An Exhibition in Three Acts: The History of Drama at King’s

Acting talent has never been in short supply at King’s. Henry Kemble (OK 1865), Lewis Waller (OK 1878) and Sir John Martin-Harvey (OK 1879) might not be familiar names now but they were as well known to late 19th and early 20th-century audiences as Tom Basden (OK 1999), Khalid Abdalla (OK 1999) and Ben Barnes (OK 1999) are today. Although there is no record of John Barrymore (OK 1899) acting whilst at King’s, later in life he mesmerised cinemagoers with his striking looks and onscreen presence. Several other King’s alumni have forged successful acting careers often, most notably, on the stage: Richard Pasco CBE (OK 1942), Christopher Luscombe (OK 1982) and, more recently, Alex Sawyer (2011) to name a few. Current pupils continue to excel.  The 2023 Senior School production of Billy Elliot won two awards at the National School Theatre Awards (NSTA): Best Supporting Actor in a Musical and Best Musical.  ‘Every member of the cast demonstrated remarkable skill, blurring the lines between a school production and a professional West End show.’ The same could be said of all recent shows.

The facilities at the school, however, have not always been great. After moving to Wimbledon in 1897, the first theatrical performances took place just before Christmas in St Mark’s Church Hall. Once the Great Hall had been built, this could be used as a venue. But, like its smaller sibling Little Hall, which was used for junior school productions, the stage in the Great Hall had severe limitations. Most crucially, in neither space was there a backstage area in which actors could wait and reappear on whichever side of the stage the directions demanded. A window that led out to the playground was the exit route in the Little Hall. In the Great Hall, the only way on and off the stage was through the audience. In the 1960s, a trapdoor was installed, with a ladder down to a classroom below. It was hardly ideal. Nevertheless, the shows did go on.

In 1988, a purpose-built theatre finally opened. The Collyer Hall Theatre was unveiled during a Festival of Music and Drama, the first of several to take place at the school. Home to both junior and senior school productions, the new theatre allowed for more shows, and for new and more innovative staging to be attempted.

Spearheading this more ambitious programme was Philip Swan. Swan took up the post of Artistic Director of the Collyer Hall Theatre in 1990. Almost immediately he established a drama studio in Q2 and took the bold decision to take a KCS Theatre Company production to the Edinburgh Fringe festival. Both initiatives continue to thrive.  Before long, Drama was introduced as a subject at GCSE. Directors in Residence provided different perspectives for students. The Year Plays (later the House Plays) handed over control of producing and directing to pupils. The Sixth Form plays encouraged budding writers to see their own work performed. Today, these and many other opportunities allow all students who wish to participate: Technical Theatre Club, Drama games and improv, monologue and duologue competitions, and the New Writing club. Many also choose to work with partner schools preparing for the Community production and Open Doors.

To delve deeper into the history of drama at King’s, see the online exhibition An Exhibition in Three Acts: The History of Drama at King’s.