Drama & Theatre
Dance Music Music Technology Production Arts Performing Arts
WELCOME TO THE PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT
We have high expectations of all of our Performing Arts students and aim to challenge you to achieve outstanding results. Excellent facilities and a team of highly dedicated and committed teachers will ensure that you are provided with every chance of succeeding during your time at College. At QMC professional equipment and facilities have been carefully chosen to enhance your learning and help you acquire the skills you will need to work in the performing arts and music industries.
The world needs creativity. As well as preparing you for a career in performing arts, we also help prepare you for a range of alternative courses and professions. By studying our courses, you can gain transferable and employability skills that are valued by a whole range of employers and universities. You can go on to study and have successful careers in a wide range of job roles from law to paramedicine.
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.
Our Performing Arts mission is to develop Creativity and Academic Excellence for your future:
- Strive for excellence and innovation
- Be authentic
- Be exciting, inspiring and engaging
- Ensure a positive and inclusive experience
- Enable personal progression
- Drama
Developing hearts, minds, bodies, and a passion for theatre.Excellent facilities and a team of highly dedicated and committed teachers will ensure that you are provided with every chance of succeeding during your time at College. At QMC we are fully equipped with professional equipment and facilities which have been carefully chosen to enhance your learning and help you acquire the skills you will need to work in the performing arts and music industry.
A Level Drama & Theatre
Course Summary
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.
Progression Skills and Opportunities
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.
How is the course assessed?
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)
What topics will I be studying?
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
Will I need specialist materials or equipment?
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.
Max Harwood
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Max Harwood
WHY TAKE THE DRAMA AND THEATRE A LEVEL AT QMC?
Outstanding teaching, where you can develop your skills through performances and exploring a range of practitioner styles.
Professional theatre workshops.
A wide range of exciting theatre trips.
Exceptional audition preparation and advice.
Creating original performances in a professional theatre.
The chance to take part in the National Theatre Connections competition.
Academic workshops to stretch your written capabilities.
You are pushed to create imaginative and unique pieces of theatre that challenges society’s preconceived ideas.
Dedicated and enthusiastic teachers.
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.
Any Questions?
The Head of Department, Steve Gallagher will be happy to help.
Leader of Drama & Theatre, Kirsty Thorpe
