Performing Arts
Extra-curricular Performing Arts at The Leys is popular and wide-ranging. As well as many school productions, activities include Dance, Drama Club and Theatre Crew (see links on left).
Performing Arts facilities are excellent at The Leys, including a Dance Studio, Drama Studio, and new Music School. Great Hall is our brand-new theatre, Drama Department and Performing Arts Centre, due to be completed in 2013. The exciting new building will contain a 300-seat professionally-equipped theatre, a 100-seat flexible 'black box' Drama studio, a new Dance studio, two Drama classrooms and another dedicated rehearsal studio, plus other new facilities for the school including a coffee shop. In the meantime, a full programme of productions is being staged in various temporary locations around the school.
LAMDA
Individual Speech and Drama lessons are also very popular, taught in one-to-one lessons with our dedicated LAMDA tutors. Lessons are normally geared towards LAMDA Grade Exams, which take place biannually. Students may choose from: scripted monologues, original devised drama, poetry and verse, musical theatre and public speaking.
Theatre Productions
Each year at The Leys sees a diverse and exciting range of drama performed by the school, ranging from contemporary and hard-hitting works, to the more traditional classic plays, to large-scale West End musicals.
In the Autumn term, there are usually two senior-school productions, one of which is often a musical; the other often a smaller, more experimental piece of drama. The Lent term brings the A Level examined performances in the Drama Studio and a major lower-school production. The Summer term is packed with another lower-school production, as well as the Moulton House production (Year 7/8) and the Summer Cabaret, which ends the year with a music and drama revue held in the Speech Day marquee.
Auditions for school productions are open to all the respective students, not just the academic drama students. Productions are an ideal opportunity to develop confidence, communication and team-working skills, alongside creative and performing skills. Productions are directed by our own staff or visiting professional directors, and supported by the student backstage crew alongside our in-house theatre staff.
Tickets for Productions
Parents, family and guests are welcome to all Leys productions. Tickets must be booked in advance from our Box Office:
Previous Theatre Productions
A photo gallery from some of our most recent productions can be found on the menu bar on the left above.
2005-06: Vanity Fair by Declan Donnellan; The Crysalids by David Harrower; The Olympian Gods by Darin Mount; The Musicians by Patrick Marber; Sheherezade by Jeni Whittaker; Summer Cabaret.
2006-07: Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser; Shakers by John Godber; Totally Over You by Mark Ravenhill; Out of Mind, Out of Sight by Rich Rusk; Beasts and Beauties by Carol Ann Duffy; Summer Cabaret.
2007-08: Grease by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey; The Ash Girl by Timberlake Wertenbaker; Animal Farm by George Orwell; Shut Up by Andrew Payne; Molten Lava; Summer Cabaret.
2008-09: Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward; Fuente Ovejuna by Adrian Mitchell; The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend; Gizmo by Alan Ayckbourn; The Blue Light by Paul Sills; Summer Cabaret.
2009-10: Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare; Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman & Alan Menken; Private Peaceful by Simon Reade; That Awkward Stage; Moulton Lava; Summer Cabaret.
2010-11: Confusions by Alan Ayckbourn; Cabaret by John Kander & Fred Ebb; Gawain and the Green Knight by Stephen Hancock; Hot Mugged Chocolata; More Grimm Tales by Carol Ann Duffy & Tim Supple; Summer Cabaret.
2011-12: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare; Daisy Pulls it Off by Denise Deegan; Dracula by Stephen Hancock; Gregory's Girl by Bill Forsyth; The Witches by David Wood; Summer Cabaret.