There is a full complement of staff for Drama, who all have a professional theatre background; these are the Director of Drama, his Assistant, a full time Technician and Wardrobe Supervisor. Although the staff direct and oversee the plays, pupils take full responsibility for the running of shows once in performance, taking on the roles of stage management, lighting and sound operation.

Major productions each year include: the College Play in November, which might be anything from a classic text to a modern musical; a Remove Play, held in mid-year, and a Shell Play, performed in the summer. In addition to this many of the Socials put together a play, and there are pupil directed performances and Dons’ productions. Opportunities occasionally arise for theatre tours: our productions have visited the Edinburgh Festival and have been entered for the Shell Connections Festival, and there are plans for a USA tour in future years.

All boys in the Shells take part in the Haddon Cup, an inter-Social competition, in which each Social produces a short one-act play. This is adjudicated by a visiting theatre professional and is a keenly fought event. The Haddon Cup takes place in early October, which means the Shells are thrown into preparing for this in their first few weeks at Radley, promoting a good team spirit.

Professional theatre companies will also be booked into the theatre calendar through the year from September 2007. These will be open to the general public as well as to the College community. There are also many theatre trips organised by the Drama and English Departments throughout the year.