Drama and Theatre Studies

Course summary

Theatre Studies can act as a stepping stone for a career within the Performing Arts, however it does serve a bigger purpose and that is developing students for the world in many ways: self-expression, confidence, clarity and communication through movement and speech. Taking Theatre Studies encourages students to be vocal about ideas that they have, work with others who share the same passion for performing and provide opportunities to learn and explore some of the finest theatre practitioners both from the past and the present. Generally this is a subject which not only develops the student’s love of performing but also encourages a more practical approach to learning and assessment. The first unit is a devising unit which is worth 40% of the total A Level mark. This unit gives students the opportunity to devise their own drama based on an extract from a performance text and a practitioner. It is assessed in two parts. The first part will be a portfolio of work which reflects the exploratory process and the skills and techniques that they have developed in response to the text and the practitioner. The second assessment will be the performance of the devised piece where they will be marked on their acting skills. The second unit is a performance which is worth 20% of the total A Level mark. Students will perform a monologue or duologue and a group piece from a text and be marked only on their acting skills. The third unit is a written exam and worth 40% of the qualification.