WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Drama: Revision Guide

Drama watchwords Whether you are brainstorming ideas, memorising cues and lines, rehearsing or performing, make the most of your ideas, both onstage and on the page, with the following drama watchwords. It is important to be clear, not only in your speech and the words you choose onstage ( dialogue ) and in your written evaluation but also in the images you use to present your ideas visually to the audience. You need to shape and project your words (diction) for clarity. Remember, natural-looking movement onstage is a lot simpler and bigger than our movement in real life. The events of the plot in your scene need to be clear too – make sure your plot flows logically, with one event causing the next. Clarity is also important in your written work. You don’t need complex sentences, just state as clearly as you can what you chose to do, what you learnt from it and what you would change next time. Clarity One of the best ways to help your performance, both onstage and in written work, is what Stanislavski called concentration of attention . The more you focus on the detail, one thing at a time, the less you will worry about what the audience is thinking, what you look like, who’s watching … and that will help you to perform better. Focus on one specific action – or sentence – then move on to the next. As a performer, this allows you to suspend your disbelief and make your character truthful . It also stops you accidentally looking at the audience, rearranging your clothes, etc. Focus For more information on Stanislavski, see pages 41–49. LINK Focus exercises and games on pages 44 and 48. FIND HELP FOR … When you are creating a piece, always remember that you are not looking for the one ‘right answer’ – the trick in creating something new is putting ideas together that have not been put together before. Do not be afraid to use your own ideas and associations when you work with your stimulus and your group. It is very important to try out ideas. write down lines of dialogue from improv circles – also gestures or still images. ‘A picture tells a thousand words’, so your audience will enjoy interpreting visual images more than having everything explained in words. ‘Show, don’t tell’ your story. Imagination 9 INTRODUCTION