A Level Drama & Theatre

How does an actor play and breathe life into his role? Or a director give life to the ideas in the play? How do you interpret a plain script into a stunning visual performance? If you’d like to learn how to do all of the above and more, A Level Drama & Theatre is for you. You will be shown the wonderful diversity in theatre and will learn to analyse, interpret and create imaginative, stylish and effective theatre. You will explore both the practical and theoretical aspects of Drama, including dramatic performance, exploration of theatre text in context, and analysis of live theatre.

Course Overview

This two-year course introduces you to the wonderful diversity in theatre and you will learn to analyse, interpret and create imaginative, stylish and effective drama. You will also take part in various productions and visit local theatre.

YEAR ONE: You are given a range of opportunities, including practical sessions, to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills for the course. You are introduced to three different texts; the first is used as a stimulus for you, as part of a small group, to develop an original piece of theatre in the style of a recognised theatre practitioner. A written portfolio accompanies this unit in which you will document and evaluate the rehearsal process. The second is a modern play studied through a series of practical workshops to understand how to bring the written word to life for an audience. The final text is studied in connection with a theatre visit and brings in all aspects of a live performance.

YEAR TWO: You will draw on your experience and research gathered from the first year to explore and perform an extract from a text chosen specifically to offer the best opportunities for each small group of performers. Both this and an independently rehearsed monologue or duologue will be assessed by an external examiner. You will study a second play (a more classical text) and re-imagine it for a contemporary audience in the style of a recognised theatre practitioner.

Entry Requirements

All students studying A Levels should have at least five GCSEs at grade 9 – 5 in academic subjects, including English Language at grade 5. Two of these should be grade 6. Having studied GCSE Drama, Dance or Expressive Arts would be an obvious advantage, but is not essential. All applicants must successfully pass an audition.

Assessment Information

The assessment for this course is split between a final exam at the end of the two-year course (worth 40%) and course work worth 60%.

This is divided between:

1) A devised performance and a reflective portfolio (internally marked and externally moderated) worth 40%

2) A group performance and a monologue (both marked by an external examiner) worth 20%

Career Opportunities

The majority of A Level Drama students go on to take the subject as either a single or combined subject at university or drama school. It is an excellent subject for acceptance on most creative courses such as English, Media, Art or Creative Writing but it is also widely accepted for most courses in Humanities, such as History, Sociology and Psychology. There is an increased awareness of the many positive attributes and transferable skills offered by studying Drama and it is now acknowledged as a useful qualification for a wide range of careers including the legal profession, teaching, the media and marketing.