Welcome to the Drama Department at Churchdown School Academy

The Drama Department aims to offer all Churchdown School Academy’s Drama students the opportunity to develop a range of drama skills necessary for them to perform to a high standard as well as to familiarise them with skills relevant for pupils to achieve within all aspects of their education, such as: communication, co-operation, speaking and listening and, most importantly, confidence. At the same time, we aim to foster a love of Drama and Theatre Studies and a genuine interest in a variety of performance styles: both scripted and non-scripted.

 

KS3 Drama Overview

Drama in Key Stage 3 intends to develop thinking, speaking and listening, reading, writing and critical analysis, plus evaluation through imaginative and focused engagement. Key Stage 3 Drama teachers promote individual self–confidence, encourage and praise social co-operation and develop creativity. Each tutor group in Key Stage 3 has Drama twice a fortnight. These lessons are 50 minutes and are usually in the Drama Studio, Drama Room or in the Main Hall. Teachers of Key Stage 3 Drama are Mrs Karla Paget-Marsh, Mrs Sian Shirlaw and Miss Rachael Hicks.
 
All Drama lessons in Key Stage 3 are based on the following modes of activity:
CREATING (or work in progress)
This involves working with others to shape ideas into actions and explore the conventions and techniques of drama with increasing confidence.

PERFORMING
This refers to the work of a class or group as they explore, prepare and share ideas through enactment.  
 
EVALUATING
This involves pupils reflecting on their own experience of drama. Responses are usually spoken and sometimes written. (Year 7 record details of their learning in Drama Booklets while Year 8s and 9s have Drama Record Cards. The Year 9 written focus is on the evaluating of final performances). We aim to introduce more self-assessment within lessons alongside developing time spent on peer assessment. Show My Homework is used to set homework.

 

Year 7 
Topic 1 – Introduction to Drama: Characterisation and Voice
Topic 2 – Scripts: ‘Harry Potter,’ Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy,’ ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and monologues.

Topic 3 – Drama Skills: based on ‘Darkwood Manor’
Topic 4 – Television Programmes

Topic 5 - Evacuation

Year 8
Topic 1 – Physical Drama

Topic 2 - Commedia Dell’Arte
Topic 3 – Being Different 
Topic 4 – Script – “The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpty”
Topic 5 – Devised performance

 

Year 9
Topic 1 – The Hunger Games
Topic 2 – Script work – “Mugged” 
Topic 3 – Social Media
Topic 4 - The London Riots

All Key Stage 3 Drama students complete a 1 hour written examination based on a script.

 

KS4 Drama Overview

The Edexcel GCSE (9–1) in Drama consists of two coursework components and one externally examined paper. 

Component 1: Devising (40% of the qualification)

Create and develop a devised piece from a stimulus.
• Performer or designer routes available. 
• Internally assessed and externally moderated. 
• There are two parts to the assessment: 
1) a portfolio covering the creating and developing process and analysis and evaluation of this process - can be handwritten/typed evidence between 1500–2000 words
2) a devised performance/design realisation.

 

Component 2: Performance from Text (20% of the qualification)

• Students will either perform in and/or design for two key extracts from a performance text. 
  • Performer or designer routes available. 
  • Externally assessed by visiting examiner.

 

Component 3: Theatre Makers in Practice - Written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes (40% of the qualification)

Section A: Bringing Texts to Life - This section consists of one question broken into six parts based on an unseen extract from the chosen performance text. Our Set Text is DNA by Dennis Kelly.

Section B: Live Theatre Evaluation - This section consists of two questions requiring students to analyse and evaluate a live theatre performance they have seen. Students are allowed to bring in theatre evaluation notes of up to a maximum of 500 words.

THE GCSE DRAMA COURSE WILL SUIT YOU IF: 
YOU LOVE DRAMA
YOU HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO WORK AS PART OF ANY GROUP
YOU ARE WILLING TO EXPERIMENT WITH A RANGE OF DRAMA ACTIVITIES
YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE CHALLENGE OF CREATING AN ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE PIECE
YOU ENJOY READING AND EXPLORING TEXTS
YOU ARE ABLE TO STAND UP IN FRONT OF YOUR CLASS AND ACT 
YOU ARE CONTENT TO PREPARE FOR A WRITTEN EXAM
 
YOU MUST ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS COURSE CONTAINS WRITTEN WORK (INCLUDING A WRITTEN EXAMINATION) ALONGSIDE PRACTICAL WORK.

 

KS5 Drama and Theatre Overview

What does the Edexcel AS course include?

Component 1: EXPLORATION AND PERFORMANCE (60%)

A  GROUP PERFORMANCE/DESIGN REALISATION OF ONE KEY EXTRACT FROM A PERFORMANCE TEXT AND INFORMED BY THE METHODOLOGY OF ONE INFLUENTIAL PRACTITIONER. (32 marks)

 

The groups must contain between three and six performance students. In addition, there can be one design student per role, per group. All students will be assessed as individuals.

3–4 performance students: min 15 minutes, max 20 minutes.
5−6 performance students: min 20 minutes, max 30 minutes.

 

A WRITTEN PORTFOLIO (48 marks)

All students must produce a 2500 word (max) portfolio of evidence documenting the practical exploration of the one key extract and practitioner, along with the analysis and evaluation of this process and the group performance/design realisation.

 

A MONOLOGUE PERFORMANCE/DESIGN REALISATION FROM ONE KEY EXTRACT FROM A DIFFERENT PERFORMANCE TEXT. (16 marks)

 

Monologue (1 performer): min 2 minutes, max 3 minutes.

Each performer must provide a brief explanation of the intention for their monologue performance (150–250 words).

               

                Component 2: THEATRE MAKERS IN PRACTICE (40%)

            Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes

            Section A: Live Theatre Evaluation - 16 marks.

Students answer one extended response question from a choice of two requiring them to
analyse and evaluate a live theatre performance they have seen.

Section B: Page to Stage: Realising a Performance Text - 32 marks.

Students answer two extended response questions on how they might interpret and realise an extract in performance. It will be an unseen extract from the chosen text, ‘Accidental Death Of An Anarchist,’ by Dario Fo (adapted by Gavin Richards).

• 
  Students answer from the perspective of a performer and a designer.

 

What does the A2Edexcel course include?

Component 1: Devising (40% of the qualification)

• Devise an original performance piece.
• Use one key extract from a performance text and a theatre practitioner as stimuli.
• Performer or designer routes available.
• Internally assessed and externally moderated.

 

• There are two parts to the assessment: 
  1)a portfolio 
  2) the devised performance/design realisation

 

Component 2: Text in Performance (20% of the qualification)

• 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.
• Externally assessed by a visiting examiner.

 

Component 3: Theatre Makers in Practice - Written examination: 2 hours 30 minutes (40% of the qualification)

• Section A: Live Theatre Evaluation 
  Students answer one extended response question from a choice of two requiring them to analyse and evaluate a live theatre performance they have seen. -Students are allowed to bring in theatre evaluation notes of up to a maximum of 500 words.
• Section B: Page to Stage: Realising a Performance Text 
  Students answer two extended response questions based on an unseen extract from the performance text they have studied.

Students will demonstrate how they, as theatre makers, intend to realise the extract in performance - Students answer from the perspective of a performer and a designer.

 

Performance texts for this section are not allowed in the examination as the extracts will be provided.

 

• Section C: Interpreting a Performance Text 
  Students will answer one extended response question from a choice of two based on an unseen named section from their chosen performance text

Students will demonstrate how their re-imagined production concept will communicate ideas to a contemporary audience.

Students will also need to outline how the work of their chosen theatre practitioner has influenced their overall production concept and demonstrate an awareness of the performance text in its original performance conditions.

Students must take in clean copies of their performance texts for this section, but no other printed materials.

THE A LEVEL DRAMA & THEATRE COURSE WILL SUIT YOU IF: 
 
* YOU ARE PRACTICAL, CREATIVE AND COMMUNICATIVE 
* YOU HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO WORK AS PART OF ANY GROUP 
* YOU ENJOY READING AND EXPLORING TEXTS 
* YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE CHALLENGE OF CREATING AN ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE PIECE 
* YOU ARE INTERESTED IN STUDYING PLAYWRIGHTS AND PRACTITIONERS 
* YOU WOULD LOVE TO GO TO THE THEATRE 
* YOU ARE CONTENT TO PREPARE FOR A WRITTEN EXAM

 

Next steps

This course can lead to further study in Drama, Theatre Studies and Performing Arts. It can be used to broaden a student’s studies and may lead to a career in the performing arts industries. This course complements a range of subjects and is useful in building confidence and improving presentation skills which are useful in a range of careers: such as retail, travel and tourism, law, journalism, sales and marketing or teaching.

Useful Links 

• Edexcel (for GCSE Drama and AS/ A2 Drama & Theatre)

 

Extra Curricular Opportunities

DRAMA STAR OF THE TERM
All students have the potential to be named as one of the ‘Drama Stars of the Term’ as teachers choose at least one student per Drama class who have been outstanding in their Drama lessons. Students who receive this reward are sent a letter or postcard home, a cause for praise and their names are included in the school newsletter and displayed on the wall of the Drama Studio and Drama Room.

Extra rewards are given to GCSE students (GCSE Drama Stars) who have been working exceptionally hard at any given time.

Awards and Drama Colours are given out to named pupils on Achievements Evening.

 

SCHOOL PRODUCTIONS
Churchdown School Drama Department is proud to work alongside the Music Department to organise the annual whole school production which involves students from Yr 7 to 13. Every student who auditions gets a role and, due to the high numbers who audition, we have regularly had to have two casts. An average of 60 students are involved on stage while off stage we have many students involved in lighting, set design, costume, make up backstage, front of house and refreshments. A dress rehearsal is performed in front of local Primary Schools. Rehearsals take place most lunch times and after school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Drama Studio. The final performances take place in the Hall in front of approximately 200 people per night. The 2018 production is ‘Peter Pan.’

Past Productions include:

2019 - High School Musical

2018 – Peter Pan

2017 – Grease

2016 - Annie

2015 - Oliver

2014 – Little Shop of Horrors

2013 – The Jungle Book

2012 – The Wizard of Oz

2011 – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2010 – The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

 

Theatre Trips

We strongly believe that our students benefit from seeing as much live theatre as possible. Therefore, we strive to organise for our students to have as many worthwhile theatrical experiences as we can during each academic year. In previous years, we have organised for our students to see ‘Blood Brothers,’ ‘War Horse,’ ‘Tin Drum,’ ‘Antigone,’ ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ and ‘Macbeth’ and we hope to organise a trip exclusively for our Key Stage 3 students each year. Drama teacher and Head of Year 7, Miss Hicks, also organises for the Year 7s to see a performance each year, such as ‘Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.’

We would like to make you aware that the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham offers a reduced price on a number of tickets for most shows for students aged 16+.

Useful Links

 

• Edexcel