← Drama syllabus

EnglandDrama

Theatre practitioners and styles

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you apply a practitioner's methods to your own performance or devised work?

Applying a practitioner's methods (such as Brecht or Stanislavski) to devising, performance and directing: selecting techniques that suit the intention and justifying their effect on the audience (AO1, AO2 and AO3).
How to apply a practitioner's methods to your own work in Edexcel GCSE Drama: selecting techniques from Brecht, Stanislavski or others that suit the intention, applying them to devising, text performance and directing the set text, and justifying the effect on the audience across AO1, AO2 and AO3.
9 min answer →

What are Brecht's ideas and techniques in epic theatre?

Understanding Brecht and epic theatre: the aim to make the audience think, and the techniques (the alienation effect, direct address, narration, placards, song, episodic structure and multi-rolling) used to achieve it (AO2 and AO3).
How Brecht and epic theatre work in Edexcel GCSE Drama: the aim to make the audience think critically about society, and the techniques (the alienation effect or Verfremdungseffekt, direct address, narration, placards, song, episodic structure and multi-rolling) used to achieve it, applied to devising and performance.
9 min answer →

What drama techniques and conventions can you use to build a piece?

Using drama techniques and conventions (still image and tableau, thought tracking, narration, monologue, flashback, cross-cutting, physical theatre, choral movement and direct address) to communicate meaning to an audience (AO1 and AO2).
How drama techniques and conventions work in Edexcel GCSE Drama: using still image and tableau, thought tracking, narration, monologue, flashback, cross-cutting, physical theatre, choral movement and direct address to structure a piece and communicate meaning to an audience, especially in devising.
9 min answer →

What are Stanislavski's ideas and techniques for naturalistic acting?

Understanding Stanislavski and naturalistic acting: the aim of truthful, believable performance, and the techniques (emotional memory, the magic if, given circumstances, objectives and the through line) used to achieve it (AO2 and AO3).
How Stanislavski and naturalistic acting work in Edexcel GCSE Drama: the aim of truthful, believable performance, and the techniques (emotional memory, the magic if, given circumstances, objectives, the through line and the fourth wall) used to achieve it, applied to devising and text performance.
9 min answer →

What is the difference between naturalistic and non-naturalistic theatre?

Understanding theatrical styles: distinguishing naturalism from non-naturalism (stylised, physical, epic and abstract theatre), recognising their conventions, and choosing a style to suit a performance (AO2 and AO3).
How theatrical styles work in Edexcel GCSE Drama: distinguishing naturalism (realistic, fourth-wall theatre) from non-naturalism (stylised, physical, epic and abstract theatre), recognising their conventions, and choosing a style to suit a devised piece, a text performance or a directorial reading of the set text.
9 min answer →