Woodbrook Vale gives you the chance to study Drama in a superbly equipped studio. Drama is great fun and teaches you about co-operation and teamwork, responsibility and self-control.  The topics you cover in our study units - for example, bullying, family life, relationships - will help you to develop your imagination and your understanding.  By regularly presenting your ideas you will become more confident and effective in front of others.  

GCSE

Drama is an exciting, creative and challenging course.  It consists of a wide range of stimulating activities designed to encourage students to develop as effective and independent learners. Students will develop an insight into and an understanding of a wide range of drama techniques. They will be required to develop and demonstrate competence in a range of practical, creative and performance skills.

The course specification is AQA.

Summary of the topics you will cover:

• Practical Drama workshops completed during the course.
• Study and performance of a scripted play.
• Study of live theatre production seen by the students.
• Practical production skills centred around acting and stage management.

Should I choose Drama?

Yes if you:

• Have a passion for performing arts.
• Want to develop your communication skills and work as part of a team.
• Are committed to hard work and prepared to put in time for rehearsals.
• Are interested in theatre and live performances.
• Enjoy expressing yourself and being creative.

Teaching Strategies

You will experience a combination of performance and theoretical work during the course.  Some of the techniques used in the lessons will include role play, freeze-frame and melodrama.  Students are also encouraged to assess each other and work in teams to deliver a performance.

Assessment

Drama is assessed in three components: 

Component 1 is a written paper worth 40% of the overall mark. This covers study of a set text (play) and evaluation of the live theatre production seen by students. 

Component 2 is the devising section which involves students creating a devised performance supported by coursework. This component is also worth 40%. 

Component 3 makes up the remaining 20% of the overall grade and involves students performing two scripted extract controlled assessments in front of a visiting examiner. These are based on practical Drama skills and the students’ abilities as a performer. 

Beyond GCSE

A natural progression would be A-Level Drama and Theatre Studies whcih follows through from the GCSE course; alternatively, you may prefer to opt for a Performing Arts BTEC.

Mrs Hopkinson will be happy to talk to you in a little more detail about the GCSE Drama course.  Alternatively, the course specification is available to view online at http://www.aqa.org.uk.