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It
is useful to have taken Drama at GCSE level but not essential. It is important
that candidates are interested in gaining a greater understanding of how
theatre and plays work and are keen to be involved with performances.
The
course demands practical, creative and communication skills in almost
equal measure. Candidates will extend their ability to create drama and
theatre, either in a performing or production role. They will also be
required to write about drama and to develop their powers of analysis
to become an informed critic. The course will involve taking part in drama
productions, as well as studying plays and playwrights.
Candidates
need to be curious about issues and ideas and have a creative instinct
for communicating their views through drama. They may be keen on acting,
writing or on the visual and technical side of theatre and wish to develop
their skills in some or all of these areas. Equally they will be interested
in going to the theatre to see plays performed by different theatre companies.
Course
Content : AS-level
Unit 1
This unit forms an introduction to the detailed study of two plays
from the point of view of performers, designers and directors. Centres
can select their own published texts for study within a specified
selection framework .Students demonstrate their interpretation and
understanding of the two texts by exploring them in practical workshops
and completing a set of ‘Exploration Notes’. The ‘Exploration
Notes’ may include drawings, diagrams and conclusions drawn
from practical work and discussion work. This unit will also introduce
students to a basic vocabulary of drama and theatre to be applied
throughout the qualification.
The coursework portfolio will be marked by the teacher and externally
moderated (60 marks)
(15%).
Unit 2
In this unit students will undertake an acting or design role within
the production of a play. The text must be different from those studied
in any other unit. Students will be assessed on the effective use of
performing or design skills as applied to the text and the way in which
they communicate their interpretation of a play to an audience. The
performance will be externally assessed by the visiting examiner (80
marks) (20%).
Unit 3
This unit requires students to demonstrate their understanding of the
play studied and performed in Unit 2 and their understanding of a
play seen in performance. Students will need to keep ‘Context
Summary Notes’ that will record their ideas about the social,
cultural and/or historical influences on the play performed in Unit
2. Students will also need to keep ‘Performance Analysis Notes’ of
a ‘live’ theatre production they have seen. The ‘live’ production
can be of any play except that studied for Unit 2.
In the examination students will be required to answer two questions.
Section A will test their understanding of the way in which the play
performed in Unit 2 was influenced by social, cultural and/or historical
conditions. Section B will test their understanding of the ways in
which playwrights, directors, designers and/or performers have used
drama to create theatre within the context of a live theatre performance.
This unit will be marked by an external examiner (60 marks) and is
an externally examined written paper (2 hours) (15%)
Course
Content : A2-level
Unit 4
For this unit, students work on the process of devising an original piece
of drama for presentation to an audience. This can be based on a suitable
stimulus set by the centre and/or created for a specific audience.
Within the process and performance, students will be assessed on their
individual contribution. Each student will keep a ‘Structured
Record’ that enables him or her to reflect upon and analyse the
process. Students may use ideas, genre, forms or techniques explored
in other units as the basis for their work. The work must be performed
from a script or a set of written instructions created by the group.
Whilst there may be elements of the performance that are planned to
be spontaneous, the structure of the piece and the roles within in
it should be pre-determined.
The teacher will provide a mark for the Structured Record, and a mark
for the performance. The mark will reflect the student’s achievement
both during the process and in the final performance.
This unit is internally assessed and externally moderated (20%).
Unit 5
This unit focuses on the in-depth study of one further play studied from
the point of view of a director, designer or performer. Students will
explore the chosen play and select an appropriate scene or montage of
scenes to demonstrate the essence of their interpretation in a workshop
performance. Students can be assessed on their contribution to the performance
as a performer, designer or as a director.
This unit will be marked by a visiting examiner (60 marks) and is an
externally examined Practical test (15%). This unit forms part of the
synoptic assessment.
Unit 6
This unit requires detailed study of two prescribed plays. In Section
A, one play from a choice of two is studied from the point of view of
a director and students will be required to develop and shape their ideas
for a fully thought through production. The choice in this section for
2005-6 is either The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay or The Trojan Women
by Euripides. In Section B students are required to study and research
the production history of a play written and performed between 1575 and
1720 and to evaluate the ways in which directors, designers and performers
have used the medium of drama to interpret the chosen play. This should
include a contemporary production of the play seen at first hand.
Section A (10%) will require students to relate their ideas for the whole
play to an extract set in the examination and to articulate their knowledge
and understanding of the social, cultural and/or historical contexts
of the play.
Section B (5%) will require students to compare two productions of the
play that they have researched and to evaluate the effectiveness of the
way in which the medium of drama has been used to create the performances.
This unit will be marked by an external examiner (60 marks) and is an
externally examined written paper (2½ hours) (15%). This unit
forms part of the synoptic assessment.
This AS/A-level can lead to further study in Drama, Theatre Studies
and Performing Arts in Higher Education at degree level. It can be used
as part of a course to broaden studies and may lead on to a career in
the performing arts industries.
Drama and Theatre Studies AS/A-level complements a range of subjects
and is useful in building confidence and improving presentation skills
in a range of careers.
R.M.
Jackson
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