Drama

Our aim is to grow a student’s self-confidence through a greater understanding of group dynamics and of the expressive nature of the human voice and body. We look at the impact that we make on each other as individuals or social groups and we aim to maximise the opportunities presented by linking work, where appropriate, with drama and play texts.

The Department follows the simple idea put forward by Dorothy Heathcote (1967) when she was asked: ‘what is Drama?’ She responded by saying:

‘.....very simply, it [Drama] means putting yourself in other people’s shoes and, by using personal experience to understand their point of view, you may discover more than you knew when you started…….’

Drama is taught at Dubai College with Heathcote’s straightforward philosophy in mind. The pupils are encouraged to learn about the world around them by ‘putting themselves in other people’s shoes’. The vast majority of the educational drama taught within the College is based on the student’s individual experience of school, family, home and friendships. Moreover, in Years 9 and above, students are encouraged to question and examine the world around them through the roles and characters that they play.

Drama is taught within four areas of the school: the Drama Studio, the Fitness Studio, the Stage and the Auditorium, each of which is fully equipped with state of the art control rooms, lighting and sound equipment. The department has its own library resources which include a variety of books, DVDs and compact discs.

Course Outline in KS3
As part of the Creative Arts Circus, Drama seeks to establish good practice for group work, encourage a love of theatre as well as lay the foundations for those in Year 9 who wish to continue to study Drama as one of their GCSEs.

Each year is divided into different stages with the intention of opening up various aspects of the subject to include: improvisations, script work, design sessions as well as performance. Pupils also have the opportunity, outside lesson time, to get involved with the technical aspects of the theatre, through wardrobe and stage crew work.

Below is an overview of the schemes of work currently used at KS3; these are reviewed and adapted to suit the needs of the students as well as the strengths of the teaching staff available.

Year 7
• Introduction: Drama games
• Simple role play: pairs and small groups
• Assessment 1: Prepared Improvisation
• Assessment 2: Dance Drama with the whole class
• Mask Work: introduction with individual and pair work
• Assessment 3: A group project with the theme of Disco Championships/ Fashion Show/Street Scene
• Assessment 4: Prepared Improvisation

Year 8
• Mime Topic: Some technical work in pairs and small groups
• Lift Exercise: A group project
• Assessment 1: A Prepared Mime using a scenario
• Assessment 2: Radio Play Topic – a group project
• Assessment 3: Soap Opera Topic – a group project

Year 9
• Acting Topic: a group project
• Assessment 1: a performance
• Improvisation Topic (spontaneous and prepared improvisation) in pairs and small groups
• Assessment 2: a performance using prepared improvisation
• Dance Drama Topic: Some technical work in pairs and small groups
• Assessment 3: a group project performance of dance Drama

Course outline at GCSE
At Key Stage 4 the Department reviews predicted grades from the INSIGHT test results to evaluate and set challenging targets for individual students.

Further information regarding the course can be found by following this link:
http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gcse/gcse09/drama/Pages/default

Course outline at A Level
This is an exciting course for those who wish to explore dramatic literature and the theatre from a practical perspective whilst, at the same time, analysing and evaluating the whole process of acting and play production. As a result, the work done during the course places emphasis on the practical, active exploration of texts and theories. Academic rigour is high as it is needed to understand subtleties of different texts, whether they be Shakespearean or modern. Such active work enhances the student’s ability to fully realise his or her own potential, whether it be in performance, directing or design.

Further information regarding the course can be found by following this link:
http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce08/drama/Pages/default.aspx