Drama

Xaverian Drama department is an exciting place to study.  We are one of the biggest centres for A level Drama in the country with over 120 students in the current cohort.  Each year, the department stages over seventeen productions, including one-hour plays for lower sixth exams and half-hour devised productions in the upper sixth. There are also college productions – and even the staff put on an end-of-year play!

 

Enrichment

Unusually, Xaverian does two annual productions, one at Christmas and one nearer Easter. The Christmas production is light-hearted and  has recently included Moulin Rouge and A Crooked Christmas.  This year’s Easter production will be WYRD SISTERS based on the Terry Pratchett book.Drama is available to all students whether you study it or not, and as well as the many productions you can act or assist in many ways – working backstage, helping direct, designing sets, lighting and sound and so on.

 

Life after Xaverian  

Xaverian has an outstanding record of success in Drama, and many former students are to be seen on stage and television.  Wunmi Mosaku is a British actress of African origin.  After two successful years at Xaverian College, she secured a place at RADA - the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.  She's best-known for her roles in Joy and Silent Witness, Father & Son and played the lead role in the drama 'I am slave' on channel 4.  

Other students who have gone on to professional careers have included:

  • Abdullah Afzal has now completed two series as one of the leads in‘Lunch Monkeys’ on BBC3 and this year will play one of the leads in a BBC 1 series: ‘Citizen Khan’.
  • Gemma Hodgson is part of the directorial team on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
  • Happystorm Theatre: sell-out performances for this month’s performances of ‘The Crypt Project’ at the Lowry with former Xavs Drama student, Matthew Ganley as co-director/performer.
  • John Steciuk, Elliot Hughes and Jerusha Green are all on highly prestigious ‘Writing for Performance’ courses at the University of East Anglia.
  • This summer, the Drama staff had the pleasure of visiting the Edinburgh Festival where four former students were performing in major venues: Yasmin Marciniak (now in her second year Edinburgh drama degree), Mairi Hayes (Central School of Speech and Drama graduate) who was in two productions. Nick Birchill (Sheffield University Drama graduate) in an exciting physical theatre project and Fisayo Akinade in a stunning production that won the Amnesty International Award.
  • Phil Hawkins, whose film: ‘Being Sold’ won Best Film at the London Film Festival award last year and is making two other large budget films this year: all of this following on from his success with the Xaverian film of ‘The Women of Troy’ that won the best director award in the New York International Film competition.

 

What Kind of Students do drama at Xaverian?

One answer is – all kinds, including those who have never studied drama before and those who have been in lots of productions and already done GCSE. But they all have one thing in common – they are serious about what they do. Drama is fun – for those who love working at it to the best of their abilities.

 

This Year

We are anticipating success for the Drama School applicants who have all played such a key role in the department. Already, Edie Marsh has been offered a place on Leeds University’s competitive Drama and Performance course. Lily Sarkovsky, Anna Spearpoint, Jamill Keating, Tamala Foster, Orla Poole and Kathryn Ryan have auditions lined up and are being coached by Drama staff. Others are applying for places on university Drama courses and promise the same success as last year’s cohort that led to acceptance at Liverpool John Moores and LIPA., Edge Hill, Sheffield, Birmingham and Salford. Alice Wareham has offers for script-writing courses at two leading universities.

 

Keeping Links Alive 

We are very fortunate in having so many of our former students keep in touch with us and being willing to share their expertise with our current students. Over the past three years they have run workshops for us: Fiona Gordon on voice, Charles Swift on script analysis, Fisayo Akinade on physical theatre, Matthew Ganley on audition techniques, Mairi Hayes on devising and Sarah Macdonald-Hughes on scripting.  Our Xavs Drama Facebook group ensures that we keep up to date with past students and that they share feedback on their Drama degree courses so that we can advise current students.

 

The Team 

We celebrate the fact that our expanding Drama team works so well together: Rob Faulkner: curriculum leader, Wynn Moran, Katy Cairns and James French as experienced Drama teachers, Mercedes Sharma as Drama assistant and Ollie Shaw as Drama technician – all looking after our record-breaking current cohort of 80+ A/S students and 40+ A2 students.

 

  • Wynn Moran: Launched the A-level Drama course over twenty years ago. She has adapted and directed a host of college productions from ‘West Side Story’ to ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. She has had the privilege of working with Rob Faulkner on the writing and directing of three films and several plays.  She has amassed a wealth of experience on directing students towards appropriate Drama courses and in writing effective personal statements and preparing audition pieces.
  • Rob Faulkner: is an experienced Drama teacher – for over 20 years at Xaverian – and has produced over 50 productions. He has run his own theatre company and written scripts for schools and colleges, as well as co-writing the screenplays for the three college films.
  • Katy Cairns joined the department two years ago and has established herself as a committed and popular member of the team.
  • Alongside them, there are the two drama assistants who work with students individually on skills and help them overcome any difficulties they have with the work. One-to-one help available is available in the department at all times.
  • Technical Support is provided by a full-time technician, Ollie Shaw, who works with students on set-design and construction, prop-creation and filming and editing coverage of lessons and practical exams.

 

Professional Workshops

Every year, there are visits from professional actors and drama schools graduates who run exciting workshops for the students which are targeted to help them with the unit they are working on. In the past, we have had days on Berkoff, Physical Theatre, vocal techniques and non-vocal communication.

 

Drama Schools

In 2011, two students secured places at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) and a further two received offers from The Central School of Speech and Drama.

 

The Future

We are excited that next year will mean a whole new look to the Drama department because of the re-structuring of the Redclyffe building. This will mean at least three discrete rehearsal spaces,expanded costume and props stores, IT suite, box office area and recording facilities. We shall also be able to maintain our close relationship with the Music department that has been so valuable to so many of our productions.