Drama

Mount Sackville is an arts rich school which provides a holistic approach to education. It recognises the importance of developing and promoting creativity and the emotional intelligence of all students through the enriching music and drama provision in the school.

Drama provision in Mount Sackville:

Junior Cycle

In Mount Sackville, every first and second year student will complete a half year module in drama as part of our Wellbeing programme.

What skills will the students learn in drama class?

· Communication skills

· Language development

· Literacy development

· Critical/ active listening skills

· Cooperative learning

· The students will develop their expressive skills in drama

· They will develop more confidence in their own ability

· They will learn to use improvisation and role play effectively

· They will develop thinking skills, cognitive ability, logical argument, reflective analysis and problem solving skills

· Drama fosters a sense of self-worth in the student which can improve self-esteem

· Drama promotes a student-centred learning approach which enables the student to feel encouraged and more likely to communicate without inhibition

Musical

During Transition year students can audition to take part in the school musical. The school musical takes place every November. It is staged in the assembly hall with a team of event managers from Transition Year who promote the musical; sell tickets; work backstage; assist with lighting and sound effects and work front of house on the evenings of the performances. It is a collaborative experience for performers and crew; it is always a highlight of Transition Year.

Irish Language play

Mount Sackville has reached great success in recent years with performances of Irish language plays during Transition Year. Students have been entered in national competitions and have received many top awards for excellence in performance, namely the All Ireland Transition Year Drama Festival and An Cumann Scoil Dramaíochta. In 2018, Transition Year class 4B won three national awards for their class production of Pádraigín is Ainm dom at An Fhéile Naisiúnta, An Cumann Scoil Drámaíochta. Best Actress for Erin Dunne; Best Transition Year Play and Best Play Performed by a Non-Gael Scoil.

Schools Shakespeare festival

The Schools Shakespeare festival aims to bring Shakespeare to live audiences and to allow students to engage and perform Shakespearean drama in a meaningful manner. This is a competition which was launched in January 2019 for all second level students and it is run by the Mill Theatre in Dundrum. Students perform a thirty minute version of any Shakespeare play. Mount Sackville have entered this competition with a cast of transition year students in 2019 with ‘Jules on the Loose’ and in 2020 with ‘Queen Lear’. We are very proud to have been crowned ‘overall winners of best production’ two years in a row!

Extra-Curricular Drama:

There is an ambitious and varied annual season of productions, giving scope to many students to become involved in the theatrical life of the school. The flourishing drama scene in the school has inspired many pupils to make a career in the world of theatre and film as actors and directors. We have a new theatre space, our lecture theatre, where the school plays are staged and all students get the opportunity to watch these productions during their school day, as well as evening shows for parents. This is a wonderful learning experience for all students to watch a live theatrical performance in their own school theatre.

Drama club for 1st year students

Every Friday at lunch time, first year students meet in the lecture theatre with the Senior Drama Mentor under the guidance of Ms. Dowling(Drama director) to enjoy drama in a fun and supportive environment. The aim of this club is to allow students to express their creativity, develop their improvisation and drama skills and to make new friends.

School play performance

We are also very fortunate to have performed tow original plays that are written by a staff member specifically for our school. Ms. Clodagh Havel wrote On Sackville Street which was our school’s commemoration to the heroes of the 1916 Easter Rising. In 2017,Shakespeare on the Loose was performed by over thirty students, also written by Ms. Clodagh Havel. This play is a modern twist on four of the studied Shakespeare texts where the heroines of Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear and Romeo and Juliet are interviewed by Gabby on the Loose women set. Ms.Clodagh Havel also adapted the scripts for Romeo and Juliet and King Lear for entry to the School Shakespeare festival in 2019/20.

The annual school play which is open to all students from second year to fifth year is auditioned for in March and performed in May. This is another extra curricular activity for students and rehearsals take place at lunchtime and after school.

There is a wealth of talent in Mount Sackville and the standard of performances are very high. Drama and music are central to our holistic education in Mount Sackville and we as a school are proud to celebrate the central role of the Arts in our school community.

Ms. Niamh Dowling

Director of Drama/Transition year Co ordinator