Drama

Staff names and subjects taught

Mrs J Conway Drama PT Faculty
Ms F Campbell Drama

 

Department statement

In Drama, we provide opportunities for pupils to design, create and perform with imagination and confidence.

 

Drama balances theoretical work with practical application and focuses on the development of Drama Skills- such as voice and movement- for performance and Production Skills- such as set design or lighting design- to enhance a piece of drama.

 

In the creation of dramatic pieces pupils generate and communicate thoughts and ideas, develop an understanding of the social and cultural influences on drama and develop skills in presenting through acting and production skills.

 

Pupils’ acting and presenting skills are developed through participating in scripted or improvised drama. Exploring real and imaginary situations helps them to understand and share their world. They develop their capacity to enjoy drama and their knowledge and understanding through evaluating technical aspects and scripts and commenting on their work and the work of others.

 

Pupils also develop cultural awareness of drama and theatre arts and investigate and reflect on how the use of self-expression, language and movement can develop their own dramatic ideas. They also develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills as they explore and develop dramatic techniques. Drama pupils also investigate how using production skills and technologies to design and create can enhance their performance and the performances of others.

 

Drama also helps pupils to acquire and develop the attributes and capabilities of the four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence, as well as skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work.

 

Twitter: @PortyDramaDept

 

BGE Courses

BGE S1-S3

The BGE course in Drama at Portlethen Academy gives students the opportunity to perform, be creative and collaborative and also to develop their skills as an independent learner and thinker.  Although many of our units cover social and cultural aspects, we also encourage students to have fun in our Drama lessons.  We have 2 modern drama studios fully fitted out with stage curtains, speakers, a lighting system and stage rostra, resulting in a truly adaptable performance space.

In S1, students work in small groups to develop their performance skills, covering improvisation, creating work from a stimulus, mime, narration, freeze-frames/ tableaux, body language, presenting, writing in role, characterisation and facial expression.  As well as being assessed through practical work, students are also assessed on Drama terminology at the end of each unit.

In S2, students begin focusing more on characterisation (the process of building a character from scratch). This includes hot-seating, writing in role and trying to understand the emotions and feelings of a character through the situation they find themselves in.  Students also begin to look more closely at the use of voice including accent, emotion and tone and also at movement which covers naturalistic and stylised movement, posture, gait and body language.  In the final term, students work collaboratively in pairs and groups on a project in which they will be able to put into practice all of the skills that they have learned in S1 & S2 including improvisation, characterisation and script writing.  Students are assessed practically for use of voice, movement and the rehearsal and performance process; they are also assessed for Drama terminology at the end of each unit.

In S3, in terms 1 & 2, students are given the opportunity to explore production skills to communicate ideas.  Students learn about different aspects of Theatre Arts production roles, including mini units on Costume, Props, Set Design, Lighting Design, Sound, Make-Up and the roles of the Actor and Director.  Collaborating in small groups, students can then apply the practical technical skills they learn along with their knowledge of acting and directing to a short, scripted piece of theatre.  At the end of each mini unit students are assessed on their knowledge of technical terminology through a quiz.

In terms 3 & 4 students begin to explore in more detail how all the Theatre Arts production skills can be applied to a performance by working on several scripted scenes from ‘Blood Brothers’ and ‘An Inspector Calls’.  All students will be given the opportunity to perform but those with more of an inclination towards the technical aspects of production will also have an opportunity to practise in those areas  After each of these practical projects, students will complete a written evaluation reflecting on their experiences and strengths and weaknesses of working on the drama, along with any problems that arose and how they overcame them.  The curriculum in S3 is a reflection of what is expected of those students who go on to choose Drama in the senior phase

 

Senior Phase

 

National 3 Drama

  • National 3 Drama provides opportunities for learners to develop skills creating and presenting drama. This Course focuses on the development and use of basic drama skills and production skills to present drama.
  • This Course is practical and experiential.
  • The aims of the Course are to enable learners to:
    • generate and communicate thoughts and ideas when creating drama
    • develop awareness of social and cultural influences on drama
    • develop basic skills in presenting drama
    • develop basic production skills
    • explore form and structure
  • As learners develop practical skills creating and presenting drama, they will also develop an awareness of cultural and social influences on drama. Learners will explore and reflect how the use of self-expression, language and movement can develop their ideas for drama. Learners will develop thinking skills as they explore, develop and use basic drama skills.

 

National 3 Drama – SQA

 

 National 4 Drama

  • National 4 Drama provides opportunities for learners to develop skills creating and presenting drama. This Course focuses on the development and use of drama skills and production skills to present drama.
  • This Course is practical and experiential.
  • The aims of the Course are to enable learners to:
    • generate and communicate thoughts and ideas when creating drama
    • develop a knowledge of social and cultural influences on drama
    • develop skills in presenting drama
    • develop production skills in presenting drama
    • use drama skills in a drama performance
    • explore form, structure, genre and style
  • As learners develop practical skills creating and presenting drama, they will also develop an understanding of cultural and social influences on drama. Learners will explore and reflect on how the use of self-expression, language and movement can develop their ideas for drama. Learners will develop thinking skills as they explore, develop and use drama skills.
  • Course timeline
    • Unit 1: Drama Skills
    • Unit 2: Production Skills
    • Unit 3 (AVU): Production

National 4 Drama – SQA

 

National 5 Drama

  • This purpose of the National 5 Drama course is to enable candidates to develop and use a range of drama skills and production skills.
  • Candidates develop practical skills in creating and presenting drama and knowledge and understanding of cultural and social influences on drama.
  • They analyse and evaluate how the use of self-expression, language and movement can develop their ideas for drama.
  • They also develop critical-thinking skills as they investigate, develop and apply a range of drama skills and production skills. The course aims to enable candidates to:
    • generate and communicate thoughts and ideas when creating drama
    • develop a knowledge and understanding of a range of social and cultural influences on drama
    • develop a range of skills in presenting drama
    • develop knowledge and understanding of the use of a range of production skills when presenting drama
    • explore form, structure, genre and style
  • Course timeline
    • Term 1: Drama Skills
    • Term 2: Production Skills and Prelim preparation
    • Term 3: Production and exam preparation

 

National 5 Drama – Course overview and resource – SQA

 

Higher Drama

  • Entry Requirements- an A or a B in National 5 Drama.
  • The course enables candidates to develop and use a range of complex drama skills and production skills.
  • Candidates develop practical skills in creating and presenting drama, and knowledge and understanding of historical, social and cultural influences on drama. They analyse and evaluate how the use of self-expression, language and movement can develop their ideas for drama. They also develop critical-thinking skills as they investigate, develop and apply a range of complex drama skills and production skills.
  • The course enables candidates to:
    • generate and communicate thoughts and ideas when creating drama
    • develop a knowledge and understanding of the historical, social and cultural influences on drama
    • develop complex skills in presenting and analysing drama
    • develop knowledge and understanding of complex production skills when presenting drama
    • explore drama form, structure, genre and style
  • Course timeline
    • Term 1: Production Skills based on Set Text/ Section 1 and 2 of the Question Paper
    • Term 2: Production Skills/ Section 3 of the question paper
    • Term 3: Production and exam preparation

 

Higher Drama – Course Overview – SQA

 

Useful websites

Terminology Revision on Quizlet- JCon19 | Quizlet

SQA Past Papers- SQA – NQ – Past papers and marking instructions

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/z4bfscw

Costume at the National Theatre – National Theatre — Google Arts & Culture

BEHIND THE SCENES | The Old Vic (oldvictheatre.com)

Inside Guides | The Old Vic (oldvictheatre.com)

 

Pathways

 

 

 

Extra-curricular & Wider Achievement

Over the years, Drama pupils have had the opportunity to take part in workshops, both virtual and in person, from industry professionals such as West End actors and Lighting Designer.

There are also opportunities to engage with theatre performances, both live and streamed virtually.

Drama pupils have also taken part in our Virtual Christmas Concert this year, and have helped present previous Christmas Concerts, as well as helping backstage for this and for the YPI final presentation evening.

Careers and DYW

Drama can open up a variety of different career pathways for pupils, not all of them within the Arts industry.

The skills developed in the Drama classroom such as communication, team work, negotiation and problem solving are transferrable across a range of careers.

CAREERS ADVICE | The Old Vic (oldvictheatre.com)

Jobs in theatre and the performing arts – BBC Bitesize

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to MWOW website

Planit website: https://www.planitplus.net/CareerAreas/View/20

Planit website hyperlinks for majority of subjects:

Expressive Arts Music Art & Design Drama
English English Media
Maths Link 1 Link 2
Modern Languages French Spanish Link 1 Link 2
Design & Technology Practical Woodwork Metal Work Design & Manufacture Graphic Communication
ICT Business Management Administration & IT Computing Science Cyber Security
Health Promotions Home Economics Physical Education Hospitality
Humanities Geography History Modern Studies
Science Physics Chemistry Biology Link 1

 

 

Photos