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NED/MSM 2020- Bridging unit Part 1 Drama and Theatre Practitioner Project 2020 Nam 1 | Page
NED/MSM 2020- Bridging unit Part 1
Drama and TheatrePractitioner Project 2020
Name
Welcome to Drama and Theatre Welcome Dramatists/designers/actors! This is Part 1 of the Bridging course aimed to get you ready for your A level Drama and Theatre .
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The idea behind the bridging course is to give you a head start and so that you are already familiar with some of the key concepts, styles, genre and terms you will be using throughout the next two years.
The aim of our course is to inspire you to become independent theatre makers and acquire the skills you need to go on to higher education, whether that is to study a course in drama and theatre or another subject.A practical focusAt Blue Coat we want you to have an inspiring experience of A-level Drama and Theatre. This course emphasises practical creativity alongside research and theoretical understanding.You will learn through experience, seeing theatre and making theatre for yourselves. You will be introduced to a wide range of theatrical styles and contexts as you explore plays practically, devise and work on performances.You may choose to develop as a:
performer designer (lighting, sound, set, costume, puppets) director combination of these.
Whichever option you choose, you will gain many invaluable skills, both theatrical and transferable, to expand you horizons.
Engaging Components The written paper forms 40% of the whole A level. Each paper is designed to allows you to demonstrate your creativity and imagination in interpreting set texts and apply independent thinking as you evaluate a live theatre production
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What is a theatre practitioner? How would using one’s influence change the dynamics on stage?Theatre practitioners are key and have influence over every piece of classical or modern theatre shown to date. A theatre practitioner is, quite basically, someone who both creates theatre on stage and incorporates a particular/ noticeable style throughout their practical work always in order to achieve a desired aim. Practitioners use their individual methods in order to create a platform for which the audience are totally engaged to the performance and the elements that the practitioners create. This contributes to their overall aim (E.G. For the audience to feel sympathy for a certain character or Question the undertone of a political/social message in a piece of theatre) allowing them to successfully manipulate the theatrical environment and really un-pick a piece of theatre.Some notable practitioners include the likes of
Stanislavski, who is devoted to the super objective understanding of a characters deeper internal emotions and how these can be communicated to the audience through body language, facial expressions etc. enforcing the idea of the fourth wall). We have studied and applied the Stanislavski techniques throughout Year 8-11
Brecht 'Epic theatre'Who in contrast often aims to alienate the audience from the idea that they are watching a performance at all in order to highlight a key element, without the distraction of material theatre. Similarly, we have
explored the techniques and created some stunning Epic Theatre throughout year8-11.
Antonin Artaud The Theatre of Cruelty, developed by Antonin Artaud, aimed to shock audiences through gesture, image, sound and lighting. The third major Practitioner explored since Year 8 is Antonin Artaud.
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For this introductory unit we are going to look at the following practitioners:
Punchdrunk
Frantic Assembly
Kneehigh Theatre
Steven Berkoff
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Research task 1 PUNCHDRUNK-
Punchdrunk are a company that rejects the passive obedience of traditional theatre-going. The company is named Punchdrunk quite simply because that is how it wants the audience to feel. Punchdrunk is a term commonly used to describe the state of a boxer who has endured a hard fight, and the company equates this to a feeling of being bombarded with storytelling through every sense, an overload of stimuli that has a deep emotional and physical impact on the audience. The company hopes that this experience will resonate long after the event of the performance, processed through many layers of memory and sensory associations.
Use the research information you have found to create a presentation onPunchdrunk’ (PPT, Booklet, research page). To help use the following questions and points as a guideline.
About the company Style and genreNotable works Have a look at online clips of their performance What do you like about their ideas? What did you not like and why?
What do they mean by site sympathetic theatre?What do they mean by audience focused?What is the role of the audience?What is a promenade theatre?
Research task 2
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Kneehigh Theatre Company
Kneehigh is a band of brave storytellers that makes theatre and takes risks. Kneehigh is artist-led and takes the conditions of creativity seriously. It has a sense of family, looks to challenge and entertain, and balances freedom of expression with rigorous craft.
Kneehigh is political and creates theatre of humanity on an epic and tiny scale. Based in Cornwall in breath-taking barns on the south coast, Kneehigh looks to the world for inspiration and tells stories that reflect the world.Kneehigh defies expectation and breaks the rules. It celebrates non theatre going audiences and unconventional spaces, embraces inclusivity, and believes in a sense of event.
Use the research information you have found to create a presentation on‘Kneehigh’ (PPT, Booklet, research page). To help use the following questions and points as a guideline.
About the company Style and genreNotable works Have a look at online clips of their performance What do you like about their ideas?
What did you not like and why?What do they mean by story-telling theatre?What do they mean by a sense of event?
Research Task 3Steven Berkoff
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Use the research information you have found to create a presentation on‘ Steven Berkoff’ (PPT, Booklet, research page). To help use the following questions and points as a guideline.
About the Practitioner Style and genreNotable works Have a look at online clips of Berkoff’s work and play/performancesWhat do you like about their ideas? What did you not like and why?
Who were Berkoff’s main influences?What are his ideas for creating set?What physical Theatre techniques does he use?What is specific about the chorus/ensemble?
Research Task 4 Frantic Assembly
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OUR WORK
Our distinct creative approach has influenced contemporary theatre-making and foregrounded the use of movement directors and choreographers in new dramatic works. It has inspired writers to embrace new creative processes and opened up actors and dancers to new techniques. This is a matter of great pride as we continue to do something different and to do it differently. Frantic Assembly has always been about more than just the work on stage. It is about the ethos of collaboration, of empowerment, of that constant desire to improve. It is about telling stories in a voice we don't always hear and about finding talent in places we don't always look.
Use the research information you have found to create a presentation onFrantic Assembly (PPT, Booklet, research page). To help use the following questions and points as a guideline.
About the company Style and genreNotable works Have a look at online clips of their performance What do you like about their ideas?
What did you not like and why?What is their approach to devising?How do they use sound??Can you describe some of FA techniques?
WHAT NEXT?
Clear progression to higher educationHigher education institutions (HEIs) value and respect the skills studying Drama and Theatre give students. Drama Theatre at Blue Coat incorporates the approach taken by drama and
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theatre undergraduates you will be really well prepared for the demands of university and beyond. Transferable skillsThere’s another reason our A-level in Drama and Theatre is so valued.As a student of Drama and Theatre you will develop skills that are not just essential for drama but applicable to a wide range of higher education subjects and in the workplace.This course refines your collaborative skills, analytical thinking and your approach to research.You will grow in confidence and maturity as you successfully realise your own ideas. You will learn to evaluate objectively and develop a sound appreciation of the influences that cultural and social contexts can have on decision making.Whatever the future holds, students of A-level Drama and Theatre emerge with a toolkit of transferable skills preparing them for their next steps.
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