Drama

Ethos and Aims

In drama we aim to inspire students through our rich and broad curriculum. We place an emphasis on collaborative work, developing communication and listening skills, as well as confidence and empathy. In studying drama at Linton, we aim to give students practical performance skills that can be applied to devised or scripted performance.

KS3 Curriculum Content

In Year 7, we aim to build a really strong foundation of understanding of key drama skills and techniques. We explore a range of different topics, including Bullying, WW2 and Darkwood Manor. In these units, we give students a range of experiences, such as working with a script, non-naturalistic forms of acting and developing a character.

In Year 8, we aim to build on the key skills acquired in Year 7, by placing more emphasis on drama genres, atmosphere and structure. We also look at elements of technical theatre, by getting students to create a set design. Year 8s start the year by exploring building tension in performance. They then look at Musical Theatre and Mask drama, giving them a much deeper knowledge and understanding of physicality in performance. Year 8 finish the year with a devising unit and also look at a Shakespearean play.

In Year 9, we aim to build students’ appreciation of theatre making, by introducing practitioners, playwrights and live theatre. In the Autumn Term, we look at the theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht and discover his theories and practice towards performing. We study a play by the playwright Mark Wheeller, learning an extract from the script and analysing a filmed live theatre performance. Year 9s also develop their devising skills in the Summer Term, by exploring the stimulus I Don’t Like Mondays by the Boomtown Rats.

KS4 Curriculum Content

We follow the OCR GCSE Drama specification which encourages students to apply knowledge and understanding of drama when making, performing and responding to drama. The course gives students the opportunity to explore the performance text Blood Brothers by Willy Russell, understanding its social, cultural and historical context as well as how they would perform or direct different characters and extracts. Blood Brothers is assessed through a final written exam that students sit at the end of the course in Year 11. On this paper, students also have to analyse a piece of live theatre. Productions that we have taken students to in the past have been The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Woman in Black.

We aim to build independence, resilience and creativity in students through their practical work. The two main practical assessments in drama are a devised performance and a scripted performance. Both performances take place in Year 11 and the scripted on is performed to an external visiting examiner. For both performances, students are encouraged to work collaboratively and creatively.

Enrichment/Extra Curricular Opportunities

The drama department puts on one full production per year. We begin the process with auditions around October, and begin rehearsals after October half-term. We do three evening performances of the production around mid-March and usually alternate each year with a play and a musical.