Year

Curriculum Content

7

Topic/s covered
 

Introduction to Drama
Storytelling
Silent Movies

Summary of programme/units of work
Introduction to Drama –
To introduce and instil the basic skills for Drama to take place
Establish the ground rules and the code of conduct in Drama
Introduction of basic skills
Encourage group awareness and understand the importance of working together
Develop communication skills
Introduction of sharing work, demonstrating understanding and development in Drama – a vehicle to encourage discussion and evaluation.

Storytelling – Beowulf and The Swallowing Drum
To build self confidence, awareness of imagination, encourage concentration and physical control
To use sound effects to gain understanding of how pace and volume can add variety and interest.
Introduction of abstract work – encourage suspension of disbelief and use of imagination
Using narration to explore characters, stage direction and setting
Develop improvisation skills to a higher level of understanding.

Use physical theatre, mime and synchronised movement effectively.

Silent Movies

To learn about early film slapstick
To understand and apply the techniques of slapstick to an original piece of work
To learn about melodrama and cliff hanger serials
To use the techniques and scenarios of the lesson to produce a performance in the style of a silent film.
To begin to analyse own and peers performances through the use of technology.

 8

Topic/s covered

Persecution

Homelessness

Haunted House

Summary of programme/units of work
Persecution
To use text from which Drama can arise
The reinforcement and development of dramatic skills in order to widen student’s dramatic vocabulary, to enrich Drama, add variety, insight and understanding.
Encourage group awareness, build self confidence, awareness of imagination, encourage concentration and physical control.
Further development of communication skills
Use of performance to share work, demonstrating understanding and development in Drama – a vehicle to encourage discussion and evaluation.

Homelessness
Use of topic as a stimulus for improvised Drama

Use of various stimulus such as photographs, documentaries, poems and articles to inform drama
Explore in role questioning to inform and develop the drama
Focus on use of gesture including facial expression and body language in a series of tableaux
Using and developing the basic skills of mime.
Establish group identity through Drama
Using body language to communicate to an audience
Developing a sense of audience awareness
Encourage skills of storytelling
Sharing of work to demonstrate understanding and development of Drama.

Haunted House
Encourage group awareness, build self confidence, awareness of imagination, encourage concentration and physical control
Further development of communication skills
Encourage awareness of tension and layers in theatre work
Improve analytical abilities
Learn some presentational features –
Select the main facts from a story and turn it into a piece of drama

9

Topic/s covered
Scripted Drama - Blood Brothers / Too Much Punch for Judy
Page to Performance
Method Acting

Summary of programme/units of work
Blood Brothers/Too Much Punch for Judy
Encourage group awareness and understand the importance of working together
Develop communication skills
Introducing new Drama skills – choral speaking, choral movement, blocking, presentation styles, performance skills, understanding of the audience, theatre performance styles.
 

Page to performance
This gives all students the opportunity to practice using scripted scenes and to build confidence in the ability of the students to perform scripted drama.  It looks at ways that a director can interpret a script and also examines how an actor may approach a script.  A complete range of scripts are used according to the group, from Shakespeare to Pinter and Russell.
 

Method Acting
The aim of this unit to introduce students to the theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski and to show students how to develop and sustain a character.  The students also design their own sets to inform their performance and are encouraged to be creative in developing the storyline.  The end product is filmed by the students and watched back as the culmination of their Drama course.

10 & 11

GCSE Drama

The course is split into three components. In the first two terms of year 10 students will work together building on skills and performance techniques and analysing all formal performance work. They will undergo research for the topics covered. Topics include homelessness and abandonment as well as looking at theatre practitioners such as Brecht and Stanislavski and theatre companies Frantic Assembly and Gecko and applying this knowledge in their own work.

Component 1: Devising 

Coursework 40% of the qualification – 60 marks Content overview

• Create and develop a devised piece from a stimulus (free choice for centre). • Performance of this devised piece or design realisation for this performance.
• Analyse and evaluate the devising process and performance.
• Performer or designer routes available. Assessment overview • AO1, AO2 and AO4 are assessed. • Internally assessed and externally moderated.
• There are two parts to the assessment: 1) a portfolio covering the creating and developing process and analysis and evaluation of this process (45 marks) 1500-2000 words.

2) a devised performance/design realisation (15 marks).

Component 2: Performance from Text

 Coursework 20% of the qualification – 48 marks Content overview

• Students will either perform in and/or design for two key extracts from a performance text – Blood Brothers OR Missing Dan Nolan
• Performer or designer routes available. Assessment overview • AO2 is assessed.
• Externally assessed by visiting examiner.
• Performance/design realisation covering both key extracts is worth 48 marks. • If two separate performances are done covering two key extracts, then each performance/design realisation is worth 24 marks.

Component 3: Theatre Makers in Practice 

Written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes 40% of the qualification – 60 marks Content overview

• Practical exploration and study of one complete performance text – performance text The Crucible by Arthur Miller.
• Live theatre evaluation – free choice of production.
• 45 marks. This section consists of one question broken into six parts (short and extended responses) based on an unseen extract from the chosen performance text.
• Performance texts are not allowed in the examination as the extracts will be provided.

Section B: Live Theatre Evaluation • 15 marks. • This section consists of two questions requiring students to analyse and evaluate a live theatre performance they have seen. • Students are allowed to bring in theatre evaluation notes of up to a maximum of 500 words.

12 & 13

A Level Drama and Theatre Studies Pearson Education

Component 1: Devising 40% of the qualification – 80 marks

 In this component students will develop their creative and exploratory skills to devise an original performance. The starting point for this devising process will be an extract from a performance text and an influential theatre practitioner. In their creative explorations, students will learn how text can be manipulated to communicate meaning to audiences and they will begin the process of interpretation. They will gain an understanding of how a new performance could be developed through the practical exploration of the theatrical style and use of conventions of the chosen practitioner.

Content There are three main areas of focus.

1) Interpreting, creating and developing a devised piece from one key extract from a performance text and applying the methods of one practitioner.

2) A group performance/design realisation of the devised piece.

3) Analysing and evaluating the creative process and devised performance. Students may complete this component either as a performer or as a designer.

The design roles are:

• costume design
• lighting design

20% of the qualification – 60 marks

Component 2: Text in Performance

Students will develop and demonstrate theatre-making skills, appropriate to their role as a performer or designer. They will explore how they realise artistic intentions in performance. The knowledge and understanding acquired though the study of one key extract from a performance text in Component 1 can be applied to assist in the interpretation, development and realisation of key extracts from performance texts. Teaching and wider reading should address the significance and influence of social, historical and cultural contexts on the chosen texts and extracts.

Content There are two areas of focus.

 1) A monologue or a duologue performance/design realisation from one key extract from one performance text.

 2) A group performance/design realisation of one key extract from a different performance text. Students may complete this component either as a performer or as a designer or combine these roles.

The design roles are:

• costume design
• lighting design

Component 3: Theatre Makers in Practice 40% of the qualification – 80 marks

Theatre is a collaborative art form and it is important that students have a clear understanding of how different creative ideas are put into practice. This component requires students to consider, analyse and evaluate how different theatre makers create impact. Throughout this component, students will consider how production ideas and dramatic elements are communicated to an audience from the perspective of a director, a performer and a designer. Students will critically analyse and evaluate their experience of live performance. As an informed member of the audience they will deconstruct theatrical elements which will help inform their own production choices and develop their own ideas as potential theatre makers. Students will practically explore texts in order to demonstrate how ideas for performance and production might be realised from page to stage. They will also consider the methodologies of practitioners and interpret texts in order to justify their own ideas for a production concept. Students will research the original performance conditions and gain an understanding of how social, historical and cultural contexts have informed their decisions as theatre makers.

Content There are three areas to be covered.

1) A live theatre evaluation.

2) Page to stage: realisation of a complete performance text. Lysistrata by Aristophones is the text covered.

3) Interpreting one complete performance text, in light of one practitioner for a contemporary audience. Colder than Here by Laura Wade is the text covered