Theatre Studies AS/A2

Theatre Studies AS/A2
This course demands skills in both academic and practical aspects of theatre- making and analysis. It is crucial that you are willing and able to learn significant chunks of text for performance.

During the course you will explore a range of plays differing in thematic content and form. You will explore these texts from the point of view of actor, director and audience member.

You will perform your examination pieces to a live audience and an external examiner; these include monologues and group pieces. Your teacher will act as director for some of the pieces, but you will also be required to devise original pieces of theatre.

There is a heavy written coursework content, and a formal written examination at the end of the second year.
Theatre Studies students in a rehearsal of Our Countrys Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker.

What will I study on this course?
In this course you will develop:

• your knowledge of plays and their creators
• your experience as a performer
• your practical skills as an individual and a member of a group
• your ability to discuss plays, ideas and performances
• your ability to analyse and write about drama

You will take part in rehearsals and workshops leading to a performance before an audience. You will see also see and evaluate professional theatre productions to help deepen your understanding of the processes that create a successful performance and:

• explore plays through practical and written work
• work on a role in a play and be assessed on your performance
• work in a group to produce an original piece of theatre
• look at the social and historical importance of plays, and how they were originally performed
• attend professional productions to see how others create a successful performance

You may study Drama AS as a one-year course in its own right, or continue to a second year to study for A2 and the complete A Level.

How is this course assessed?
Year 1 (AS)
In the first term you will explore two plays through practical work. You will be assessed on your practical work and on written work based on it. (30% of your AS grade).

In the second term you will be auditioned and cast in a play. Work on this during terms two and three will lead to a performance which will count for 40% of your AS grade. The remaining 30% of your grade will be based on a two-hour written examination consisting of two essays. One is about the play in which you had a part, the other a review of a play you have seen during the year.

Year 2 (A2)
During the first term you will work in a group to produce an original piece of theatre which will be presented at the end of the term to an invited audience. Your performance, with associated written work, will count for 20% of your final mark.

During the second term you will study a play, exploring its dramatic potential. You will present a series of scenes from the play to an invited audience (15% of the total mark). The remaining 15% of your grade will be based on an examination lasting 2 hours 30mins. During the third term you will study a further two plays. The examination asks you to write about the social and historical aspects of these plays, and the conditions of their original performance.

What kind of student will do well on this course?
You should have the confidence to perform in public. You should enjoy and be good at communicating orally and in writing, and at working with others.

The ability to plan your own learning and the ability to solve problems are also quite important.

Exam Board & Specification:
EdExcel Syllabus 8DR01, 9DR01