Drama & Theatre StudiesThe Drama Department at DLD continues to facilitate an extraordinary commitment to creativity - take a look at some recent work in this video mash-up.
What is Drama and Theatre Studies?
The study of A Level Drama and Theatre exposes you to the preparation and delivery of theatrical productions: theatre is drama with an audience. It is a course about learning why playwrights, directors, designers and actors make the choices they make. It is about taking a play from the page to the stage. It uses different genres, styles, methods and techniques to communicate drama in the most effective way. It is about using a vocal and physical action to communicate a psychological and emotional state. It is about you and all those who have gone before and will come after because theatre is about life and drama is life.
What is Drama & Theatre Studies at DLD?
‘The important thing is to turn yourself inside out, to pull yourself up by your own hair and see the whole world with fresh eyes’
Jean-Paul Marat – Marat/Sade by Peter Weiss
We hope you will be shocked, excited and challenged by stimulating drama, not only through work within the course, but by exposure to a range of other theatre experiences. At DLD we follow the Edexcel specification, which allows us to choose the play texts to suit you and your group’s strengths. One of the founding principles of the department is ‘play to perfection’; therefore the practical exploration of all the elements of the course is key to your understanding and progress. The DLD Theatre department comprises acting and theatre practitioners who bring a diverse and specialist set of skills to your creative journey with us.
How is it assessed?
|Unit 1||Exploration||20% (40%)||Practical study and written coursework|
|Unit 2||Performance||30% (60%)||
Section A – Monologue or duologue
Section B – Perfoming or Design Skill
|Unit 3||Devising||20%||Collaborative project performed to an audience|
|Unit 4||Theatre in Context||30%||Written examination|
Exam Board: ED
What do I need?
2) Genuine interest in life and how it can be successfully replicated on stage.
3) Healthy curiosity as to what makes people tick.
4) Commitment and self-discipline.
You may not feel you have the confidence to be a performer, but we can encourage you to become one or to develop your imagination through the visual and technical contribution of a designer. For a theatrica team, as in life, the variety of people is one of its strengths. Energy and enthusiasm are important too -working practically and co-operatively takes stamina and sensitivity.
Good subject combinations
Any subject combination can work as there is always something we can learn from and be inspired by. Traditional links include: Music, Classical Civilization, Psychology, Sociology, English, Media, and History. Recent trends have seen students successfully manage the sciences and Mathematics with their Drama studies: with this comes a broader knowledge base which all of us, both students and tutors alike, can benefit from and see afresh.
Our students follow a great variety of university courses and careers. Some go to drama schools, where they have a very good record of success (DLD graduate Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the playwright and performer from the 2014 multi-award winning hit ‘Fleabag’, as well as several other impressive television and theatre credits.) Some go to Creative and Performing Arts courses, and many others to Business or more conventional courses. But what they take with them is more than their grade; our students have developed excellent personal skills, self confidence, self discipline and an awareness of themselves and situations that gives them an edge in whatever path they choose.
Q. Can I do the course in one year?
Q. Do I need to be physically fit?
Entry Requirements for international students
To study A Levels, your current or pending exam results should be equivalent to or higher than GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) in at least 5 subjects and a minimum level of English equivalent to IELTS 5.0.
At the start of each academic year of study students following an A-Level course without a pass at grade C in GCSE or IGCSE English Language or with an Academic English score below 6.5 overall must join an Academic English training course for the duration of the academic year which will be timetabled alongside A-Level lessons.
If your level of English is not sufficient to meet the entry criteria for the A-Level programme you will normally be offered a place on the Abbey DLD Colleges One Year Pre-sessional (Pre A-Level) in order to bring your English skills up to the required level.
Studying Drama at DLD has given me more confidence thanks to my teachers encouraging and pushing me to do my best. I have learnt how to go above and beyond my own expectations. Thanks to DLD I have now decided I want to study the craft as a professional.
Charles Sibanda-Lunga – DLD Graduate