Drama & Theatre
Practical exploration and performance work lies at the heart of the course. You will explore a range of contrasting plays and practitioners through practical workshops, as well as giving two assessed performances: one scripted and one devised. There is also the opportunity for you to work alongside our professional team of technicians, gaining practical experience of the technical and design elements of theatre, including set, costume, lighting and sound. You will also learn to write about theatre, analysing and evaluating plays you have studied and productions you have seen. Theatre trips and workshops with visiting industry professionals are organised by the college and are an integral part of the course.
Assessment is through a combination of performance, coursework and written exams.
Sir John Deane’s has a thriving Performing Arts department offering a wealth of opportunities to get involved both on stage and behind the scenes. With performing arts, music, media, photography and art students all studying at the sixth form, it’s a great place to meet new contacts and work together. Large scale productions and more intimate nights of theatre, music and dance are all par for the course and recent shows have included ‘Return to the Forbidden Planet’, ‘Our Country’s Good’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, and ‘Guys and Dolls’.
The course involves regular theatre trips and the opportunity to work with visiting professionals during workshops.
University admissions tutors and employers in a range of industries value the confidence, creativity and communication skills that Drama & Theatre develops and the subject can support your progression into a variety of courses, both inside and outside the performing arts. The course is an excellent foundation for those who wish to train as professional actors; in the past five years, 15 of our students have gone on to secure places at some of the country’s leading drama schools.
Drama and Theatre – Exam Paper – 40% of marks
Creating Original Drama – Coursework and Performance Exam – 30% of marks
Making Theatre – Coursework and Performance Exam – 30% of marks
Summary
Drama & Theatre
You will write about two set texts, ‘Antigone’ and ‘Our Country’s Good’, from the perspective of an actor, director and designer. You will also write an evaluation of a piece of live theatre seen as part of the course.
Creating Original Drama
You will create and perform a unique and original piece of theatre, inspired by a stimulus and influenced by the work of a recognised practitioner. You will write a piece of coursework explaining and evaluating the research you carried out and your rehearsal process.
Making Theatre
You will rehearse and perform extracts from three contrasting plays. One performance will be inspired by the work of a recognised practitioner, and will be assessed by a visiting examiner. You will write a piece of coursework, analysing and evaluating your interpretation of the three texts.
There is no requirement to have studied drama before taking this course, but you will need to feel confident in working practically from the outset. Joining a local theatre group might help you to develop confidence in some of the skills required before the course begins.
The best way to prepare for the course is to see as much live theatre as possible; this should preferably include professional productions. An increasing number of high quality filmed productions are available online via the Digital Theatre website.
You may also wish to read plays from a variety of genres, to develop your understanding of playwrights and theatrical styles. You may wish to begin with the following plays, which you will study in the first part of Year 12: Antigone by Sophocles (translated by Robert Fagles) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.
Study Level
A Level
Exam Board
AQA
Contact Details
Miss R Homer
Head of Department
homer_r@sjd.ac.uk
