Drama Intent

The Chestnut Grove Drama curriculum enables students to unlock their creative potential, develop their analytical skills and emotional intelligence through the exploration of theatre genres, styles, practitioners, performance skills and technical elements. 

7 Reasons why you should study Drama:

1. No subject teaches you how to work well in a team quite like drama. Drama will allow you to develop your patience, ability to compromise and communication skills.
2. You will learn discipline.
3. In Drama you will be asked to improvise on a number of occasions. This allows you to think on your feet, develop your initiative and will encourage you to be more proactive.
4. Drama stimulates you to be constantly creative. Drama will force you to regularly come up with exciting, functional and convincing ideas, to a deadline and this ability will stay with you.
5. Empathy is a really important life skill, this is an invaluable skill that will open your mind, improve the way you interact with people and is especially useful if you are considering a career in caring, teaching or social work.
6. Analysing Drama productions allows you to develop your critical thinking skills. This is useful for a number of jobs and is great if you are planning on taking English Literature, Media Studies or Film Studies at degree level.
7. You will gain in confidence and overcome the fear of making mistakes in a fun, creative and supportive environment.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)

Students will have one lesson of Drama a week. The schemes of learning will develop students' understanding of drama, theatre and performance, their ability to think creatively and critically. By working collaboratively students will develop their confidence and resilience. Drama provides students with the transferable skills they will need throughout their learning whilst preparing those that are intending to take Drama at KS4 for the GCSE course.

Each year at KS3 students will explore:

• European theatre history - Ancient Greek Theatre, Medieval, Restoration, 18th Century...
• Dramatic text - Antigone, Othello, Noughts and Crosses, I Love You Mum - I Promise I won't Die...
• Practitioners and genres - Physical Theatre, Verbatim, Theatre in Education, Brecht, Stanislavski, Artaud...
• Devising and production - Design for stage - set, costume, sound and lighting

Key Stage 4 - GCSE Drama

Component 1: Devising Theatre

• Non- exam assessment: internally assessed, externally moderated 40% of qualification
• Students will be assessed on either acting or design. Students participate in the creation, development amd performance of a piece of devised theatre using either the techniques of an influential theatre practitioner or a genre, in response to a stimulus set by the exam board. GCSE Drama | Eduqas

Students will produce:

• A realisation of their piece of devised theatre
• A portfolio of supporting evidence
• An evaluation of the final performance or design

Component 2: Performing from a Text

• Non-exam assessment: externally assessed by a visiting examiner 20% of qualification
• Students will be assessed on either acting or design. Students study two extracts from a play text. Students devise and develop a performance using sections of text from both extracts.

Component 3: Interpreting Theatre

• Written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes 40% of qualification

Section A: Set Text for assessment up to and including 2023
A series of questions on DNA, Dennis Kelly

Section A: Set Text for assessment from 2024 onwards

1. Macbeth, William Shakespeare
2. An inspector Calls, J.B. Priestley
3. Find Me, Olwen Wymark
4. Noughts and Crosses, Malorie Blackman (adapted by Dominic Cooke)
5. Refugee Boy, Benjamin Zephaniah (adapted Lemn Sissay)
6. I Love You Mum - I Promise I Won't Die, Mark Wheeller
7. The IT, Vivienne Franzmann

Section B: Live Theatre Review

One question, from a choice of two, about a live theatre production students have seen during the course requiring analysis and evaluation.

Key Stage 5 - BTEC Performing Arts

The BTEC in Performing Arts is designed for post-16 learners with an interest in performing arts who want to continue their education through applied learning, and who aim to progress to higher education. The qualification is equivalent in size to one A Level. This qualification gives a broad introduction to the performing arts sector with an emphasis on core knowledge and fundamental skills which are transferable across other sectors (including communication, presentation, physical and creative skills).

The three mandatory units focus on: research, performance, critical analysis and extended writing skills.

Students will gain a good understanding of the work of influential practitioners to inform their own work and practice. Through group performance, students will develop the essential psychomotor and affective skills essential for the performing arts. They will develop physical techniques as well as wider transferable skills, such as being able to work collaboratively, personal management and organisation (rehearsals, time-management), being able to give and take direction, confidence in front of an audience, problem solving (refining the process) and teamwork (essential when dancing as a group). Students will understand different audiences in different environments and will learn to adapt a performance to engage the target audience.

Students will also select one optional unit, such as:

• Unit 8 : Classical Ballet Technique
• Unit 11 : Street Dance Technique
• Unit 19 : Acting Styles
• Unit 20 : Developing the Voice of Performance
• Unit 28 : Variety Performance

Staffing:

Ms L Merritt - Teacher of Drama and Performing Arts  lmerritt@chestnutgrove.org.uk

Ms L. Millen - Teacher of Drama lmillen@chestnutgrove.org.uk