Drama and Theatre Studies
A Level
COURSE OVERVIEW
Component 1: Portfolio and Moderated Performance Devising
You will create an exciting and original piece of theatre influenced by a performance text and the ideas of a theatre practitioner.
Component 2: Performance Exam. Text in Performance
You will take part in a group performance of an extract from a published play and a monologue or duologue of your own choice.
Component 3: Written Exam. Theatre Makers in Practice
You will critically evaluate live theatre and practically explore two set texts from the perspective of a performer, designer and director.
Elements of each of the three components will be completed in Year 1 and Year 2.
Curriculum:
As a student of drama and theatre, you will develop your creative, critical and analytical facility allowing you to become a reflective, independent and self-directing practitioner. The curriculum is designed to provide a layering of skills over time so that with each successive project, your expertise as a performer, designer and director will become more sophisticated. You will investigate and experiment with the ideas of a range of practitioners through practical exploration and a broad experience of live theatre. You will dig deeply into the social, historical and political contexts of a range of challenging dramatic works to fully understand the circumstances in which they were created. These ideas will then become part of a bank of knowledge that will inform your own devised work.
You will have high expectations of the quality of your written and practical work and an understanding that creativity requires discipline. With this in mind, you will develop the ability to analyse and evaluate your own work and that of others using technical and academic language. This will enable you to understand how best to communicate ideas on stage and how to develop your own skills as a practitioner. Texts and stimuli will be chosen in negotiation with your teachers to allow you to explore ideas that you are passionate about. You will become a creative ‘magpie,’ using your own experiences, studies and areas of interest to create work that is meaningful to a contemporary audience and of which you will be proud. You will develop the highly-valuable transferable skills that drama provides. These skills are for life: building relationships, a sense of place, effective communication and self-agency.
Progression
Careers
Additional Entry Requirements
Grade 4 GCSE English necessary.
Assessment
Component 1: Portfolio and moderated performance Devising (40%)
Component 2: Text in Performance (20%) Performance Exam
Component 3: Theatre Makers in Practice (40%) Written exam
Opportunities for work related activities
Several theatre trips linked to course elements – local visits to The Tobacco Factory and Bristol Old Vic.
