A Level Drama and Theatre Studies students have recently returned from exploring Haworth – famous for being the home of the Bronte family – as part of their assessed module on the set text ‘Bronte’ by Polly Teale.
A Level Drama and Theatre Studies combines the academic and practical sides of theatre, with students exploring key texts, performing a range of plays on stage, and working behind the scenes on techniques such as directing, sound and lighting, and costume and set design. The group are currently studying ‘Bronte’, a play that explores the lives of the entire Bronte family in a literary re-imagining of the lives of the Bronte sisters from childhood to death. On the trip, the group were able to explore the area where the Bronte family lived, including the Bronte Parsonage – now a museum dedicated to the lives of the sisters – where the play is set.
This insightful visit has provided our students with the wider knowledge and understanding needed to underpin their examined work on this text, and a follow up session has seen the students use Lego in a creative way to plan a related theatre set. Jan Kikezos, Teacher of Drama and Theatre Studies, comments “Our annual trip to Haworth is designed to inspire our students to think more widely about the context of ‘Bronte’ – how and when the play is set and how the Victorian world the sisters grew up in not only influenced their writing, but also their situation and their family relationships. In their final exams they will need to be able to write about how they would direct, design and perform this play in their own unique style – and the opportunity to explore Haworth first hand will enable them to do so confidently and creatively”.
You can view a gallery of image from the trip, and the consequent set building, below.