GCSE Drama Revision Guide Internet Research for research on the whole WJEC GCSE Drama course Students and parents can access key examinaton data on the BBC GCSE Bitesize website. By typing in the link below into a website address bar the students can access key data about the GCSE Drama Exam. Past exam papers and example of exemplar materials are also available at this website. htp://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/drama/drama_wjec/ Part 1 of the writen element of the course GCSE Drama Devised Work Writen Report (1,500 words) This is a report detailing what you did throughout the rehearsal and performance process and needs to include how you came up with certain practcal ideas as well as an analysis of your fnal performance. This needs to be writen from your own personal point of view and relate to your own practcal group, using as much theatre terminology as possible! Checklist of things to include: 1. What is your chosen theme or topic of the devised piece? Why have you chosen this theme or issue? 2. What style of performing has infuenced your chosen play? Physical Theatre, Bertolt Brecht, Constantn Stanislavski. 3. What have you contributed to the piece? What ideas did you come up with? Were there any ideas that other group members came up with that you developed? 4. What did you choose certain technical elements? What was the reasoning behind choosing certain music/sound/lightng/costume? 5. What elements of the producton were successful and how do you know they were successful? Describe the audience response and atmosphere.
6. What elements of the producton were unsuccessful and how do you know they were unsuccessful? What would you do diferently in future? 7. include as many in-depth references to actng and the producton as possible. You need to link as many references to the theme you have chosen. You should always try and explain and justfy your work using what (what you actually did on stage), why (what atmosphere you intended to create or impact on an audience) and how (how you did this on stage, describing movement, facial expression or voice). What? Our teacher asked us to create a sequence showing the moments when the boy, Stephen, confronted the girl, Louise, who was spreading the rumours about him. Why? The teacher wanted us to be able to show how Stephen found his own inner strength, allowing him to do something about the rumours. How? We decided that we needed to show clearly the impact of his anger on the girl, and that she should suddenly realise that Stephen can't be pushed around any longer. However, we also wanted to communicate this in a stylised manner to give the audience a diferent insight into his anger. Why? We also realised that we had elicited the sympathy of the audience in the previous scene and felt that we should now capitalise on their support in contrastng his previous behaviour with a new found strength. How? The actor playing the role of the girl, Louise, showed in her body language and expression that she was shocked that he'd found out it was her who was spreading the rumours. In order to heighten this response we felt we needed to add a further element to the scene. What? We knew that Stephen had been subjected to his father's emotonal cruelty in the past, which had resulted in his tmidity, and I felt that through his presence
in the scene, perhaps as a fgment of his imaginaton as Banquo's ghost appears to Duncan, we could create more dramatc impact. How? We felt that if we also showed his cruel father miming his emotonal cruelty to his son and placed him behind the bullying girl on a slightly higher level, with the proxemics of his height and closeness seeming to hold her there, Stephen would not just be responding to the behaviour of Louise but also, fnally, challenging the tyranny of his father and communicatng his triumph to the audience through the father's eventual frozen posture of shock, similar to that of Louise. GCSE Drama Essay Feedback Points to review DON T TELL THE STORY THINK PRACTICALLY! 1). Think practcally, describe facial expressions, movements, voice and their impact on the audience. 2). Describe what you want the audience to feel and how this is done through physical acton, voice or facial expression. 3). Use examples, do not be too general when describing a physical acton. If you used a thought tunnel describe what happens in it. 4). When talking about a practtoner describe what techniques you used, for example; Stanislavski and his use of emotonal memory. 5). Constantn Stanislavski = Naturalism, Bertolt Brecht = abstract (4 th Wall, Alienaton Devices, Verfrumdungsefekt). 6). If suggestng an improvement, explain how you would implement this in terms of movement, voice or facial expression. What would it look like on stage? Ideal answer The best bits are highlighted in green! In scene 3 it was important I had vocal control, especially at the pivotal moment when Catherine steals my diary and I break her phone. This leads into an argument and it s important that I showed vocal variaton, partcularly in my pitch and volume. I wanted to create a tense atmosphere and I achieved this by accentuatng my pace on key words and phrases, for example put it down now. As Stanislavski was my chosen practtoner it was also important that I achieved a realistc expression to my voice as I didn't want to sound too melodramatc. I also thought about the subtext behind the words.
Even though it s quite a simple phrase, I wanted the audience and Catherine to sense the terrible events which were about to develop. Examiners comment: The candidate pinpoints exactly where and how she used her voice. She also gives an insight into what she wanted to achieve. She makes a reference to her chosen style and how this infuenced her decision to use her voice. Extremely efectve use of key words. Part 2 of the writen element of the course This is what the exam will look like Mock Exam INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Write your name, centre number and candidate number at the top of this page. Answer all questons. You are allowed to take a copy of the set text you have studied into the examinaton room. Annotaton should be limited to underlining and highlightng only. Write your answers in the spaces provided in this booklet. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES You are advised to spend 1 hour and 10 minutes on Secton A and 20 minutes on Secton B. The maximum mark for this paper is 50. The number of marks is given in brackets at the end of each queston or partqueston. You are reminded that assessment will take into account the quality of writen communicaton used in your answers that involve extended writng. No credit will be given for material copied out from editors notes contained in your texts (e.g. introductons, commentaries, footnotes). If you need additonal paper, please ask your invigilator and atach the sheets securely to this queston-and-answer booklet. Secton A
1). How would the actress playing Shell move at the beginning of this secton? You should refer to the character s movement and facial expressions, giving reasons for your answer. (4 marks). 2). Describe a suitable costume for the actor playing Shell in this secton. In your answer refer to the period, garments, colour and how costume choice, hair and make-up would emphasise elements of the character. (6 marks). 3). As an actor how would you perform the role of Monkey to an audience in this secton? In your answer, you should refer to: character motvaton; voice; movement and gesture; interacton with other characters. Give reasons for your answer. 4). As a stage designer, explain your ideas for this secton. (a) Draw a basic labelled ground plan of your chosen stage showing only entrances, exits and audience positon. (4 marks). Include the type of Staging. (b) Give a full writen explanaton of your design ideas for this secton. In your answer you should refer to: your chosen producton style and how it is linked to your choice of stage; your choice of set; how you would use colour to create atmosphere; any other ideas you might like to include. SECTION B Answer the following queston. Discuss and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your own fnal performance. In your answer you should state the ttle of the play and your role (this refers to whether you did the actng or technical opton). You must include specifc references to the performance. (10 marks). In your exam you will need to show you can give advice to actors, directors and designers which should be able to work on stage.
GCSE Drama Writen Exam The good bits are highlighted in green Model exam answer Linda's main motvaton in this secton is her grief at her husband's death. She is also shocked and bewildered that no-one has come to his funeral. Throughout their married life Willy has led her to believe he is very popular and successful and today she realises the truth. There is also a sense of disbelief that he is dead and her fnal speech shows that, in her mind, he is very much alive. When Linda says her frst line, Why didn't anyone come? the tone of her voice would sound surprised and hurt. The tone of bewilderment should carry on into her next speech and she might even give a litle laugh when she says, He was even fnished in the dentst to show the irony of the situaton. Her tone should sound quite dreamy when she says, He was wonderful with his hands and the pace could be quite slow as she reminisces about their past. In her fnal speech there is a questoning tone as she tries to come to terms with what Willy has done. The volume at the beginning of the speech could be quiet and controlled but, as the speech contnues and Linda breaks down, her voice could become louder. Her voice would also be broken up by the sobbing. I think she would shout the fnal, We're free...we're free almost as if she wants Willy to hear this news wherever he is. Because the play is set in America the actress must use an American accent. At the beginning of the scene the actor would be very stll and her focal point should be the grave. Her hands could be clenched together to show her desperaton. Even when she speaks eg Why didn't anybody come? she should remain very stll - this would give the impression that she s locked in her grief and it would also help to emphasise her isolaton. When the others are leaving, I think the actress would turn her head slightly to acknowledge Charlie, perhaps putng her hand on his to reassure him and to acknowledge his concern. In Linda's fnal speech the actress s movement should contrast with the stllness. Although the play states she sits, she could kneel at the grave. Linda's movement becomes far more animated. She could smooth the grave tenderly to show her love and care for Willy but, as she begins sobbing, her body would convulse to show she can no longer hold in the grief. On the fnal words We re free...we're free she might raise her head to the sky or turn her head to look at the house. She should leave the stage heavily supported by Bif as this would emphasise that she is near breaking point with grief. Because Linda is locked in her own world there is very litle interacton
with other characters in this scene. Her key interacton is with the grave which symbolises Willy. Although she is asking questons it's to no-one in partcular. I would positon the other actors behind Linda to emphasise her isolaton. Once again it is in her fnal speech that most of the interacton takes place because, even though Willy is dead, she interacts and talks to him as she always did. The fnal interacton is with her son Bif. Perhaps the fact that she leans on him ofers her some hope for the future. Describe a suitable costume for the actor playing Shelter in this secton. In your answer refer to the period, garments, colour and how costume choice, hair and make-up would emphasise elements of character. Sample answers Now read the following two answers to the queston above - which do you think is beter? Answer one The period of the play is the 21st century. Shelter would wear a coat and trousers and the colours would be dull. He wouldn't wear make-up because he is a man. His hair would be short. Shelter would look neat and tdy. Answer two I would set my producton of Stone Cold in 2010 and Shelter's costume would refect this period. In this scene Shelter is going out to try to catch a victm but he must not appear obvious. I would dress the character in a smart black coat; he would also wear a white shirt and black trousers with a sharp crease down the front. His shoes would be highly polished. This detail would highlight his army background. He would also wear a grey scarf. The colours I have chosen emphasise his dark nature and would make him appear like a shadow as he hunts for his victms. Shelter's hair would be short and neat and, once again, emphasise his army background. The character would look clean shaven and I would use make-up to give the character a healthy complexion because I think he would try to keep ft because he is a man of strict regimes. The most important thing about the character's costume is that he must look smart and like an upright citzen - someone you could trust but not a mass murderer. Why don t you have a go at one of the exam questons (please hand to Mr Dodd for marking and feedback).