Student-Led, Practitioner-Driven: A Level Drama NEA in Rehearsal

Year 12s rehearsing their NEA pieces, which count for 30% of their final grade. The work was entirely student-led and Mr Jenkins' (Director of Drama) job, as he puts it, was to step back and let them drive the process.

Two groups, two practitioners, two very different rooms. One group explored Grotowski, whose method strips theatre to almost nothing: no set, no costume, just the actor's body and whatever truth they can find in it. The other took Fo as their starting point. Fo built his career on political satire and physical comedy rooted in Commedia dell'arte, which in practice means considerably more noise.

"Their willingness to explore a range of practitioners and rehearsal techniques is enabling them to build their own distinct creative styles," Mr Jenkins said.