N5 Drama

• Knowledge & Understanding - Written Paper

  • Drama Skills
  • Focus - Key Moment
  • Themes and Issues
  • M+A
  • Purpose/Message
  • Target Audience
  • Role Play
  • Climax
  • Motivation
  • Characterisation
  • Conventions
  • Staging/Venue
  • Performance Concept
  • Voice and Movement
  • Genre
  • Form
  • Structure
  • Style
  • Production Skills
• Themes


  The main ideas or topics explored in a drama
• Message


  The underlying meaning or lesson conveyed by the drama
• Purpose


  The reason or intention behind creating the drama
• Target Audience


  • An identifiable group of people at whom a drama is aimed
  • Relates to both purpose and focus
• Considerations for Target Audience

  • General audiences (All ages, male and female)
  • Specific audiences (e.g. a play on bullying might be aimed at teenagers)
  • Your own age group
  • Younger audience (fantasy adventure or puppet play)
  • Relevant to all age groups (war or global warming)
• Your drama will only be effective if it is suitable for your target audience
• Characterisation techniques/rehearsal activities


  Activities done during the rehearsal process to develop your characterisation and knowledge of your characters background
• Characterisation techniques


  • Hot Seating - Answering questions in role
  • Character Card - Create background information for your character: job, likes/dislikes
  • Improvisation - Spontaneous dialogue
  • RolePlay - Deciding roles and outcome in advance before improvising
  • Role on the Wall - Create inner/outer life for character, written on a human shape
• Mood and Atmosphere


  The overall feeling and emotion which should be translated to the audience
• Role Play


  A means of exploring the attitudes and beliefs of a character
• Drama Conventions


  • Mime
  • Flashback
  • Monologue (to the audience/another character)
  • Movement
  • Flash-forward
  • Soliloquy (Speaking to themselves, Shakespeare plays)
  • Slow Motion
  • Freeze Frame (a moment in the action e.g. a car accident)
  • Voice over - a character can be heard but not seen
  • Aside
  • Tableaux (A living picture - still image to show an action/moment/ in a story)
  • Narration - breaking the 4th wall andtalking directly to the audience
  • Split Stage - 2 or more locations shown at once
• Motivation


  The reason behind a character's actions and/behaviours in a given scene or throughout a story
• Climax


  A part of the narrative where the conflict reaches a turning point of some kind
• Staging


  The position of the acting area relevant to the audience
• Venue


  The place where you would perform the drama
• Performance Concept


  An overall idea for the characterisation for a final performance, made through voice and movement decisions, relationships decisions and mood and atmosphere decisions
• Voice Terms


  • Accent
  • Pitch
  • Pace
  • Tone
  • Volume
  • Articulation
  • Clarity
  • Fluency
  • Emphasis
  • Intonation
  • Pause
  • Register
• Movement Terms


  • Naturalistic Movement: Body Language, Eye contact, Facial Expression, Mannerisms, Gesture, Posture, Pace, Use of Space
  • Stylised Movement: Balance, Use of Levels, Speed, Rhythm, Timing, Stance, Positioning, Use of direction
• Genre


  A specific type of drama
• Form


  The overall style of your performance
• Structure


  The order in which time, place and action are put
• Style


  A particular kind of acting/performance