Trinity acting educates both on and off stage
The Trinity acting provision is an important feature of the co-curricular landscape at UCS and has figured centrally in February’s school calendar with dates for exams and showcases. Here, the programme’s director Danny Swanson explains exactly how the Trinity offering works and what benefits it brings to the pupils involved.
By Danny Swanson, Trinity Drama Coordinator
This is the second year that UCS has run a Trinity acting programme as part of its co-curricular provision. We currently have 95 pupils taking the course spanning the entire age range of the Senior School – 11 to 18!
Each year pupils are entered for a Trinity acting exam and Trinity sends an independent examiner to the school to award a grade and write a report. We are always delighted with the outcomes of our pupils who undertake Trinity exams and this year was no exception. Of the pupils who entered, 60% achieved Distinction – the top mark possible – and 40% achieved Merit.
The Trinity lessons take place after school in the Autumn and Spring Terms and they are a mixture of hard work and lots of fun. Trinity pupils get to explore improvisation, vocal and movement skills, naturalistic acting techniques and are introduced to a number of diverse scripts. Each session is different but they all aim to build technique, knowledge and confidence.
The Trinity sessions really develop young people’s acting and communication skills, which of course will be useful in many walks of life beyond UCS. The pupils get to know each other well and work together in a friendly and supportive environment.
Each year there is a Trinity Showcase where parents get to see the exam pieces performed in our very own Lund Theatre. This year there will also be a spontaneous improvisation evening where the pupils ‘compete’ against each other with a series of quick-fire drama games. They will have practised these in the lessons but will need to think on their feet on the night. Spontaneous improvisation is a great way to develop creativity, teamwork and focus.
Attendance at the sessions is excellent and the pupils take responsibility for turning up on time with their scripts to hand and lines learnt. They bring a really positive and focused attitude into each session. Having a great time, giving your absolute best and taking the acting work seriously is what Trinity is all about. We all work together to make sure that everyone is able to fulfil their potential.
The window to book places for the Trinity lessons starting in September 2024 will open in April.
