A level Drama and Theatre encourages creativity, focusing on practical work and developing skills that will support progression to further study of drama and a wide range of other subjects. The course will enable you to:

Further develop your acting skills and talents

Recognise and understand the interrelationship between performer, designer and director

Understand that texts and extracts studied may represent a range of social, historical and cultural contexts

Analyse and evaluate your work and the work of others

The ability to understand how performance texts can be interpreted and performed.

A level in Drama and Theatre will be assessed through a combination of a 40% written exam and 60% Non-Examined Assessment (NEA). Specifications require students to demonstrate a practical understanding of:

• A minimum of two complete and substantial performance texts and at least three key extracts from three different texts placed in the context of the whole text. Students must study the work and methodologies of two theatre practitioners at A level.

Students are required to participate in:

• A minimum of three performances, one, monologue/duologue, one devised and one from a performance text studied during the course.

Component 1: (40%) Devising

80 marks – Portfolio (60 marks) and practical devised performance (20 marks)

• Devise an original performance piece.
• Use one key extract from a performance text and a theatre practitioner as stimuli.
• Centre choice of text and practitioner.
• Performer or designer routes available.

Component 2: (20%) Text in Performance

60 marks – Group performance/design realisation (36 marks) and Monologue or duologue (24 marks)

• A group performance/design realisation of one key extract from a performance text.
• A monologue or duologue performance/design realisation from one key extract from a different performance text.
• Centre choice of performance texts.

Component 3: (40%) Theatre Makers in Practice (80 marks)

• Live theatre evaluation – choice of performance (20 marks)
• Practical exploration and study of a complete performance text – focusing on how this can be realised in performance (36 marks)
• Practical exploration and interpretation of another complete performance text, in light of a chosen theatre practitioner – focusing on how this text could be reimagined for a contemporary audience (24 marks)

Practical and Written:

• Acting skills lessons, evaluating live theatre and creating public performances
• Study of the theory and practice of key theatre practitioners and companies
• A range of contemporary and classical play text

If you want to study Drama and Theatre you need to commit yourself fully to the demands of academic study both in and out of College.

There are a number of trips that are organised as part of the course. The cost of these varies depending on the venue. We visit the local theatre here at Central Studio as well as The Haymarket Theatre, other regional theatres in the South and the West End.

1. The arts create independent learners and develop students emotional intelligence. They require the students to set their own agenda from within themselves, rather than follow set topics as in other subjects. They have to make independent decisions all the way, and be self-critical. They also need to be brave in exposing their creations, and accept criticism. Working in teams makes students into effective communicators.

2. The arts are stretching drama, music, and art require long hours of hard work and dedication. Students have to pay great attention to detail, to perfect and re-do. Putting on a play, exhibition or concert takes strong organisational skills.

3. Arts students are highly sought-after by employers. Many employers now actively seek those who have studied the arts. Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, was fond of saying his success was due to his hiring artists and musicians fascinated by technology rather than computer geeks. Top talent management agency, The Curve Group, specialising in financial and business services, concurs: “Employees with an arts degree have developed more quickly in their roles from the start. They have discipline, confidence and can accept criticism.”

4. Arts ‘reach the parts other subjects can’t reach.’ The arts develop the broader dimensions of the human being – mind, body and soul. The arts can express the inexpressible and make sense of things that otherwise do not seem to. This can be very fulfilling and helps us function as human beings – which can only be good for society as a whole.

5. Arts ‘reach the students other subjects can’t reach.’ Teachers find arts subjects particularly beneficial for two groups: those who struggle with traditional subjects and those who are high achieving. Less academic students can become defeatist if they feel they can’t achieve: drama, music or art can be the place they blossom. With studious students, the arts can bring them out of themselves and be a release.