Year 8 - The purpose of theatre

‘We must all do theatre, to find out who we are, and to discover who we could become’ Augusto Boal

In Year 8, students will follow the development of theatre into the modern world. They will begin by exploring Theatre in Education and consider the impact that theatre can have on its audience; educating, engaging and enthusing. Students will also consider theatre for entertainment and look at the rise in popularity of musical theatre and how dance, drama and singing can be combined to tell a story. Students will then study a range of post 2000 play texts and innovative theatre companies of the 21st century, discovering more challenging dramatic techniques, themes and characters. Students will finish the year looking at how we devise theatre to create intrigue and suspense followed by performing key extracts from The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time.

At the end of Year 8, students will consider the question ‘What influences theatre today?’ They will draw together their understanding of how theatre may reflect society’s views and opinions, applying their knowledge of how different art forms can be used to tell a story.

The Drama Department provides opportunities for Year 8 students to be involved outside of class, including attending Drama club, taking part in workshops, going on theatre trips, becoming a Drama Ambassador and auditioning to be in school shows.

Useful links:

Local theatres - Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Grand Theatre, City Varieties Music Hall, Northern School of Contemporary dance and The Carriage Works.

Local drama groups - First Floor at Leeds Playhouse, Young Theatre Makers at The Carriage Works, Stagecoach Theatre Arts, Drama Rama- Leeds, Rebel Theatre School and Casting Agency, and the Yorkshire School of Acting