Curriculum Plan – Drama

Intent: Inspiring creativity, empathy and confidence whilst challenging perceptions.

Key Stage 3 Content Skills
Year 7

The Haunted Hotel/School – Devising 
Explore a haunted hotel/School and the secrets it holds  to learn how to create a piece of drama. This is an introductory scheme of learning.

Industrial Revolution – Devising 
Use Drama skills and techniques to explore the Industrial Revolution & Victorians. What it might life have been like for children? Links to the start of the Industrial Revolution which happened here in Shropshire.

Live Theatre Evaluation– Peter Pan
Students watch the National Theatre’s ‘Peter Pan’ and learn how to analyse and evaluate live theatre, answering GCSE style questions.

Script Study - Script
Using scripts for the first time, look at how to understand a story from script. How do you turn a script into performance?

Greek Theatre  - Theatre History 
Study history of Greek drama and explore early script- “Oedipus Rex.” How can you apply key Greek theatre techniques to drama- choral speaking, Greek chorus and narration?

Live Theatre Evaluation- ‘Shrek the Musical’
Live Theatre Evaluation- ‘Shrek the Musical. Students watch the Broadway production of ‘Shrek- the Musical’ and further develop how to analyse and evaluate live theatre and answer GCSE Drama style questions.

Performance Skills   

  • Character/Role 
  • Facial expression
  • Gesture
  • Body language
  • Vocal -pitch/pace/tone
  • Characterisation
  • Dynamics

Drama Techniques

  • Tableau
  • Improvisation
  • Narrator
  • Physical theatre
  • Choral speaking
  • Greek chorus
  • Thought tracking
  • Transitions
  • Soundscape

Rehearsal Techniques

  • Focus 
  • Listening
  • Director
  • Communication 
  • Structured  improvisation
  • Hot seating 
  • Teacher in role
  • Spontaneous improvisation

Staging Techniques 

  • Audience awareness
  • Staging
  • Levels
  • Use of space
  • Blocking & staging
  • Costume
  • Lighting

Script skills

  • Dialogue
  • Stage directions
  • Scene
  • Plot
  • Blocking    

Live Theatre Evaluation and Analysis

  • Evaluate the work of theatre makers and others 
  • Analyse how performance and production elements are used to create theatre
  • Understand how theatrical choices are used to create impact on the audience
  • Understand how a text can be interpreted and communicated to an audience Use appropriate vocabulary and terminology
  • Form critical judgements about live theatre based on their understanding of drama.

Transferable Skills 

  • Confidence
  • Group work
  • Social skills
  • SMSC
  • Creativity
  • speaking in front of an audience
  • performing, empathy, social skills 
  • listening, leadership
  • problem solving.
Year 8

Darkwood Manor - Devising
Using a local ghost story, focus on individual work as well as playing a role in a whole class drama. Students explore the horror/thriller genre and how to create the appropriate atmosphere.


Drama Through the Ages- Theatre History
Explore how theatre has developed over 1000 years, looking at techniques and styles associated with different time periods. This is a theatre history Scheme of Learning.


Pantomime– Live Theatre Evaluation    
Students watch professional pantomime (link to Drama through the ages) to analyse and evaluate live theatre, answering GCSE style questions.


The Tempest    - Script 
Explore Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, looking at bringing scripts to life and using physical theatre to create characters and locations on stage.


The Stones- Theatre in Education 
Students watch the National Theatre production ‘The Stones’  and explore the themes of anti-social behaviour and the techniques used for Theatre in Education.    

Dramatic Mime & Slapstick Comedy - Devising
Students Study mime and slapstick comedy. Students create a silent movie from devising and performing.    


Live Theatre Evaluation– Treasure Island    
Students watch performance and analyse and evaluate live theatre, answering GCSE style questions.

Performance skills

  • Facial expressions
  • Gesture
  • Body language
  • Vocal pitch/pace/tone
  • Exaggeration
  • Characterisation
  • Accent
  • Multi roleplay

Drama techniques

  • Tableau
  • Mime
  • Physical theatre
  • Soundscape
  • Multi roleplay
  • Thought tracking
  • Mime
  • Cross cutting
  • Split scene
  • Choral Speaking

Rehearsal techniques

  • Focus 
  • Listening
  • Director
  • Communication 
  • Structured improvisation 
  • Teacher in Role 
  • Spontaneous improvisation

Transferable Skills 

  • Confidence
  • group work
  • social skills
  • SMSC
  • Creativity
  • speaking in front of an audience
  • performing, empathy, social skills 
  • listening, leadership
  • problem solving

Script skills

  • Dialogue
  • Aside
  • Plot
  • Themes
  • Setting
  • Language
  • Staging Skills
  • Audience awareness
  • Levels
  • In the round staging
  • Traverse Staging
  • Thrust Staging 
  • Staging Skills
  • Use of space
  • Proxemics 

Live Theatre Evaluation and Analysis

  • Evaluate the work of theatre makers and others 
  • Analyse how performance and production elements are used to create theatre
  • Understand how theatrical choices are used to create impact on the audience
  • Understand how a text can be interpreted and communicated to an audience Use appropriate vocabulary and terminology
  • Form critical judgements about live theatre based on their understanding of drama.


 

Year 9

Fairy tales & Epic Theatre – Devising and Practitioners
Learn how techniques like physical theatre can be used to create meaning and symbolism, while reducing set & props. Look at the history of the style of Epic Theatre and key elements & techniques required for successful physical theatre.


The Woman in Black     - Script
 “The Woman in Black” is a GCSE level text for both drama and English Literature. It builds on students’ prior knowledge and skills in the genre of horror/thriller and develops them further through the study and staging of key sections of the play. Student will also learn how to answer GCSE drama Style question on key text extracts. They will consider how ‘The Woman in Black’ uses different performance and stage techniques to create suspense and tension? This is a cross-curricular scheme of learning between drama and music.


Live Theatre Evaluation – Peter Pan Goes Wrong
Students watch Mischief Theatre’s ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong to  analyse and evaluate live theatre, answering GCSE style questions.    .    

Hillsborough Disaster – Documentary Theatre
Explore the Hillsborough disaster focusing on creating drama to educate and how to perform in an empathetic and sensitive way. Explores use of abstract drama to portray sensitive topics.

“Blood Brothers” – Script
Students read Willy Russel’s Blood Brothers exploring the themes of nature versus nurture, class & superstition. Students will explore practically how a performance text might can be  taken from ‘page to stage’.  Students will also learn how to answer GCSE Drama  Style questions on key script extracts and decide how they would choose to stage and direct them. 


Live performance and Live Theatre Evaluation & Creating Theatre
Students explore how  a current production is developed from an initial idea. Students learn how to analyse and evaluate a performance and answer GCSE Drama Style questions.

Students learn what the different job roles in theatre are and how a production is put together from the backstage and design perspective. Students will have a go at parts of the different job roles needed to produce a show such as costume and set design.

Performance skills

  • Facial expressions
  • Gesture
  • Body language
  • Characterisation 
  • Vocal skills 
  • pitch/pace/tone
  • Multi-role
  • Exaggeration
  • Inflection
  • Volume
  • Dynamics
  • Accent
  • Sounds/ soundscape
  • Movement
  • Posture
  • Stance
  • Physicality
  • Mannerisms
  • Stillness
  • Eye contact
  • Speed/pace 
  • Non-Verbal communication

Drama techniques

  • Juxtaposition
  • Alienation
  • Physical theatre
  • Soundscape 
  • Placards
  • Thought tracking
  • Tableau
  • Mime
  • Symbolism
  • Transitions
  • Narration
  • Monologue
  • Cross cutting
  • Soundscape
  • Split scene
  • Multi-Role play

Rehearsal techniques

  • Teacher in role
  • Focus 
  • Listening
  • Director
  • Communication
  • Structured improvisation    

Script skills

  • Character
  • Dialogue
  • Plot
  • Atmosphere
  • Stage directions
  • Blocking
  • Staging

Staging Skills 

  • Audience awareness
  • Levels
  • Breaking the fourth wall
  • Lighting– colour theory
  • Proxemics
  • Staging Skills
  • Use of space
  • Sound
  • Set 
  • Costume
  • Props

Live Theatre Evaluation and Analysis

  • Evaluate the work of theatre makers and others 
  • Analyse how performance and production elements are used to create theatre
  • Understand how theatrical choices are used to create impact on the audience
  • Understand how a text can be interpreted and communicated to an audience Use appropriate vocabulary and terminology
  • Form critical judgements about live theatre based on their understanding of drama.

Transferable Skills

  • Confidence
  • group work
  • social skills
  • SMSC
  • Creativity
  • speaking in front of an audience
  • performing, empathy, social skills 
  • listening, leadership
  • problem solving.
Key Stage 4 – GCSE Exam Board Pearson 
Year 10

Introduction to GCSE Drama (Sept-Oct)
Explore elements of all 3 Components of GCSE Drama for Baseline 
Assessment and so students can get a feel for what GCSE Drama will be like.

  • Component 1 Baseline– Devising project- ‘Too Much, Too Young’
  • Component 2 Baseline– Scripted performance- ‘Chatroom’
  • Component 3 Baseline– Theatres Makers exploration- ’Blood Brothers’ / Live Theatre Evaluation and analysis 

Style, genre, structure, form,  character and practitioners
Students learn how to devise an effective piece of drama, while exploring the styles of different theatre practitioners and how performance skills and production elements differ with each style.
Students will complete a mock Component 1- Devising project

Component 3 – Theatre Makers in Practice
Students read and practically explore Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ 
focusing on: 

  • the historical context of the play
  • Taking the text from page to stage using the production elements and performance skills.

Students will watch a piece of Live Theatre and explore how to evaluate the use of production elements and performance skills. 

AO1 Create and develop ideas to communicate meaning for theatrical performance. -Rehearsal Techniques, Drama Techniques, Form, Style, Structure, Staging skills, Performance Skills, Theatre design skills 

AO2 Apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance. 

AO3 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how drama and is developed and performed- Theatre history and Play texts, Scripts, Performance Skills, Theatre design skills. Cultural Capital

AO4 Analyse and evaluate their own work and the work of others -  Analysis and Evaluation (Feedback) 
 

Year 11

Component 1-  Devising (starts in the summer term of year 10)

Students will devise a live performance based on a provided stimulus (previous stimuli have included song lyrics, news articles, pictures etc).

Students will complete a detailed workbook documenting the devising process in order to complete the final written element of a 1500-word portfolio answering six key questions. 

Component 2– Performance from a Text (Dec- Mar)
Students will begin their rehearsal period for the final performance exam that will take place in March.
They will be given two script excerpts (monologue and/ or group pieces) to learn and rehearse ready to perform to an audience and an external examiner.

Final Component 3  Mock exam prep
Revision for Component 3 written exam:
The Crucible recap
Live theatre Evaluation– completing notes that students are able to take into the exam

AO1 Create and develop ideas to communicate meaning for theatrical performance. -Rehearsal Techniques, Drama Techniques, Form, Style, Structure, Staging skills, Performance Skills, Theatre design skills 

AO2 Apply theatrical skills to realise artistic intentions in live performance. 

AO3 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how drama and is developed and performed- Theatre history and Playtexts, Scripts, Performance Skills, Theatre design skills. 

AO4 Analyse and evaluate their own work and the work of others -  Analysis and Evaluation (Feedback) 
 



For more information regarding the Drama Curriculum please contact the Head of Department via our contact form