St Edmund's
Drama
Learning the techniques of acting and theatre helps connect us to others and fosters creativity – sparking the imagination and inspiring original thinking, both individually and collectively. We make this experience available to all pupils, and for those wishing to study Drama formally we offer both IGCSE and A-level pathways.
The St Edmund’s Drama department is extremely successful. Our practical exams are the highest achieving and we produce fine actors: in recent years we have helped to secure places for several pupils at leading drama schools and the National Youth Theatre. Of course, not every drama pupil has an ambition to be a professional actor. We encourage all pupils to extend and express themselves, and enjoy the many benefits this can bring.
To support their studies, we take pupils to the theatre and have notable practitioners come to us. Drama trips lead us further afield – to see shows on Broadway, or to LA for a taste of the film industry.
We have a justified reputation for the quality of our own public performances, with casting open to everyone. We participate in the Shakespeare Schools Festival, and school productions are showcased in the Festival on the Hill, the school’s annual arts festival.
Alumni/pupil voice
Alumni/pupil voice
Aimee Walker-Reid
St Edmund’s drama has helped me prepare for drama school and life as an actress in so many ways. Productions are almost at a professional level, and being able to be involved in such professional surroundings has helped to prepare me for the business. Acting as a career is taken very seriously within the Department. The staff gave me all the help and support that I needed and believed in me enough that I was able to achieve my dream of getting a place at drama school, and I’m now studying at the prestigious Rose Bruford College.
Teacher Profile
Teacher Profile
Howard Sykes
Howard Sykes trained at one of the country’s leading drama schools and worked as a professional actor for many years, working both in the UK and abroad. When life on the road lost its thrill he began to teach, and spent 15 years at RADA working with the likes of Gemma Arterton, James Norton and Taron Egerton.
He is caring and supportive of the pupils at St Edmund’s and believes in “being ambitious for them so that they achieve their full potential, so that they reach heights even they didn’t know were possible.”
