Year 11 Drama & Theatre Arts

Course Overview

Term 1
Performance Task: Students will engage in the 14th Century, street theatre form known as Commedia dell ‘Arte. They will gain a knowledge and understanding of Commedia dell’ Arte and how it impacts theatre today through class discussion, workshops, and group rehearsals.
Technical Task: Students will also design and construct a mask for their specific Commedia dell ‘Arte character.

Term 2
Performance Task: Students will perform a scene from Bruce Mason’s The Pohutukawa Tree, which examines Māori-Pākehā relations in post-war Aotearoa New Zealand. They will develop, through performance, an understanding of manaakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga, and then finally reflecting on their performance piece and its relationship to today’s society.
Technical Task: Students will also design, rig, and operate lighting for their performance.

Term 3
Performance Task: Students will learn, develop, and participate in creative strategies, in order to devise a drama/theatre piece based on the 1981 Springbok Tour of New Zealand. Students will collaborate with others to refine their performance work, through workshop and rehearsal using drama elements and conventions.
Technical Task: Students will also design a soundscape (music/aural/sound arts) for a final performance.

Term 4
Portfolio Task: Students will analyse live drama and theatre in performance and reflect on how these performances affect both themselves and society. Students will discuss how drama components – techniques, elements, conventions, and technologies – are used to communicate key messages in each performance. The student's work will result in a portfolio of evidence (written, oral, sketches).