Year 8

During term one students will be studying the work of Complicite and Frantic Assembly, as a continuation of their work from year 7 on Physical Theatre. They will learn about the building blocks employed by Frantic to create strings of material as well as focussing on the ensemble, collaborative process used by Complicite. They will focus on exploring the use of space and will develop their imagination and story telling skills.

Students study the following:

• Physical Theatre/Ensemble work: how actors use bodies to create the atmosphere, objects, surroundings, etc.

• Multimedia: use of projections and live music.

• Multi Role: many characters played by a small number of actors

• Slow Motion

• Minimal fixed set: Physical Theatre to create locations.

• Universal props: one prop or piece of staging used.

• Voiceovers: often played over still images or blank stages.

Students then present a performance based on the techniques used by Complicite and Frantic Assembly.

In addition, students will learn about Commedia Dell'arte. Commedia Dell'arte originated in Italy and became so popular that companies toured Europe. Students learn about how Commedia Dell'arte had to adapt to its European audience and how the actor/audience relationship worked within the performances. Students learn about Grummelot, stock characters and mask work.  This leads nicely into Pantomime. Students are introduced to the stock characters of Pantomime and will look closely at the actor/audience relationship and the differences to the previous topics they have studied.

This term students will use a script and study the plot of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time. We will focus on key extracts and consider how to stage these through rehearsal cumulating in final performances performed without script.

Verbatim is a genre of drama which focuses on creating adaptations which are based on real life events and includes source material. Students will learn about the story of Derek Bentley and the Let Him Have It case as their stimulus for devising in this unit.

Interpreting text is a scheme where students have the chance to explore the design elements of drama- these being: staging, lighting, sound, costume and make up. By learning about design, students can see how it connects with the acting and the importance of using design in set and costume to explain messages, time periods and where it set.  We explore these through are work on the text Romeo and Juliet.

Students are introduced to another practitioner, Brecht. They will understand what he wanted to achieve from theatre and how he did this. Students will understand his techniques and view on creating a message throughout a performance and his reasoning behind this.