Drama

Welcome to the Drama Department

Drama is an exciting, creative and challenging course and has been designed to help pupils meet those challenges. We have many links to local drama clubs and the drama studio allows students to rehearse and audition for leading roles in productions coming up. Drama can lead to a variety of courses in higher education, teaching, stage school, Journalism, advertising, film and T.V. If followed through to A-Level, Drama is recognised as an academic subject for entry into many universities. GCSE and A-Level students follow the OCR exam board and details of this course can be found on moodle or athttp://www.ocr.org.uk/

GCSE Specification at a glance:

 Unit A581: From Page to Stage (performer)

• Explore how a published text is animated and brought to life for an audience.
• Controlled assessment (10 hours) stemming from workshops.
• Assessed on performance and working record. (20marks)
• Moderated by postal moderation.
30%

Unit A582: Drama in the Making (Deviser)

• Explore the key principles and concepts of devising a piece of drama from stimulus material.
• Controlled assessment (10 hours) stemming from workshops.
• Assessed on presentation and working record.(20 marks)
• Moderated by postal moderation.
30%

Unit A583: From Concept to Creation

• Realisation test.
• Explore the roles of deviser, designer, director and performer (devised) or performer (text
extract), and realise a brief for one of these roles.
• 10-hour practical examination with a Working Record. (20 marks)
• Choice of four briefs that form the starting point for the creation of a
performance or presentation.
• Examined externally by visiting examiner.
40%

Students are required to create three practical pieces which are assessed internally and externally.

1.  Pupils will focus on the following 6 areas of study:

2. Character, Context and Plot

3.  tructure

4. Audience and Defining Performance space

5. Improvisation

6. Genre, Performance Style and Convention

7. The Semiotics of Drama and Theatre

These areas of study are explored through the contexts of Deviser, Designer, Director and Performer.

At GCSE Drama can develop an insight into and an understanding of a wide range of activities.

In Year 10 students have 2 lessons a week that focus on developing their ability to use improvisation skills in a range of drama contexts. Also, students work on a range of scripts and one of these pieces is assessed. There are two pieces of written work which asks students to evaluate their performances.

This is assessed based in line with the syllabus grade descriptors.

In Year 11 students have 3 lessons a week and this is dedicated to theme-based tasks with a final evaluation written piece based in line with the syllabus grade descriptors.

Homework is based either on Moodle or set during lessons which consists of learning lines and assessing their performances.

Throughout the two years there will be opportunities for students to attend the theatre which is essential to further students knowledge of the different types of theatre