Hellesdon High School

Drama

Drama at Hellesdon High School provides a creative and collaborative classroom focus for young people, with an emphasis on a development of speaking and listening skills to prepare them for life after school.

Drama - Education and experience

Over the three years at KS3, students are given the opportunity to explore a wide variety of theatrical styles and conventions, throughout history and across different cultures.

Although KS3 drama has a primarily practical focus, all pupils contribute towards the making, performing and evaluating of theatre in lessons, learning transferable problem solving and collaborative working skills: 

  • Making - How well pupils work collaboratively, suggesting ideas and supporting group members; development of confidence and focused attentiveness to the work at hand, problem solving group working issues, being imaginative and creative
  • Performing - Practical skill development: how well pupils can communicate their aims and intentions to an audience via their physical and vocal skills. How well they can create and sustain a role
  • Evaluating - Developing oracy in the verbal critique of / response to live performance with well-articulated justification for opinions offered, setting own targets for development based on feedback from teachers and other pupils

Assessment takes place in the form of practical exploration and performance skills, supplemented with revision of key vocabulary which should be developed into verbal feedback. These three years provide a solid foundation of knowledge and skills to begin the AQA Drama GCSE.

 

 

 

Examination Courses

Key Stage 4 - AQA GCSE Drama

AQA GCSE Drama is an exciting practical exploration of performance, literature and communication skills. Students are able to work collaboratively to develop their own theatre as well as studying the work of prominent theatre practitioners. The course is designed for students to do what they like best, participate in performance and is made up of three components:

Component 1: Understanding Drama (Written exam: 1hr & 45mins)

80 Marks

40% of GCSE

What’s involved?  This component is a written exam in which students are assessed on their knowledge and understanding of how drama and theatre is developed and performed, including in connection to a set play and on their ability to analyse and evaluate the live theatre work of others.

Component 2: Devising Drama (practical)

Devising log (60 marks)

Devised performance (20 marks)

80 marks in total

40% of GCSE

What’s involved?  This is a practical component in which students are assessed on their ability to create and develop ideas to communicate meaning for theatrical performance, and on their ability to apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performances and analyse and evaluate their own work.

Component 3: Texts in Practice (practical)

Performance of Extract 1 (20 marks) and Extract 2 (20 marks)

40 marks in total

20% of GCSE

What’s involved?  This is a practical component in which students are assessed on their ability to apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance.

As performers, students will:

  • Learn how to commit dialogue to memory for devised performances and/or learn text they are performing for text-based performances
  • Develop the ability to interpret and/or create and perform a character as appropriate to the demands of the performance x develop a range of vocal skills and techniques e.g. clarity of diction, inflection, accent, intonation and phrasing; pace, pause and timing; projection, pitch; emotional range; song and/or choral speaking.
  • Develop a range of physical skills and techniques e.g. movement, body language, posture, gesture, gait, co-ordination, stillness, timing, control; facial expression; eye contact, listening, expression of mood; spatial awareness; interaction with other performers; dance and choral movement
  • Develop an appropriate performer/audience relationship and ensure sustained engagement throughout the performance

Transferable skills:

You learn to collaborate with others, think analytically and evaluate effectively. You gain the confidence to pursue your own ideas, reflect and refine your efforts. Whatever the future holds, students of GCSE Drama emerge with a toolkit of transferable skills, applicable both in further studies and in the workplace.

 

Key Stage 5 - AQA Drama and Theatre

AQA Drama and Theatre

The AQA A Level Drama and Theatre course focus, is on the direction and performance of plays throughout history and the critical analysis of live theatre seen on stage. One of the main appeals of the subject is the emphasis on group activities, so the learning takes place through the shared experience of watching theatre and of making drama as part of a group.

 

A‐level Drama and Theatre Studies is for students who enjoy reading and watching plays, and taking part in them, whether performing, directing or designing sets and costumes. This course will help students to develop their knowledge and understanding of a range of practical drama skills including:

  • Acting and performing/ Directing/ Costume/set designing/ Technical design
  • Understanding of the major theatrical styles
  • Performance techniques – interpretation, voice, physicality, stage relationships with others
  • Design skills – interpretation, visual and design impacts, set creation, Lighting and sound design, special effects, technology and appropriate equipment.
  • Confidence, team‐building, communication and problem solving

 

Component 1: Drama and theatre (Written Exam open book: 3hours)

80 marks

40% of A‐level

 

What’s involved?  This component is a written exam in which students are assessed on their knowledge and understanding of how drama and theatre is developed and performed, including in connection to a set play and on their ability to analyse and evaluate the live theatre work of others.

  • Section A: One question from a choice of two from A Servant to two Masters by Carlo Goldoni (25 marks/ 1 hour)
  • Section B: Three ten mark questions from the play Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker (30 marks/ 1 hour)
  • Section C: One question from a choice of four on the work of theatre makers in a single live theatre production (25 marks/ 1 hour)

 

Component 2: Creating original drama (practical and coursework)

 

Working notebook coursework (40 marks)

Devised performance (20 marks)

60 marks in total

30% of A‐level

 

What’s involved?  Process of creating an original piece of devised drama from a stimulus of the pupils selection. 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

 

Component 3: Making theatre (practical and coursework)

 

Performance of Extract 3 (40 marks)

Reflective report coursework (20 marks)

60 marks in total

30% of A‐level

 

What’s involved?  Practical exploration and interpretation of three extracts (Extract 1, 2 and 3) each taken from a different play.  Methodology of a prescribed practitioner must be applied to Extract 3. This 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