Advanced Higher
Purpose of the Course:
The Advanced Higher course enables pupils to explore both the practical and analytical aspects of drama. Pupils investigate how professional theatre practice has been shaped by influential theatre practitioners.
The course aims to develop pupils' independent thinking skills, analytical skills, and their knowledge and understanding of professional theatre practice. Pupils will investigate how theatre practitioners have influenced theatre, as well as how historical, social, cultural, and/or political influences have shaped drama. Pupils will critically explore and investigate a performance issue of their choice, and will synthesise ideas and arguments, based on research.
Pupils will develop and extend their performance skills and their understanding of how to interpret complex play texts. They will explore how to use theatre and performance skills to effectively communicate with an audience.
The Advanced Higher Drama course consists of three components:
Component 1: Project–dissertation (30 marks)
Pupils identify a performance issue to investigate and discuss.
To complete the dissertation pupils research relevant and current performance theories and practice, and communicate their findings in a dissertation. The dissertation must reference at least one influential theatre practitioner. Examples of practitioners include: Bertolt Brecht, Konstanin Stanislavski, Augusto Boal, Frantic Assembly.
The dissertation should consist of 2,500 to 3,000 words.
Pupils must acknowledge sources through using referencing and include visual evidence as appropriate.
Previous examples include:
The representation of gender in Shakespearean plays.
The influence of Greek tragedy on modern drama.
Component 2: Assignment (20 marks)
This takes place in class under exam conditions.
1 hr 30 mins
Pupils analyse a professional theatrical production that they have watched, as well as the work of at least one theatre practitioner (actor, director, and/or designer) involved in the production. To complete the assignment, pupils choose one question out out of two to answer; these are essay-style questions.
Pupils must not use the same theatrical production and/or theatre practitioner that they used in their project–dissertation.
Component 3: Performance (50 marks)
Pupils perform to an audience:
one interactive piece (30 marks)
one monologue (20 marks)
Each role must be from a different published play, and the roles should showcase a variety of acting skills.
The monologue has an approximate 3-minute length requirement. No other actors are allowed on stage.
The time requirement for the interactive piece is dependent on the number of pupils in the group.
