Study notes
As this class is pictured doing, it is important to get into the habit of reflecting, taking notes and writing up your thoughts and discussions on performance activities. This is so you can integrate your understanding of performance into written responses as experiential evidence.
A suggestion for how to structure study notes for Life Without Me
Syllabus outcomes
A student:
H3.2 analyses, synthesises and organises knowledge, information and opinion in coherent, informed oral and written responses.
Drama Stage 6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009, p 22.
It is important to consolidate your learning in practical activities by reflecting in writing and keeping notes on the experiential evidence you accrue in class. In addition to reinforcing what you have learned about drama, these notes will be useful for revising for written assessment and examinations.
Consider making your own study note table and including key moments of performance and learning from your class activities.
You could use these as your note table headings (from left to right).
Ideas and images – what key moment or image from the play do you want to talk about?
Theoretical evidence – what quotation of dialogue or stage direction prompts the moment from the play script?
Experiential evidence – when did you see this moment performed in class or on stage?
Conventions, techniques, forms, styles – what conventions or dramatic techniques work together to create meaning in this moment of performance?
Impact on audience – what impact did seeing this performance have on the audience? Note: this could be you as a performer during the performance too.
Example of how to fill in a study note table
Syllabus outcomes
A student:
H3.2 analyses, synthesises and organises knowledge, information and opinion in coherent, informed oral and written responses.
Drama Stage 6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009, p 22.
Ideas and images – overcoming alienation by forming personal connections between characters and audience
Theoretical and experiential evidence – in our drama class, workshopping Scene One of Life Without Me by Daniel Keene really helped me understand how people overcome alienation in society. When I portrayed John, the stage direction was clear: 'John takes off his dripping overcoat.' I decided to use this moment to convey John's clumsy, endearing nature. As I fumbled with the coat, the audience burst into laughter. It was a beautiful accident, revealing John's awkwardness and adding depth to his character.
Experiential evidence – included above in the description of the class workshop, for example, 'As I fumbled with the coat'. Also below, in 'how I stilted my steps of John's walk whenever I moved'.
Conventions, techniques, forms, styles:
Transformational acting
Stilted dialogue and repetition of dialogue ideas through questioning
Contrast, movement and symbol (elements of drama)
Impact on audience – we also explored movement and space in the workshop. The way I moved around the stage symbolised my character's emotional journeys. This dynamic interaction of space and movement created a powerful visual narrative for the audience. One classmate commented on how I stilted my steps of John's walk whenever I moved in the space, adding to his initial awkward characterisation. The classmate described the contradiction of how this unique quality of the script's characterisation, and my acting, made him endearing. We used conventions like mime and tableau to convey complex ideas, providing a richer understanding of the play's themes.
References
Course prescriptions for Drama Stage 6 2019–2024 © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2023.
Drama Stage 6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009.
Keene, D. 2010. Life Without Me [play script]. Currency Press.