| Where: | Amey Theatre, Drama Studio and venues at St Helen’s |
| When: | Michaelmas term, 5.15 pm – 7.00 pm (rehearsals) usually one to three times a week, and at other times as required |
| Who: | Pupils in 5, L6 and U6 at Abingdon and St Helen’s |
| i/c: | JHT / AKQ / BJLP / MC / RFM / GM / JW / OH / AV |
The number of opportunities for boys in 5th Year and above to take part in extra-curricular drama productions with their counterparts at St Helen’s continues to grow.
Senior plays take place in the Michaelmas term to allow students to concentrate on exams thereafter. Things generally start in earnest in September, when students can choose to audition for one production from a range that this year will include a large-scale musical, an opera – both at St Helen’s – and a number of straight plays at Abingdon. Rehearsals take place after school with performances in early December. We are also introducing rehearsed readings of plays created by students as part of a new playwriting competition. As in previous years, senior students who wish to stage their own productions are invited to bring their proposals to the drama department staff, who will do their best to accommodate them. Senior productions have often toured to the Edinburgh Festival during August. In July 2012, there will be a theatre studies trip to Japan to study Bunraku puppetry and perform a devised piece.