Drama
Year 12 Aims:
- To develop our students’ knowledge of the performing arts sector alongside other fields of study
- To understand the role and skills of a performer
- To explore vocational pathways within the performing arts sector and develop a deeper understanding of the suitability and appropriateness of each route.
- To apply performance skills and techniques to live performance
- To develop critical and analytical skills of performance works
- To develop appropriate skills and techniques in various performance styles.
- To further support your learning you will be offered the opportunity to attend local, national and international theatre visits.
- You will also participate in workshops with professional performers and practitioners and are encouraged to independently apply to local drama groups and agencies
Year 12 consist of two units both mandatory.
The structure has been developed in consultation with academics to ensure that it supports progression to higher education. The assessment structure is also designed so that students can build on what they learn, and develop their skills, as they move through the course.
Unit 1 - Investigating Practitioners work -External set task/ 90 guided leaning hours
- You will research 3 chosen practitioners and explore the political, social and cultural influences of each practitioner.
- You will watch the live work of each practitioner and identify how the work relates to the theme identified in the set task.
- You will compare and contrast your practitioners in relation to the theme of the set task.
- You will be assessed in an external 3-hour written exam.
Unit 2 - Developing Skills and Techniques for Live Performance – Internal task 90 guided learning hours
- You will research and explore employment opportunities in the arts creating a portfolio of routes, skills and the demands of the performance sector
- You will participate in workshops, classes and exercise where you acquire, practice and develop the necessary technical, practical and interpretive skills when performing to a live audience.
- You will work with existing performance works, analysing and interpreting the material through written and practical approaches.
Year 13 Aims:
- To research and explore the development of devised and innovative theatre
- To investigate international practitioners and companies and apply their techniques to a devised or scripted performance
- To develop skills in creating original work
- To apply vocal and physical work to original performances.
- To review and refine development of own performance.
- To compare and contrast the demands of performance styles on both actors and audience.
- To further support your learning, you will be offered the opportunity to attend local, national and international theatre visits.
- You will also participate in workshops with professional performers and practitioners and are encouraged to independently apply to local drama groups and agencies.
Year 13 consists of two units one mandatory one optional.
The structure has been developed in consultation with academics to ensure that it supports progression to higher education. The assessment structure is also designed so that students can build on what they learn, and develop their skills, as they move through the course.
Unit 19 - Acting styles – Internal 90 Guided leaning hours
- You will research a range of practitioners and consider their style and its demands on the actor.
- You will participate in practical workshops developing your understanding of the styles
- You will compare and contrast these styles in a written presentation
Unit 3 – Group Performance Workshop -Internal task 90 guided learning hours
- You will research performance ideas in response to the externally set task.
- You will practically explore these ideas selecting appropriate techniques and skills to support your original performance
- You will apply these skills to a final performance
- You will evaluate your process and performance through a written external task
Extracurricular Activities
Drama Theatre Club – Available to all students.
Trips run monthly and are advertised on the drama noticeboard. Upcoming trips for 23/24:
- Jesus Christ Super Star – October
- Metamorphosis – October
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – November
- Rock and Roll pantomime December
- Life of Pi – May
Drama Club – This takes the form of school play rehearsals. This year’s school production will be Peter Pan set in the 8o’s! Auditions will be held in Sept and the play will be performed in February.
Our Drama Association is run by 6th form students. It offers a wide range of activities including guest lectures from professio9nal actors, bespoke workshops focusing on performance skills and production experience and talks.
Useful Links
Liverpool has an excellent selection of youth theatre groups. The following 3 theatres groups come highly recommended:
https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/?&&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpq_70b6LgAMVC4dQBh2UzQLXEAAYASAA
https://www.everymanplayhouse.com/
https://liverpoolsroyalcourt.com/
Below are links to theatre podcasts that will support any independent studies linked to performance:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nt-talks/id486761654?mt=2
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/in-the-envelope-the-actors-podcast/id1234645617
