Acting Smart

Enrichment: Elective Unit

As students progress through the Middle School Drama offerings, they gain the necessary knowledge and skills to equip them for further study and/or involvement in Theatre and Drama in both the curricular and co-curricular programs within the school.

Acting Smart is offered to students at Year 8. The course aims to teach students about the facets of devising and creating performance with a focus on the actor and the actor's tools. Students draw on a range of content and use role play and expressive skills to create, embody and present dramatic works.

Students may elect to study Acting Smart in one semester only or in both semesters, as the course content is different each semester.

Semester 1

How do I create a convincing character?

How do I explore roles, relationships, situations and conflict through dramatic performance?

This unit is very 'hands on' and allows students to develop the skills and knowledge to be able to devise and present a performance for a specific audience. Through exploring the world in which they live, students are both author and performer of their own meaningful artistic works. Actors in residence work with the students on ways to present meaningful work for an audience. Students develop an appreciation of drama as an art form through participation, criticism and aesthetic understanding and develop an understanding of how to create a convincing character through the  exploration of  roles, relationships, situations and conflict in dramatic performance. Various styles and approaches to performance are also explored including Mime and Physical Theatre.

Assessment

• Students will document the process of  their class and performance work through the use of journal entries on CLASSe
• Students will participate in a group devised performance for a specific audience
• Students will watch and critique a performance for assessment

Semester 2

This unit expands on the key knowledge and skills developed in the Semester 1 course: however, it is not essential that students have participated in Acting Smart in Semester 1. The unit will provide students with the opportunity to explore major events in the world and use these as stimuli for devising their own performance work. Students will be at the centre of the creative process and will endeavour to determine what themes and ideas will appeal to a contemporary audience.  Students begin to develop an understanding of the language of drama through their process and reflection. 

Assessment

Students will:

• Document the process of their class and performance work through the use of journal entries on CLASSe
• Participate in a group devised performance in a specific genre 
• Watch and critique a performance for assessment 

This unit brings together many of the strands of study from previous units.

Note: Students are required to choose at least one Elective or Specialisation Unit from Art, Drama or Music in either Year 8 or Year 9.