Why all the drama?

For the language.

Script writing for puppet show	Exploring silent reading	Oratory skills	Vocal acting techniques

For the skills.

Probleming solving	Collaborating	Peer Learning	Improvisation

For the fun!

Drama has been an integral part of our English language curriculum since 2005, when it was integrated as an extension of our S3 Literature in English syllabus. Originally, our intention was for students to gain a more authentic appreciation of Shakespeare’s plays and a more expressive approach to the reading of prose and verse. However, it soon became an annual Shakespearean festival in which scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream were performed by students for the benefit of parents, teachers, fellow schoolmates and friends. 

Seeing the educational benefits that our students gained as a by-product of the festival, we decided, in 2006, to make Drama a compulsory subject for all S1 and S2 students.   The current courses incorporate elements of performance, as well as script writing, speech training, language arts, applied theatre, improvisation and theatre history. Students are encouraged to think on their feet and explore language in an interactive and relaxed fashion. Through exercises that encourage them to explore the realities and abstractions of their world, students gain a more empathic view of humanity. They sharpen their observation skills, develop their oratory ability, explore their creative side, increase their self-awareness and, most importantly, their awareness of others.

Beyond the classroom, students are given a variety of opportunities to showcase their acting skills in school performances and inter-school competitions.  Among these are the annual Association of EMI Schools Drama Fest, both the Modern and Shakespearean category, and the Science on Stage competition run by the NET section of the EDB. In the latter S2 students take part in an inter-disciplinary competition that merges English Drama and Science.  This allows them to work closely with teachers from both subjects and further understand the importance of language across the curriculum.