Drama

Drama

Drama offers a dynamic, exciting and practical style of study in which students learn through experience and develop the confidence to participate in a range of creative activities. Drama helps build life and future-proof employment skills such as creativity, problem-solving, empathy, compassion, adaptability, emotional intelligence, judgment, and collaboration. Drama also helps improve self-esteem in a safe environment where students are encouraged to innovative, take risks, and strive for excellence.

The aim of all Barker Drama courses is to provide students with performance and production experiences that encourage them to imagine, create and communicate ideas and stories in a variety of theatrical forms, while mastering skills and dispositions that prepare them for life.

Areas studied

Ancient Greek Theatre - Where it all began in the West; the birth of character - physical and vocal storytelling with a modern twist.

Monologue Performance - Building the courage of each student to offer and accept ideas, develop their listening, improve their vocal skills and create engaging work using Australian stories as a base for an Individual Performance.

Comedy - From Shakespearean comedy to the characters of Commedia Dell’Arte; workshopping and exploring a range of comedic styles and skills through voice and physicality as well as clowning and physical slapstick.

Film - Creating, writing, filming, directing, starring in and editing their own films! Students work in groups to learn about the art of visual storytelling through film culminating in the BOSCARS - Barker's own red-carpet event where students and are invited to dress to the nines and watch these wonderful stories.

Assessment Structure

Year 10

Through a combination of practical and theoretical study Year 10 Drama students develop skills in performance, directing and design, learning how to create engaging theatre by making, performing and appreciating. The Year 10 course helps build a solid foundation for students contemplating Drama for the HSC, for those students wanting to enter careers in the performing arts as well as for those who want to foster and improve their confidence and presentation skills.

Students may study Year 10 Drama without having previously taken it in Year 9. It is not a prerequisite for entry into the 2 Unit HSC Drama course. However, it is regarded as invaluable preparation for senior Drama.

Course Outline

Script Analysis: Students learn to deconstruct text to perform a convincing duologue through a scene or song. Theatrical styles in focus are Elizabethan (Shakespeare), and Musicals. Students explore scripts as the source for all action, interpreting and responding to the various styles accordingly. They practise taking it from the page to the stage under their own direction and choreography. Furthermore, they perform the roles of designers creating a render of either a set, costume or promotional material as a way to demonstrate their directorial vision and understanding of the play, whilst meeting the requirements of the design remit. 

Blak Voices - Children’s Theatre: Students study the theatrical style of Children’s Theatre and apply cultural and performance protocols to demonstrate respect for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples. They create dramatic action with Stage 1 target audiences from both the Junior School and Darkinjung. Our engagement further includes our Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Communities, Elders, practitioners and/or Knowledges from Dharug, Darkingjung, Ngarralingayil and Dhupuma Barker. They develop and explain processes used to respect Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) and apply culturally safe processes to embody and enact ideas for an audience.

Students explore children’s books and/or poetry written by indigenous authors. Each group transforms a children’s book into an engaging, energetic performance with an intent to entertain their audiences from Years 1 and 2, whilst also teaching about ethics, protocols and respect for country and culture. 

Political Theatre: Students will explore different styles of political theatre including the work of Bertolt Brecht and Augusto Boal, in order to devise their own group performance based on Australian political and social issues. The assessment for this is a showcase evening where families and friends are invited to be an audience.

Play Studies – Stories of Truth, Strength and Resilience. Students explore some beautifully Australian plays that encapsulate both our Indigenous culture in truth telling and the embodiment of the important role theatre can play in telling these stories to influence our social, cultural and political landscape. This unit is powerful and develops an opportunity for students to explore the power of theatre, educating audiences, developing in compassion and understanding as we as Australians move towards unity, respect and peace.

Assessment Structure

Year 11 Drama is a practical and theoretical opportunity for students to build on their theatrical skills including playbuilding, performance, directing and collaboration. Students study a range of styles learning to analyse and interpret text, perform in depth characters confidently and create their own engaging, original and entertaining group performances.

It is not a prerequisite for entry into the 2 Unit HSC Drama course to have taken Year 9 or 10 Drama. However, it is regarded as invaluable preparation for Senior Drama.

Because of the group performance element in Senior Drama, it is essential students are able to demonstrate they can work collaboratively with others. Students who have difficulty working in a team, performing or sharing ideas with others should consider their choice of this subject very carefully.

Content areas studied:

Realism - Students explore the style of Realism, specifically the work of Konstantin Stanislavski and his system for creating truthful and in-depth characters on stage. We study the work of Henrik Ibsen and Ayad Akhtar with students ultimately creating and performing an individual performance and folio of directorial choices.

Non-Realism/Expressionism - Through the practical study of Absurdism, Expressionism and Physical Theatre (Clowning) students develop a deeper understanding of how Non-Realistic theatre can transport an audience into their sub-conscious as well as make them think about world issues.

This unit culminates in a group performance showcase evening where family and friends are invited to attend and see the student’s challenging, thought-provoking and entertaining work.

Assessment