Drama

Year 7 Overview for Drama

Overview Autumn Term:
Basic Skills, Commedia Del’Arte, Juxtaposition. Students will develop skills in Mime, Still Images, Blocking, Performing a script, Devising and Performing, Commedia Del’Arte characters and conventions, and Juxtaposition in performance. Students will understand how to devise, rehearse and perform.

Overview Spring Term:

Basic Skills, Commedia Del’Arte, Juxtaposition. Students will develop skills in Mime, Still Images, Blocking, Performing a script, Devising and Performing, Commedia Del’Arte characters and conventions, and Juxtaposition in performance. Students will understand how to devise, rehearse and perform.

Overview Summer Term:
Differentiating status. Students will develop skills in Status through Levels and Characterisation, Historical, Social and Cultural contexts, Music and Sound, Transitions, Spotlighting, Character development from stimulus, Character relationships, Climax/Anti-climax. Students will understand how to demonstrate status, how to work from a stimulus, and how to develop characters and show character relationships.

Assessments:

Autumn Term: Performance of a Commedia Del’Arte character through Juxtaposition.
Spring Term: performance incorporating naturalism and documentary theatre through a devised piece of Drama.
Summer Term: Performance utilising Drama conventions taught through Year 7.

 

Year 8 Overview for Drama

Overview Autumn Term:
Silent Movies, Physical Theatre, Personification Mime, Manipulation Mime, Linear Mime, symbolism. Students will understand how to incorporate elements of non-verbal communication into a performance piece.

Overview Spring Term:
Greek Theatre, Chorus, Narration, Aside, Clocking, Shakespeare, Stage Combat, Soliloquy, Working off script. Students will develop an understanding of theatrical conventions through the ages from ancient Greek to Shakespearean theatre.

Overview Summer Term:
Playwright’s intentions, Genre, Style, Convention; Script writing, directing; Augustus Boal, Audience interaction. Students will develop a more technical understanding of drama and theatre from playwright and director’s perspectives.

Assessments:

Autumn Term: A demonstration of practical understanding of the Silent Movie genre, incorporating the mime techniques: Personification, Manipulation and Linear Mime with Symbolism.
Spring Term: Performance of a Shakespeare piece incorporating Shakespeare and Greek Theatre conventions.
Summer Term: A practical piece incorporating Genre, Style and Convention, demonstrating devising and directing abilities.

 

Year 9 Overview for Drama

Overview Autumn Term:
Shakespeare Schools Festival performance and texts Artaudian Theatre through Nightmares. Students will engage with an abridged Shakespeare performance to take place on a professional staging with the Shakespeare Schools Festival. Students will realise the Dramatic potential of Nightmares as a stimulus.

Overview Spring Term:
Brechtian conventions: Epic Theatre, Alienation/Distancing effect, Breaking the fourth wall, Placards, Narration and Song; Physical Theatre conventions: Manipulation Mime, Personification Mime, Linear Mime. Students will understand the Dramatic potential of Physical Theatre, and understand Brechtian theatre and conventions

Overview Summer Term:
Musical Theatre, Artaudian Theatre, Devising. Students will prepare for their Drama GCSE Component 1 Devising with a build up to a mock exam, utilising their subject knowledge to produce a new theatre piece.

Assessments:

Autumn term: Practical performance with the Shakespeare Schools Festival
Spring term: Performance incorporating Brechtian Conventions and Physical Theatre.
Summer term: Performance incorporating Artaudian Theatre; Devised Performance Piece

 

Year 10 Overview for Drama

Overview Autumn Term:
Characterisation, Physical Theatre – students will reprise their earlier studies of Physical Theatre and explore more advanced techniques including Physical Theatre groups such as DV8 and Frantic Assembly; and practitioners such as Steven Berkoff.

Overview Spring Term:
Characterisation, Physical Theatre – students will reprise their earlier studies of Physical Theatre and explore more advanced techniques including Physical Theatre groups such as DV8 and Frantic Assembly; and practitioners such as Steven Berkoff.

Overview Summer Term:
Expressionism, Performing from Extracts: Students will engage with Expressionistic Theatre and prepare for the Component 2 Performing from Extracts

Assessments:

Autumn term: Characterisation and Physical Theatre practical performances
Spring term: Written Review, Practical Brecht, Artaud, and Semiotics and Proxemics Performances
Summer term: Expressionism and Performing from Extracts Mock Exam

Events and Trips:

Live theatre performance for review

Other useful resources that may help to support your child with their learning:

 

Year 11 Overview for Drama

Overview Autumn Term:
Autumn term: Characterisation and Physical Theatre practical performances
Spring term: Written Review, Practical Brecht, Artaud, and Semiotics and Proxemics Performances
Summer term: Expressionism and Performing from Extracts Mock Exam

Overview Spring Term:
Perform two extracts to demonstrate the extent of theatrical skills. Students will understand how to showcase the full range of their theatrical skills.

Overview Summer Term:
Students will complete the Drama GCSE examination. Students will answer questions based on the play text Hard to Swallow, and the live performance they have seen during the year.

Assessments:

Autumn Term: Devising Theatre – Performance, Portfolio and Evaluation
Spring Term: Performing from a text  – Performance
Summer Term: Interpreting Theatre (Written Exam) (Hard to Swallow)

 

Year 12 Overview for Drama and Theatre

Overview Autumn Term:
Produce a refined and coherent piece of theatre, utilise an appropriate selection of Dramatic conventions, forms and techniques to communicate meaning.

Overview Spring Term:
Respond to a stimulus through two contrasting performances, interpret a text extract in the context of the whole text.

Overview Summer Term:
Respond to questions based on contrasting texts and performances

Assessments:

Autumn term: Text Extract Workshop
Spring term: Text in Action
Summer term: Text in Performance

 

Year 13 Overview for Drama & Theatre Studies

Overview Autumn Term:
Students will complete their Component 1 final performance based on a re-interpretation of the text extract from London Road.

Overview Spring Term:
Students will complete their Component 2 devised performance and contrasting extract piece

Overview Summer Term:
Students will study Machinal and Saved play texts to answer written exam questions, along with the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Assessments:

Autumn term: Component 1 Re-Interpretation Performance from London Road
Spring term: Component 2 Devised Performance and Extract Performance
Summer term: Written Examination from Machinal, Saved and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime