Garforth Academy & School

Mr C Stevenson

Head of Department

Miss K Hewitt

Full   time Drama tutor

Mrs H Lambert

Full time Drama tutor

Introduction to Theatre/ Drama

 The students will be introduced to the subject of drama through a series of workshops that explore stage craft as well as different skills and strategies.  A Baseline Assessment must be incorporated in week 2 and recorded on the learning platform. 

The students will be introduced to basic physical theatre techniques in workshop style.  They will then apply these techniques to a simple script which they have created themselves based on a story provided by their teacher.   Their assessment pieces should demonstrate their ability to tell a story using physical theatre and narration. 

Cultural diversity - Myths/legends

Theatre History

The students will explore other cultures through myths and legends applying skills and strategies covered in term 1 and 2.   This culminates in group performances of the chosen myth or legend incorporating the skills listed below.

Approaching script work

Students will develop their performance techniques in a series of workshops which focus on skills such as characterisation , status, stage business, and simple blocking.  These skills are then applied to a short script and performed as part of a standardisation assessment

My home town - Industrial Revolution

Students will be involved in a cross-curricular project with History Department in order to explore their own cultural heritage e.g. the industrial revolution or the coal-mining industry.  This will allow the students to create improvisations which explore the life and working conditions of the time and develop their understanding in order to have an impact on the history curriculum.

Students will explore a playtext building on their knowledge from Term1A. The text may explore a theme,issue or historical context and will explore the themes and ideas of the play . The students will build towards a performnace to an invited audience.

Mask

Theatre genre - Melodrama

The students will be introduced to mask theatre. Using the Trestle Theatre masks students explore and develop physical expression through a series of Trestle theatre workshops.

Symbolism

Exploration of Social issues

The students will explore the practitioner Artaud and the genre of symbolism in workshop based lessons which should culminate in a performance that has been devised in groups and “ employ symbolic representations or effects to communicate meaning” .  Students should also be encouraged to incorporate stage craft such as simple lighting, props and music.

Realism

Theatre Genre – Comic performance

Students will be introduced to the practitioner Stanislavski in order to explore the genre of realism and apply some of his simple techniques to a script or sections of text selected by the teacher.  Students will use props and costume in their assessment performance and suggest how lighting and sound/music could enhance their work.

Students will learn how to approach a script from a comic genre and learn basic comedy performance skills through a series of workshops.  Theses skills are then applied to a suitable script selected by the teacher, for example farce, pantomime or situation comedy.  The assessment performance should incorporate appropriate props, costume, lighting and music and could be performed to a lower school class or primary school in order to “design a performance for a suitable audience”.

The Development of Drama

Exploring Theatre

Students will look at the origins of theatre and how it has developed over time focusing on Greek and Elizabethan Theatre.  This will incorporate an introduction to staging and allow the students to have hands on experience of performing using different styles of staging.  The unit culminates in a short performance which uses text from one of the periods explored.  This links to Unit B5 BTEC 1^st Diploma and the GCSE unit 2 & 3 and will be revisited by those who continue to study the subject at KS5.

Students have an opportunity to work with a specialised performance group/practitioner towards a project for the Arts festival. The aim is for them to learn about a particular culture and its theatrical traditions or a particular style of performance.  These skills and techniques can then be applied to a tale /legend/performance that culminates in a performance as part of the GarforthArts Festival Programme.