This introductory unit consists of a variety of games and warm up activities to get students used to the drama space. Students will learn to balance their space, practise listening and communicating skills and experiment with their voices and bodies to have intended effects on the audience. A group mime develops non verbal communication skills. A group piece develops storytelling including still images, thought tracking and narration. A duologue called ‘My Fault’ consolidates skills learnt to showcase talent and extend script writing skills for alternative endings.
Ongoing formative assessment.
Mime
The theatrical technique of suggesting action, character, or emotion without words, using only gesture, expression, and movement.
Verbal Communication
Use of words to convey a though.
Non Verbal Communication
Use of body language and facial expression to convey a mood or message.
Still Image
Still images and freeze frames are both a form of tableau. With freeze-frame, the action in a play or scene is frozen, as in a photograph or video frame.
Tableau
A group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history; a tableau vivant.
Thought Tracking
Thought-tracking helps inform an audience about a character. You see it in action when: a character speaks out loud about his/her inner thoughts at a particular moment in the drama.
Soliloquy
An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
Monologue
A long speech by one actor in a play or film, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast programme.
Focus
The centre of interest or activity; to ensure attention is on specific thing.
Concentration
The action or power of focusing all one's attention.
Improvisation
Something that is improvised, in particular a piece of music, drama, etc. created spontaneously or without preparation.
Devising
Plan or invent (a complex procedure, system, or mechanism) by careful thought.
Script
the dialogue the actors speak, including stage directions
Physical theatre
Using our bodies and movement to communicate meaning to an audience
Ensemble
A group of actors working together ( from the French for 'together' )
Develop the individual:
Develops communication skills, considers views of others, explores issues.
Create a supportive community:
Working together, sharing and celebrating creative achievements.
Students will learn a variety of techniques to have dramatic impact in role play – hot seating, thought tracking, back story, slow motion, mark the moment, still image, cross cutting and narration. They will learn to empathise with different character types that find themselves in the following situations: Surprise party, the Olympics, a pirate, on holiday and moving house. Students are required to put themselves in the place of characters or real people and speak from their point of view. Students will explore emotions, feelings and motivations in detail and depth and demonstrate their ability to understand actions.
Students choose one of the topic lessons to base a performance on.
Split Screen
Two things happening on the stage at the same time, but one side is frozen
Thought track
Saying out loud how the character might be feeling at a particular moment
Flash Forward
A scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story
Flash Back
A scene that takes the narrative backwards in time from the current point of the story
Fourth-Wall
The invisible barrier between the audience and the performers, that is sometimes broken in different styles of drama
Exaggerated Mime
Over the top acting without words
Devising
Creating a piece of drama
Imrovising
Making it up on the spot
Role-play
Playing a part; being in role; pretending to be someone other than yourself
Levels
The status of a character can be shown by how tall or short they stand
Develop the individual:
Develops communication skills, considers views of others, explores issues.
Create a supportive community:
Collaborating and working together to share creativity.
Students will explore and improvise the mystery of the Manor House. They will create characters using role-play and develop their physical theatre skills to communicate a story.
Ongoing formative assessment.
Explore
Look at different aspects of something.
Improvise
To make up as you go along, to ad-lib
Role on the wall
The outline of a body is drawn on a large sheet of paper, which is later stuck onto the wall. This can be done by carefully drawing around one of the participants. Words or phrases describing the character are then written directly onto the drawing or stu
Collaborate
To work with others.
Deep Characterisation
Creating convincing, believable character.
Flashback
Where the action and content shows something that happened before current events.
Flashforward
Where the action and content shows something that happened after current events.
Split Screen
Where the stage is split and more than one thing happens at once.
Mime
The theatrical technique of suggesting action, character, or emotion without words, using only gesture, expression, and movement.
Tension
Where the audience's emotions and senses are raised as a result of events or dialogue in a performance.
Puppetry
using and manipulating puppets to tell a story
Physical theatre
using movement and physicality to communicate meaning to an audience
Develop the individual:
Collaboration. Creativity.
Create a supportive community:
Working together, sharing and celebrating creative achievements.
Students will be taught about the two differing styles of acting and their forms and conventions through various stimuli and role plays. They will discuss the impact of the differing styles and give constructive comments and the relative strengths and weaknesses about each method and intended effects on the audience.
They will evaluate contrasting performances, as well as creating one each of their own for assessment, in groups.
Mime
Acting without words
Facial Expressions
A facial expression helps to convey how a character might be feeling
Gesture
Physical movement performed by the hands
Mirror Image
To imitate (copy) something that is happening in front of you
Exaggeration
Placing emphasis on movement, gesture or facial expressions
Non-naturalistic
Drama presented in a way that does not require the audience to believe what is happening
Practitioner
A person actively engaged in an Art Discipline who has created a Theory to be applied
Berkoff
Steven Berkoff, an English actor, author and playwright
Physical Theatre
A genre of theatrical performance that pursues storytelling through primarily physical means
Staging
Effective use of a performance area
Develop the individual:
Develops communication skills, considers views of others, explores issues.
Create a supportive community:
Collaborating and sharing work.
Students will learn to explore different characters in a variety of situations. A variety of techniques will be used to help them identify with the character’s motivations and consequences of their actions. They will be required to put themselves in the place of characters and communicate from their point of view. In pairs and groups, students will explore emotions, feelings and motivations in detail and depth and demonstrate their ability to understand actions, seeing that early childhood experiences can have life long effects.
Ongoing formative assessment.
Stereotype
A widely held, but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing
Body Language
How movement, gesture and facial expressions add to your character
Empathy
Putting yourself into someone else's shoes
Narration
The voice of the story teller
Skeleton Script
A starting point for performance
Signature Move
A movement that sums up a character's attitudes or personality
Vignette
A short, evocative episode which may focus on a particular character or event
Evocative
Bringing strong images, feelings or emotions to mind
Voice
The sound produced in speech or song
Develop the individual:
Develops communication skills, empathy, considers views of others, explores issues.
Create a supportive community:
Collaborating, creating and sharing as a joint endeavour.
Students explore the plot, characters and themes of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
A devised piece based on the themes of the play.
Empathy
Putting yourself into someone else's shoes
Characterisation
The role of somebody else, created by an actor
Mime
Acting without words
Slap Stick
Sometimes violent physical comedy
Sequence
Related or repeated set of instructions
Stance
Position taken on the stage by an actor
Facial Expressions
A facial expression helps to convey how a character might be feeling
Devise
Creating a piece of drama
Captions
Use of short pieces of written text to help tell a story
Improvisation
Making it up on the spot
Develop the individual:
Communication skills, using and understanding scripts and Shakespearean language (how language has changed over time); consideration of right and wrong; explores issues around arranged marriage.
Create a supportive community:
Collaborative work that is shared. Creativity that is celebrated.