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Drama GCSE Revision Pack

Unit 1 Written Paper

Drama Formula: Point Quote Delivery Audience Response Your answer to the question What you said or description if movement work Focus on an acting element e.g. vocals or movement or gesture etc. What effect did it have or did you intend to have on the audience?

Section A. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Description + Expansion How + Why Method + Effect Reflect + Critique

Dont repeat scenes or acting skills across questions! Always contextualise the scene or moment. Use Drama terminology.

Section A. Write in detail about: How you prepared for the piece How you developed your acting skills How you applied your acting skills in rehearsal How you applied your acting skills in the final performance.

Make sure you are answering the question directly. Use key words from the question to do this: 0 3 Explain what improvements you made to the piece during the rehearsals and your reasons for making them. During a rehearsal of the opening scene, I developed my use of vocals... my reason for doing so was to improve my use of pause... 0 4 Explain what you felt were the strengths and weaknesses of your own practical skills in the final performance.

Drama GCSE Revision Pack


My contribution to the piece was playing the role of Christine. I felt that my use of facial expressions was a particular strength as I was able to convey Christines fear which supported the overall aim of the piece to highlight the effect on a family of a missing child... There was a particular moment in the final performance when I ...

Question 1 Use the question as a checklist, tick off the elements as you go: 0 1 Describe what the piece was about; state the style, period and genre of the piece, the performance space and any technical or design elements used and your target audience. You should state whether your contribution was as actor, designer or technician.

style period genre performance space technical or design elements target audience. contribution was as actor

Description plus expansion: Description = We performed in a minimalistic black box studio Expansion = W hich allowed us to create scenarios using physical theatre. We performed in a minimalistic black box studio which allowed us to create scenarios using physical theatre. Description = Our target audience was 14+ Expansion = The play had some shocking language and dealt with a harrowing subject matter Our target audience was 14+ as the play had some shocking language and dealt with a harrowing subject matter.

Drama GCSE Revision Pack


Question 2

Explanation = How and Why Development of your creative ideas. Your use of acting skills in rehearsals. You must distinguish between your characters personal objective and your groups aim. Personal objective/motivation for your character = what your character wants in a particular moment or scene.

Examples of your personal objective: My character wants to patronise Christine in order to gain power Mias character, Police Officer. I want to question you to find out the true about your sanity Annies character, Psychiatrist I want to provoke the victims mother to boost my confidence- Zoes character, Killer Group aim = What message are you trying to get across? What is the purpose of your piece? What are you trying to tell the audience?

Example of group aims: To show how a child abduction can impact on all members of a family Sabinas Group To highlight societies misunderstanding of postnatal depression in the 1950s Katies Group To explore the impact of a mothers grief over her childs death. Bellas Group

You must explain what you discovered in rehearsals and how the acting techniques were applied to your role! You cant just list a rehearsal technique such as hot seating, you have to say how you developed your performance as a result. For example, that you better understood your characters personal history and experiences and therefore you changed your posture to an upright position to show your characters age and experience. Give 2 examples and focus on one acting skill (vocals, movement, posture, gesture, facial expression etc) per example.

Drama GCSE Revision Pack


Question 3

Analyse = Method and Effect Focus on performance techniques such as pace, energy, focus, transitions, characterisation and interaction not line learning, personality clashes or rejected ideas. This is about the process not the final performance. Always ask yourself, how did the rehearsal technique change your acting skills? How did you alter your acting as a result of the rehearsal?

See Rehearsal Techniques sheet for examples. Acting Skills Vocals-use of pause/pitch/pace/tone/volume Movement exaggeration/precision/pace/rhythm/proxemics Facial expressions naturalistic/exaggerated/specific emotions Gestures bold/conveying emotion /emphasise words or phrases Posture Status/age/attitude Interaction proxemics/character objective/eye contact/ physical interaction shaking hands, pushing etc Question 4

Evaluation = Reflect + Critique

An evaluation of how you achieved your personal objective in the final performance. You must focus on acting not on the devising process. Specific moment and what you were trying to achieve Quotation/Description of movement sequence How you delivered it Were you successful in creating your intended impact on the audience?

Drama GCSE Revision Pack


Section B You must refer to a scripted play in this section.

Q5 & 7 = Describe + Explain Q6&8 = Analyse + Evaluate

Do not repeat acting skills or scenes or moments across questions! You should read all the questions available in Section B before you decide which 2 to answer. Understanding of a role in terms of: Age Gender Status Relationships

Research, rehearsal Interpretation of the role: Development of acting skills: voice/movement/facial expression etc. Blocking and movement Intentions for audience. Distinguish between playwrights intentions and groups interpretation!

Refer to: Communication of plays message, themes Interpretation of character Creation of mood/atmosphere Creation of period/location Performance style Performance skills physical/vocal/facial expression

Refer to particular moments: Application of vocal/physical/ facial expression Use of space Use of props/costumes

Drama GCSE Revision Pack


Section C Contextualise: Clearly identify scene or moment you are referring to. Description of role: Characters age, gender, status, relationship with others Refer to skills employed by actor voice/movement/ facial expression etc What effect did it have on audience? What is the actor/director trying to achieve in the scene or moment and in the play overall?

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