AQA GCSE Drama Student Book: Revised Edition

Performing choices In Question 2, you will discuss in detail how you would perform a particular line as a given character. For example, from ‘Berlin’: You are performing the role of Rosie. Describe how you would use your vocal and physical skills to perform the line below and explain the effects that you want to create. Rosie: But I know that at 25 Windarie Avenue, Hallett Cove, things are the same as when I left and they always will be. TASK 20 a Choose one line from the play spoken by each of these characters: Bob Mark Fran Pip Ben. Experiment with different ways of using your vocal and physical skills. b Answer the following question for each character’s line: Describe how you would use your vocal and physical skills to perform the line and explain the effects that you want to create. c Check your work by marking or highlighting: V for each vocal skill you mention P for each physical skill E for an effect on the audience. TIP It is helpful to write in the rst person (‘I’) so you can fully imagine your own performance. Do more than just describe vocal and physical skills: think about how your choices will add to the audience’s understanding of the play, its characters and their relationships. TIP In a UK production, the actors used their own British dialects. This emphasised the relevance of the concerns for a UK audience, rather than distancing them with an accent which might be uncomfortable for the actor to maintain. TIP You should write about both physical and vocal skills, but you can write about them in combination rather than physical and then vocal, if that helps you to express your ideas clearly. CHALLENGE If you choose to write about Australian dialects, you could explore online examples. Decide what features of the dialect or accent you would emphasise. In this scene, Rosie has suffered a devastating experience of not only being left by a boy she thought she loved, but also having him steal her belongings. Alone in a foreign city, she is desperate to return home, so, as Rosie, my posture at the beginning of the line is slumped and defeated. 1 I will briefly pause and look down at the ground before I speak because Rosie is at her lowest point. However, as Rosie makes her decision to go home, I will raise my head and, with clear, precise diction, announce my exact address. 2 I will use an Australian accent and make my voice youthfully high-pitched. 3 I will plant my legs in a wide stance and my facial expression is soft, gently smiling as I fondly remember my parents. This is an emotional moment, so my voice will break when I say ‘they always will be’. 4 From this, the audience will see that Rosie is young and naïve and finds comfort in the idea of home. 5 Understanding of character and context of line, mentions ‘posture’ Physical skills (stance, facial expression), vocal skills (breaking voice) and justification Effect on audience Vocal skills (pause and diction) and physical skills (looking down, raises head) Vocal skills (accent, pitch) 86 COMPONENT 1 UNDERSTANDING DRAMA