Drama

Drama is such an important part of school life and many parents, pupils and staff are struck by how seriously the school approaches performance in all its forms.

Many pupils have cited the standard of Drama at Cranleigh as one of the reasons that they chose the school. Academic Drama affords pupils an opportunity to study in a different way, and students certainly value having a number of lessons per week that aren’t solely spent behind a desk!

It is not just the keenest actors who choose to study drama at GCSE and A Level. In fact those who struggle with performing or confidence when in front of others can get a huge amount out of choosing the subject, and those with an interest in the design and technical sides of theatre have the opportunity throughout to explore and be examined in these areas. There are many life skills gained as part of the course, mostly in face-to-face communication and teamwork, alongside creative problem solving, project management and planning, and higher order analytical skills. All invaluable skills for life in the workplace and beyond.

Please enjoy reading about Academic Drama at Cranleigh, and take a look at the Co-Curricular Drama page to find out about recent productions (where you will find reviews and photo galleries). Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you require any further information.

A welcome from our Director of Drama

Lower School

Upper School

Trips & Events

Throughout the students’ time studying Drama at Cranleigh there will be many opportunities to see live theatre as part of their course. Some recent past productions have included Kneehigh’s Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Out of Joint’s Rita, Sue and Bob too, Come From Away, Les Enfant Terribles’ The Terrible Infants and The Trench. We also have the students take part in a number of performance workshops led by professional theatre companies which in the past have included The Paper Birds Theatre Company, Les Enfant Terribles, Shared Experience and Commedia dell’arte by The National Theatre.

Beyond School

In recent years students who have studied A Level Drama have gone on to some of the countries most prestigious Drama Schools as well as to study Drama and related subjects at Russell Group and Red Brick Universities. However they are not limited in this area and many pursue degrees in a diverse range of subjects including Medicine at Bristol, History at Oxford, Economics at Brown (USA), Liberal Arts UCLA (USA), English at Edinburgh, Architecture at Cardiff, Fashion at St. Martins. As part of a balanced set of subjects Drama helps to facilitate applications to breadth of subjects demonstrating many of the key 21st century skills desired in all industries.

Theatre Productions

Production Arts is the umbrella term for all areas of theatre production other than performing and directing. Students who choose to submit design work in place of performance will have the opportunity to use the extensive technical facilities of the department and to gain valuable hands-on experience working on a wide range of productions. BTEC Production Arts can be offered in the sixth form and is supported by the Theatre Manager to Subsidiary and 90-credit Diploma level.

More about Co-Curricular Drama

Emily McGhee

Emily McGhee

Director of Drama

Steer Champion School Logo Awarded to Cranleigh School in Surrey
Education Choices Award Finalist 2024
Steer Champion School Logo Awarded to Cranleigh School in Surrey