Drama & Productions

ALL StandardS

Drama at Hebron has been a key part of school life for many decades and is one of the ways in which we strive to develop well rounded, confident students here at Hebron. Every single student at Hebron takes part in Drama productions throughout their school career and irrespective of whether they have ambitions of pursuing a future in the arts, we believe that participating in Drama at school cultivates life skills, the benefits of which are far-reaching.

When Drama is compulsory, and not just for the overtly confident students - not just for the ones who naturally shine on stage, the focus shifts and the priority becomes a holistic one about discovering how we can grow and learn from the experience.

Drama for Everyone

Our Hebron Drama Festival is a highlight of the calendar, not just for the school, but for the local community in the Nilgiris. Every student in Standards 7, 9, 11 and 13 gets to take part in a play (usually two plays per year group), performing on stage as well as learning about set design, stage management, props, costume, lighting and sound. We begin rehearsing as soon as students return for the new school year in August, and performances take place in October, right before our mid-semester break. The end products are always fantastic, and we are amazed every year by the level of talent, energy and creativity of our students. 

But it is the process that is the more important reason for prioritising Drama at Hebron. When Drama is compulsory, and not just for the overtly confident students - not just for the ones who naturally shine on stage, the focus shifts and the priority becomes a holistic one about discovering how we can grow and learn from the experience. Through rehearsing and performing plays with their classmates our students learn about teamwork and problem solving; Through the varied scripts that they will work with over the years they learn about other cultures, periods in history, and genres of storytelling; They get to experiment with different theatrical devices that allow them to present those stories in a multitude of creative ways; They develop empathy by assuming roles that force them to walk in someone else’s shoes. Drama Festival is undoubtedly a valuable experience for our young people, and indeed for the staff who work hard to direct and support the students each year.

Awards, decided by a panel of guest and in-house judges, are given each year in the Junior (Std 7 and 9) and Senior (Std 11 and 13) categories for Best Actress/Actor, Runner up Best Actress/Actor, Best Actress/Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress/Actor in a Minor Role. A number of Highly Commended and Directors’ awards are also given.

Inter-school Drama Competition
Hebron has enjoyed entering (and winning!) the local Inter-school Drama competition many times over the years. As the event tends to take place in the term following our Hebron Drama Festival, we sometimes perform an extract of one of our winning plays, or alternatively we develop a new piece using a small cast of our award-winning performers. It is great exposure for our young thespians to see Drama performed at other schools and to showcase their talent outside of the school community. 
 

Whole School Production
In addition to Drama Festival, which is compulsory for the year groups involved, we also put on a whole school production, often a musical or a ‘variety show’ during our April Parents week. This is an optional, extra-curricular activity open to students from Standards 7 to 13 and is a collaboration between the Drama and Music departments. If the show is a musical, the cast on stage is accompanied by a full score of live music performed by the school concert band, and many members of the community get involved with the crafting of sets, props and costumes as well as choreography, stage management, lighting and sound. Productions have included Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, Les Miserable, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and many more.