Drama at GCSE Level

Boys that take Drama at GCSE level have six Drama lessons per fortnight. These lessons are normally taught in the Studio.

Exam Board: OCR J316

Drama & Theatre Studies GCSE OCR

If you want something a little different, learning by doing and having ownership of and genuine enjoyment in the work you do then the Drama GCSE should be seriously considered. You do not have to be the world’s greatest performer but you learn how to improve all your performance and presentation skills.  You will develop your knowledge of the core elements and the history and practitioners of drama through practically based work and explore it through the roles of Performer, Director, Deviser and Designer.  Most of the work you do will be done in groups and as well as developing your confidence, you will learn to collaborate and work with others and have the freedom and responsibility to develop your own ideas into performance.  Essentially you are learning vital life skills, valued in any future career and by any employer while at the same time developing greater artistic awareness and sensitivity.  It is a challenging but enjoyable course, which caters for all abilities and achieves excellent results reflecting a genuine enjoyment of the learning that has taken place.

Year 10 is very much a foundation year in which you will cover most of the course material and develop the theoretical understanding that will underpin all of your GCSE work. At the end of Year 10 Component 01/02, the Devised project, will be undertaken which is made up of both a devised, collaborative production as well as written supporting coursework. This unit will allow the boys freedom in what they produce in response to a given stimulus. All students will also attend at least one live theatre performance in order to start building the skills associated with live theatre evaluation. In previous years boys have had the opportunity of being involved in The Old Vic School’s Club which has enabled them trips to see four shows with complimentary tickets.

In Year 11 the boys will complete Components 3 and 4 which will complete their GCSE study. Component 3 is where the boys get the chance to be assessed as either a performer or a designer based on their strengths and interests. They will get the chance to perform or present two extracts from a studied script which will demonstrate their creative and practical ability as either a performer or a technical designer, to a visiting examiner.

Component 4 is the final exam; this is a written paper which will require the boys to study a set text as well as review a live theatre production. The set text questions will relate to the context of the original performance as well as interrogating the boys’ ability to interpret the text in a modern performance context; the chosen set text is ‘Missing Dan Nolan’ by Mark Wheeller. This unit will require them to respond to the questions from both an audience and directorial perspective demonstrating an advanced knowledge of a working theatre and the design decisions.

Open your mind and enjoy your learning in a well-equipped and encouraging department.  Drama is becoming more and more popular and, in our opinion, is an invaluable GCSE subject which provides you with both academic and life skills.  It is no less academic than other options and has a practical element that will provide a refreshing break from the more formal rigours of classroom based learning.