Drama

Welcome to the Kingsmead School Drama Department.

Within the Drama Department we aim to give students the opportunity to create and performer their work in a supportive environment where students will understand the importance of working well within a group and learn how to shape their Drama. Students will gain confidence and learn to appreciate this cultural art form.

Key Stage 3

In Year 7 and 8, students will slowly build their confidence by learning a variety of theatrical techniques. At the beginning of year 7 students will focus on mime and slapstick where they will look at the historical aspect of silent movies and see how it has influenced comedy today. Students will then create their own slapstick scenes which will be performed to the rest of the class. This is then followed by script work where we look at scenes from the play ‘Macbeth’ where students will also learn how to work ‘off text’ and discover how to use different stage settings. The third term enables students to have a freer hand in creating their Drama where we look at improvisation. In year 8 there is a development of their slapstick skills as they learn about characterisation through Commedia Dell’Arte and students will look at the historical aspect of this comedy. After this student study the theatre company ‘Theatre Alibi’ and work on ‘The Crowstarver’ exploring the text through performance. Within the final term students will again have a freer hand in creating improvisational work.

Key Stage 4

In Year 9, 10 and 11 students build on their skills learnt and follow the AQA Drama syllabus, where they will work on three components.

Component 1 consists of Knowledge and Understanding of Theatre and Drama, where students are assessed on a set text and design elements as well as acting skills are explored. Students will also have the opportunity to visit live theatre productions where they will analyse and evaluate the acting skills of others.

Component 2 comprises of practical and written work, where students will devise a piece of work in groups and analyse how they created their work and evaluate their performance.

Component 3 is purely practical and will be assessed by an external examiner. Students choose a script and perform 2 extracts from the play either as a monologue, duologue or as a group.

During the summer term students are expected to be a part of the ‘Year 10 showcase’ where students will perform some of their work they have produced throughout the year.

Drama Trips

During the GCSE course it is essential that students see as much live and digital theatre as possible. From Year 10 students are offered trips to the theatre three times a year, this includes an Art’s Trip to Bristol where we go to the museum to look at the Art Gallery and then visit the Bristol Hippodrome to watch a musical.

Extra Curricular Opportunities

Students are offered a number of extra curricula activities. We run a Drama club for Year 7 and 8 once a week and students have the opportunity of being involved in the school production which normally runs every year. Students are also encouraged to take part in our ‘Kingsmead’s Open Stage’ which is an annual event. Past performances include ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘The Crucible’, ‘The Addams Family’, ‘Joseph’, ‘Our House’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.

Sequence of Learning in Drama

This is a summary of the topics studied in Drama at Kingsmead School.

Top 5 Websites

For additional learning and revision in this subject, see these websites:

Top 5 useful websites:

All theatre websites

1. BBC Bitesize www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/gcse/drama
2. Plays Magazine www.playsmagazine.com
3. The Stage www.thestage.co.uk
4. Theatre - The Guardian www.theguardian.com/stage/theatre
5. Shakespeare's Globe www.shakespearesglobe.com

Drama Progress Overviews

These are designed to outline the progression of Drama based learning within each year group. They make clear the skills, understanding and knowledge within each category of our language for learning