Eaton Bank Academy

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Drama

Introduction

All Drama involves thinking, learning and developing- for every member of the audience and those who create it. The Drama curriculum unlocks the imagination, intellect, and empathy of all of our students. It enables every pupil to develop their appreciation of theatre as an art form through a structured and varied teaching experience whilst also offering all students the opportunity to develop their communication skills and confidence; skills needed for life, not just education.

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Key Stage 3

The aims of the Drama Department at Key Stage 3 are:

  • To provide a variety of drama experiences from real life to fantasy-based drama in order to improve imagination, language skills and problem solving.
  • To provide a foundation of knowledge about a range of theatre practices, practitioners and playwrights.
  • To expose students to a range of texts.
  • To foster confidence and the ability to work in a team with others.
  • To help students enrich their work and set it in a broader cultural, historical and aesthetic context by focusing on the knowledge, skills and concepts of the art form.

At Key Stage 3 we will study:-

Year 7
Introduction to Drama – Introduces students to the basic principles of Drama and Theatre.

Year 8
Silent Movies – Introduces students to some of the theories and techniques behind silent movies and drama.

Script Analysis – Introduces students to the process of analysing scripts and various rehearsal techniques which can be used to develop scripted performance work.

Physical Theatre – Students explore various issues such as alcohol dependency through the exploration of physical theatre. They learn various skills and techniques associated with the genre.

Theatre in Education – Students create a performance based on an issue of their choice for their chosen target audience. The purpose is to create a performance which educates their target audience.

The study of Drama will allow students to develop their:

  • Self-expression
  • Self confidence
  • Creativity
  • Co-operation Skills
  • Communication and negotiation Skills

Key Stage 3 Assessment

All students will be given subject targets working towards a Key Stage Level and parents will receive details of progress throughout each year. Students will be assessed during and at the end of each unit.

 

Home Learning

How parents can help to support their son’s/daughter’s learning:

  • Regular checking on homework
  • Encouraging – asking your child questions about the work
  • Encouraging your child to take a regular interest in the arts.
  • Encouraging your child to participate in extra curricular drama activities and performing arts events.

 

If you have any queries, please contact Ms B Williams – B.Williams@eatonbank.org

Key Stage 4

Why take drama as an option? What’s it all about?

Well, it is not about training actors. Of course you may decide to go on to a job in the entertainment industry or to take a university degree which involves drama, but that is not the sole aim of the course. Drama is about developing you as a person and helping to give you skills and techniques, which will benefit you, in whatever career you choose.  There are very few jobs where you do not have to present yourself well and communicate effectively with others in order to achieve success. Lots of your parents will know people who are very good at working with machines but not much good at managing people.  All the work you do in Drama is about working within a team.  Reliability, learning how to negotiate, to organise yourself and others, to be tactful and welcoming of other people’s ideas, are all skills and qualities which are high on the agenda for success in Drama.

Creative thinking.  Doing Drama helps you to develop your capacity for creative thinking.  Training your brain not to think in boring straight lines can bring plenty of positive results which have benefits beyond the acting space.

Many employers are discovering the value of drama.  A recent experiment with a business company had its members putting on a production as an exercise in team building and problem solving rather than survival weekends in the wilds of Scotland.  It was a great success and is beginning to catch on with other companies.  It’s the creative thinkers who succeed in the workplace.  These are the people who bring solutions and not just the complaints about a problem.  These are the resourceful thinkers for whom problem solving is a creative challenge rather than a burden.

Course Information:

Amongst a variety of other activities you will:

  • Read plays and learn the techniques involved in staging and performing in them.
  • Organise yourself for rehearsals and work with others to mount public performances.
  • Work in teams to create original pieces of theatre and perhaps devise performances to take out to primary schools.
  • Learn to evaluate your own and other people’s work and give constructive and informed feedback.
  • You will also learn how to use music, sound and projected images to enhance performance.

Drama GCSE will give you the opportunity to develop:

  • Practical skills for communicating and expressing ideas, feelings and meanings.
  • An understanding of dramatic forms and the context in which they are used.
  • An understanding of drama and its social, cultural and historical context.
  • 21st century theatre practice.

Assessment:

Component 1 – Devising – 40%
Students will work in a group to create and develop ideas to devise a piece of Drama. 

Component 2 – Performance from Text – 20%
Students will interpret and explore a performance text and perform two key extracts from it. 

Component 3 – Written Exam – 40%
This is an externally set and assessed written examination. The exam is 1 hour and 30 minutes.