Assignment 1

During Assignment 1 students will explore how to create mood, atmosphere and tension through the world of drama and theatre making. They will begin by exploring the use of movement, mime and gesture to communicate simple narratives. They then develop their use of physical theatre using their bodies as props to create their own stories. Students will be introduced to the key skills of still image, slow motion and climax in order to develop tension within a narrative.

Students will be working individually, in pairs and in groups in a range of activities to create their own horror stories. The main assessment will require the students to combine the skills learnt during the first half term into their own performance project, which will be performed at the end of the assignment. They will also complete a portfolio of activities for homework to accompany their performance.

Assignment 2

For the second assignment, students will study the world of musical theatre and exploring extracts from a range of different musicals, including: ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’, ‘Grease’ or ‘Bugsy Malone’. Students will begin the assignment by exploring the skills required for singing, dancing and acting within a musical. The students will then rehearse a polished extract which combines all the art forms together.

In addition to their performance the students will also be assessed on their contribution to the rehearsal process and their use of research in order to inform their final piece.

Assignment 3

In Assignment 3, students will explore the journey of ‘Page to Stage’ and follow how a director takes a script and turns it into a fully staged play. They will explore the different performance and production roles involved in the journey.

They will undertake research into some of these roles, such as costume designer or lighting technician, in order to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of that role within the production.

They will explore the background themes of a play and how a director uses these themes to gain ideas for staging and set designs and advise the actors on their characterization.

They will complete homework tasks in order to support their final performance of a short monologue or scene from the play.