Course information
Drama and Theatre Studies
Notting Hill & Ealing High School GDST - Ealing
02087998400
2 Cleveland Road, Ealing, W13 8AX
Course summary

A Level of Drama and Theatre is a challenging and demanding discipline both intellectually and artistically. It enables students to be creative, push boundaries, take risks and work within an ethos of experimentation. “Society is built on the ability to tell stories, to tell us who we are, to understand our potentials, to know our past histories – we need to understand who we are, why we are and what we can be.” Scott Graham, Artistic Director, Frantic Assembly Drama prepares pupils for a world that is increasingly team-oriented and allows them to explore emotions, acquire tolerance and develop empathy to navigate contemporary life. Drama promotes divergent and critical thinking, as well as honing skills in team building, decision-making, problem-solving and leadership. The performance elements allow students to develop presentational skills and public speaking. We follow the Eduqas course which engages students by encouraging creativity and collaboration, focusing on work that reflects innovative twenty-first-century theatre practice and theatre-making skills. Students will gain a knowledge of the history of theatre, key influential practitioners, challenging set texts, critique of live theatre as well as practical skills in performance, theatre design and directing, creating potential theatre makers of the future. Contemporary theatre is an integral part of the course and students will go to see a wide range of genres and styles of theatre throughout the A Level. Workshops with external practitioners are vital in extending the range of opportunities and skills across the performing arts disciplines. Students are encouraged to participate in additional theatre activities and supported to audition for prestigious companies such as National Youth Theatre. There is no typical Drama and Theatre student. Some are committed to pursuing a career in the creative industries whilst others combine Drama and Theatre with subjects some might have traditionally seen as incompatible. What unites them is a passion for the subject and a determination to be creative, self-starting and dynamic.

Entry requirements

How you'll be assessed

There are 3 assessed components to the course. For the Theatre Workshop, students collaborate to create, design and perform an original reinterpretation performance created from an original piece of text in combination with a style of theatre or theatre practitioner as a stimulus. This is examined in performance alongside a creative log documenting the stages of the creative process and refinement of the process up until performance. For Text in Action, students perform or design a performance to an external examiner from the creation, development and performance of two pieces of theatre based on a stimulus: One devised and in conjunction with the techniques and working methods of either an influential theatre practitioner or a recognised theatre company (a different practitioner or company to that chosen before and an extract from a text in a different style, for which students produce a process and evaluation report within one week of completion of the practical work. Finally, there is a written examination, Text in Performance, which comprises the study of three contrasting set texts from the perspective of a performer, director and designer. Students will analyse and evaluate a range of live theatre performances, answering questions on contemporary theatre practice.

School Info

About Education Provider

RegionLondon
Local AuthorityEaling
Ofsted Rating
Gender TypeGirls
ISI ReportView Report
Boarding FeeUnknown
Sixth Form Fee£23,895
Address2 Cleveland Road, Ealing, W13 8AX