Drama

The BGE course in Drama gives students the opportunity to perform, be creative and collaborative and develop their skills as independent learners.  The three main strands in BGE Drama are Creating, Presenting and Evaluating.

In S1, students begin developing their skills in creating drama by working in small groups to plan and rehearse different types of performance, such as improvisation, devising from a stimulus and Mime. They learn how to use conventions to enhance their work, such as narration, slow motion and tableaux and work on using their voice and movement to portray characters in performance. As well as being assessed on their practical, performance work, students are also assessed on Drama terminology at the end of each unit and have the opportunity to evaluate their own work and the work of others.

In S2, students begin focusing more on characterisation-the process of building a character from scratch. This includes hot-seating, writing in role and trying to understand the emotions and feelings of a character through the situation they find themselves in.  Students also begin to look more closely at the use of voice including accent, emotion and tone and also at movement which covers naturalistic and stylised movement, posture, gesture and body language.  Students will get the chance throughout S2 to work collaboratively in pairs and groups on projects in which they will be able to put into practice all of the skills that they have learned including improvisation, characterisation and script writing.  Students are assessed practically for use of voice, movement and the rehearsal and performance process; they are also assessed for Drama terminology at the end of each unit and have the opportunity to evaluate their own work and the work of others.

In S3, in terms 1 & 2, students are given the opportunity to explore production skills to communicate ideas.  Students learn about different aspects of Theatre Arts production roles, including mini units on Costume, Props, Set Design, Lighting Design, Sound, Make-Up and the roles of the Actor and Director.  Collaborating in small groups, students can then apply the practical technical skills they learn along with their knowledge of acting and directing to a short, scripted piece of theatre.  At the end of each mini unit students are assessed on their knowledge of technical terminology and have the opportunity to evaluate their own work and the work of others.

In terms 3 & 4 students begin to explore in more detail how all the Theatre Arts production skills can be applied to a performance by working on scripted scenes from a published play.  All students will be given the opportunity to perform but those with more of an inclination towards the technical aspects of production will also have an opportunity to practise in those areas. After each of these practical projects, students will complete a written evaluation reflecting on their experiences and strengths and weaknesses of working on the drama, along with any problems that arose and how they overcame them. The curriculum in S3 Drama gives an excellent base for pupils to progress into the senior phase.

National 3 Drama: National 3 Drama - SQA

National 3 Drama provides opportunities for learners to develop skills creating and presenting drama. This Course focuses on the development and use of basic drama skills and production skills to present drama. The Course is practical and experiential.

The aims of the Course are to enable learners to:

o   generate and communicate thoughts and ideas when creating drama

o   develop awareness of social and cultural influences on drama

o   develop basic skills in presenting drama

o   develop basic production skills

o   explore form and structure

As learners develop practical skills creating and presenting drama, they will also develop an awareness of cultural and social influences on drama. Learners will explore and reflect how the use of self-expression, language and movement can develop their ideas for drama. Learners will develop thinking skills as they explore, develop and use basic drama skills. 

National 4 Drama: National 4 Drama - SQA

National 4 Drama provides opportunities for learners to develop skills creating and presenting drama. This Course focuses on the development and use of drama skills and production skills to present drama. Similar to N3, the course is practical and experiential. 

The aims of the Course are to enable learners to:

o    generate and communicate thoughts and ideas when creating drama

o   develop a knowledge of social and cultural influences on drama

o    develop skills in presenting drama

o    develop production skills in presenting drama

o   use drama skills in a drama performance 

o   explore form, structure, genre and style

As learners develop practical skills creating and presenting drama, they will also develop an understanding of cultural and social influences on drama. Learners will explore and reflect on how the use of self-expression, language and movement can develop their ideas for drama. Learners will develop thinking skills as they explore, develop and use drama skills.

The contains the same two units as N3 but with an additional Added Value Unit:

o   Unit 1: Drama Skills

o   Unit 2: Production Skills

o   Unit 3 (AVU): Production

National 5 Drama: National 5 Drama - Course overview and resource - SQA

This purpose of the National 5 Drama course is to enable candidates to develop and use a range of drama skills and production skills. Candidates develop practical skills in creating and presenting drama and knowledge and understanding of cultural and social influences on drama.

·  They analyse and evaluate how the use of self-expression, language and movement can develop their ideas for drama.

·  They also develop critical-thinking skills as they investigate, develop and apply a range of drama skills and production skills.

The course aims to enable candidates to:

o    generate and communicate thoughts and ideas when creating drama

o   develop a knowledge and understanding of a range of social and cultural influences on drama

o   develop a range of skills in presenting drama

o    develop knowledge and understanding of the use of a range of production skills when presenting drama

o   explore form, structure, genre and style

Course timeline

o   Term 1: Drama Skills

o   Term 2: Production Skills and Prelim preparation

o   Term 3: Production and exam preparation

Higher Drama: Higher Drama - Course Overview - SQA

Entry Requirements- an A or a B in National 5 Drama.

The course enables candidates to develop and use a range of complex drama skills and production skills. 

Candidates develop practical skills in creating and presenting drama, and knowledge and understanding of historical, social and cultural influences on drama. They analyse and evaluate how the use of self-expression, language and movement can develop their ideas for drama. They also develop critical-thinking skills as they investigate, develop and apply a range of complex drama skills and production skills.

The course enables candidates to:

o   generate and communicate thoughts and ideas when creating drama 

o   develop a knowledge and understanding of the historical, social and cultural influences on drama

o    develop complex skills in presenting and analysing drama

o    develop knowledge and understanding of complex production skills when presenting drama

o   explore drama form, structure, genre and style

Course timeline

o   Term 1: Production Skills based on Set Text/ Section 1 and 2 of the Question Paper

o   Term 2: Production Skills/ Section 3 of the question paper

o   Term 3: Production and exam preparation

Over the years, Drama pupils have had the opportunity to take part in workshops, both virtual and in person, from industry professionals such as West End actors and Lighting Designers.

There are also opportunities to engage with theatre performances, both live and streamed virtually.

Pupils can also join the lunchtime Drama Club, who have presented Drama pieces at both Summer and Christmas Concerts. Pupils keen to join the Drama Club should speak to Mrs Conway or Miss Stewart.

Lunchtime Supported study sessions arranged with class teachers at a time and date that is suitable for all. 

Revision websites:

• BBC Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zrs3kqt     

• Quizlet- Terminology Revision- JCon19 | Quizlet

• SQA Past Papers- SQA - NQ - Past papers and marking instructions

•  Higher Drama Study Pack

Production sites:

Costume at the National Theatre - National Theatre — Google Arts & Culture

BEHIND THE SCENES | The Old Vic (oldvictheatre.com)

Inside Guides | The Old Vic (oldvictheatre.com) 

Drama can open up a variety of different career pathways for pupils, not all of them within the Arts industry.

The skills developed in the Drama classroom such as communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking are transferrable across a range of careers.

DYW Links

o   My World of Work- Creative | My World of Work

o   “Planit” website: Planit : Career Areas : Performing Arts

o   Old Vic-CAREERS ADVICE | The Old Vic (oldvictheatre.com)

o   BBC Bitesize-Jobs in theatre and the performing arts - BBC Bitesize

o   Scottish Drama Training Network- Scottish Drama Training Network - Get into Theatre