Drama and Theatre Studies

Course summary

At A Level, pupils follow the AQA Drama and Theatre course, which combines challenging practical performance with intellectual rigour and academic enquiry. The course includes the creation of a piece of devised theatre, accompanied by a working notebook, and the exploration and performance of three extracts from contrasting plays. Previous extracts have included work by Tennessee Williams, Neil Docking, Steven Berkoff, Philip Ridley and Caryl Churchill. The written examination includes the study of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Steven Berkoff’s Metamorphosis, as well as the analysis and evaluation of a live theatre production seen during the course. Trips to live performances are a regular part of the A Level course. Recent productions seen include The Life of Pi, Iphigenia in Splott, That Face, Sister Act and Metamorphosis. There are also regular workshops with professional practitioners such as The Paper Birds, Splendid Theatre and Frantic Assembly.