Drama and Theatre Studies
Exam Board: Edexcel

What do I need to know, or be able to do, before taking this course?
It is useful to have taken Drama at GCSE level but not essential. It is important that you are interested in gaining a greater understanding of how theatre and plays work, and that you are keen to be involved with performances, as part of your course and as part of a school production. Ideally you should have an active interest and extra curricular involvement in the subject area, and minimum of grade B in GCSE English.

What will I learn?
The course demands practical, creative and communication skills in almost equal measure. You will extend your ability to create drama and theatre, either in a performing or production role. You will also be required to write about drama and develop your powers of analysis to become an informed critic. The course will involve taking part in drama productions, as well as studying plays and playwrights.

Is this subject right for me?
You need to be curious about issues and ideas and have a creative instinct for communicating your views through drama. You may be keen on acting, writing or on the visual and technical side of the theatre and wish to develop your skills in some or all of these areas. Equally you will be interested in going to the theatre to see plays performed by different theatre companies.

What can I do after I’ve completed the course?
This AS and Advanced GCE can lead to further study in Drama, Theatre Studies and Performing Arts in Higher Education or HND level. It can be used as part of your course to broaden your studies and may lead on to a career in the performing Arts industry. Drama and Theatre Studies AS and Advanced GCE complements a range of subjects, particularly Psychology, Sociology and English and is useful in building confidence and improving presentational skills in a range of careers.

AS - Unit 1: Exploration of Drama and Theatre
Internal assessment: Practical Drama Activities with supporting Exploration Notes; evaluation of live
theatre.

AS - Unit 2: Theatre text in Performance
External assessment: Monologue/duologue performance or design realisation Group performance or design realisation.

A2 - Unit 3: Exploration of Dramatic Performance
Internal Assessment: Creation and performance or design of original piece of drama.

A2 - Unit 4: Theatre Text in Context
External assessment: 2 1/2 hour written examination on a set text and historical performance conditions.