Drama continues to be an extremely popular subject with the students and attainment is high. Students are given opportunities to learn a variety of Drama skills, from role-plays and script work, through to more advanced techniques such as forum theatre, marking the moment and using symbolism. Furthermore, the learning of these skills is embedded within a broad and varied curriculum, which encompasses everyday contemporary life and experience; as well as addressing historical and cultural events and perspectives. We are lucky to have a state of the art Drama studio, that is fully equipped with stage lighting and sound technology. This allows students to access an authentic experience of professional stage acting.
Topics covered in Drama are detailed below
| Unit 1 – Introduction to Drama | This 10 lesson unit offers an introduction to Drama as a different kind of subject and learning experience. Students work with a variety of themes to explore different drama and acting techniques and explore characterisation. Some examples of techniques learned are freeze-frames, narration, thought-tracking, mime, physical skills, vocal skills etc. The unit ends with an assessed devised piece, where students work in groups to create a piece that showcases the skills they have learned. |
| Unit 2 – Bullying and Brecht | An 8 lesson introduction to one of the lead Drama practitioners, Bertolt Brecht whilst addressing and exploring the sensitive theme of bullying. Students work on the same piece of drama lesson by lesson incorporating different Brechtian techniques, such as direct audience address; symbolic props and use of placards. The unit ends with a devised piece about bullying, incorporating the techniques they have learned. |
| Unit 3 – Melodrama | A 7 lesson exploration of the genre Melodrama, which is taught in light of previous learning and considers the overlap with Brechtian theatre. Students will learn about the genre and stock characters – and use this learning to work collaboratively to produce a piece that incorporates both melodramatic and Brechtian styles. |
| Unit 4 – Chicken | In these 12 lessons, students have the opportunity to work with Mark Wheeller’s ‘Chicken,’ a gripping Theatre in Education (TIE) script that tells the harrowing story of a dare gone horribly wrong. Students continue to build on learning around Brecht and melodrama, continually linking throughout. During this unit, students have the opportunity to explore characterisation, stage blocking and playwright intentions and create their own TIE piece. |
| Unit 1 – Missing Dan Nolan | Building on the working with scripts unit in Y7, the students work with this script on a deeper level, exploring characterisation, different vocal dynamics as well as the significance of movement, positioning and space. Students will have the opportunity to create their own docudramas about a social issue that they care about as well as performing an extract from the script in the format of AQA GCSE Drama component 3. |
| Unit 2 – Artaud | 8 lessons looking into the life and work of Drama Practitioner, Antonin Artaud. He created surrealist Drama and his ideas (if a little scary) made for exciting and creative Drama. Students learn about his ideas around bringing their dreams and nightmares to life in unusual, yet riveting ways |
| Unit 3 – The Island | An exciting unit of work, where the class effectively work as a cast of actors to produce a performable play. ‘The Island,’ is loosely based on William Golding’s, ‘The Lord of the Flies,’ and students create characters, who following a plane crash, end up marooned on a desert Island. Once there, the class decides the outcome of their story within a number of lessons in which they create their own plot ideas and scenes leading up to the climax of their play. |
| Unit 4 – Trestle Masks | Students get the opportunity to work with these wonderful masks and understand the particular skills and techniques associated with mask work in theatre. Through this, not only do they get to work with a whole new genre, but also build on their work around mime, space, movement and positioning. |
| Unit 1 - The key Drama Practitioners | Students are introduced to the work of Constantin Stanislavski and his naturalistic theatre as well as re-capping the ideas of Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud. This unit is designed to set them up for the year ahead as they will be performing and devising drama on a much deeper and more independent level and have ownership over the styles and techniques they deem appropriate. |
| Unit 2 - Our Day Out, by Willy Russell | Students have the opportunity to work with this classic play about a group of under-privileged students who are taken on an eventful school trip. Students will be expected to perform a duologue from the play as well as working on the theory side of understanding Drama. They will complete AQA GCSE Drama component 1 written exam style questions as well as experiencing the demands of a component 3 practical Drama exam. |
| Unit 3 - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Live Theatre Review | Students have the opportunity to work with this classic play about a group of under-privileged students who are taken on an eventful school trip. Students will be expected to perform a duologue from the play as well as working on the theory side of understanding Drama. They will complete AQA GCSE Drama component 1 written exam style questions as well as experiencing the demands of a component 3 practical Drama exam. |
| Unit 4 – Devising Drama | Students will watch a recording of this wonderful play in lesson, during which they will be introduced to the work of Frantic Assembly, who create drama with an emphasis on collaboration and physicality. The students will then be guided through how to write a successful theatre review as they potentially would do in an AQA Drama GCSE component 1 exam. |
| Unit 5 - Drama GCSE Crash Course | In the last term, year 9 students complete a whistle-stop crash course through all 3 components of AQA GCSE Drama. Included in this unit is working with another script, Mark Wheeller’s Hard to Swallow, as well as completing a number of practical and theory based exam style tasks. There is also an opportunity for students to learn about the specific skills around creating and performing a successful monologue. |
Learning Journey
For more information about Drama in the Curriculum please speak to the Head of Department.
