I’m Emma, a Year 12 Drama Scholar. I’ve been at Blackheath High School since Nursery and Drama has always been a huge part of my life.
I properly fell in love with theatre when I watched Timothy Sheader’s reinterpretation of Carousel in 2021. Traditionally presented as a romantic story, the production was much darker and more complex, which made me realise that drama isn’t just about entertainment: it can challenge audiences and explore difficult ideas in really powerful ways.
I took Drama for GCSE and it was a real honour to continue into A-level as a Drama Scholar. The scholarship has allowed me to engage much more deeply with Drama – for example, I have regular meetings with other Drama Scholars across year groups to discuss topics like audition techniques and how theatre is evolving. Recently I presented on the impact of AI on theatre, exploring how it is currently being used, where its limitations lie, and why theatre remains such a fundamentally human space. I was then given the opportunity to present this at the GDST AI Conference, which was an incredible experience and a chance to share my ideas and passion for theatre with a wider audience.
I also co-run Drama Society, helping younger students develop their skills and confidence and developing activities such as creating and workshopping short scenes with them and improvisation games.
I love being part of school productions – from 13 The Musical and 9 to 5, to High School Musical and, most recently, playing Uncle Fester in The Addams Family, it’s so inspiring to see students from different year groups come together to create something so professional and collaborative. The Addams Family Musical was a great, fun production with incredible performances from our collective cast – thank you to all my peers, our teachers, the band, and of course, the technical team for making it such a fantastic experience (see our gallery below for an insight to the show).
Thanks to our Futures Programme, I was also lucky enough to go behind the scenes at Hadestown and watch an understudy performance, which gave me a fascinating insight into the professional theatre world and confirmed my ambition to study Drama at university.
I am so grateful that my Drama Scholarship has allowed me to grasp new opportunities and meet likeminded people within a subject that I am so passionate about.
Written by Emma, Drama Scholar, Year 12
