Drama

A Grade 3 performance would include the following:

A fair range of theatrical skills, demonstrated in a performance, although not fully sustained.

Theatrical skills are sometimes used with care and effectiveness.

Ideas and personal interpretation of a character is inventive, relevant and sensitive to the play and context, at times.

Overall contribution to the performance is meaningful at times.

Artistic intentions are partly achieved.

A Grade 3 written example:

(‘Peter Pan’ analysis of the actor playing ‘Captain Hook’:)

‘The actor playing Captain Hook was pretending to be a mother-like figure to the pirate Skylights, by looking like she cared. She moved across the stage and cuddled him. When she said the line, ‘What’s wrong?’ it sounded like she was trying to be his mother, but then she stabbed him, which really shocked the audience and showed us that she is a villain.’

A Grade 5 performance would include the following:

A wide range of theatrical skills, demonstrated throughout the performance.

Theatrical skills are deployed confidently and in a mostly effective way.

Ideas and personal interpretation of a character is inventive, and shows a degree of relevance and sensitivity to the play and context.

Overall contribution to the performance is meaningful.

Artistic intentions are mostly achieved.

A Grade 5 written example:

(‘Peter Pan’ analysis of the actor playing ‘Captain Hook’:)

‘The actor playing Captain Hook uses her tone of voice and her physical appearance to show her power. When she was talks to Skylights she seemed to have a slight ‘motherly’ tone, when she says, ‘What’s wrong?’ Here she was showing that she does have a soft side, by increasing her pitch. She bent down using her arms to wrap around him, giving that ‘motherly nature’ to her character. Her facial expressions soften and her posture isn't as proud and intense looking. This gives the impression that she isn’t going to hurt him, so we are shocked when she stabs him and casually pushes him off her. This was successful because she convinced the audience that she was kind and we almost forgot how she is the villain of the play.

A Grade 7 performance would include the following:

An extensive range of theatrical skills, demonstrated throughout the performance.

Theatrical skills are deployed precisely and in a highly effective way.

Ideas and personal interpretation of a character is highly inventive, and shows a considered degree of relevance and sensitivity to the play and context.

Considerable contribution to the effectiveness of the performance.

Artistic intentions are achieved.

A Grade 7 written example:

(‘Peter Pan’ analysis of the actor playing ‘Captain Hook’:)

‘The actor gave the impression that she cared about her crewmates when she tenderly asked Skylights ‘what’s wrong?’ in a higher pitched voice to show a worried tone. She used proxemics to show this worry further by crouching very close to him and resting her head on his. At first this is seen as a tender, motherly, soothing action, but in fact quickly portrays the fact that she is smothering him, by pressing his head down with hers. She then adopted a bored expression, by looking blank-eyed at the audience, as she stabbed him with her hook and dismissively pushed the body away.

By using a caring, concerned tone of voice and folding him in her arms, she showed the audience that she felt a sense of motherly affection for this pirate and that they aren’t all just her ‘crew’, but her family. When she rests her head on his head in a soothing gesture and Skylights calms down, it shows he is relaxed by her presence. This gives the audience even more reason to think she is a caring master. In fact when she ruthlessly kills him, it comes as an even bigger shock to see the dead body so carelessly thrown off her, as if she couldn’t care less. The audience realises that she is a terrifying, villainous captain.