Drama & Theatre Studies
INTRODUCTION
Drama is a popular subject at St Benedict’s. You may choose to take Drama and Theatre if you have an interest in how play texts are brought to life in performance. You may have gained this from being involved in productions or from seeing live theatre.
Drama A level is open to anyone who has a genuine interest in performance. Students who have not taken GCSE Drama are welcome to apply and will be required to attend a short interview/audition to discuss their suitability. In following this course you will gain a deeper understanding of how theatre works and you will have opportunities to be a performer and an active audience member.
GCSE
GCSE Drama focuses on the practical exploration of performance texts. The exam is in three units:
Devising - an exciting opportunity to work collaboratively with others to explore a range of stimuli in order to create an original performance piece.
Performance and Text - the study of a complete play text and the performance of two key extracts.
Written Exam - the practical exploration of a set text as an actor, designer and director.
A Level
This thought-provoking, challenging and exciting course allows students to perform their own plays as well as scripted texts. Theatre trips are an integral component of the A level course.
Students are encouraged to work independently and as part of a team to develop their creative and exploratory skills in order to devise an original performance. They explore how to realise their artistic intentions in performance by studying and performing key extracts from performance texts in addition to a chosen monologue or duologue.
The written component of the course requires pupils to consider, analyse and evaluate how different theatre makers create impact. Students consider how production ideas and dramatic elements are communicated to an audience from the perspective of a director, a performer and a designer.