From Page to Stage
‘Unlocking and
developing creativity’
through the English
and Drama curriculum
Exploring Creativity?
What kinds of creativity do you respond to?
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Music
Books
Art
Film
Plays
Other…?
Which artist was more creative?
Which author would you vote to
place in the Hall of Fame?
Which character was the better
creation?
Is this modern creativity?
What is Creativity?
 being
imaginative
 being inventive
 taking risks
 challenging convention
 understanding value and purpose of work
We are all, or can be, creative to a lesser
or greater degree if we are given the
opportunity.
What does this actually look like in
the classroom?
 questioning
and challenging
 making connections and seeing relationships
 envisaging what might be
 exploring ideas, keeping options open
 reflecting critically on ideas, actions and
outcomes
The Suitcase Monologues
Murder, Mystery and Suspense
‘I would like to thank you for organising the
Murder Mystery morning. It was obviously a
great success as it is the first time my son has
ever come home and talked about school with
such enthusiasm - and been able to recount
what he actually did.’
Walls have ears – and eyes!
Watford Palace Theatre in
Partnership with
Hertfordshire County
Council Standards and
School Effectiveness
 Storytelling
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
Oceanworld
Creation Myths
 Theme

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
weeks
Spanish Week
Feelgood Week
Book Week
 INSET
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Creativity across the curriculum
Drama in Role
Creativity and Geography
 Workshop
Objective: To recreate the story
of the Spanish Armada
Creative Thinkers
 group activities and warm ups linked to the
theme such as creating soundscapes and
physical shapes
Information processing skills
 Storytelling where the students were active
participants, creating sounds and images
Reasoning Skills
 As a group they retold the story of the
Armada
 They used their bodies to create the Spanish
and English Fleets
 They used sound effects to create the
atmosphere and setting
 They used the learned actions to represent
characters
 They had to work cohesively in groups and
provide a positive contribution
Evaluation and
enquiry skills
 Throughout the
workshop they were
asked to consider
the information
they were given and
how to use it within
the framework of
the tasks.
BEYOND THE WORKSHOP
 Literacy: Further reading, Fiction and Nonfiction writing, Speaking and Listening
 Science: Physics, Chemistry (gunpowder!)
 History
 ITC: Research, writing, creating a
presentation, creating an animated version
of the story
 Geography
 Curriculum
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Theatre Practitioners
Classic Theatre
Devising
 Creativity
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
workshops
across the Curriculum
Shakespeare – e.g. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Missing
‘Tropico Island’
 INSET
Workshop Objective: to devise a performance
piece around the theme of ‘missing people’
Independent Enquirers
 Working with stimulus – non-fiction and
fiction texts
Self-managers and Team Workers
 Freeze frames – telling the story
Creative Thinkers
 Applying learning to practical activity and
beginning the devising process
 Marking the moment – using subtext
Effective Participants
 Working together to
create the devised piece
 Reflecting and providing
feedback on each other’s
work
Reflective Learners
 Considering the social and
emotional impact of the
issues and factoring that
into the work with
sensitivity
 Learning from the process
to improve the work for
the next level of
development
BEYOND THE WORKSHOP
 English:
Writing: to inform, advise,
persuade, entertain,
describe
 Speaking and Listening:
presentations on the topic,
‘live’ news reports
 Reading: non-fiction and
fiction texts

PSHE: analysis of the
issues
 Maths: statistical analysis
 ICT

Creativity
Key considerations and entitlements
 Make
sure that pupils have the space and
resources they need to be creative
 Make sure that pupils have access to film,
video and the internet and to first-hand
experience of objects and environments
 Work with artists and other creative
professionals, going to the theatre or
learning a musical instrument
 Involve pupils in creating a stimulating
environment.
 Tap the creativity of staff, parents and the
local community
Why is creativity important?

Creativity improves pupils' self-esteem, motivation
and achievement

Employers want people who see connections, have
bright ideas, are innovative, communicate and work
well with others and are able to solve problems

Creativity enriches pupils' lives
'Creativity is contagious - pass it on'
Albert Einstein.