Meet Lydia
Lydia joined the School in Year 7 from a local primary school. A Drama Scholar, she is taking A Levels in English, Drama, Photography and the Mini MBA. She attends the Explore Club, a group for girls to explore their Christian faith, and helps teach younger students in Drama Club. She is currently studying for Grade 7 in Musical Theatre, having previously completed Grade 5 in Classical Singing, and is working towards a Level 1 Diploma in Drama.
On Drama
I had done Drama at a club before I joined Headington Rye but it is completely different here, it’s such a big step up in terms of the way they teach you. They treat you almost like a professional actor in the industry and they see it as a theatrical production they would show to an audience. The facilities and the theatre are amazing and they go so in depth in their teaching. I’ve done a lot of theatre acting and recently I’ve looked at film acting too. We do a lot of older plays like ‘The Great Gatsby’ which is set in the 1920s and is our current production, and these often have predominantly male parts. I think in a mixed school, a lot of those would go to the boys. I think being able to play male characters has given me a lot of diversity in my acting and it gives me more range.
On striking a balance
When the plays are rehearsing, it’s a lot of late evenings, you’re here from say 4.00 pm – 6.00 pm and I live an hour away so I won’t get back until quite late. That means you have to plan how much time you have to do prep and also make sure you have the balance to have a social life alongside that. I always leave Fridays free to spend with my friends or chill watching television with my family, while Sundays I dedicate to school work. The School is good with timetabling, especially around GCSE they were great at encouraging us to find balance and doing activities to show us how to properly relax. They really focus on mental health.
On her goals at Headington Rye Oxford
I would like to have a good sense of who I am and my achievements, to be able to look back and be proud, with really good exam results. I have got lots of lovely friends and I want to be able to look back and know I’ve had a really good time. If I look back on the last five years, I do see that and I am proud I was able to have such a lovely experience as well as doing well academically.
On what she’s learned about herself
As you grow up there are lots of pressures to behave a certain way, or to rebel. Since getting into Sixth Form, I’ve realised you should do what feels right to you and there’s no need to follow the crowd, you need to find what’s comfortable for you. In your teenage years things can get a bit cliquey so it’s important to have your own opinions. I was worried people might judge me for going to Explore but this year I’ve had the confidence to go along. School has given me a lot of opportunities but also taught me not to avoid doing things because you’re scared of failure, but to do things because you know they will make you happy. I would describe myself as a busy person – you have to be to keep on top of everything. I really value having a social life outside of school which gives me a real incentive to stay on top of my studies. It’s a good balance.
On her goals beyond Headington Rye Oxford
I’ve always wanted to pursue the film world or drama but I don’t know whether it’s behind the camera or in front of it. Something like screen directing really interests me. I don’t know whether I’ll go to a film school, but if I do go to university, I would like it to be a really good one. Something about artistic direction and imagery in film and the fact you can get it perfect is really appealing. I like that you can keep changing bits and make it even better.
