting of all challenges is to create and perform your own, original piece of theatre.

Making Theatre (text performance)

You will explore a further three plays practically, one of which you will perform as an extract in front of a visiting examiner.

Exploration of the very best practitioners

Both practical exams are supported by the theories of great directors and companies. We will teach you a wide range to maximise your choices. Examples are: Berkoff, Complicite, Kneehigh, Frantic Assembly, Shared Experience, Gecko.

NOTE: Technical and design students can opt to be assessed in those disciplines.

You need to be qualified by both the relevant Admissions Score AND the predicted GCSE grade for each A level you apply for.

Please go to the College website to find the most up-to-date entry requirements for each A level that we offer: https://www.hillsroad.ac.uk/study-with-us/a-level-subjects

You can also visit www.hillsroad.ac.uk/apply to find out more about making your application.

Former Hills Road drama students have formed over 30 professional drama companies, attended all the top drama schools – RADA, Central, Rose Bruford – and top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Bristol, Exeter and Birmingham. They are now appearing on TV, in film and in professional theatre venues around the globe.

For more information and to read the FAQs for this subject visit hillsroad.ac.uk/drama-theatre