Our aim as a department is to provide students with opportunities to be curious and enjoy exploring different forms of expression, working as creators and performers first and foremost but also as critics, analysing and evaluating what they see and do. We aim to grow the confidence of our students as they develop their skills in Drama and gain an array of transferrable skills that Drama offers.
Drama at KS3 is taught through developing the three main skills of devising, performing and evaluating. By doing so, we provide a foundation for KS4 and 5, with these skills being the basis of GCSE and A Level courses in Drama. We also aim to explore a variety of different genres, styles, practitioners and technical skills to give students a broad taste of the subject and best prepare them for the demands of GCSE/ A Level and beyond.
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/drama-and-theatre-2016.html
Key questions/concepts
What is Drama?
What are the core skills needed in drama?
What is mime and how can we use it?
How can we use physicality and movement to create characters?
How can we use physical theatre to create effects?
Timeframe
Key vocabulary
Wider reading
What is a stimulus?
How can we interpret a stimulus to generate dramatic ideas?
How can we use thought tracking and still image to explore characters?
What is soundscape and how can we use it to create effects?
How can we use flashbacks to structure our Drama?
What happened with the disaster of the Titanic in April 1912?
How might the passengers feel in the moments leading up to the sinking?
How can we communicate emotions in a piece of drama?
How can we use movement to depict the events of the night of April 15th?
How can we communicate the status or class of a character?
How might you characterise the characters in Matilda?
How might you use vocal and physical skills to portray Miss Trunchbull's authority?
How might you show contrast between the characters of Miss Honey and Miss Trunchbull?
How could you use physical theatre to create 'The Chokey'?
How might you use choral skills to interpret dialogue from the musical 'Matilda'?
How can we use vocal skills to create a character?
How can we use movement skills to create a character?
How can we use physicality to create a character?
What is a monologue and how can we use it in a piece of drama?
How can we use interactions and reactions to communicate relationships?
What is melodrama?
What are the features of a melodrama?
What stock gestures can we use in a piece of melodrama?
What does an actor need to do to create the melodramatic style of acting?
How does melodrama link with the popular modern theatre of Pantomime?
How can we use cross-cutting to show shifts in time and place?
How can we use pause and silence to create dramatic tension?
How can we interpret dialogue to stage a scene from the play?
How can we deliver Shakespearean dialogue to have impact on a contemporary audience?
How can we demonstrate the emotions of a character through vocal and physical skills?
How can we use non-verbal communication to communicate with an audience?
How can we use gesture to mark moments?
How can use props to create semiotics and symbolise characters?
How can music be used to heighten emotion and create atmosphere?
How can we reflect the passing of time through semiotics, transitions and structure?
How can we physically create Wonderland using physical theatre/ body props?
How can we dramatise extracts from a novel and bring the book to life?
How can we use voice to characterise and create contrast?
How can we use movement skills to create visually interesting drama?
How can we use synchronisation and mirroring to demonstrate connection between characters?
How can we make a piece of Drama naturalistic in style?
How can we use Stanislavskian theory to create naturalistic characters?
How can we make a piece of Drama non-naturalistic in style?
How can we use Brechtian theory to create non-naturalistic drama?
What are the differences between naturalistic and non-naturalistic theatre?
How can we physically and vocally characterise a child-like character?
How can we interpret characters and communicate character relationships?
How does a characters context impact their life experiences?
How can a playwright show a character's context through their use of dialogue?
How can we show a character's journey through our acting skills?
Who is Antonin Artaud and what his theatre style like?
How did Artaud put the emphasis on the audience opposed to actor?
How does the playwright of 'The Woman in Black' use Artaudian techniques?
How could 'The Woman in Black' be staged to make it Artaudian in style?
What are the different theatrical staging types?
What are semiotics?
How can we create symbols in drama?
How can we create poignant moments of drama?
How can we use Brechtian techniques to communicate ideas?
What impact can Brechtian style have on an audience?
What is a Verbatim play?
How can we stage a play-text to create impact?
What is physical theatre?
How can an eating disorder impact somebody's mental health?
How can mental health impact relationships/ families?
What is a chorus of actors?
What techniques can be used to create a chorus?
What techniques can be used to create comedy?
How can we interpret and stage a play-text to create a chorus/ comedy?
How can we use Artaudian techniques to create theatrical impact?
How does the playwright use context to construct the play-text BB?
How do the characters/ their relationship develop across the play-text?
What are the themes/ issues in the play and how are these communicated?
How might you stage sections of the play-text to create impact?
How can design elements be used to communicate themes/ creating meaning?
How can lighting be used to impact audiences?
How can costume be used to communicate with an audience?
How can sound be used to create dramatic impact?
How can actors use vocal and physical skills to impact their audience?
How can set design/ props be used to communicate ideas/ themes/ context?
How can we interpret a play-text?
How can we interpret characters and achieve successful characterisation?
How can we interpret dialogue in a play-text and deliver lines with meaning?
What can we do physically to create a character?
What can we do to show character development/ journey/ relationships?
What makes a successful piece of drama?
How can we use practitioner theory to create interesting pieces of Drama?
How can we structure our drama in different ways to create impact?
What design elements can we use to enhance our drama pieces?
How can we use theatrical techniques and drama skills to impact audience?
How can we use Stanislavski's method/system to create interesting characters?
How can we use Brechtian techniques to create drama with impact?
How can we use Artaud's techniques to create drama which attacks the senses?
How can we use Frantic Assembly's techniques to create drama which attacks the senses?
How we can combine different styles of theatre to create impact?
How does Polly Stenham portray the characters and their relationships?
How do the past experiences of the characters appear through subtext in the play?
What is the context of the play and how is it communicated?
How do the character relationships develop as the play progresses?
How does mental health impact the characters and their behaviours?
How can lighting designers enhance a production?
How can costume designers communicate with an audience?
How can sound design be used to create dramatic impact?
How can actors use vocal, movement and physicality to impact their audience?
What dramatic ideas are inspired by your stimulus extract?
How can you incorporate current affairs and topical issues into your exploration?
How might you use practitioner theory to influence your work?
How will you create poignant moments for your audience?
What are your artistic intentions and does your piece have a strong message?
How does Aristophanes use the conventions of Greek comedy in Lysistrata?
What role do the chorus play in Lysistrata? How might they be directed?
How might the play have been staged in the context of a Greek amphitheatre?
How might the play be conceptualised to make it relevant to a modern audience?
How may the theories of Bertolt Brecht be applied to the staging of this play for a modern audience?
What can we do to physically create characterisation?
How can we use writing frames/scaffolds to structure our responses?
What technical language can we use to gain marks?
How should we incorporate context into our exam responses?
What level of detail do we need to include for the various mark bands?
How should we approach the exam paper and the timings of our responses?
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