Learning Framework

Drama

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Drama provides unique opportunities for self-expression and growth through problem-solving, and group decision-making activities. Drama is an art form which is directly concerned with our understanding and experience of the world. Through drama, we explore the way people think, feel and communicate, learning to understand others and ourselves more fully.

The ability to communicate, not only in written form but orally and through body language, is an essential skill in modern life. Drama not only teaches students how to perform or act but more importantly, how to be effective and creative communicators.

Year 10

Drama is offered as an elective subject to students in Year 10. Students study Shakespeare in Performance, Mask Performance Traditions and make a Short Film. Students are taken to performances of Live Theatre and attend workshops to enrich their understanding and appreciation of the curriculum. Parents and friends have an opportunity to see the work of students through Drama nights.

Higher School Certificate (HSC)

Drama in Years 11 and 12 incorporates practical performances, theoretical study and experience. Senior Drama is not an acting course but rather an experiential exploration and analysis of the different elements that create theatrical performance. These elements include the study of Script, Design, Direction and Acting. Students learn, through practical experience and theoretical study, how these elements combine to create the wide variety of theatre that different cultures have created.

Year 11

In Year 11, students research and perform a variety of theatrical traditions and performance styles. They also rehearse and perform a play which is presented to the school community. As well as acting, students are responsible for directing, lighting, costume and set design, and promoting the production. The final unit in Year 11 is Play Building, which involves the students devising and performing their own material.

Year 12

In Year 12, students undertake in-depth studies of contemporary Australian theatre practice and World Drama. They also complete an Individual project which may include performance, set, lighting, costume or poster design, a script, a portfolio of theatre reviews, a short film, a director’s folio or an applied research project. Students also collaborate with a group to devise and perform in, a piece of original theatre that has dramatic shape and structure, and communicates a complete theatrical statement.

Ravenswood has a proud tradition of excellence in Drama, with students often being shortlisted for the OnSTAGE, which showcases the best HSC Drama performances and individual projects in NSW.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma

Theatre is offered as an elective in the IB Diploma, in both Standard and Higher level. The subject is a multifaceted theatre-making course, which gives students the opportunity to make theatre as creators, designers, directors and performers.

Core elements include Theatre in Context, Theatre Processes and Presenting Theatre. In Theatre in context they examine the personal, theoretical and cultural contexts that inform theatre making. Theatre Processes addresses the skills and techniques students require for performance, while Presenting Theatre addresses the diverse staging and presentation of theatre from the point of view of both the actor and spectator. There is no prerequisite for undertaking this course of study.