Drama
It is not an understatement to say that drama sits at the heart of every Tower House boy. The long tradition of exceptional productions, plays and feature length films, is a truly unique aspect of the school. We were honoured and delighted to have won Talk Education’s Innovation In Education 2023 Award for Performing Arts, as well as being selected as 2023 Finalists for the Independent School of the Year in Performing Arts, two highly prestigious national awards.
Challenging, interesting and unique productions have become a hallmark of our exceptional Drama Department over the past ten years and we are unequivocal in our belief that THS drama should be wholly inclusive. Every boy that auditions for our annual production will get a speaking part, even if that guarantees a prodigious cast of seventy or eighty boys.
As well as adapting scripts from feature films, developing completely original stage plays has been a revolutionary way of capturing our boys' imagination and inspiring them to get involved in drama. Harry Potter (Part 1 and Part 2), Braveheart, Lord of the Rings, Sneaky Blighters and Space Race are recent productions that showcase the variety and range of genres that we have explored.
Filmmaking
As well as continuously building upon the regular and vital stage orientated performance skills, every one of our drama productions involves a significant amount of filming in a range of national locations, giving boys that are interested in filmmaking an opportunity to learn how to act to camera. Tower House is renowned as the first Prep School ever to produce a full-length production quality feature film with our boys’ version of The Hobbit in 2012. We followed this up in 2022 with Proxima, an original science fiction screenplay. Large scale projects such as these give the boys a deep insight into filmmaking, allowing them to experience the detailed process of shooting multiple takes, maintaining continuity and the tricky art of ensuring perfect audio. To get a flavour of a Tower House production, take a look at the trailers below!
We aim to gradually banish their inhibitions and develop their self-confidence so that the boys' ability to 'perform' in any capacity becomes something they look forward to, as opposed to a daunting experience.
Practice what you preach and leading by example is a common mantra amongst Tower House staff, who don't like missing out on all the fun too! Staff productions have included performances such as Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses, 'Allo 'Allo and Father Ted, all extremely well received and appreciated by the boys and parents. A great way to showcase the special camaraderie and teamwork among the teachers at THS.
Braveheart
Proxima
Space Race
Sneaky Blighters