Drama and Theatre Studies

Course summary

A-Level Drama & Theatre Studies investigates Theatre and performance - its practice, history, and meaning. It fosters a spirit of inquiry by providing students with the tools for critical and inventive thinking. This course offers students the opportunity to explore drama as a practical art form, in which ideas and meaning are communicated to an audience through choices of form, style and convention. Students can pursue their interests and develop their skills in various aspects of practical drama including performer, director, lighting designer and set designer. However, the requirements of the specification, with its 40% weighting for the written paper, also provides sufficient academic rigour to the course that students may use their A-Level to gain entry for courses in Higher Education, in subjects spanning the arts and sciences. The specification offers students the freedom to choose both the content and the nature of their practical performances. Candidates perform three extracts from different plays to illustrate their understanding of the work of an influential director, designer, theatre company or practitioner. Candidates will also create a piece of devised drama which must be influenced by the work and methodologies of one practitioner. There will be a theatre trip (this is a chargeable trip).