Drama

The aim of the Elective Drama course is to provide students with an opportunity to become engaged physically, emotionally and intellectually in a broad sphere of theatrical, dramatic and sociological pursuits. Students will develop their dramatic skills through observation, reflection, creative expression and performance in a diverse range of activities.

Year 8

In this practical and creative course students will explore elements of a range of dramatic forms, through the practices of making, performing and appreciating drama. This course will improve students’ confidence and speaking skills and allow students to learn the skills of creating costumes, set design and promoting a performance, with a focus on utilising different technologies and ICT. These skills will be showcased with a production at the end of the course.

Years  9 and 10

The elective course will lead students, through practical participation in a variety of skill development exercises, toward greater expertise in the areas of movement and voice as well as other aspects of character development, physical theatre and performance. As well as the performance of written script, the course places a high emphasis upon the process of playbuilding in which students devise, construct and perform original theatre based upon their own creative inspirations. The course will also introduce students to various areas of specialisation such as improvisation, elements of production and historical theatrical styles.

Although the course is primarily a practical one, students will be required to complete a certain amount of theoretical study in which students will gain a knowledge of the history and development of theatre as well as an understanding of the various elements of performance and production such as design, make up, stage management, lighting etc. The course will allow students to achieve greater self confidence and collaborative skills which are needed in today’s workforce.

Year 11 Preliminary

Students study the practices of Making, Performing and Critically Studying in Stage 6 Drama. Students engage with these components through collaborative and individual experiences.

Preliminary course content comprises an interaction between the components of Improvisation, Playbuilding and Acting, Elements of Production in Performance and Theatrical Traditions and Performance Styles. Learning is experiential in these areas. The Preliminary course informs learning in the HSC course. In the study of theoretical components, students engage in practical workshop activities and performances to assist their understanding, analysis and synthesis of material covered in areas of study.

Year 12 HSC

The HSC content area comprises Australian Drama and Theatre and Studies in Drama and Theatre. This involves theoretical study through workshopping themes, issues, style conventions, movements and social and political implications of theatre.

The Group Performance of between 3 and 6 students involves creating a piece of original theatre (8 to 12 minutes duration). It provides opportunity for each student to demonstrate his or her performance skills.

For the Individual Project students demonstrate their expertise in a particular area. They choose one project from Critical Analysis, Design, Performance, Script-writing or Video Drama.

Staff