Drama and Theatre

Drama and Theatre is an exciting and dynamic practical course that offers you so much more than a chance to play! A qualification in Drama and Theatre equips you with the collaboration and communication skills that are highly desirable to future employers and educators, as well as giving you opportunities to explore texts from the perspectives of performers, devisers, designers and directors. At Diss Sixth Form, we study a range of texts and provide opportunities to experiment with several performance styles in engaging workshop sessions that develop your ability to think critically and creatively about the world we live in.

Course Structure:

Component 1: Devising Drama requires you to work as part of a small performance company to create a piece of original theatre based on a short extract from a play text. Throughout the devising process, your work must be influenced by the methodologies of a theatre practitioner / company. You will keep a record of the entire rehearsal and performance process to critically analyse and evaluate your work in a written portfolio that accompanies your performance. This component is worth 40% and is assessed through the completion of practical and written coursework.

Component 2: For Text in Performance, you will create two practical performance pieces – a group performance and a monologue or duologue. The group piece will be directed by a course tutor, who will select a suitably challenging and exciting text for you to edit and rehearse as a company. The monologue or duologue offers you the freedom to choose your own play and select a section to rehearse and perform. Worth 20%, this practical coursework unit is assessed by an external examiner.

Component 3: This unit offers the opportunity to work from several perspectives – an audience member, a performer, a designer and a director. Section 1 of Theatre Makers in Practice requires you
to watch a live performance and critically evaluate the work seen. For section 2, we study Sophie Treadwell’s expressionist play, ‘Machinal’ from the perspectives of a performer and a designer.

Finally, for section 3, we direct a production of Georg Buchner’s seminal drama, ‘Woyzeck’. Assessed in a written exam lasting 2 hours and 30 minutes, it is worth 40% of the A Level qualification.

You do not have to have previously studied the subject to take this A Level.

Minimum of five grade 4 GCSE passes; these must include at least Grade 4 in Maths. Additionally, this course requires Grade 5 in English Language.

You will get transferable skills such as confidence, self-presentation, communication, teamwork and organisation: useful skills for many careers. You could go in to university or drama school performing arts courses. Talented students may secure performance (acting, singing, dancing) and production roles in the industry. There are employment and apprenticeship opportunities in arts administration, backstage theatre roles and entry level roles in media, broadcasting and events promotion.