Drama

Mossley Hollins High School has long-established and vibrant theatrical traditions from the annual school production, to the staff Christmas pantomime. Students have numerous opportunities to become immersed in the various acting opportunities from year 7 to 11.

Drama is a compulsory component for all KS3 students which enables the youngest of our pupils to grow in confidence, creativity, self-awareness and to enable them to develop skills in coordination, problem solving, cooperation and self-discipline. Students explore acting through relevant and complex topics which raise their awareness of the world outside of our close-knit community. Students are expected to develop their maturity and be able to communicate and implement their creative vision within each performance. In KS4 drama is an optional subject which is regularly oversubscribed and provides students with a much deeper insight into the practitioners and acting methods throughout the history of the art form. 

School Productions

The department produces a whole school play each year which is performed near the Christmas holidays. The production is open to students from all year groups who collaborate to produce an uplifting and engaging performance. The performances range from large ensemble musicals to contemporary abstract performances and are performed in the school’s 155 seat arts theatre. Our recent production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat was a huge success with standing ovations each night, impressive press statements and rave reviews from the audience.

Showcase Evenings

The school also encourages students to present the work that they have completed in lessons to a small audience which regularly takes place in the drama studio. This intimate black box theatre space seats roughly 50 and allows our students to fully immerse and engage their audience. These productions require the students to carefully consider the staging layout and their own positioning to ensure that the audience are not at a disadvantage no matter where they are sat.

Oldham Coliseum Partnership

The school has also formed a strong relationship with Oldham Coliseum which provides the school with scripts from new practitioners, acting workshops, backstage tours and chances to perform at the Coliseum Theatre. This experience is also combined with the arts award qualification and is a valid document for students to take forward to their higher studies.

The Arts Theatre

The Arts Theatre at Mossley Hollins seats approximately 155 people and is equipped with industry standard lighting, sound and backstage equipment, all managed by a team of creative and technical members of staff who support and instruct student technicians during productions. 

The Drama Studio

The drama studio is the primary teaching space for drama students. However, this is a flexible space which can be used for various performances which require a small and intimate space. This is equipped with flexible lighting and scenery which can be adapted to any performance.