Drama

Drama Learning Journey

Course Outline ‐ What will I learn?

The Drama course is in three sections:

A. Devising Drama : divided into two areas to be  completed in Y10

  1. Creating a practical piece of Drama based on one of a choice of stimuli supplied by the exam board each year. You will work in a group of between three and six and your performance will be filmed and sent to a moderator. Your piece will need to be about 15­-20 minutes in length and include lots of interesting techniques.
  2. A portfolio of at least 2,000 words showing how you researched your chosen stimulus and how you devised a piece of Drama connected to that stimulus. This can include pictures, diagrams , sketches, storyboards and annotations.

B. Presenting and Performing Texts

You will perform two extracts from a script before a vising examiner. There will be a wide choice of scripts available and you will work in a group of between 3 and 5. You will read and explore the whole script then choose two 20 minute excerpts to explore in detail. When you have done this you will select two 10­15 minute sections of your 20  minute excerpts to learn and perform. 

C. Performance and Response (written paper)

Section A : You will explore a chosen set text using practical  skills learnt throughout the course and will sit a written paper based on your text. 

Section B : You will be taken to see a play at the theatre and  will write a review of an aspect of the performance. 

Skills: 

The majority of the course will be practical acting and you will develop work ranging from collaborating to produce an exciting piece of devised drama to an in depth understanding of a variety of scripts and performances so you can interpret and perform to a very high standard. This means you will need the following: 

  • An ability to work as part of a group 
  • LOTS of confidence 
  • A love of PERFORMING 
  • The ability to learn lots of lines 
  • A willingness to share ideas and accept the ideas of  others
  • An ability to interpret scripts and create characters who are different from you
  • The ability to analyse your performance work and the work of others and write about it in detail
  • Excellent organisation of written work 
  • A love of theatre 

Knowledge 

  • You will develop a working knowledge of the vocabulary of Drama as specified by the exam board  (approximately 200 words and phrases)
  • You will develop an in depth knowledge of key Drama  practitioners 
  • You will study and develop skills based on exciting and  inventive theatre companies 
  • You will develop a deep understanding of how  performances can be structured 
  • You will develop the ability to interpret plays
  • You will develop an understanding of artistic intention when creating performance 

How will it be assessed?

Devising Drama 30% of the total marks 

Presenting and Performing Texts 30% of the total marks 

Performance and Response (formal exam) 40% of the total marks 

Please contact: L.Potente on info@oakwood.ac

What parents need to know

This is an academic course which nevertheless  gives pupils an outlet to explore themes and  feelings in a practical way both in creating their  own drama and in the study and performance of  published work. There is a considerable amount  of written work which carries a greater weighting  than the performance elements so failure to stick  to strict timeframes and deadlines will result in  disappointing grades. There is also a small  financial commitment as pupils have to  experience live theatre and though this is  subsidised to a certain degree there will still be an  expectation of a contribution to costs.

Potential further study and careers

  • A level Theatre Studies 
  • BTEC Level 3 in Performing Arts 

Careers

  • Actor 
  • Director 
  • Designer 
  • Playwright 
  • Theatre technician 
  • Lighting designer 
  • Costume designer/maker 
  • Make up designer/artistic 
  • Sound technician 
  • Sound designer 
  • Stage manager 
  • Stage hand 
  • Drama therapist 

Ex pupils’ experiences

“Drama is great, we get to do loads of practical work.” 

Y11 Pupil 

“It’s fun but it’s quite hard ­ you need to realise there’s lots of written work” 

Y11 Pupil 

“It’s different from other subjects because you have to use your imagination to make your own ideas  into performance” 

Y11 Pupil 

“There’s a nice atmosphere in the lessons because we’re all working together and appreciating each  other’s work” 

Y11 Pupil

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