Curriculum Statement - Drama

The Laurus Drama Vision is for all students, regardless of background or circumstance, to be inspired to be makers and appreciators of culture, to be empowered to have a voice in the world today, to recognise what it takes to succeed creatively, and to acquire the knowledge and qualities that not only open the door to future success but allow our students to walk through it.

 

Powerful Knowledge in Drama

The key concepts in drama are skill driven and aim to build personal skills which can be relied upon to succeed, not only in drama lessons but beyond school life and in future employment. At the heart of drama is the development of these skills in all young people; engagement, communication and oracy, creative imagination, clarity of expression, autonomy, leadership confidence and cooperation. There is more to drama than being able to perform on stage. Opportunities are embedded for students to be able to hone and develop performance talent but equally important is the ability to understand the purpose of the theatre we create. Methodologies of theatrical practitioners are introduced throughout the key stages to enable students not only to ‘re-enact’ but to shape their own unique ideas with a greater understanding of the need for style, intention, theatrical form and to learn to celebrate individual and unique perspectives.

 

Curriculum Features

The curriculum is structured based on the expectations for A Level Drama and Theatre; key concepts and skills required by the end of Year 13 are fed down into schemes of work from Year 7 upwards. This is designed to raise expectations and standards from the start of Key Stage 3 and ensure that drama knowledge is being understood both practically and theoretically. A linear curriculum is in place at Key Stage 3. Year 7, 8 and 9 will all study the work of a key theatre practitioner during Autumn term, explore a text through performance during Spring term and put their skills into practice in Summer term, through exploration of a social, historical and cultural topic. This linear structure allows students to return to key concepts throughout the key stage but build on them to advance their knowledge further as the years progress.

 

Co-curriculum Enrichment

Co-curricular opportunities in Drama are created to allow students to develop and build on expertise learnt in lessons. Clubs and activities are varied to allow all students to participate in an area of interest. Alongside weekly Drama Clubs are opportunities for students to audition to be part of groups with more challenging expectations. Laurus Limelights is for Year 11 students who present talent in Drama and wish to develop ability across the performing arts, with an interest in learning about the professional industry. Students are also able to audition for the annual School Production, where the expectation is that all cast members develop performance talent and professionalism. These clubs/events are not only to encourage enjoyment in the arts but also for students to learn about professional expectations and performance discipline. Students are also able to apply to become a Drama Ambassador, taking on a leadership role within the department and developing their own knowledge by planning and delivering Drama Club sessions.

KS3

Year 7 Students will learn all the basic skills and conventions of drama through a variety of topics and resources. In the Autumn Term work will centre around movement, mime and physicality using influence from the practitioner Jacques Lecoq and stimulus material about Darkwood Manor. In Spring Term characterisation skills and performance confidence will be developed through exploration of texts by Roald Dahl and Shakespeare. By the Summer Term students will be able to combine these key skills and utilise them when working on improvisations, devised work and script based around the topic of Myths and Legends. Current schemes are varied in order to provide variety and engagement, as well as addressing each area of the GCSE assessment criteria on a basic level.

Year 8 Now that students have the basic toolkit of drama they will move on to develop these skills to a more detailed level and explore more advanced themes and issues. In Autumn Term work focusses on exploring the methodologies of renowned theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht through the theme of War. They then move onto exploring the style of Verbatim and Docu-Drama and experimenting with the techniques of The Paper Birds. In Spring Term students will spend time working from the play text Metamorphosis by Steven Berkoff and understanding new performance strategies. In Summer Term students will then focus on their devising and creative skills through exploration of key historical events, gaining insight into political, cultural and social issues. The aim is that by the end of Year 8 students can not only apply the skills but understand why they have selected certain strategies and what their purpose is. Students should also have developed confidence in order to create work themselves and offer personal ideas and opinions.

Year 9 The emphasis in Year 9 is on starting to practise and develop GCSE skills. In Autumn Term students learn and understand how to create ‘immersive theatre’, taking influence from the theatre practitioner Antonin Artaud. They will be asked to devise their own developed piece of immersive theatre, which links directly to the first component of GCSE Drama. They also develop their understanding of the style physical theatre through the exploration of Frantic Assembly and use the theatre company’s techniques to reimagine Shakespeare. During Spring Term students will explore the play text ‘Blood Brothers’ by Willy Russell through practical drama. In the final term they will have the opportunity to showcase all the skills learnt through Key Stage 3 in the devising topic ‘The Colour of Justice’ where students are able to explore stories of injustice and create a final piece on a topic they feel passionately about.