Drama

• A performer’s use of physical skills can help to convey lots of important information to the audience and helps to show a character’s emotions. Performers use a range of physical skills to help transform themselves into the character they are playing.

  Physical skills include:

  • body language
  • eye contact
  • facial expressions
  • gait
  • gesture
  • pace
  • quality of movement
  • space
  • levels
  • specialist skills
  • physical tension
• Voice


  Tells us about a person's background, personality and emotions
• Actor's voice


  • Needs versatility to communicate a range of emotions
  • Needs clarity so every word can be heard
  • Needs enough strength and projection to fill the space/theatre
• Pitch


  Speaking in a high, low or natural voice
• Pace


  The speed with which you speak, e.g. the speed of response in an argument
• Pause


  A dramatic pause at a crucial moment is very effective in performance
• Tone


  Suggests your mood and intention towards the listener, e.g. happy, sad
• Volume


  Must be audible to the audience but not shout at them
• Accent


  Needs to be considered for the character
• Emphasis


  The pressure on individual words that makes them stand out, can change the meaning and feeling of a sentence
• Intonation


  The rise and fall of the voice, helps us say what we mean
• Body Language


  • It is a silent physical communication
• Gesture


  • The way people communicate with their hands or other parts of the body
• Facial Expressions


  • The way you use your face to convey emotion
• Eye Contact


  • Where your character is looking. Are you looking at someone, making eye contact OR avoiding eye contact?
• Movement


  • The way a character moves on stage
• Posture


  • How the body is held upright
• Leading with parts of the Body


  • Which part of the body you lead from and what it means to the audience. E.G slouched, upright
• Seven Levels of Tension


  Levels that help you think how much tension your character has in the body depending on the situation
• Gait (walk)


  • How your character walks
• Proxemics


  How close or near you are to others on stage. This can help to communicate meaning e.g. if your character is scared of another character you might stand far away. Use of space is where you position yourself on the stage so the audience can see you and others clearly
• Body Language


  • It is a silent physical communication
• Gesture


  • The way people communicate with their hands or other parts of the body
• Facial Expressions


  • The way you use your face to convey emotion
• Eye Contact


  • Where your character is looking. Are you looking at someone, making eye contact OR avoiding eye contact?
• Movement


  • The way a character moves on stage
• Posture


  • How the body is held upright
• Leading with parts of the Body


  • Which part of the body you lead from and what it means to the audience. E.G slouched, upright
• Seven Levels of Tension


  Levels that help you think how much tension your character has in the body depending on the situation
• Gait (walk)


  • How your character walks
• Proxemics


  How close or near you are to others on stage. This can help to communicate meaning e.g. if your character is scared of another character you might stand far away. Use of space is where you position yourself on the stage so the audience can see you and others clearly
• Blocking -  a term used in theatre to describe the location of actors on the stage and the movements that they make.

  Rehearsal - to practice a performance

  Creating - To develop and make a performance

  Performance - presenting your work to an audience through acting, music or dance. 
• There are many different types of staging, each presenting unique challenges and opportunities when creating a performance:

  • proscenium arch
  • end-on
  • in the round
  • traverse
  • thrust
  • promenade
• Proscenium arch


  The frame that surrounds a stage space, separating the audience from the stage
• Proscenium arch


  • Creates a fourth wall, which is particularly appropriate for naturalistic productions
• Fourth wall


  The imaginary wall that separates the audience from the action on stage
• Proscenium arch theatre


  • Audience all sit facing the same way
  • Stage is often raised
  • Audience usually sit in raked seating
  • Drapes and large pieces of scenery can be used without obstructing sightlines
  • Blocking is relatively easy as the audience sit in one fixed position
• Audience sit far from the stage in a proscenium arch theatre


  Makes it difficult for them to see and hear the performers, or be as immersed in the action
• End-on staging is very similar to proscenium arch, but without the arch frame around the stage space. Many black box studios are set up with end-on staging, meaning that the stage space is on one side of the room and the audience sit on the opposite side. As with proscenium arch staging, blocking is usually simple as the audience all face the same direction and sit in a fixed position.
• In the round staging

  • Audience sit around the stage on all sides
  • Performers enter and exit through the audience on walkways