Scotch College

DRAMA Year 9 — 2012

Rationale 

This course aims to inform students’ abilities as general theatre practitioners. Students will further develop their improvisation and play building skills. They will begin to experiment with more sophisticated concepts within their performance work, supported through the study of major acting theorists and non-naturalistic theatrical conventions. This includes considering the impact of stagecraft elements on the development of story and meaning within performance.

 

Student Outcomes

• more complex improvisation and expressive skills for play building 
• scenario and scriptwriting techniques 
• an understanding of the use of areas of stagecraft to enhance meaning in performance 
• non-naturalistic theatrical conventions 
• performance theory 
• to work effectively and creatively as an ensemble or team 
• universal performance skills and principals 

Course Content

Students will begin with a practical unit reviewing the expressive and improvisation skills learnt during the previous year. Students will extend these skills and begin to apply them in a series of performance workshops based on the work of major acting theorists such as Constantin Stanislavski and his principles of method acting. Students will be shown how to apply these skills in building ensemble performances. They will create, write and perform their own work, considering the creation of mood and meaning through key stagecraft elements. Students will begin to investigate how to apply the techniques associated with non-naturalism and explore how to abstract elements of time and space in performance. The unit will culminate in the development of an ensemble performance.

 

Assessment 

Performance Examination

Class Performance Skills

Written Tasks

Ensemble Skill Development

Drama:   Communication Studies

Rationale 

This subject provides the opportunity for students to enhance their understanding of the nature of communication in a range of contexts, from social interactions to workplace communication. The course aims for students to be able to initiate, maintain and manage positive relationships with a range of people in a range of situations and to have the ability to act, interact and react accordingly. Students learn to recognise that their actions have consequences for both themselves and others in social contexts.

 

Student Outcomes 

• develop an awareness of different contexts for communicating different ideas 
• develop the ability to use questions to clarify meaning and to extend interaction with others 
• develop the ability to work effectively as part of a team 
• develop the ability to interpret and analyse significant speeches in order to apply this understanding when creating their own work and communicating their own ideas 
• develop the individual’s self-confidence in communicating their ideas 
• develop the ability to listen, view and respond with respect to content and context 
• develop an awareness of different contexts for communicating different ideas 

Course Content 

• Introduction :  An examination of basic communication skills, including listening skills.

• Communicating in Different Contexts:  An examination of the different requirements for communicating in different contexts, in email, phone calls and letters.

• Co-operative Learning Roles:  Incorporating Role Play and Group Problem Solving Activities –  exploring techniques involved in positive conversation when in different situations and involving tasks designed to promote communication within group situations and within a given time frame.

• Great Speech Making:  A practical exploration of great speeches and examining the elements of communication that has made them great.

• Civics and Citizenship:   A major unit exploring the ways people communicate in a range of organisations, from local government to the United Nations.

Assessment 

Examination (Final Presentation)

Class Presentations

Group Dynamic Skills

Written Work