<p>Drama Exemplar </p><p>AS 90301 (2.3) Structure, record and perform devised drama using elements and conventions – Level 2, version 2</p><p>Excellence</p><p>This exemplar provides extracts from recorded documentation to support the second criterion of the standard and partial evidence for the first criterion of the standard for the grade of Excellence. The extracts are typical of the whole portfolio.</p><p>The second criterion does not change as the standard moves upwards through the grades. However, this documentation contributes to partial evidence for the selection of elements and conventions in the structuring of the drama at the achieved grade, the coherent structuring of the drama at merit and the coherent and perceptive structuring of the drama at Excellence. The primary evidence for criterion 1 will come from the drama itself.</p><p>Further evidence for the grade would come from teacher observation of the process and from the drama itself. Evidence for the boundaries, as in low Excellence or high Merit, is more likely to come from the wider evidence gained from teacher observation and from the strength of the devised drama, than from the documentation of the process. </p><p>The student is not required to submit a script, for achievement.</p><p>Achieved Merit Excellence  Structure devised  Structure devised drama  Structure devised drama drama by selecting coherently by selecting coherently and elements and elements and perceptively by conventions to create conventions to create selecting elements and dramatic meaning dramatic meaning conventions to create dramatic meaning  Record key decisions  Record key decisions and intentions of the and intentions of the  Record key decisions devised drama devised drama and intentions of the devised drama</p><p>Commentary: </p><p>There are three aspects to assessment in this standard. Students are required to structure a devised drama through appropriate selection and use of elements and conventions; the key decisions and intentions must be documented (oral, visual or written); the student must perform in the drama in a way that supports the dramatic intention.</p><p>Explanatory Note 7 states that students must present a justification of the final structure and a record of its development. This development needs to demonstrate how changes made throughout the process are a conscious result of on-going evaluation and refinement. </p><p>Devising is defined in EN 7 of 90007 (level 1). While this is not referred to in this level 2 standard, the intention remains the same. Devising is defined in Explanatory Note 7 as “an on-going cycle of discussion, improvisation and recording of decisions. It requires the student to define the central idea of the piece of work as a simple statement. This statement is then used to underpin the experimentation with and final choices about scenes, elements, conventions, technologies, structures.” This means that the student needs to be stating a dramatic intention for the drama and this intention should be linked to all improvised trialling and to the on-going evaluation and refinement of ideas for the drama.</p><p>Key words for achievement in the definition above are improvisation and experimentation. Evidence needs to demonstrate active participation in a process that moves through on-the-feet exploration of the development of ideas for the drama.</p><p>At level 2, attention must be given to the notion of ‘structure’. Students need to demonstrate understanding of how choices made can shape the drama so as to produce a desired effect.</p><p>Structure coherently means that the student will give thought to how the drama fits together so that the audience can understand the flow of action from beginning to end. Decisions for the selection and placement of conventions within the drama, for the order of scenes or for the transitions from one scene to another, will make sense and help to form a harmonious whole. The student needs to be explaining these choices in the documentation.</p><p>Structure coherently and perceptively means the student will give in-depth and possibly original thought to how the drama is shaped. Decisions for the selection and placement of conventions within the drama, for the order of scenes or for the transitions from one scene to another, will create impact for the audience. The student will be able to make insightful links between the above choices and the dramatic intention. Evidence for this insightful linking of choices to intention can be gathered from brief questioning or oral conferencing throughout the process as well as from the written documentation. This is important as the contribution of the individual student must be clearly identifiable and assessable – EN 8.</p><p>Extracts of student evidence Comment</p><p>One of the poems which was about watching WW2 on the news The student demonstrates a fresh gave us the idea of focusing on people outside of the war, who were approach to a well-known not involved in direct combat, perhaps women or children, as we subject. The interest in the thought this would give us more interesting perspectives as opposed different perspective on war to just focusing on soldiers who are involved in hand to hand demonstrates the potential for combat. After we decided this we read the poems aloud to this student to reach the determine which ones evoked the most emotion or thought and Excellence grade as this offers which ones would be the most effective to quote (rhythm, rhyme ). opportunities for in-depth and original approaches to the drama. We chose three different wars, showing women don’t change In using expressions such as during difficult situations across different time periods. We decided ‘perhaps’ and ‘we could’ the that perhaps we could have her being betrayed by her beliefs or her student demonstrates a country or war itself, and thought that we could use a character to processing of ideas. portray that betrayal. We want to say that women are victims too. We are having trouble with our theme. We decided that instead of The student demonstrates focusing on the victimisation of women in war and their suffering at reflection and consequent change the hands of immorality, we would focus on the REASONS that in the focus for the drama. While women support war. Rather, the idealistic reasons that people say there is still some refinement to they go to war, e.g. religion – when the bible specifically says “thou be done, the ideas demonstrate shalt not kill”, or communism which begs for peace and equality depth and provide opportunity and ends in bloody revolutions and entire class systems dead and for breadth of exploration within one or two controllers of the system who take all of the money the drama. The irony in these earned for themselves, and patriotism, when people say that they go statements could be a powerful to war for their country when their country does cruel things. We point for exploration. want to show that the reasons people say they go to war are not good reasons or that the real reasons are for land and money. We want to show this through the lives of women. We therefore disbanded with the US soldier and played around with The thought processing is very wording of the intention – women know why not to go to war, I clear in the documentation. know why we went to war, the reasons for war are null and void.. Today we decided that it was no longer relevant to include women The students had a notion of in the disapproval of the reasons we go to war as the people who using the idea of women from the are not involved in direct conflict are not all women. We are very start. Each alteration of the debating “the only good reasons for war are greed/hatred”, “You initial idea attempted to cannot justify war”, “Now we know why we went to war”. somehow still keep hold of the concept. For the students to have made the realisation that this is no longer relevant is evidence of maturity and perception in the decision making. </p><p>We cannot seem to get it right. “They had a war. Why did we go?” There is a realisation here that We like this idea because of the word “why”. the overall intention needs to be secure before planning for the drama can begin. We worked on a soundscape for the opening sequence of the scene, The student is able to comment showing me lying dead or injured on the floor whilst two soldiers on the structural links in the march over me, saying a speech by Eamon De Velera, a news drama, providing clear and report about an IRA bombing. The fact that the soldiers march over perceptive explanation for my dead body shows that regardless of casualties, war still goes on. choices made. There is evidence My character is Mollie. We end the soundscape with the phrase for use of researched “Why’d you do it, Mollie, which here refers to the bombing but is information. This is more likely also a link to the next scene where Mollie is found in the mud by to produce a drama that has her mother who says “Why’s you do it, Mollie?” We decided it depth and impact for an could be a Protestant boy who pushed Mollie in the mud, therefore audience. establishing a hostile environment from the very beginning of Mollie’s life. The priest can tell the mother that the Protestant boy pushed Mollie The student provides evidence in the mud. I suggested the mother say “Next time you’ll have to for active involvement in the push him back, harder”, enhancing the rivalry at the young age. We processing of ideas. think this scene will then move to a sermon where the priest preaches against the Protestants. I suggest that when Mollie bombs the Protestant church, the same sermon be going on there too, except instead of having it against the other religion I thought it would be very controversial to have a sermon being preached about love.</p><p>Today we finished the Irish scene. We took out the mother being shot and replaced it with Mollie / her mother being accosted in their home by British auxiliaries. We freeze framed this sequence and chorused the line “push ‘em back harder”. I thought of an ending to the IRA scene. Two soldiers (IRA)tell Mollie that she needs to bomb a Protestant church “for Ireland, for Jesus, for your mammy, for your future” in chorus of voice. Mollie stands and repeats the lines. The two soldiers create the noise of a bomb and Mollie drops her head and says “Forgive me father for I have sinned”. The chorus of voice heightens the violence and makes it clear that The student is able to justify we are committing acts of violence despite what the bible says. choices perceptively.</p><p>Although the idealistic communist beliefs are noble, the fact that the Bolsheviks resorted to violence to achieve peace was a contradiction.  Song establishes the mood of patriotism Choices are explained in terms  Chorus ‘First of September 1914, First of September 1939’ of a significant issue in the establishes situation drama.  Flash back, flash forward. Hannah is being influenced and therefore influences others in later life, showing a cycle of patriotism/ nationalism. Reflection: There is a depth of honesty in the  I think we could have shown the contrast between way this student has reflected on Alexander and Boris as contradicting ideas – violence and the choices for the drama. There the idealistic communist belief- through representative is an awareness that the drama is costume, e.g. white and red arm bands or something more never finished but is always open significant to the characters in the common representative to further development. This colours of blood and peace. The representation of these two student has demonstrated clear characters was especially important as they were members understanding of the elements of the Bolshevik and Bourgeoisie parties which we had not and the conventions, the need to explained to the audience. structure drama coherently, has grappled with the dramatic  We had complicated storylines and struggled a lot because intention for the piece and has we were constantly trying to round them off adequately. worked to understand in depth how ideas are to be effectively  Chorus of voice was very effective as we chose lines that communicated to an audience. related to our intention. This made the piece more coherent.</p><p> I think our vision for the German scene did not materialise. We were trying to take on aspects of Brecht by making the audience change their judgements and perspectives on Germans by showing them that it was the same everywhere. I think we could have focused on the lives of one British woman and one German woman, showing them saying, doing and feeling the same things.</p><p> I think the use of song as transition was very effective. The use of chorus to move from Hannah’s childhood, being taught about the greatness of her country, to her adulthood, teaching other children about the greatness of their country was meaningful. High Merit</p><p>This exemplar provides extracts from recorded documentation to support the second criterion of the standard and partial evidence for the first criterion of the standard for the grade of high Merit. The extracts are typical of the whole portfolio.</p><p>The second criterion does not change as the standard moves upwards through the grades. However, this documentation contributes to partial evidence for the selection of elements and conventions in the structuring of the drama at the achieved grade, the coherent structuring of the drama at Merit or the coherent and perceptive structuring of the drama at Excellence. The primary evidence for criterion 1 will come from the drama itself.</p><p>Further evidence for the grade would come from teacher observation of the process and from the drama itself. Evidence for the boundaries, as in whether this work reaches low Excellence or high Merit is more likely to come from the wider evidence gained from teacher observation and from the strength of the devised drama, than from the documentation of the process. </p><p>The student is not required to submit a script, for achievement.</p><p>Achieved Merit Excellence  Structure devised  Structure devised drama  Structure devised drama drama by selecting coherently by selecting coherently and elements and elements and perceptively by conventions to create conventions to create selecting elements and dramatic meaning dramatic meaning conventions to create dramatic meaning  Record key decisions  Record key decisions and intentions of the and intentions of the  Record key decisions devised drama devised drama and intentions of the devised drama</p><p>Commentary: </p><p>There are three aspects to assessment in this standard. Students are required to structure a devised drama through appropriate selection and use of elements and conventions; the key decisions and intentions must be documented (oral, visual or written); the student must perform in the drama in a way that supports the dramatic intention.</p><p>Explanatory Note 7 states that students must present a justification of the final structure and a record of its development. This development needs to demonstrate how changes made throughout the process are a conscious result of on-going evaluation and refinement. </p><p>Devising is defined in EN 7 of 90007 (level 1). While this is not referred to in this level 2 standard the intention remains the same. Devising is defined in Explanatory Note 7 as “an on-going cycle of discussion, improvisation and recording of decisions. It requires the student to define the central idea of the piece of work as a simple statement. This statement is then used to underpin the experimentation with and final choices about scenes, elements, conventions, technologies, structures.” This means that the student needs to be stating an intention for the drama and this intention should be linked to all improvised trialling and to the on-going evaluation and refinement of ideas for the drama. Key words for achievement in the definition above are improvisation and experimentation. Evidence needs to demonstrate active participation in a process that moves through on-the-feet exploration of the development of ideas for the drama.</p><p>At level 2, attention must be given to the notion of ‘structure’. Students need to demonstrate understanding of how choices made can shape the drama so as to produce a desired effect.</p><p>Structure coherently means that the student will give thought to how the drama fits together so that the audience can understand the flow of action from beginning to end. Decisions for the selection and placement of conventions within the drama, for the order of scenes or for the transitions from one scene to another, will make sense and help to form a harmonious whole. The student needs to be explaining these choices in the documentation.</p><p>Structure coherently and perceptively means the student will give in-depth and possibly original thought to how the drama is shaped. Decisions for the selection and placement of conventions within the drama, for the order of scenes or for the transitions from one scene to another, will create impact for the audience. The student will be able to make insightful links between the above choices and the intention for the drama. Evidence for this insightful linking of choices to intention can be gathered from brief questioning or oral conferencing throughout the process as well as from the written documentation. This is important as the contribution of the individual student must be clearly identifiable and assessable – EN 8.</p><p>Overall:</p><p>This student demonstrates a breadth of thinking in making choices for the devised drama. However, there is insufficient evidence that the student has considered choices, or structured the drama, perceptively, in this documentation alone. Documentation, therefore, supports the high Merit rather than the Excellence grade. (NB. This has been shown for the purpose of this exemplification. Further evidence for teacher observation, teacher conferencing and the resulting drama might have left the grade at the Merit or might have raised it to Excellence).</p><p>Extracts of student evidence Comment The student presents a brainstorm diagram of possible issues for Evidence for breadth of the drama. These are peer pressure, sexuality, global warming, consideration of topic for the mental illness, gambling, war, teen pregnancy, bullying, body drama. image and drug/alcohol abuse. Our group has chosen to do the issue of bullying as it relates to all The student states an issue but the topic ideas we had i.e. sexuality, racism etc and we believe we has yet to work through exactly could use it effectively in our drama piece. what it is that the group wish to communicate about bullying. The key idea for the drama is bullying is abuse. We want to convey The message or dramatic to the audience that there are other ways to resolve problems than intention is made clear. The being a bully. student has linked the issue to the message that will be received by the audience. All choices now need to keep the audience in mind. How are the ideas going to be communicated throughout the drama? What will create impact for the audience? Some people bully to get attention or because they are jealous of A sample of researched the person they are bullying. information about issues 30% of youth in the US are estimated to be involved in bullying as connected with fear or bullying either a bully, a target of bullying or both. presented by the student. Wider One out of 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school. research into the issue provides breadth of material for inclusion in the drama. Research would have been more relevant and possibly created more impact for an audience, had it included specific facts on the situation in New Zealand. Dario Fo used humour to tell the truth as a way of getting into The students have been given the painful political issues. opportunity to explore various Fo used the device of the clown who is simple and stupid, but tells theatre practitioners. This equips the truth. He used some of the well known devices of the clowns of the student with a breadth of Commedia dell’Arte and other forms of mask work. possibility for communicating He used traditional folk songs but changed the words to give radical the dramatic intention. This meaning. information does not add to the People often play two roles and the two roles become confused. evidence for achievement in this standard but demonstrates that the student is conscious of choices. The point would be strengthened if the student were to explain how these aspects of Fo’s work would be useful in the devising and performance of the drama. We will incorporate Fo’s style by using the devices of clowning to The student shows the show our issue and then show the serious side of the same scene. beginnings of perception We use this in our second scene where the victim of the bullying is although the reason for playing buying food and goes to sit down. In our clown version of the the same scene twice, first scene, the victim does not seem to be worried about all the bad stuff comically and then seriously, is happening to him. The clowning scene is followed by a serious not clearly outlined. scene to shock the audience as they will see the tragedy side of what the clown in the scene before did not seem to show.  Begin with a diary entry then end with the ending of the The student demonstrates some same scene to show a positive outcome. This seems like a reflection on the structuring of good idea. We can come back to it later in our performance. the drama, early in the process.  Text bullying – different types, not just physical.  Fabric for scene changing. Decided against this because it would get too confusing remembering what side to take the fabric off after each scene but we liked the idea of scene changing with some kind of movement or possibly a word. Voices in the head. Mimed action. We thought that the people This demonstrates perceptive could say the thoughts while moulding the shape of the person thinking. The use of the to a new position to show the change in bullying and how the convention is clearly explained. thoughts affected him. Instead of using fabric to be symbols at the scene change, This explanation makes sense saying a different word which relates to the scene when we are when read alongside the changing scene to get the audience thinking. performance of the drama. Students chorused words such as “powerful” to emphasise a point in the scene and leave the audience with a clear idea from the scene.  The government try to prevent bullying in school and at The student responds to the home by having advertisements on television and in the teacher’s stimulus for research newspaper for lines which anyone can call if they are a into political, historical and bully or are being bullied. social influences for the topic.  Teachers used to punish children at school with physical This is not in-depth exploration violence. In some countries black people were treated into the topic. badly by the government and people in society.  Friends often peer pressure each other to bully others The student presents evidence and people do it because they don’t want to lose their for breadth of thinking but the friends. Friendships can be broken because of how they comments are not always in treat other people. depth. The perception needed for the Excellence grade in the structuring of the drama is more likely to result from perceptive exploration of the topic. Conventions used: The final selection of  Song. We decide to use the tune from the song ‘Uptown conventions for the drama Girl’ and change it to sound like what a bully might say to occurred after much exploration their victim (who in our case was a nerd) and also what the and physical playing out of victim may say back to the bully. We also chose actions ideas. This was excellent which we could do while singing. evidence for a devising process.  Past/present/future. Our idea was from the olden days where These comments are drawn from the teachers would bully the students and also how this exploration. homosexuality was frowned upon and how someone who was homosexual was treated and bullied by their peers and Choices are often described family. rather than explained. This  Mantle of the expert. We had a debate with two different shows in-depth processing rather sides of bullying. Our group had ideas such as the two than perceptive explanation of opposing points of what was happening to that person i.e. choices. Choices assisted good and bad things e.g. a person could be a bully and then coherent and often perceptive the audience can hear the right things s/he should do and structuring of the drama, which also the evil or bad things which they could do. placed this work on the cusp  Fairytale. We used the three little pigs fairytale. 3 of us were between Excellence and Merit. spoilt children given money to buy a house and one who is given not much money and is bullied by the other siblings. The rejected child is not given enough money for a house and the others won’t let him live with them.  Chorus – movement. We used fabric and actions to show words which we thought related to the topic of bullying e.g. “scared” and we all move our head to the side. We thought this would be effective to show emotions and thoughts related to bullying in a dramatic way.  Chorus – voice. Our group did a diary entry and half of us read out one person’s diary entry and the other half read another person’s entry (the bully and the victim) and they ended up connecting and ended with us all saying the last sentence together and our group all thought it was good and we should use it in our performance. Elements: The student shows understanding  Space. We will use levels to show people’s status in each of the elements and the ability to scene, a bully will stand tall and strong whereas a victim of “select” to create dramatic the bully will be slouched over, vulnerable looking. meaning. Comments lack  Symbol. We use the red and white material in a scene with a perception e.g. place and role good and a bad argument. The red sheet is over the person lack specific description and are arguing that someone should send an abusive text, to one not linked to the overall intention with white to symbolise peace has a good point of view. for the drama.  Place. We will use this to show the setting where the bullying occurs and get this across to the audience by what is said in the scene.  Role. We want to use role to have a character which is, or was a bully but the audience can see the change in emotions of the bully and that he changes into a new, friendly person. We were always considering whether or not our choices were The student demonstrates clear getting our message across and if it wasn’t we had to re think it. understanding of how choices must be linked to a purpose. Low Achieved</p><p>This exemplar provides extracts from recorded documentation to support the second criterion of the standard and partial evidence for the first criterion of the standard for the grade of Achieved. The extracts are typical of the whole portfolio.</p><p>The second criterion does not change as the standard moves upwards through the grades. However, documentation for the second criterion contributes to partial evidence for the selection of elements and conventions in the structuring of the drama at the Achieved grade, the coherent structuring of the drama at Merit or the coherent and perceptive structuring of the drama at Excellence. The primary evidence for criterion 1 will come from the drama itself.</p><p>Further evidence for the grade would come from teacher observation of the process and from the drama itself. Evidence for the boundaries, as in whether this work reaches low Merit, high or low Achieved, is more likely to come from the wider evidence gained from teacher observation and from the strength of the devised drama, than from the documentation of the process. </p><p>The student is not required to submit a script, for achievement.</p><p>Achieved Merit Excellence  Structure devised  Structure devised drama  Structure devised drama drama by selecting coherently by selecting coherently and elements and elements and perceptively by conventions to create conventions to create selecting elements and dramatic meaning dramatic meaning conventions to create dramatic meaning  Record key decisions  Record key decisions and intentions of the and intentions of the  Record key decisions devised drama devised drama and intentions of the devised drama</p><p>Commentary: </p><p>There are three aspects to assessment in this standard. Students are required to structure a devised drama through appropriate selection and use of elements and conventions; the key decisions and intentions must be documented (oral, visual or written); the student must perform in the drama in a way that supports the dramatic intention.</p><p>Explanatory Note 7 states that students must present a justification of the final structure and a record of its development. This development needs to demonstrate how changes made throughout the process are a conscious result of on-going evaluation and refinement. </p><p>Devising is defined in EN 7 of 90007 (level 1). While this is not referred to in this level 2 standard the intention remains the same. Devising is defined in Explanatory Note 7 as “an on-going cycle of discussion, improvisation and recording of decisions. It requires the student to define the central idea of the piece of work as a simple statement. This statement is then used to underpin the experimentation with and final choices about scenes, elements, conventions, technologies, structures.” This means that the student needs to be stating an intention for the drama and this intention should be linked to all improvised trialling and to the on-going evaluation and refinement of ideas for the drama. Key words for achievement in the definition above are improvisation and experimentation. Evidence needs to demonstrate active participation in a process that moves through on-the-feet exploration of the development of ideas for the drama.</p><p>At level 2, attention must be given to the notion of ‘structure’. Students need to demonstrate understanding of how choices made can shape the drama so as to produce a desired effect.</p><p>Structure coherently means that the student will give thought to how the drama fits together so that the audience can understand the flow of action from beginning to end. Decisions for the selection and placement of conventions within the drama, for the order of scenes or for the transitions from one scene to another, will make sense and help to form a harmonious whole. The student needs to be explaining these choices in the documentation.</p><p>Overall:</p><p>The student has presented a portfolio of work that clearly indicates a process of devising. The student has explored a number of conventions and there is evidence in the drama itself for appropriate selection. However, decisions are often under-explained in the documentation and, as a result, the rationale for choices is often not clear. Evidence for conscious “selection” of elements and conventions is limited and there is little to explain choices for how the drama has been structured in order to best communicate the dramatic intention. Thus, the written documentation meets low Achieved.</p><p>Extracts of student evidence Comment Issue – addictions, incorporating gambling, drugs, alcohol abuse The intention is clearly and sex addictions. expressed. Key statement: “addiction ruins lives”. We want to convey to the audience the devastating effect of addiction in its various forms.  Pokie machines are used in bars / pubs to make money off The student presents some people who believe they can win more money than they researched information spend. connected to the chosen issue.  In 2007 NZers spent over 7 billion dollars on lotto tickets Wider research into the issue yet the lotto jackpot is given in millions. provides breadth of material for  Up to 40% of crimes in America are alcohol or drug related possible inclusion in the drama. If the student were to clarify how this might inform possible choices for the drama, the evidence would have greater impact. Augusto Boal – Invisible theatre. This involves rehearsals to The students have been given the practice performance where the audience do not know they are an opportunity to explore various audience to the performance. This kind of theatre is performed in theatre practitioners. This equips public places….have an objective of challenging people in society’s the student with a breadth of beliefs and morals. The performances are based around the possibility for communicating audience’s reactions and everything that is performed is challenging the dramatic intention. This people’s reactions to the situation they think is happening even evidence would be strengthened though everything that happens is carefully rehearsed. by the student drawing links between the use of features of invisible theatre and the possibilities for this in the drama. When the teacher calls our group to perform the group will whisper The student describes action but “Where’s (student’s name)”. This is not them coming out of role has not linked this to a purpose but using invisible theatre as the audience thinks I am outside for the drama. smoking. As we go into the first freeze frame I will giggle and pretend to come out of role, we will then start again to show our freeze frames properly  Have transitions with people bumping into each other to The student presents some change scenes structural ideas but these are not  Have someone die in the end for overuse of pills, drugs. explained. There is no evidence  Start with the gambling scene. for how the drama might be seen to be coherent (as in the Merit grade).  The issue of addictions of illegal substances is looked down The ideas presented in further upon however classes and help-lines are organised by the reflection on the issue of government to help people to overcome the addictions. addiction are not well researched  As you see in our performance, addiction was present in the and lapse into generalisations. past such as in our past scene when there was an alcohol addiction however, alcohol was illegal in the 1920s. However, in the past marijuana was not banned till later on.  A social influence on addiction is peer pressure. If everyone around you is always smoking it’s easier to take up smoking.  People living in a lower status seem to resort to drinking and drug addiction as they feel they need it to fulfil their lives. Our play suggests that addictions can get worse and when it The choices in the play are fairly does you can/will die. Other alternatives to dying which we narrow and limit the student’s didn’t show was going to help classes, going to a psyciatrist or ability to develop the drama keeping yourself away from the issue.g. drugs. coherently or perceptively. Conventions: The student attempts to make a  Song. We took a very serious approach when it came to link between the selection of the the lyrics of the song and also chose a slow sad song song and the communication of with soft music. In this song we express the trapped the issues in the play. This is not feelings of addiction in the forms of drugs, sex, alcohol stated in depth. and gambling. Past/present/future. We showed a scene from the 1920s to 1930. There is incorrect information In this era alcohol was illegal. We showed the addiction of provided in this statement. There people to alcohol when it was hard to get and showed the also appears to be little relevance damaging effects it had on people in society e.g. getting into a for the selection of this time fight with others in a public bar. period in history. Fights in public bars are still happening in today’s society. The use of convention is not clear from this statement. Evidence for ‘selection’ is weak. Mantle of the expert. We divided into two groups – one for How the use of this process addiction, the other against addiction. We both gathered convention has aided the information on our point of view towards the matter. development of the drama is not clear from this statement. The student needs to clarify how someone might argue “for” addiction. Had the student mentioned how this debate was used to inform content or structural ideas for the drama, there could have been evidence for ‘selection’ of elements and conventions. Fairytale / story. Our group used Goldilocks and the Three The use of fairytale adds interest Bears. We focused on Goldilocks being drunk in the bears’ to the drama but the student has house. She trashed the house as an effect of alcohol abuse. In not made any connections the end Goldilocks blames innocent Baby Bear and the end between this choice and the freeze frame is her slapping Baby Bear in the face. This dramatic intention for the drama, convention has a comedic feel to make some light from the apart from the “comedic feel” issue of addiction. which, in itself, requires explanation. Why did the students select this particular fairytale? How does the altering of the fairytale aid the communication of the dramatic intention? How has this choice added to the coherent structuring of the drama? Why do the students want a “comedic feel” at this point? Vocal Chorus. We wrote a “dear diary” entry using “Bob” While the student has identified whose friend “lady” died from drug overdose. He is suffering the use of convention, this has from grief. We used chorus, solo, whisper, canon, unison, not been explained in terms of repetition and echo. We also used words that portrayed the how this was used or what emotions that came about our issue. relevance this had to the communication of the dramatic intention. Symbol. Having a black arm band and tying it around the There is no clear link to person’s arm, the band symbolises addiction. addiction in the use of the arm band. The colour black and the notion of a black band are often associated with death, and, therefore could be intended to visually remind the audience of the seriousness of the situation, but the student has not stated this. Focus. We use focus in the last scene when the material is This is straight identification and draped over Amy. We stand around her. She is on a higher level description. The student needs to and focus is directed to her in the middle. be linking this decision to the intended impact for and effect on the audience. Vocal chorus. Amy expresses how she wants to stop but can’t. The student identifies vocal At the same time her words are being acted out. chorus but not the use of symbol  “Harry died” is repeated x3 in different voices. or symbolic movement. This is  “I’m scared” closes book. an effective moment in the actual  We hold the black material over her head as she tries to drama and there is clear evidence pull off her addiction for ’selection’ in the use of the  We lower the addiction (black sheet) down. She is stylised action. In this case, the screaming and drowning. visual evidence of the drama as  Finally we have the material at ground level. Amy lies primary evidence for criterion 1, silent on the floor. This suggests the addiction has killed becomes significant in the her. judgement call.  This exposes our intention that addiction ruins lives. Changes made during the devising process: Changes are listed but not  Added comic music to the comic scene explained. EN 7 states that  Made the serious scene shorter “typically, a student will record  Added another person to the Goldilocks scene what was added or rejected in  Decrease the transition time by circling the victim of order to achieve a desired addiction only once effect”. The student needs to be explaining the desired effect.</p>