A-level Drama₇₂₆₂

This subject content is assessed practically.

Each student must choose to be assessed as a:

• performer
• lighting designer
• sound designer
• set designer
• costume designer
• puppet designer
• director.

Costume designers may choose to include make-up and/or hair and/or masks. Set designers may choose to include design of props.

Each student may choose one, two or three specialisms for the Making theatre content.

Students may choose the same or different specialism(s) to the one chosen for the Creating original drama content.

See Component 3: Making theatre for details.

Students must learn how to contribute to text-based drama in a live theatre context for an audience.

Students must draw on and demonstrate a practical understanding of subject content listed in Knowledge and understanding .

• interpret texts
• create and communicate meaning
• realise artistic intention in text-based drama
• analyse and evaluate their own work.

Students must also study for this component the work and methodology of one influential theatre practitioner chosen from the list of Prescribed practitioners .

• the social, cultural and historical context in which the practitioner is/was working
• theatrical purpose and practice
• artistic intentions
• innovative nature of their approach
• working methods
• theatrical style and use of conventions
• collaboration with/influence on other practitioners.

The practitioner must be a different practitioner to the practitioner used in devising.

Students must also seek to apply an understanding of:

• the connections between theory and practice in a range of periods, theatrical styles, social, historical and cultural contexts
• the ways in which theatre makers collaborate to create theatre.

For assessment, students must:

• explore practically three key extracts each taken from a different play
• perform or create a realised design for one of these key extracts
• evidence the influence of the work and methodology of the practitioner in the performance
• analyse and evaluate their interpretation of all three key extracts studied.

See Guidance on key extracts and The Reflective report for details.