Drama

Curriculum Subjects

Drama

  

See our Drama Curriculum below at Bentley Wood for KS3 and KS4

KS3 | Drama

 Course Aims:

Students will have the opportunity to learn about a range of dramatic styles and practitioners. Whilst developing their knowledge and understanding of Drama, students will also develop their dramatic skills and ability to critically analyse and evaluate creative work. We aim to inspire students to appreciate and create Drama and use the discipline as an opportunity to unleash their creative talents and build knowledge and understanding vital for success in Drama at GCSE and beyond. Key Stage 3 Drama is also an opportunity for students to develop their confidence and ability to speak publicly, which are vital life skills and essential to most careers.

 Course Content:

In Year 7 students will learn:

  • The basic skills required to work collaboratively and perform work in front of peers.
  • How professional theatre makers create work physically.
  • The methods that can unlock a script
  • How to develop professionalism in performance

In Year 8 students will use their prior learning and develop this further while being introduced to a range of theatrical genres and styles to inform their underlying knowledge of drama. They will learn:

  • The history and style of Commedia Dell’arte
  • The history and style of Jacobean Theatre
  • The history and style of Melodrama
  • The work, ideas, and style of Theatre Practitioner: Berthold Brecht
  • Ways to devise drama from a stimulus
  • How theatrical genres and styles are re-imagined and performed

 Enrichment:

All students will have the opportunity to be part of a whole school production in which they can perform or provide support in various production roles each year. In addition, there are several short-term activities and workshops held throughout the year.

 Key Stage 4 & 5 / Career Progression:

Bentley Wood currently provides students the ability to study Drama for GCSE, opportunities to study Drama and Theatre Studies at A Level are available through our collegiate. This has the potential to then lead on to degree and to a wide range of careers. A selection of occupations/careers which benefit from the skills developed while studying Drama at Bentley Wood could be an actor; lawyer; teacher; film production; therapist; communications; consultant; marketing; author or a playwright.

Recommended Reading:

Numerous plays and books are held in the school library, drama department and your local library. Students are encouraged to read novels; news articles and plays as all forms of storytelling can inform and inspire the creation of drama. The Internet is also a valuable resource for researching well known plays and performance groups.

 

KS4 | Drama

GCSE Drama

Examining Board: Pearson(edexcel)

Aim of Course

 Our Drama course gives student’s the chance to explore drama and theatre in a range of exciting and relevant practical and theoretical ways. It allows students to work creatively with peers, interpreting texts, visiting the theatre, experimenting through practical workshops, and through devising, designing, and performing their own pieces of original theatre.

Student’s get the chance to develop their creativity, achieve personal growth and build self-confidence, as well as cultivating their communication and analytical skills through the acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding, and through the exercise of your imagination.

 Content and method of assessment:

 

Component 1
Devising Drama
(Practical and Devising log) 40%
Component 2
Performance from text
(Practical) 20%
Component 3
Theatre Makers in Practice
(Written Examination) 40%
What is assessed What is assessed What is assessed
  • Process of creating devised drama
  • Performance of a devised drama
  • Analysis and evaluation of own work
  • Performance of two extracts from one play.
  • Performance skills
  • Characterisation
  • Communication
  • Dramatic intentions
  • Knowledge and understanding of drama and theatre
  • Study of one set text
  • Analysis and evaluation of the work of live theatre makers
How its assessed How its assessed How its assessed
  • Devising portfolio, 45 marks
  • Devised performance, 15 marks
  • Performance of two extracts, 48 marks (24 marks per performance)
  • Written exam, 1 hour 45 minutes, 60 marks
  • Section A: Study of a set text: five questions on a set text
  • Section B: Live theatre evaluation: two questions about a live performance

Key Stage 5 Progression/ Career Prospects

Many of the skills that you hone and develop through your drama course will be incredibly valuable in later life, regardless of the career or educational pathway you choose to follow.

According to the university research, the top qualities that employers are looking for in their employees include a range of skills that will be explicitly developed through the drama course. These include: good verbal and written communication skills; excellent time management; the ability to plan and organise as well as to be flexible; strong teamwork skills; initiative, self-motivation, and drive; the ability to analyse and evaluate.

Direct career prospects include the following job roles:

Actor, Director, Costume designer, Set designer, Lighting designer,
Sound designer, and Playwright.

Recommended reading (All available in the school library)

  • The Complete Stanislavksy Toolkit by Bella Merlin
  • The Complete Brecht Toolkit by Stephen Unwin
  • The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre by Scott Graham and Stephen Hoggett