Year 13 Drama provides a solid foundation for those who wish to pursue Drama as a career or at Tertiary level. The course is an opportunity to extend your interest and skill in performance as well as building confidence in public speaking, developing creativity and collaborating effectively.

Year 13 Drama continues to build on the learning that takes place in Year 12 Drama. This includes development in devising practices, character studies, text/play analysis, improvisation, collaboration and theatre forms.

Drama can be an amazing opportunity to add balance and variety into a students timetable. Exploring ideas collaboratively and physically can contrast with classes that may have a more theory-based focus. As well as this, a student's involvement in Drama has been linked to superior oral language development and communication, improved reading outcomes, deepened emotional maturity and empathy, as well as greater self-confidence. (Podlozny. A, 2000).

In Year 13 Drama you will:

• Devise original performances

  • • This includes:

      • learning how to structure, create, write and perform original work 

• Perform texts from established playwrights

  • • This includes: 

      • Reading and analysing famous or influential texts as a class

      • Using Drama techniques to create clear roles and relationships on stage

      • Blocking movement and memorising lines for key excerpts from the play

      • Performing excerpts live and in groups for the class

• Demonstrate understanding of theatre forms

  • • This includes:

      • • Studying influential theatre forms and their significance to the time period and place they were created. In the past this has included the study of Epic Theatre and Theatre of the Absurd.

        • Performing in the style of the theatre form, demonstrating understanding of stylistic features

An integral part of studying Drama is the opportunity to watch and analyse professional theatre. You will be expected to attend performances both in and out of class, and will be provided with the opportunity to perform to collaborate with local professional theatre practitioners.

NCEA Level 3 Drama aims to develop practical performance skills and enhance theoretical knowledge of theatre through an interweaving of four strands:

• Developing practical knowledge in drama

• Developing ideas in drama

• Communicating and interpreting in drama

• Understanding drama in context.

The course content, based on five achievement standards involves:
Internal

• performance of a scripted excerpt with the skillful use of voice, body, movement and space 

• devising and performing a drama to realise a concept

• studying and performing stylistic features of a theatre form skilfully

• demonstrating understanding of a playwright’s work through a presentation

External

• discussing a drama or theatre form or period with reference to a text

You may pick up this subject at Year 13, but a study of Drama at Year 10 though 12 is helpful. You should have a strong interest and enthusiasm for the subject and have been involved in extra-curricular performances (if you have not previously taken Drama at the school.)

• You will also need:

  • an open mind and the will to focus.

  • the ability to listen and work autonomously.

  • to accept feedback and act on feed forward.

  • to think critically and be adaptive to arrange of learning environments

  • a sense of humour and a positive outlook to class.

If you have any questions please get in touch with the HoD of Drama, Jessica Cooper j.cooper@wc.school.nz 

Acceptance will be at the discretion of the HoD of Drama.

There are 21 credits available in Level 3 Drama. This includes 4 x internal assessment, and 1 x external exam.

All internal assessments are performance-based with some supporting documentation. Students are assessed individually within group performances. The external assessments draw on practical work covered in the internal standards. Some assessments are expected to take place outside of class time in front of an invited audience.

NZQA Drama Subject Resources

http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/subjects/drama/levels/

School Policy for NCEA Assessment

You should be aware of the school procedures for NCEA assessment.  They can be found on the school website at this link. There you will find answers to frequently asked questions about how NCEA works as well as guidance about how to apply for extensions, reconsiderations or the process for withdrawing from a standard.