Drama and Theatre Studies

This creative and challenging course develops your skills in acting, directing, and devising. You will analyse and evaluate performances, texts, and your own practice. Studying a range of theatrical practitioners will help you apply their theories to your own practical work. You will perform in a play, create your own work and study exciting texts.

What skills will I develop?

• You will develop performance skills, applying at a wide range of rehearsal approaches to a range of roles and texts.
• You will develop creative skills – devising your own material and developing skills as a director and or designer
• You will develop evaluative skills – both verbally and in writing you will evaluate your own creative processes and performances as well as the work of others. Visits to the theatre will support your ability to evaluate how the elements of theatre communicate meaning.
• You will develop group skills and communication skills. Effective group work underpins all good drama and theatre and you will learn to lead and respond, working collaboratively with others throughout the course
• You will develop research skills. You will conduct research into the social, cultural, historical and political contexts of a wide range of texts and develop an understanding of the role of theatre in society through history.

There will be opportunities for theatre trips throughout the course.

What topics will I study?

Component 1 – Examination: Drama and Theatre (3 hours – 40%)

Section A: Study of two set texts from the point of view of actor, director, and designer

Section B: Analysis and evaluation of the work of live theatre makers

Component 2 – Examination & Coursework: Creating Original Drama (30%)

Section A: Create devised performance influenced by methodologies of a prescribed practitioner

Section B: Reflective write-up

Component 3 – Examination & Coursework: Making Theatre (30%)

Section A: Explore and interpret three extracts from different plays

Section B: Apply methodology of a prescribed practitioner to one extract to perform (actor/designer/director)

Section C: Reflective report

Where does the course lead?

The course can lead to a range of degree courses, including Drama, Performance, English or a Humanities course. For those exceptional performers it could lead to the study of Acting at Drama School.