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Practitioners and theatre companies

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What is Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty, and how do you apply its sensory, non-verbal approach practically in OCR Drama and Theatre?

Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty: assaulting the senses, ritual and the total experience, non-verbal communication, breaking the audience-stage barrier, and overwhelming an audience to reach beyond rational thought.
Antonin Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty for OCR A-Level Drama and Theatre: sensory assault, ritual, non-verbal communication and breaking the audience-stage barrier, and how to apply these ideas practically to overwhelm an audience and earn AO1 and AO2.
12 min answer →

What is Brecht's epic theatre, and how do you apply the alienation effect and gestus practically in OCR Drama and Theatre?

Bertolt Brecht and epic theatre: the alienation effect (Verfremdung), gestus, episodic structure, direct address, placards and song, multi-rolling and visible technique, applied to make an audience think critically rather than empathise passively.
Bertolt Brecht's epic theatre for OCR A-Level Drama and Theatre: the alienation effect, gestus, episodic structure, direct address, placards and song, and how to apply these techniques practically to make an audience think critically, earning AO1 and AO2.
13 min answer →

What are Brook's empty space and Grotowski's poor theatre, and how do you apply their stripped-back approach in OCR Drama and Theatre?

Peter Brook and Jerzy Grotowski: the empty space and the holy theatre, the poor theatre stripped of all but the actor-audience relationship, physical and vocal training, and theatre as a charged, essential encounter.
Peter Brook's empty space and Jerzy Grotowski's poor theatre for OCR A-Level Drama and Theatre: stripping theatre back to the actor-audience relationship, rigorous physical and vocal training, and theatre as an essential encounter, and how to apply this approach for AO1 and AO2.
12 min answer →

How do you choose two practitioners for the OCR devising unit, and combine their methods coherently to influence a devised piece?

Choosing and combining two practitioners for Practitioners in Practice: selecting two complementary or contrasting practitioners or companies, applying their methods to research and devising, and combining influences into a coherent style.
How to choose two practitioners for the OCR Practitioners in Practice devising unit and combine their methods coherently: selecting complementary or contrasting practitioners, applying their techniques to research and devising, and fusing influences into one clear style, for AO1 and AO4.
12 min answer →

What are the methods of physical and devised ensemble companies like Frantic Assembly and Complicite, and how do you apply them in OCR Drama and Theatre?

Physical and ensemble theatre companies (Frantic Assembly, Complicite): devised, movement-led, collaborative theatre, choreographed physicality and lifts, ensemble storytelling, transformation of object and space, applied to create devised work.
The methods of physical and devised ensemble companies for OCR A-Level Drama and Theatre, such as Frantic Assembly and Complicite: movement-led collaborative theatre, choreographed physicality, ensemble storytelling and transformation, and how to apply them to devised work for AO1 and AO2.
13 min answer →

What is Stanislavski's system, and how do you apply psychological realism practically to a text or devised piece in OCR Drama and Theatre?

Konstantin Stanislavski and psychological realism: the system of objectives, units, given circumstances, the magic if, emotion memory and the through-line, applied to create truthful, motivated performance.
Konstantin Stanislavski's system for OCR A-Level Drama and Theatre: objectives and units, given circumstances, the magic if, emotion memory and the through-line, and how to apply psychological realism practically to a text or devised piece to earn AO1 and AO2.
13 min answer →