Drama

Drama at GCSE


We follow the WJEC board Drama syllabus at GCSE level, as this gives us many opportunities to give the students ownership of their own work. Their first assessed piece of work is a devised piece where the students - taking influence from practical work done in Year Ten and working directly from one of three possible stimuluses' given by the board - create their own play for performance, taking into consideration their chosen skill, whether that be acting, lighting, set, sound or costume. Additionally, the group are expected to understand and show an awareness of all elements of theatre craft within their final production. They also will perform a scripted piece, which they will select from a group of given options, tailored particularly to enhance the ensemble's natural strengths. There is also a written exam set on a classic text that has been explored practically in class. Within this section each student also has the opportunity to design and justify a detailed set for their given piece.

AS and A2 Drama and Theatre Studies

As well as practically exploring two contrasting texts in the first term, the students have their first sense of autonomy in the Easter term when they select their own monologue and as a group select an appropriate scripted piece that they will as actors, set designers, costume designers or technical designers create to a high performance standard. In the second year student's own ideas are again very much ultilised and their own artistic ambitions pursued within the devised piece, based on a given stimulus. This is a popular section of course and many audience members look forward to it as an original piece which highlights the students innovative and imaginative theatrical ideas. The students also explore Lysistrata by Aristophanes and again, like the GCSE above, are given the opportunity to interpret this famous Greek Comedy in their own way, designing costumes, set and directorial interpretation first practically and then in written form.

Examination Boards: