National Year 13 Drama and Theatre

Chapters: 3

1. 3.1.2.2 Set play: List B

One 20th/21st-century play

Coming soon

Exploring three key extracts · Performing or designing Extract 3 · Reflective report · 3.5 Prescribed practitioners

Acting: Bringing a Character to Life – Acting means showing a character truthfully to an audience. An actor first studies the given circumstances (who, where, when) and the character's objective (what they want). Then the actor uses the body (posture, gesture, levels, status) and the voice (volume, pace, pitch, pause) to show it. On stage, acting is action and reaction: you listen and answer your partner. Timing, pauses and tension shape a scene, and theatre can also explore real social issues.
Theatre Practitioners: The People Who Changed How We Act – A theatre practitioner is someone who created a clear method for acting, directing or making theatre, which others now learn and use. For each practitioner, study four things: context (when and where they worked), aims (the effect they wanted on the audience), working methods (rehearsal and training exercises) and style (what the result looks like on stage). Stanislavski built realistic acting behind a 'fourth wall'. Brecht broke that wall so audiences would think critically about society. Artaud wanted to shock the senses; Grotowski stripped theatre down to the actor's body; Boal turned spectators into 'spect-actors' who change the story. Modern companies such as Frantic Assembly, Complicité, Kneehigh and Punchdrunk build on these ideas with physical and immersive theatre.

Open-book written exam

Coming soon