DRAMA

DRAMA
Head of Department: Mrs W McGuire
Syllabus:
Edexcel GCSE Drama (www.edexcel.com)
The Course
What do I need to know, or be able to do, before taking this course?
You will have had experience of drama during Key Stage 3 in drama lessons and in English lessons. You may also be a member of a drama club. Any of these experiences can help if you choose drama as a GCSE subject. You will develop your improvisation and acting skills to a higher level. You will also look at plays in more detail and at different ways of bringing a script to life on stage. If you are more interested in the technical aspects of drama (for example set design or lighting) you could focus on these for part of the course.
What will I learn?
You will learn how drama is created, including all the acting and staging skills that are needed to put a piece of drama on to the stage. You will learn many other skills that are highly valued in any walk of life. These include teamwork and confidently presenting yourself in public.

Time Allocation:
2 hours per week

Future Education Opportunities:
A Level courses in Drama, Theatre Studies, Performing Arts, Diplomas in Speech and Drama, Musical Theatre, Performing Arts, Applied Drama, Theatre Studies, BTEC National Performing Arts
Assessment:
Unit 1 - Drama Exploration (30%)
This is a controlled, practical assessment devised by the teacher and will take place over several lessons. Students will write up a maximum of 2,000 words on the work, under supervised conditions.
Unit 2 - Exploring Play Texts (20%) and Response to Live Theatre (10%)
This is a controlled, practical assessment that will be based on a play text and will take place over several lessons. For the Response to Live Theatre, students will write an essay (maximum 2,000 words) in response to their experience of a live production. This production can be of a published or an unpublished work. It can be performed by professionals or amateurs in any venue.
Unit 3 - Drama Performance (40%)
Students will produce a scripted or devised play and perform it to an audience that will include a visiting examiner. The production must follow a brief set by the exam board, Edexcel.

Future Career Opportunities:
Actor/Actress Stage manager
Drama teacher
Television producer/production assistant
Reporter Box office manager
PR/Marketing Producer
Arts administrator Drama therapist
Radio presenter Director
Set designer Costume /make-up

Stage lighting
Arts Development Officer
Lecturer in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies