The Student Room Group

Theatre Studies - Hedda

I am really stressing over this particular exam, on Hedda Gabler, i have a really really bad techer teaching this module and haven't learnt anything!! Can someone please help me? I need to know firstly what i need to learn for the AQA exam, I'm guessing it's all about how to direct characters in certain scenes like all the other questions?

Are there any key points i should make to revise from?

I don't really understand the play all that much, is there important factors i should be aware of?

And also is there any useful websites or books i could have a look at to help me with this?

I have only had 5 double lessons on this this year as our teacher is always away and when she does bother to come in she has no idea what she is meant to be teaching us and gets us to look at symbols and the stage directions ALL the time!!

Please please help if you can i promise to Rep anybody who helps me out as i am so stuck and it's stressing me out!! :frown:

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Reply 1
Is noone else finding this text impossible to get their heads round? Lol if not could someon please maybe offer me some starting pointers to get going on the revision? Thankyou!
hello!
I've studied it too, but we had to do a portfolio instead of the exam so i'm not entirely sure of what you have to study in relation to that
Try looking at the AQA webiste and getting some past papers

I've also attached a few bits of writing i've done just in case they'll be of any use :confused:
Reply 3
Thanks that's really helpful!! We look more at the directorial aspects of a play but those are definitly things for me to consider during my essay on directing characters!! :smile:
Reply 4
This is what I've done (and it works for me!) Get a different highlighter for each character, go through each act and pick out 2-3 juicy bits to highlight from each. While your doing that, note performance ideas in the margin. Do this for each character as it will be soooo useful. Eg, if Miss Tesman is orange and you get a question about directing her, just flip through to your orange bits and you got all the performance already there, just pick 4 or 5 moments from the whole play to write about and your done! easy peasy! XXXXXXX
I second what Jennyflower said - that really helped me in the Hedda exam.

I have a really really long-winded synopsis thing of the play I did for revision (can only find half of it though) but I can send it along if you think it will be helpful?

I would go through the text and pinpoint each character's pivotal scenes, deciding what my aim would be in directing them and then decide which physical/vocals I would use - I did all that for the exam (I did it in January) and it helped me feel very prepared.
Reply 6
That would be really helpful if you could!! thankyou!! I didn't think you were allowed to put in any annotations or highlight the texts?
Yep you're allowed brief annotations - as in, words and colours and that is about it. No sentences or anything.

Here is the synopsis, although I can only find half of it! It's very strange, as it stops right after Eilert enters, which is my favourite bit in the play. Will see if I can find the rest, and will upload if I do. When is the exam?

Also found an essay on Judge Brack, it might be useful. Obviously, I wouldn't write that much in the exam, but it was useful as revision!
Reply 8
All these comments have been really helpfull thankyou so much! i am in the same situation... but am studying Our Countrys Good aswel. I don't suppose you have an synopsis or past essays you have done on that? would be so helpfull... thankyou!
I'm retaking Unit 5 this January, but as I originally took my exam two years ago, I initially studied Government Inspector.

HAVE ONLY JUST REALISED that that play is no longer on the syllabus!!! Am trying to crash course myself in Hedda for next Thursday - wish me luck!

Thanks for all those bits of advice and info - I think I may also have a gander at those this evening!

THANK YOU.
Im taking this exam on thursday!! (With 'Arturo Ui'). Im finding hedda gabler WAY easier than my other play, though... Its REALISM people!
T-o dore
Im taking this exam on thursday!! (With 'Arturo Ui'). Im finding hedda gabler WAY easier than my other play, though... Its REALISM people!


Yeah I'm also doing Ui! I directed Ui a couple of years ago so know that play inside out, and to be honest, after 3 months solid of rehearsals I'm sick to death of it!

Just started studying Hedda as only reaslied last week Government Inspector isn't a set text anymore, and I'm loving it. Have always been an Ibsen fan though. Performed in Dolls House not long ago so at least I know context and such like!

Good luck for Thursday!!!
did NO ONE do our countrys good??? heeeeeeelp!!!
KaramelRose
Yeah I'm also doing Ui! I directed Ui a couple of years ago so know that play inside out, and to be honest, after 3 months solid of rehearsals I'm sick to death of it!

Just started studying Hedda as only reaslied last week Government Inspector isn't a set text anymore, and I'm loving it. Have always been an Ibsen fan though. Performed in Dolls House not long ago so at least I know context and such like!

Good luck for Thursday!!!


Impressive - how old are you?!
20 at the moment! It wasn't a major production or anything, but I was proud of it! Ha ha.
KaramelRose
20 at the moment! It wasn't a major production or anything, but I was proud of it! Ha ha.


I wish I was more familiar with Ui - i havent even read it through properly yet. Just annotated both the scripts with past mark schemes - it will probably help alot in the exam so i suggest you have a look at them.
T-o dore
I wish I was more familiar with Ui - i havent even read it through properly yet. Just annotated both the scripts with past mark schemes - it will probably help alot in the exam so i suggest you have a look at them.

Yeah, I've got past mark schemes coming out of my ears!! It's brilliant, because once you've seen a few, you can guess what a mark scheme might be for any given question which (apart from the time allowance!) is half of the battle!
Reply 17
Emilylilian
did NO ONE do our countrys good??? heeeeeeelp!!!


I'm doing that, along with Hedda.

I hate theatre exams blah blah blah
How did people find it?

I thought the Hedda question was really good. But my second one... omg lets just say its a good thing theres resits!
Liked the Hedda question, did Hedda & Tesman. Predicted something like that might come up. Spent more than 45 mins on the question (more like an hour) and wasn't the best answer I've written but managed to cover a wide range of the play.

2nd I did Ui - Ui & Roma. GOOD question! Only had 30 mins on it so wasn't very detailed, knowledge & understanding mark prob wasn't very high as concentrated on skills in performance but was okay...

As long as I get the marks I need to boost my B to an A overall, I'll be happy!