A2 Drama and Theatre Studies students impressed examiners and audience members in this year’s practical examinations for DRAM 4: Devised Drama. Students were tasked with creating a piece of original theatre in a theatrical style of their choosing. The range was wide and the standard high. Students performed their pieces in the Ellis and Kennedy theatre. All students at Loreto are able to work in a professionally equipped theatre with state of the art lighting and sound system. They were able to entertain their audience and should be very proud of their achievements. The following pieces were performed:

Last Screening: An absurdist drama exploring the deterioration of communication and our over reliance on mobile technology

First Light: An Absurdist comedy exposing our frailty as human beings to want more and more and deceive others in order to achieve it.

3 Pints and a Margarita: A meta- theatrical storytelling comedy set in a pub. Four lads reflect on their weekends. An insight into the stupidity and bravado of young men.

Highlights: Four girls get locked in the store cupboard of a clothing shop; they have one thing in common: they are all blonde. Highlights is a storytelling comedy, both laugh out loud and poignant.

Yours Truly: Two characters, connected at distance, but sharing the same space. They speak different languages but their connection transcends language. An absurdist drama about grief, loss and the need to connect.

Scraps: A physical theatre exploration of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety; sometimes expressing these matters through words alone is not possible.

I hope this year will be the last: a storytelling drama that packs a political punch about racial segregation, prejudice and injustice.

The Horse is Dead: an absurdist drama about women and suffering. Using iconic characters of the past (Joan of Arc, Emmeline Pankhurst and Helen of Troy), this piece reflects on the struggle to make your voice heard.

The Initiative: They are part of an experiment, testing the limits of Artificial Intelligence. Nobody expected them to fall in love.