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Drama

“You have to understand your best. Your best isn’t anyone else’s best, but your own. Every person has his own norm. And in that norm, every person is a star. A famous actor could stand on his head and still not be as good as you! Because only you can be you! What a privilege! Nobody can achieve what you can if you do it… So do it! We need your best, your voice, your body. We don’t need for you to imitate anybody else, because that wouldn’t be your best. And if it isn’t your best then it may as well be your worst.” Stella Adler ‘The Art of Acting’

Overview

Students in Year 1 continue their exploration and understanding of how drama can communicate meaning, beginning to explore the interrelated relationships between the characters and setting when establishing story structures, role and situation so that students can learn that meaning is communicated through drama. They identify the main idea as they participate in process drama, and improvisation as they create roles, characters, and situations. Through increased interaction and collaboration with other actors, students learn about safety in dramatic play and how the use of space and expression increases audience engagement.

Students are encouraged to consider how biblical perspectives can be devised and represented within the elements of drama, the performing of Bible stories and demonstration of core biblical values and to understand that God is the Creator and has formed us in His image, therefore, we are created to create too. The ability to speak, move and express ourselves is a gift given by God, and one that can impact others. The aim is to equip students with an increasing confidence in their ability to create meaning in movement and performance using space, levels, shape, dynamics, voice, rhythm and movement sequences and also develop their engage audiences and to recognise that audience members respond to and interpret the main ideas presented in performances in different ways.

Topics Include

  • Group/partner games and purposeful play (Freeze frames, Tableaux tasks)
  • Stage craft (play building, kinaesthetic learning, stage grid)
  • Performance (informal, mime, movement, improvisation, dance, audience engagement)
  • Creation and exploration (role, situation, character, cultural influence

 Subject Length

  • 2 periods per cycle

 Prerequisites

  • Nil

Assessment

  • a Performance
  • Reflection
  • Process-focused assessments and checklists

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them” Romans 12:6a