Exploring Imaginary Circumstances
"The future of our nation depends on our ability to create and to be creative. During the coming decades our most important national resources will be human resources. If our nation is to continue to meet the challenges of the future, today's schools need to develop creative leaders."
Why learn Drama at San Silvestre?
- Drama provides our students with an outlet for emotions, thoughts, and dreams
- In drama our students can become another, explore a new role, try out and experiment with solutions to real problems.
- Drama is a safe place, where actions and consequences can be examined, discussed and experienced.
- Drama allows our students to communicate with and understand others in new ways.
- Drama prepares our students to be effective public speakers.
- Drama teaches our students to put themselves into others' shoes and relate to them.
- Drama teaches our students self-control and self-discipline.
- Drama builds our students’ confidence - this skill applies to school, career, and life.
- Through drama our students learn to work together, to cooperate, to listen and accept the ideas and viewpoints of others.
- Drama helps our students develop tolerance and empathy.
Primary
Every student in Primary has one drama lesson every week. Drama is also offered as an Extension Experience three times per week.
Primary drama is a creative process that involves performance, the development of knowledge, personal and social development and reflection, evaluation and appreciation.
Secondary
Drama Games
Offered in the Secondary School for Grade 6 - Form II
The girls are introduced to the concept of ‘the body as the honest instrument’. They are immersed in the creative processes of drama primarily through an awareness of their physicality. Emphasis is placed on the authenticity of this physicality and a willingness to ‘play’ within each exercise or game. The result is an acute awareness of self as a creative vessel which is grounded in the physical body. This awareness produces a deepening capacity of one’s own creative processes within the discipline of Drama.
BSP One Act Play
Offered to Form II
The BSP One Act Play Festival takes place in September each year. In bimesters 2 and 3, after reading many scripts, the girls settle into the rehearsal process and this culminates in a performance at the BSP Festival. One of the greatest benefits of this is the camaraderie between the girls and the strong sense of confidence and achievement that comes from working consistently and collaboratively towards a common goal.
IGCSE Drama
Offered to Form III and Form IV
IGCSE Drama encourages the girls to understand and enjoy drama as well as developing their performance skills, both individually and in groups. They come to understand the role of actor, director and designer in creating a piece of theatre and to consider ways in which ideas and feelings can be communicated to an audience.
This course fosters a deep understanding of the performance process and enables our students to evaluate the various stages of that process. This exciting two year programme is evaluated by means of a written exam (40%) and a coursework component (60%).
School Play or Musical Theatre
Offered for Grade 6 - Form VI
San Silvestre stages a large-scale school production every year. From the very beginning of the school year, many girls are engaged with this dramatic production. Once the show is cast, a strenuous rehearsal process is undertaken; the girls commit to Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday rehearsals until the opening night in the middle of June. A united and strong community emerges with each production; the girls bond and grow together within the world of the play.