A Level Drama And Theatre

Please refer to EN's Entry Requirements Guide for specific advice on our Admissions Policy. This guide is supplied at interview to prospective students and is also available to Schools & Careers Advisers.

This is an exciting and challenging course, academically and practically. It helps you to develop strong independent and collaborative skills and encourages you to be resourceful and inventive.

You’ll explore classic and contemporary play texts and the art of creating original theatre through practical, engaging classes and sessions. You will learn theoretical and practical principles through classes, workshops, extensive rehearsals and theatre visits and screenings! You will work closely with your peers throughout both years, developing your collaboration skills, but also making lasting relationships!

Through taking Drama and Theatre students will develop as confident and independent learners, recognise the importance of self-discipline, develop time management skills, become resilient learners, and develop analytical thinking skills and inquisitiveness.

This is a two-year linear A Level. You must complete both years of the course to achieve a qualification.

The course is split into three components studied over two years:

Component 1: Drama and Theatre. This is worth 40% of your A Level grade.

Component 2: Creating Original Drama. This is worth 30% of your A Level grade.

Component 3: Making Theatre. This is worth 30% of your A Level grade.

Component 1 - What’s assessed? (Written Exam): 40%

You will study ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ By William Shakespeare and ‘Our Country’s Good’ by Timberlake Wertenbaker and explore how you as an actor, director and designer can creatively and innovatively stage these plays. You will also study Live Theatre Production, exploring live performances and analysing and evaluating their success (in terms of performance and production). You will develop your knowledge and understanding of these through practical and theoretical exploration inside and outside of class. This is assessed in a written exam.

Component 2 - What’s assessed? (Practical Coursework): 30%

You will select a practitioner and devise an original piece of theatre using the practitioner’s ideas and methodologies. You will create, devise a piece of original drama. There are no restrictions on the choice of subject matter, giving students the opportunity to tailor their learning to their own interests. You will adopt the ideas and methodologies of an influential practitioner who you will choose. You will create a working notebook evidencing your creative process, research, development and refinement of your ideas and piece. Your piece will be performed to live audiences in showcase evenings.

Component 3 - What’s assessed? (Practical Coursework): 30%

In your first year, you will study the practitioner Max Stafford-Clark and apply his methodologies to an extract from a play. You will rehearse and perform two extracts from two contrasting plays with a group. Both extracts will be performed live to invited audiences in showcase evenings. In the second year of the course, you will adopt the methodologies of Konstantin Stanislavski and apply them to an extract from a play. You will explore classic naturalistic texts (such as the writings of Chekhov, Strindberg and Ibsen) and interpret a role from an extract. To accompany this, you will create a reflective report evidencing how you have applied the methods of the practitioner and developed your piece. Again, your piece will be performed to a live audience in a showcase evening.

Over the two years you will have 4 performance opportunities, two pieces of written coursework and one written exam.

Exam - 40%

Coursework - 60%

Grade 5 in GCSE English Language with an average GCSE score of 5.00 or higher.

Assessment:

Component 1 (Written Exam): 40%

Component 2 (Practical Coursework): 30%

Component 3 (Practical Coursework): 30%

Written exam: 40%

Coursework (including practical): 60%

Past students have gone on to read Drama at university or to enter professional training at major Drama schools. Past students have entered the industry; working for the Royal Shakespeare Company, working as professional directors, working for the BBC, winning the Sky Arts Funding scholarships and even gaining employment at Disneyland!