Drama

At Merchiston our Drama Department aims to give boys opportunities to develop a wide range of performance and technical skills. Pupils returned to the stage in December 2023 in our Senior Production of ‘Oliver Twist’ and have helped to inspire the rebuilding of a strong drama tradition at the school which allows boys of all ages to explore their creative talents.

We work in partnership with St. George’s School for Girls, giving boys the chance to audition for their production as well as involving girls in our Senior Show.  

Boys have the opportunity to get involved in all areas of the production: on stage, backstage, front of house, publicity, sound and lighting, helping with the direction and production. We encourage all boys to participate in the enormous team effort that goes into each production and to take leadership over certain areas of the show, training younger pupils who aspire to greater involvement in the future. In our recent production there were over 40 students involved both on stage and behind the scenes.

We are very lucky to have our own dedicated and well-equipped theatre. This has allowed us to include high quality lighting, a full orchestra and special effects in past productions.

Junior pupils have the chance try out drama as part of their English curriculum as well as opting for drama activities throughout the year, allowing them to work on fundamental voice, movement and improvisation skills as well as working together to devise and perform their own scenes and sketches.   

Several studies have demonstrated a correlation between drama involvement and academic achievement. In addition to having higher standardised test scores, students who participate in drama often improve reading comprehension, maintain better attendance records, and stay generally more engaged in class.

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