Drama at Bournside - Cheltenham Bournside School

Your Stage Awaits

At Bournside we are proud of our thriving Drama and Dance department. With a state-of-the-art Drama Studio at its hub, you'll find large-scale portraits of theatre legends on the walls, professional lighting rigs, mobile staging and more. Combined with our professional team, drama classrooms, dance studio and Main Hall, the stage is set for artistic inspiration and success from Year 7.

Bournside Theatre Ensemble

Launched in 2024, the Bournside Theatre Ensemble is our School Youth Theatre Company. We are passionate about giving students at Bournside the opportunity to develop as creative artists outside of the classroom by offering inspirational and high-quality theatre experiences. Focusing on three major co-curricular productions each year - the School Musical Production, Schools Shakespeare Festival and National Theatre Connections - we believe we offer the widest school-based drama experience in the region.

On-stage roles in the Bournside Theatre Ensemble include actors, musicians and dancers, whilst backstage we have directors, stage managers, set designers, costume designers, lighting, sound and prop designers and production assistants. It's a team effort!

Shakespeare Schools Festival

The Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival is the world's largest youth drama festival. Each year thousands of young people unite to take part and the Festival culminates with exhilarating performance evenings in professional theatres across the country, raising aspirations and unlocking their potential.

Over approximately eight months, students in Year 9 (beginning in the final term of Year 8), prepare for their production with workshops led by both the Bournside Drama team alongside professional actors and directors. The public performance of their final piece takes place in front of a paying audience at the Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury.

Many students who take part in the Shakespeare Schools Festival go on to study Drama at GCSE and beyond.

Current production:

2024/5 - Macbeth

Past productions:

2023/4 - Romeo and Juliet
2022/3 - A Midsummer Night's Dream

"I don't think I have ever seen such an innovative and creative Macbeth in all my time doing Shakespeare Schools Festival. It felt like I was watching an avant garde European piece of theatre!"

- Alice Lamb, Shakespeare Schools Festival - 2024

"I was particularly moved by your play’s ending. As all the cast stood around the bodies of the dead holding a candle, these candles extinguished one by one until the stage was left in complete darkness. To signal the ending of your play in this striking, powerful manner was incredibly poignant. A heartbreakingly beautiful Romeo and Juliet."

- Nick Taylor, Shakespeare Schools Festival - 2023

"The Bournside 'Mid Summer Nights Dream' cast put on a fantastic performance and really mastered the anarchic comedy of the script. They were able to 'play' on stage and took the audience with them on a hysterical journey. Much hilarity ensued......"

- Mr Banks, Head of Drama - 2022

School Musical Production

Our popular School Musical Production is open to all students. Performing to sell-out audiences in February each year, our professional shows showcase the talent of the many students in Years 7-13 who take part as cast and crew.

Past productions:

Audience feedback:

"I just wanted to say how completely blown away we were at your fabulous production of Joseph. Bravo! What energy! What a cast! What a band! Brilliant staging and perfectly simple but clever movement. Those children were just so engaging. So present. And they were all beaming and loving every minute. I could see and hear the joy. Thank you."

"Well, what can we say?! Yet again another fantastic school show, as Bournside does so well! Great to see so many happy, smiling children up there, who were obviously enjoying themselves. And in the orchestra and backstage too. Music, drama and being creative are such an important part of a child’s life… a vital part of Bournside. But we just wanted to say another massive thank you and well done. We know the effort that goes into it - the months of planning, prep and rehearsing as well as the final performances."

National Theatre Connections (Connections)

Open to students in Year 10 - 13, Connections is the National Theatre’s annual youth theatre festival, bringing together talented young people from across the UK.

Through Connections, students perform one of 10 newly commissioned plays specifically tailored for young performers and written exclusively for Connections by some of the UK's most established playwrights. The plays cover a diverse range of genres, themes, and styles, enriching students' exposure to contemporary theatre. Students who commit to the NT Connections develop essential performance skills, including acting, voice projection, movement, and stage presence, alongside experience in collaborative ensemble work and character development.

"We are proud to be one of only a handful of schools involved in National Theatre Connections. The benefit to our students and their future applications is significant - we call it CV gold! - it enriches our drama curriculum and engages students in meaningful artistic experiences. Their performance of Replica last year was stunning." - Mr Banks, Head of Drama

Past performances:

2023/4 - Replica by Titas Halder - The Swan Theatre, Worcester
2022/3 - Tuesday by Alison Carr - The Swan Theatre, Worcester

Pathways to higher education and creative careers

For students interested in pursuing higher education or careers in theatre and the arts, participation in the Bournside Theatre Ensemble and all of the opportunities highlighted above, provide valuable experience and credentials that enhance University applications, personal statements and future CVs.

We have a long list of successful Arts Alumni, who we are delighted to welcome back any time!

To view potential career opportunities click on the Careers Pathway link at the bottom of our A Level Drama and Theatre Studies Course Listing.