Drama and theatre skills: a complete overview for WJEC GCSE Drama (knowledge for the exam and the practicals)

What this covers

This overview ties together the drama and theatre knowledge that powers the whole of WJEC GCSE Drama: the practitioners, genres and styles, the acting skills, the design skills, the stage configurations, and the practical units in overview. The same knowledge is tested in writing in Unit 3 and applied practically in Units 1 and 2, so it is worth learning once and using everywhere.

Practitioners, genres and styles

The course draws mainly on naturalism (linked to Stanislavski), which creates a believable slice of life and immerses the audience; epic and political theatre (linked to Brecht), which breaks the illusion so the audience thinks; and physical and devised theatre, which builds meaning from the body and ensemble. Know the aim, a few features and the effect of each.

Acting skills

The vocal skills are pitch, pace, pause, tone, volume, accent and emphasis; the physical skills are posture, gesture, gait, facial expression, eye contact and proxemics. An actor combines several to build a believable character and to show emotion, status and intention. The marks come from combination and effect, not the list.

Design skills

Design works through set (location, levels, props), costume (character, status, period, including hair and make-up), lighting (colour, intensity, angle, state) and sound (effects, music, underscore). Each creates location, mood, period and meaning, and the marks come from linking a choice to its effect on the audience.

Staging

The main configurations are proscenium arch, thrust, in the round, traverse and end on. Each changes the actor and audience relationship and forces trade-offs on set and blocking. The basic stage areas are upstage (away from the audience) and downstage (towards them), with stage left and right from the actor's viewpoint.

The practical units in overview

Unit 1, Devising Theatre (40 percent, non-examined), asks you to devise an original group piece from a stimulus, influenced by a practitioner or genre, with a portfolio and evaluation. Unit 2, Performing from a Text (20 percent, non-examined), asks you to perform two extracts from one play, or realise a design. They reward AO1 and AO2.

Check your knowledge

1. Name the three main practitioners or styles and the aim of each. (3 marks)
2. List the vocal acting skills. (2 marks)
3. List the physical acting skills. (2 marks)
4. Name the four design areas and the four variables of lighting. (3 marks)
5. Name the main stage configurations. (2 marks)
6. What do upstage and downstage mean? (2 marks)
7. What does Unit 1 require, and what is it worth? (3 marks)
8. Which assessment objectives do the practical units reward? (2 marks)