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Join The Student Room TodayBe part of the UK's largest and fastest growing student community. It's free to join and a lot of fun - Get inspired, express your ideas, interact and share A-Level DramaFrom The Student RoomTSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > A Levels > A-Level Subject Guides II > A-Level Drama
A-Level DramaBackground information about studying DramaA lot of people see Drama as a fairly easy option but it's a lot harder than people make out. Whilst it is looked on negatively by some universities, if studied alongside strong academic subjects it can really be quite an asset by setting you apart from other candidates by showing a different range of skills. Those choosing Drama for an easy ride will be disappointed with the amount of written work there is to do. Obviously there is a still a fairly large practical element, and just under half your lessons will be spent either creating your own performances based on a theme or topic set by your teacher, or rehearsing and performing extracts from plays you are studying. But don't be surprised to spend 3 or four hours a week sitting at your desk reading and absorbing tonnes of information. How will it differ from GCSE?DifficultyFirstly, the weighting of the work changes to 60% theory and only 40% practical. Be prepared to take on the theory side and actually take your time going over it, because it's a lot more difficult than people think it will be. Unlike GCSE, the non-practical side doesn't just involve writing evaluations of plays seen or performed in, but you're expected to be able to talk about theoretical practices and how they'd be applied in performance. When I studied Drama we studied Brecht one year and Stanislavski the other (can't remember which way round though!) WorkloadGiven all the practical rehearsals you have to undertake (usually outside of school hours) the workload when studying drama can actually be quite high. This is compounded if you don't keep a diary after every rehearsal as you portofilio will suffer in the long run. I think in general we had an essay a week, or at least 2 every three weeks, which is maybe slightly less than other essay based subjects. Required Individual StudyIn terms of individual study, there's not a great deal as long as you read over your notes and learn key terms and dates in advance of the exams. How is it assessed?ExamsThis depends on your exam board. Generally, you will work practically and on paper while learning about drama form, conventions, practitioners, and theatrical history for a few months at AS. From this, you may move on to the study of one or two plays. After you have worked for a little while on these plays, you will write a coursework folder which normally has a 3000-5000 word limit. This coursework usually evaluates one performance you have seen (a play in a theatre or playhouse chosen by the teacher) and focuses on one or two of the plays you worked on in class. The coursework is worth 60% of your mark at AS, and 30% of your overall mark. After or during your coursework, you will usually begin work on the practical exam, which you will either devise and write as a class or take from an existing play. This is performed earlier than other exams, usually in April, which counts for 40% of your mark at AS and 20% of your overall mark. For A2, you will start work on your practical exam almost immediately. This is because the exam is usually held in December/January of the following year, instead of in Summer with your other exams. This exam will be devised or performed from an existing play, or you will be given a stimulus from which to create a play. The practical is worth about 12.5% of your mark at A2, and about 6.25% of your overall mark. After the practical exam, you will begin writing a piece of coursework with a word limit of 3000-4000 words, explaining the devising/rehearsal process of the performance, the aims and influences which formed it, the research processes, and evaluating how well it all worked (among other things). This coursework is worth around 37.5% of your mark at A2, and about 18.75% of your overall mark. After all of this, you will start work on a final play, which you will sit an exam on in the summer. This exam is not practical; it is a written exam, and in the exam you will be describing how you would stage the play, including technical and aesthetic details (for both actors and director). This exam usually lasts around two and a half hours, and is worth 50% of your mark at A2, or 25% of your overall mark. CourseworkPracticalsField trips and excursionsField trips and excursions aplenty! The great thing about Drama is that just going to the threatre counts as work! Ahhh, gone are the days I looked forward to matinee performances in London getting me out of an afternoon trawling through some ruddy dull lessons in other subjects. Yes, plays, plays and more plays to be seen. Every performance you see counts as working, whether it's a professional performance in a big theatre with famous actors, or a small and intimate local performance (which are either excellent or really, really bad). You can always pick up new ideas from watching things performed, and it also gives you the opportunity to write about more live productions, which is something you have to do in the exam. Where can I go with a Drama A-LevelUser OpinionsUsername: Mazzia What I like about studying this subject: I loved creating and devising pieces of theatre. It was such a wonderful achievement to create a polished almost professional standard performance. What I dislike about studying this subject: I didn't like applying all the theory knowledge. I never did brilliantly in my written exams and I could not tell you why. So all I can say is REVISE REVISE REVISE for the written exams and make sure you are writing what they ask you to write.
Username: Todore What I like about studying this subject: Using my creative and intellectual qualities to shape a unique piece of theatre. The whole magic involved in the phenomena of theatre - the communication between human beings of what it is like to be human. On a less poncey level, the opportunity to have a more relaxing and enjoyable subject to study. I found it really interesting. What I dislike about studying this subject: The fact that many Uni's for some reason disapprove of it.
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