Basics for drama in year 9–13
A specialist drama teaching space will preferably have the following features:
- floor area as large as three or four standard classrooms is suggested, with a high ceiling (about 3 metres), and two or three exit doors
- good acoustics to ensure speech is audible throughout the space
- open space that can be adapted for various purposes – it does not have to be an area designated as a 'stage'
- natural ventilation and light – the working space should be light and airy, so that teachers do not spend their day in a black box (high windows are ideal)
- some walls with no windows to allow for flexible staging and display boards
- ample storage for staging, costumes, lights, and tools, that is adjacent to the working space, preferably opening directly into it via wide doors
- flexible staging gear, including variety of platforms, curtains, simple furniture, and screens, all of which can be stored outside the main working space
- curtains that can be drawn to provide blackout, and others that can be drawn or erected to create settings
- plenty of power points and extension leads, with three-phase power for stage lighting
- some theatrical lights and simple control equipment, and somewhere secure to store them
- sound system and projection facilities
- teacher work and storage space nearby
- changing rooms and toilets inside the building
- a wet area for painting sets and making masks
- basic kitchen facilities
- access to computers, including the internet
- video recording and editing equipment
- movable seating for audiences, stored outside the teaching space.