A-Level Drama Students are ‘Making Theatre’

Hot on the heels of the GCSE groups’ fantastic workshop experiences, our Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth A-Level Drama students had a ‘splendid’ opportunity to work with Genevieve Say from Splendid Productions.

One of the assessment components for A-Level Drama and Theatre students is called ‘Making Theatre’. Over the course of their studies, they make a practical exploration of three different performance texts, reinforcing their work with a reflective report on their research into and rehearsal application of the working methodology of particular theatre practitioners.

Lower Sixth have just started on this journey. For the Upper Sixth, the process is about to come to an end. At the end of this month, they will be performing their final extracts from their chosen plays (“Art” by Yasmina Reza and Paula Vogel’s “Desdemona: a play about a handkerchief”) and submitting their final research documents.

Genevieve was putting the students through their paces learning to apply the working practices of two of their nominated practitioners – Antonin Artaud and Mike Alfreds. The creative contrasts between the two practitioners demanded real creative open-mindedness and a true skills challenge to embrace both styles, so the whole afternoon was a valuable opportunity for the A-Level groups to expand their repertoire.

Gen is an inspiring practitioner in her own right with an impressive CV as a musician, independent dance artist, performer, choreographer and movement director. The groups definitely took advantage of working with a dynamic professional to support their own craft – not to mention their assessments!

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