Drama & Theatre Studies
Drama is exposure; it is confrontation; it is contradiction and it leads to analysis, construction, recognition and eventually to an awakening of understanding.
Peter Brook (March 1925-July 2022)
Creativity, collaboration and communication are central to our approach which places respect, equality and self-confidence at the heart of our teaching practice. Students find this an enriching experience which enables them to explore creatively together and to voice their own creative ideas.
Drama is a practical learning curriculum connecting skills and knowledge through all years from KS3 to A-level Drama & Theatre Studies through three key approaches to Drama and Theatre; scripted texts – creating the world of the play; improvisation skills and making original drama, and articulating our responses to live theatre performances - developing skills of analysis and evaluation across a wide range of theatre genres and diverse performance styles.
At the core of our Drama curriculum is practical engagement with theatre and its cultural, socio-political context in a global perspective. Students explore a wealth of theatre styles and traditions and develop the skills and confidence to create their own original drama in response to their personal views and understanding of the world around them. Students visit a host of theatre venues such as The National Theatre and The Globe Theatre, and locally our own Marlowe Theatre and the Gulbenkian Arts Centre. Visiting professionals from theatre and academia run workshops and research events with our students, enriching their knowledge and igniting their passion for Drama.
Drama Performances in our vibrant extra-curricular programme of small and large scale productions, offer students the chance to present their work as performers, directors or designers through an exciting range of plays and to collaborate with musicians, artists and designers across the school to share our creative endeavours.
Minimum Entry Criteria
Desired: 7 in Drama (or 7 in English Literature if the subject is not studied at GCSE)
Essential: 6 in Drama (or 6 in English Literature if the subject is not studied at GCSE)
Board
AQA (7262)
Outline of the Course
Unit 1: Drama and theatre
- Knowledge and understanding of drama and theatre
- Study of two set plays, one chosen from List A (drama through the ages), one chosen from List B (20th and 21st century drama)
- Analysis and evaluation of the work of live theatre performances
Unit 2: Creating original drama (practical) – Completed in Year 13
- Process of creating devised drama
- Performance of devised drama (students may contribute as performer, designer or director)
- Devised piece must be influenced by the work and methodologies of one prescribed practitioner
- This unit is marked by teachers and moderated by AQA as NEA Coursework
Unit 3: Making theatre (practical) – Completed in Year 13
- Practical exploration and interpretation of three extracts, each taken from a different play
- Methodology of a prescribed practitioner must be applied to Extract 3. Extract 3 is to be performed as a final assessed piece (students may contribute as performer, designer or director)
- Reflective report analysing and evaluating theatrical interpretation of all three extracts. This unit is marked by AQA
Assessment
Type of Assessment |
Duration |
Weighting |
|
1 |
Written Examination – Section A: one question (from a choice) on one of the set plays from List A (25 marks). Section B: one two part question on a given extract from one of the set plays from List B (25 marks). Section C: one question on the work of theatre makers in a single live theatre production (30 marks) |
3 hours |
40%
|
2 |
Creating original drama (practical)
|
|
30%
|
3 |
Making theatre (practical)
|
|
30%
|
