Year 9
Performing Arts
The Performing Arts course is an exciting and practical course that explores Drama and Dance as both individual subjects and together. Each form has a double lesson weekly, which is led by a specialist teacher in each subject and sometimes team-taught. The course aims to develop creativity, stimulate the imagination and encourage performance and interest in the performing arts.
The course centres on group work and the overall philosophy of the course is that the performing arts are fun to do and that they develop enthusiasm, give opportunity for inspiration and lead to heightened creativity. The course covers basic skills in all three areas and goes on to explore themes and issues as well as the notion of story telling.
The four strands of the syllabus are:
- Fostering an understanding of the processes which produce performing arts
- Creating and shaping materials into relevant form
- Selecting the appropriate language, music, sound and movement for effective communication
- Interacting sensitively and constructively with colleagues
Years 10 & 11
Drama [EDEXCEL]
GCSE Drama is all about understanding what it is like to be in another person's shoes. Students will play many parts in different imaginary situations and will have the opportunity to create their own work as well as look at plays written by other people.
The course is in three parts:
- Part 1 will use drama to express feelings and ideas about a range of issues.
- Part 2 will examine a play to see how the author expresses ideas about a theme or topic. Ways of making the play work on stage will be explored.
- Part 3 will give students the choice of being involved in the performance of a play from an existing script or creating one themselves.
The course is enjoyable for students who want to study a subject that is both practical and creative and who are keen to attempt making a play, performing, making costumes, building a set or operating the lights. Drama involves a lot of teamwork.
GCSE Drama follows on from drama work that will have been done at Key Stage 3. Improvisation and acting skills will be developed to a higher level, and plays will be looked at in more detail and different ways will be explored of bringing a script alive on stage.
The examination for GCSE Drama is a practical performance, which is worth 40% of the marks. Students will take part in a play that has been created as a group or rehearsed from a script. They will either be examined on acting skills in the performance or on design and technical skills such as stage design, costume, masks and makeup, lighting or sound. The play will be performed in front of an audience and the examiner will be present at one of the performances.
The 60% coursework part of the course consists of practical performance work and written notebook of evidence. During the course students will take part in two different workshops that will be marked by the teacher. One of the workshops will use experience gained to explore responses to a range of material presented by the teacher. The other workshop will explore a play and students will show their understanding of drama by taking part in a number of exercises based on the play. Students will be assessed on the practical work and on the supporting notes kept during the workshops which will be formalised in supervised conditions.
As well as acquiring the skills involved in creating and performing Drama, students will also be able to acquire skills in working with others, problem solving and communication, making them more self-confident and preparing them to deal with a range of different situations and people.
As part of the course students will be expected to attend performances by visiting gorups at Ogstoun Theatre and also trips to a range of professional theatre outside of school such as Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. There will be an additional cost element to this part of the course.
Sixth Form
Drama and Theatre Studies [EDEXCEL]
It is useful to have taken Drama at GCSE level but not essential. It is important that candidates are interested in gaining a greater understanding of how theatre and plays work and are keen to be involved with performances.
The course demands practical, creative and communication skills in almost equal measure. Candidates will extend their ability to create drama and theatre, either in a performing or production role. They will also be required to write about drama and to develop their powers of analysis to become an informed critic. The course will involve taking part in drama productions, as well as studying plays and playwrights.
Candidates need to be curious about issues and ideas and have a creative instinct for communicating their views through drama. They may be keen on acting, writing or on the visual and technical side of theatre and wish to develop their skills in some or all of these areas. Equally they will be interested in going to the theatre to see plays performed by different theatre companies.
Course Content : AS-level
- Unit 1 Exploration of Drama 15%
- Unit 2 Text in performance - I 20%
- Unit 3 Text in context - I 15%
Course Content : A-level
The full A-level qualification is made up of the AS units plus three more units studied at a higher level.
- Unit 4 Devising 20%
- Unit 5 Text in Performance - II 15%
- Unit 6 Text in Context - II 15%
This AS/A-level can lead to further study in Drama, Theatre Studies and Performing Arts in Higher Education at degree or HND level. It can be used as part of a course to broaden studies and may lead on to a career in the performing arts industries.
Drama and Theatre Studies AS/A-level complements a range of subjects and is useful in building confidence and improving presentation skills in a range of careers.
N.B. There will be an element of expense on this course to pay for theatre visits.