Drama

Head of Faculty

Mr James Fitzgerald

Subject Leader

Ms Karen Dean-Arshadi

Vision

We believe that a good drama education will have a positive physical, emotional, and social impact on our students.  Drama teaches students to trust their own ideas and abilities through taking risks in class and performing for an audience. The confidence gained in drama applies to school, university, careers, and life in general. 

Drama encourages students to make creative choices and interpret familiar material in new ways. As Einstein suggested, knowledge is greatly enhanced by the power of imagination.

Furthermore, Drama develops the skills of cooperation and collaboration, concentration, problem solving, and self-discipline.  Several studies have demonstrated a correlation between drama involvement and academic achievement, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the playfulness, humour and laughter it brings to learning improves motivation and reduces stress.

Disciplinary Concepts

• To enhance aesthetic appreciation of the art form by participating in and viewing theatre.
• To cooperate and collaborate by discussing, negotiating, rehearsing, and performing
• To improve listening and observational skills and self-discipline through creative movement and drama games.
• To foster imagination by making creative choices and being prepared to justify them.
• To hone skills of empathy by acting roles from different situations, time periods, and cultures.
• To learn voice projection, articulation of words, fluency with language, and persuasive speech.
• To perform for an audience, and to be a member of an audience.

Big Questions

• What is the purpose of theatre?
• What motivates a person to make theatre?
• What motivates a person to perform?
• How can I create an authentic performance?
• Is Shakespeare relevant today?
• Can acting skills be learnt?
• How and why do actors and directors make choices?

Curriculum Content                                                         

Year 7

Term 1

Rules of the Drama Room

Building the foundations of a Playful Environment:  various drama games throughout the year

Stage Walk-Ups

Desert Island Challenge 

An introduction to Mime

Proverbs

Pantomimes

Term 2

Medieval Drama, Morality Plays:  Chaucer; The Pardoner’s Tale; The Seven Deadly Sins

Elizabethan Drama:  Shakespeare’s Macbeth

An introduction to design: 

The Monkey’s Paw

Term 3  

Top Dog

A Midsummer Night’s Dream                                         

Year 8

The activities below are designed to practice and develop skills and techniques introduced in Year 7.

Term 1

News Reports/ documentaries

Scripts; duologues for teens, from page to stage

Term 2

Didactic Theatre and Theatre in Education; Railway Safety

Advertising; students create their own products and advertise them

Term 3

Harry Rings, Lord of Potters

Puppetry, including designing and making puppets and puppet theatres.                                                                                           

Year 9

AQA GCSE Drama (8261)

Introduction to Drama

Creating a Playful Ensemble:

Shakespeare Schools Festival

Students are introduced to key Drama Skills and Techniques by working as an ensemble to take a play from page to stage.

Assessed as Texts in Practice Revision of key performance/design skills developed in the first half term; students evaluate what they have learnt in their Shakespeare performance.

This will have application to Component 1:

Understanding Drama- Knowledge and understanding of drama and theatre

Students will record key drama and theatre terms in a workbook.

Students will produce a written evaluation of their work.

Theatrical Practitioner:  Stanislavski

Students will continue to explore acting skills and techniques through a variety of drama games and activities

Students keep a written Drama Diary

Component 2:  Introduction to devising

Stimulus based on last term’s SSF play.

Mock Component 2 Performance

Component 1C:  one question (from a choice) on the work of theatre makers in a single live theatre production

Students see a live performance

Students study this in class

Component 3:  Texts in Practice

Students explore a selection of texts across a variety of styles, genres and time-periods.

Students work in groups of 2-6 to create performances.

Mock Component 3 Performance      Design Skills

All students create costume or set designs for a specific design brief.

Assessed exhibition                                                     

Year 10

Component 1, Section B: Set play

Play choices

Arthur Miller:  The Crucible

Willy Russell:  Blood Brothers

John Buchan/Patrick Barlow; The 39 Steps

Carl Grose (Kneehigh Theatre) Hansel and Gretel

Malorie Blackman/Dominic Cooke:

Noughts and Crosses

William Shakespeare:  A Midsummer Night's Dream

Develop knowledge and understanding of the characteristics and context of the play.

Exploring ideas for how the play may be interpreted practically.

Component 1 Mock:  Section B (Performance question)

Component 1,  Section B: Set Play

Design Project

All students create costume, lighting or set designs for set play.

Students learn key production roles and terms

Students take part in research activities

Students learn about the importance of costume/set/lighting/sound in creating atmosphere, highlighting themes , realising character etc

Students learn key lighting terminology etc

Students learn key sound terminology etc

Component 1 Mock:  Section B

(Design Question)

Mock Component 2: Research and devising                                  

(See Year 9 Spring 1)

Assessment:  Research notes and log book

Mock Component 2: Rehearsals, performance and devising lo

Component 1, Section C

Mock question on live performance

Component 3:  Performance Skills Workshops

Students explore a selection of texts across a variety of styles, genres and time periods.

Assessed Work Books:  The History of Theatre

Component 3: Mock Performance

Students work in groups of 2-6 to create performances.

Students peer mark work, using AQA Assessment grid.

Feedback and teacher assessment                                                                                          

Year 11

Component 3: Selection of scripts.

                           Rehearsals

Component 2: Visiting examiner

Component 2: Devising: research and development

Component 3:  Recorded performance and devising logs

Component 1:  Revision of Roles and Responsibilities               

                          Revision of set text

                          Theatre notes for Response to

                          Live Performance

Component 1: Summer examination                                                                                      

Year 12

AQA Drama and Theatre Studies (7262)

An introduction to key practitioners, Stanislavski, Brecht and Berkoff

Study of scripts and application of practitioners’ techniques etc

Devised performance in style of ONE of these practitioners – assessed

Set text:  Hedda Gabler

Scripted Performance

Response to Live Theatre                                                

Year 13

TBC

Will include:  monologues, devising and study of second text.