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).

What this dot point is asking

Drama techniques and conventions are the building blocks of theatre making: the devices a deviser or director uses to structure a piece and communicate meaning. They appear most in Component 1 (devising), where you build a piece from these tools, and in directing the set text in Component 3. This dot point covers the main conventions, what each does, and how to use them with purpose rather than as decoration.

A toolkit of conventions

Conventions are shared theatrical devices that a deviser or director uses deliberately. Knowing what each one does lets you reach for the right tool.

What each technique does

Each convention has a job, and choosing the right one for a moment is the skill. A still image or tableau freezes a charged moment so the audience absorbs it, often used to open or punctuate a piece. Thought tracking and monologue reveal what a character thinks or feels beneath the action, deepening the audience's understanding. Narration guides the audience through the story and can frame or comment on it. Flashback and cross-cutting play with time, showing the past or juxtaposing two scenes to draw a comparison or contrast. Physical theatre and choral movement use the ensemble's bodies to create images, crowds, machines or abstract ideas without words. Direct address breaks the fourth wall to involve the audience, common in non-naturalistic and Brechtian work. The key to using these well is purpose: each technique must serve the intention and create a clear effect on the audience, so a tableau marks a real climax and cross-cutting draws a meaningful comparison, rather than being used because it is a known device. These conventions connect to the styles and practitioners in this module, since direct address and physical theatre suit Brechtian and non-naturalistic work, while subtle thought tracking can deepen a naturalistic, Stanislavskian piece.

Try this

Q1. What does a still image or tableau do, and when is it useful? [2 marks]

• Cue. It freezes a charged moment or theme so the audience absorbs it, useful to open or punctuate a piece.

Q2. What is cross-cutting, and what effect can it create? [2 marks]

• Cue. Cross-cutting intercuts two scenes or times, creating a comparison or contrast that the audience reads as meaningful.