AS 90302 (2.4) Apply Knowledge of a Drama/ Theatre Form Or Period Through Performing A

Drama Exemplar

AS 90302 (2.4) Apply knowledge of a drama/ theatre form or period through performing a role within a presentation – Level 2, Version 2

Excellence

This exemplar provides extracts from recorded documentation to support the first and second criterion of the standard for the grade of Excellence.

The extracts are typical of the whole portfolio.

Criteria one and two:

Achieved / Merit / Excellence
Identify features of a drama/ theatre form or period / Identify an extended range of features of a drama/ theatre form or period / Identify a comprehensive range of features of a drama/ theatre form or period
Reference some features of appropriate selected text(s) to performance within a presentation. / Reference key features of appropriate selected text(s) to performance within a presentation. / Reference key features of appropriate selected text(s) to performance within a presentation.

Commentary:

There is no distinction within the standard between Merit and Excellence for criterion two. However, criterion one distinguishes between the two higher grades. In order to achieve Merit, students must identify an extended range of features of the drama / theatre form or period. This indicates a breadth of knowledge and understanding. In order to demonstrate Excellence, students must identify a comprehensive range of features of a drama / theatre form or period. This distinction implies that the student demonstrates not only breadth, but depth of knowledge and understanding.

It is important to note the relationship between criterion two and criterion three. Depth and detail in criterion two directly informs performance choices and consequently influences the potential result for criterion three.

The form referred to in this exemplar is Elizabethan Theatre. The character portrayed is Lady Macbeth. In the scene referred to, Lady Macbeth waits for her husband to return from murdering King Duncan. On his return, she tries to reassure him and, noticing he has brought the daggers with him, takes them to lie beside the grooms who guard the King. On her return, Macbeth and his wife retire to their chamber.

The evidence has been provided in a two column format. The first column has the student evidence. The second column provides comment explaining why the evidence supports achievement with excellence.

The student has:

· Linked a comprehensive range of key features to the performance extract.

· Explored the effect of these choices on the audience with some perceptiveness.

· Extended these features to support the intention of the performance

· Discussed the various interpretations of feature use.

· Considered the distinction between this form and contemporary practice.

Student exemplar / Comment
One feature of Elizabethan theatre is that the language is very descriptive and rich, so that the players could easily physicalise the play with gestures and movements…. Macbeth has a strong focus on hands. This is a particularly strong gesture that we will use. At the beginning of our extract, I (Lady Macbeth) am pacing up and down, keeping watch while Macbeth kills Duncan, it is very high tension and I get frightened by the smallest noises. I am wringing my hands as I pace up and down – showing panic and fear- then when I hear a noise I jump back 3 paces and put up my hands. In naturalistic theatre of today a movement like that would appear over the top but this is the Elizabethan acting style.
Another example of physicalisation of the language in our extract is where Macbeth ( josh) also uses his hands to protect himself from being found out, and looks at his hands as they are blood stained, as he says that ‘…What hands are here, ha!. They pluck out mine eyes’. This is a strong gesture and shows the audience that he is going mental because of what he has done. / The student shows that they are aware of the practice of the physicalisation of language in Elizabethan Theatre. They also indicate an awareness of the writing style. They link this knowledge specifically to detailed performance choices. They also consider the effect of the use of these features and contrast them with naturalistic theatrical practice. This begins to imply perceptive understanding. Comments of this nature establish the pre-conditions for and support the potential for the demonstration for perceptiveness in performance.
Contrasting words very common in blank verse, the style of poetry used in Elizabethan plays. In performance these words would be accentuated and emphasised.
In Macbeth especially, Shakespeare used contrasting words…Such as in one of my opening lines “ Death or nature do contend about them, whether they live or die….” By using emphasis on these contrasting words I show the passion of Shakespeares writing.
I am using Iambic Pentameter throughout the extract but in one specific example, we both have lines that flow from one another, and we must keep the pace up , and almost overlap each others speech. There are also times where I interrupt his speaking, meaning that I must continue the rhythmic pattern.
( commented on in detail in associated referencing seminar ) / The student has identified a range of textual features and referenced these features to their own performance with detail and understanding. They do comment in depth on the actual effect of their choices.
Lady Macbeth is the tragic heroine – this is unusual because usually the tragic hero is accompanied by an innocent woman victim. Another word for Lady Macbeth’s stock character could be a ‘vice’ this refers to the evil trouble maker character; since Lady Macbeth is responsible for Duncan’s murder ( and this is evil) this stock character could also reflect her. / The student examines the role of the character in terms of stock characters. He/she clarifies the intent and function of the role in terms of the form. They show awareness of typical construction within the form by discussing characteristic role pairings. They also show an ability to discuss perspectives on the role within the context of conventional practice.
In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth mentions that she ‘heard the owl shriek’. The owl shrieking was an omen of death, a superstitious one. The whole play Macbeth is based around the prophesies that Macbeth heard that made him ‘tempt fate’. These are superstitions that are brought through in the play. / Here the student demonstrates only a superficial awareness of the impact of this sociological feature. The student identifies examples and links their scene to the broader context of the play. However s/he does not expand on issues they allude to, such as Fate and the Wheel of Fortune. However, there is sufficient evidence elsewhere in the portfolio to support the grade of Excellence.
Notes from annotation:
The owl, like the raven was a symbol of death according to Elizabethan superstition.
Face right galleries, left galleries- Then last line delivered to the groundlings as it is the most exciting part of the line- to keep their attention so there will be no fruit throwing.
…extremely strong gesture of looking at hands. (blood stained) Strong imagery and then directed to the groundlings.
React with hands and step back three paces – using Elizabethan acting techniques – reacting with whole body, moving with purpose and making gestures and movements clear for all audience.
Macbeth is speaking in poetry as he is showing his high emotive state as opposed to Lady Macbeth who is in charge of the whole thing and is not thinking of feelings. This is a language feature.
‘Knock within’ means a knock backstage. This would have taken place in the ‘inner acting area’-we will simply have someone knock off stage.
Enter stage left instead of stage right as this will show that my evil deeds have caught up with me and I have become a villain.
On’t = on it. This was shortened to fit Iambic Pentameter. / These all indicate the student has identified and referenced a comprehensive range of features. There is purpose in their referencing. They know why they are including the features. This again supports judgement for criterion three at Excellence level.

Low Merit

This exemplar provides extracts from recorded documentation to support the first and second criterion of the standard for the grade of Merit at the border with Achieved.

The extracts are typical of the whole portfolio.

Criteria one and two:

Achieved / Merit / Excellence
Identify features of a drama/ theatre form or period / Identify an extended range of features of a drama/ theatre form or period / Identify a comprehensive range of features of a drama/ theatre form or period
Reference some features of appropriate selected text(s) to performance within a presentation. / Reference key features of appropriate selected text(s) to performance within a presentation. / Reference key features of appropriate selected text(s) to performance within a presentation.

Commentary:

Criterion one distinguishes between the two grades by requiring students to identify features of the drama / theatre form or period at Achieved level and by requiring them to identify an extended range of features of a drama / theatre form or period at Merit.

Criterion two requires that students reference some features in order to achieve but requires the referencing of key features in order to achieve with merit.

The form referred to in this exemplar is Elizabethan Theatre. The character portrayed is Lady Macbeth. In the scene referred to, Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, observed by her gentle woman and a doctor.

The evidence has been provided in a two column format. The first column has the student evidence. The second column provides comment explaining why the evidence is at the lower end of the Merit range.

The student has:

· Identified an extended range of features of the form

· Linked features identified to her performance choices in a general manner.

· Shown an awareness of the socio/ historical context of the form and attempted to link this awareness to the text.

However, the student has contradicted her intention on several key instances, taking away from the clarity of the referencing, and this weakens the Merit grade.

Student examples / Comments
I use imagery in my extract through my use of the taper Lady Macbeth holds as she enters and exits…
Imagery is used here again ( One, two, why then it is time..) – it is though she is reliving the murder
Imagery is used through the taper. I am holding it to show that it is dark and it’s night / The student makes an inaccurate assertion of use of a literary feature (imagery) without defining the meaning. She appears to be discussing the representation of situation with symbolic props or language. She eventually explains the effect of their choice but does not justify why it is used.
These are examples of a recurring error. They work against the clear demonstration of understanding.
My character is now evil, so she will wear black to symbolise darkness, gloom, woe, depression, remorse, death, guilt etc.
I used some Elizabethan features to show what I think her physical aspects are. In Elizabethan times the actors wore wigs (because guys played the girls part) a crazy person would have a messy wig. So I will have my hair down / in a messy plate with some hair in my face to show a sleepless night full of stress and nightmares. I will be wearing a black night gown because black represents evil- and there is evil all around me in the scene, completely taking over. / The student identifies and references colour symbolism and costuming features of the form. She also identifies the effects of the exclusion of women from the stage. The student then references her own performance choices based on this.
Iambic pentameter is used here: what need we fear who knows it.
Poetry and Prose is used .E.g. – ‘The thane of Fife, had a wife’. Other lines are in plain prose. / The student identifies features of the language and links to the text but does not make reference to the planned performance for the use or impact of the feature. This lowers the evidence for the referencing of key features at the Merit grade.
The fact that she would risk her life, her life in the after life (as in those times they would be very religious and superstitious) and in the end her sanity shows the total loyalty of love she has for her husband. / There is some detail in the discussion here. The student looks beyond the surface into the belief systems of the time. However it is still rather general. There is no exploration or linkage with lines like ‘Hell is Murky’ and the specific belief in hell or the natural order. There is no exploration of how this will impact upon her performance.
The renaissance was a great revolution in thinking, a new awareness of the individuals potential as a reasoning, creative, and possible heroic being. A Greek philosopher said ‘Man is the measure of all things” Man, not God. The most known symbol of this time is the drawing by Leonardo da Vinci that shows mans body as the basis for geometry. ‘Man was the ultimate picture for reason order and form: man in short was the modern Apollo. This relates to my extract, Lady Macbeth pressures Macbeth to kill the King. She denies him his manhood: his courage and all things that she know would effect him. This makes Macbeth commit the murder , despite still holding doubt and fear inside of him, just to prove himself to her.
Yet who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him. This reference to blood implies Duncan’s cheerful personality of being kind and joyful. / The student attempts to link the plot of the play to the sociology of the period but fails. There is no clear linkage between the discussion of the Renaissance
(clearly downloaded or copied) and the example provided. The student mistakes the definition of ‘Man’, as a generic descriptor, for ‘the man’ (Macbeth). Consequently the quote does nothing to support the student’s understanding of the performance text. The information is linked to the play in general but does not refer to performance choices.
This does nothing to enhance evidence of depth in referencing.
A superficial link is made to the idea of the Four Humours. However, there is no exploration of what the reference may mean at a deeper level. Has the joy gone from life with the shedding of Duncan’s blood? Has the effect of the blood spilled this far?
In my case, being Lady Macbeth after the murder, I will enter upstage left. This shows my stock character has gone from a heroine to a villain.
Evil humans entered from the left side of the stage... while the good/ neutral humans entered through the right side…I will not be using the trap door on stage because my character is an evil human and not a creature.
I don’t really use the groundlings or any level of the audience because my character is sleep walking – but it seems like she is kinda using audience interaction because she is hallucinating and hearing things. If I used obvious contact with the audience it would immediately break the fourth wall (and the sleep walking) being used at the time unbelievable. / An awareness of entrances and clear referencing of choice is demonstrated. The student indicates other entrance options not used and links them to performance choices. This supports criterion one.
While the student indicates an awareness of working sections of the audience, they do not demonstrate clear understanding of what it means in terms of delivering lines and why they might choose them. The student’s knowledge here is again general and referenced inaccurately. She confuses the practice of addressing different audience areas with audience interaction.
The audience I will be performing to are on the same level as me- so when I’, doing the part where it looks as though Lady Macbeth is looking in a mirror, it will seem like I am talking to the audience. Eg- ‘Wash your hands, put on your nightgown, look not so pale…’
The gentle woman and the doctor are hiding behind invisible pillars because they are eavesdropping. This is what they would have done in Shakespeares time.
Back then the actor’s gestures would’ve been quite melodramatic because of the large audience. My extract will not need such melodramatic actions because the audience will only be a few meters away from me. So my performance will be a tad more realistic. But when I do move, it is with purpose. / Identifies and refers to own performance.
Again, these statements are very general. References are made to performance but there is a lack of clear understanding.
The use of generalised terms like ‘tad’ do not add to the evidence for assessment.

Low Achieved