Speech and Drama

Course summary

The study of acting enables students to develop socially whilst promoting creativity, confidence and well-being. As students become performers, they’ll also develop their confidence, self-esteem and team working skills. Throughout the BTEC we challenge students to begin working professionally as expected within the industry to build on their skills acquired at GCSE level. Assessment includes a combination of practical tasks alongside creative extended writing assignments. This equips students with the necessary skills and experience to study acting further, or embark on an exciting career in the arts. We encourage students to participate in firsthand experience of drama, through opportunities such as professional class, seeing live theatre and reviewing current work. We integrate this within the curriculum through taught lessons, workshops, visits to performances and residential trips. Recently this has included trips to local and London theatres, workshops with local artists, as well as a residential trip to New York. Students are encouraged to become independent practitioners, exploring their own ideas and direction within their work. We support this through one to one tutorials within lessons as well as group feedback sessions, enabling students to learn from and inspire each other. Mandatory units There are three mandatory units, two external and one internal. Learners must complete and achieve at Near Pass grade or above for all the three mandatory units. 1) Investigating Practitioners’ Work 2) Developing Skills and Techniques for Live Performance 3) Group Performance Workshop Optional units Learners must complete one optional unit. 1) Theatre Directing 2) Screen Acting 3) Acting Styles 4) Improvisation 5) Movement in Performance 6) Site Specific Performance