A-Level Drama & Theatre Studies
A Level Drama & Theatre Studies
This subject is a stimulating mixture of practical drama, artistic exploration and the academic study of the whole process which transforms a play script into a theatrical experience. It also gives you a unique opportunity to develop your self-awareness and your collaborative communication skills whilst discovering the ways in which actors learn their craft and how a piece of theatre is created.
The academic emphasis in the Eduqas specification means that, along with the development of analytical and evaluative thinking and inherent exploration of cultural and social contexts, this A level is a good grounding for university study; many of our students have successfully gained entry to top universities to study a whole range of Arts and Science subjects.
What does the course involve?
The aim of the course is to provide you with an overall perspective of the work of actor, director, designer, practitioner and playwright. You gain this through a blend of written and practical work. There will be opportunities to visit Stratford and/or London during the two-year course where you will experience productions larger in scale than is viable for touring groups in Manchester.
There is also the opportunity to perfect your performance skills through involvement in our unrivalled range of co-curricular experiences.
What are the entry requirements?
The most important requirements are an interest in theatre and the kind of enthusiasm which will sustain you through the necessary rehearsals in the run-up to the practical examinations and extra curricular productions. You should also be excited by the prospect of our regular compulsory theatre visits –approximately six per year, usually at The Royal Exchange or The Lowry, but in recent years we have also ventured further afield to Bolton, Sheffield and Harrogate to see productions of particular interest to us. You will be expected to produce a number of essays, so the standard of your written English should be good.
Most students choose acting or costume for their practical skill but those with prior experience of lighting, sound and set building may choose these skills as an alternative.
Assessment Information
Theatre Studies at St. Bede’s follows the Eduqas specification.
Component 1 – Theatre Workshop
Non-exam assessment: internally assessed, externally moderated (20% of qualification). Learners are assessed on either acting or design. Learners participate in the creation, development and performance of a piece of theatre based on a reinterpretation of an extract from a text chosen from a list supplied by the board. The piece must be developed using the techniques and working methods of either an influential theatre practitioner or a recognised theatre company. Learners must produce a realisation of the performance or design and a creative log and will be expected to refer to plays seen during the course.
Component 2 – Text in Action
Non-exam assessment: externally assessed by a visiting examiner (40% of qualification). Learners are assessed on either acting or design. Learners participate in the creation, development and performance of two pieces of theatre based on a stimulus supplied by the board:
1. A devised piece using the techniques and working methods of either an influential theatre practitioner or a recognised theatre company (a different practitioner or company to that chosen for Component 1).
2. An extract from a text in a different style chosen by the learner. Learners must realise their performance live for the visiting examiner. Learners produce a process and evaluation report.
Component 3 – Text in Performance
Written examination: 2 hours 30 minutes (40% of qualification).
Sections A and B: Open book: Clean copies (no annotation) of the two complete texts chosen must be taken into the examination. Two questions, based on two different texts, Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen and Accidental Death of an Anarchist, by Dario Fo.
Section C Closed book: The extract of text required for answering the questions will be printed on the examination paper. A question based on a specified extract from: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens will be released during the first week of March, in the year in which the examination is to be taken.
And after Theatre Studies?
Students with this A level go on to a wide variety of academic disciplines. Some have of course gone on to drama schools immediately after Sixth Form or after a degree in a different subject. Several alumni are now making a living through performance, directing and stage management and there is an above average representation of ex-Theatre Studies students amongst the ranks of Old Bedian barristers, teachers and media/entertainment executives in film and TV. In the last few years we have had students leave us and gain entrance to some of the world’s leading Conservatoires for further training in the arts, notably East 15 Acting School and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.