Literature & Performance is available at Standard level only.

Literature and Performance is a mix of Drama and English Literature - it allows you to study texts in a more practical fashion, using performance conventions to draw out the meaning in the text. At the heart of the course is the interaction between:

(i) a conventional literary emphasis on close reading, critical writing and discussion 

(ii) the practical, aesthetic and symbolic elements of performance. 

In this exciting, creative process text is viewed from different angles in a way that goes beyond what is characteristic of either literary or theatre studies as single disciplines.

This Course Would Suit

• Those who enjoy performing or exploring texts by ‘acting them out’ rather than simply reading them.
• Those wishing to acquire interpersonal skills such as teamwork, communication, presenting, leadership, commitment, problem solving, the ability to work under pressure and self-confidence that come from performance. These are vital life and work skills that impress employers in later life.
• Those wishing to take 2 languages or sciences, but still wishing to take part in drama
• Those wishing to continue studying more than one art form (as block 6 could now be Music, Film or Visual Arts.)
• Those who struggle to sit and engage with a text by simply reading it, who would benefit from the opportunity to explore it more practically

External Assessment

Exam;

Paper 1: Comparison Essay on 2 plays you have studied 

Students answer one essay question from a choice of five (20 marks)

Written Coursework and Performance;

A short performance of a scene from a published play

An essay specifying how you performed in 3 key moments in the scenes

1,500–2,000 words in length.

Internal Assessment

(20 minutes) - Performance (up to 10 minutes) and individual oral presentation (15 minutes) (40 marks)

A devised piece transforming a published written prose (short story) into a piece of theatre. 

The individual oral is a structured presentation about this performance.
40%

Requirements

Essential - A willingness to participate in practical work and take risks. You will have to act for an audience and work in a team. 

Preferable (but not essential)- Previous experience in performance (Theatre, Dance or other performing arts)