Drama

St John's stages a variety of theatrical performances throughout the year.

Recently the Senior pupils staged two Woody Allen plays. The first, Death, was a 'Kafka-esque' black comedy and the second, God, was a no less thought-provoking, but considerably more slapstick play, where the central characters were joined by audience members and characters who wandered in from other 'shows' and events spiralled gloriously out of control.  Last year the Senior School presented Guys and Dolls at Leatherhead Theatre. The reviews were excellent, summed up by this comment: "It was fantastic. We couldn’t believe we were watching a school production – the talent on the stage was phenomenal."

Volpone was the Junior School play performed in July 2011 in the Headmaster’s Garden. Ben Jonson’s original 1605 play was adapted by Mark Probert, Head of Drama at St John’s, and given a 1970s feel.

Jason, a re-imagining of the last minutes in the life of a forgotten Greek hero, and The Play's The Thing, a traditional Italian masked comedy, were performed by the Upper Sixth Drama pupils as their A2 Devised Drama pieces.

The popular Inter-House Drama competition takes place every March with the Houses being set the challenge of producing a performance based on a particular theme. Last year the theme was pantomime and 2011 saw Grimm's Fairy Tales used for inspiration. The level of performance and creativity was outstanding.

The Performing Arts Centre (PAC) provides the perfect environment for these productions where pupils are able to develop their skills not only as actors but also as backstage crew, working on make-up, costumes, props, lighting and sound.

To view more Drama images visit our Galleries page by clicking here.

Contact:

Drama Department: Mr Mark Probert Tel: 01372 373000

Death

Volpone

Guys and Dolls

Music

The Music Department is now firmly established within the Performing Arts Centre (PAC). It offers opportunities which cater for all standards and tastes. These include the Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, Choral Society, Training Choir, Orchestra, String Quartets, Wind Band, Jazz Band, Junior Jazz Band, Dance Band, Brass Group and Rock Ensembles.

The success of the California Choir Tour demonstrates the rising standards and popularity of choral singing, and the singing in our own Chapel allows over 70 pupils to sing in public on a regular basis. Other events throughout the year include informal concerts, workshops, Guest Nights and scholars' recitals.

An opportunity for the whole School to involve themselves musically comes in the form of the House Singing and Instrumental Competitions. Two Gala Evenings offer a number of performances of rock and pop music alongside more traditional music and some scenes from musicals.

Contact:

Director of Music: Mr Nicholas Smith Tel: 01372 385463

Music at St John's