Choosing the text
- Group the students based on acting style and strengths (although I always try to do this based on friendship groups as much as I can due to the intensity of the project), do not let the students choose their groups as this can mean that some students end up working on a play that does not suit their acting style.
- Choose the script for the students and cast the roles, this will allow you to play to the students’ strengths and choose scripts that suit their acting style. It will also allow you to ‘typecast’ weaker students, allowing them to access higher marks in the exam.
- Give A-Level and mature scripts to your higher ability groups, if they can perform these scripts well the examiner will tend to give it higher marks as it shows the full extent of their ability. Scripts such as Attempts on her Life and Fewer Emergencies are ideal due to their maturity and sensitivity. I edit out some of the stronger language from these texts.
- Ensure that each group has a different script, this means that groups cannot be compared. While examiners are not supposed to compare them to other groups, we know that this sometimes happens.
- For Edexcel, ensure that one of their two performances is a monologue or duologue, it is just as easy to gain top marks from this as the group piece and prevents them from having too much to do, meaning that they have the time to perform two high-quality extracts.
- Where possible, choose non-naturalistic scripts (this may not always suit your students’ preferred acting style and strengths). If they can use ensemble skills, physical theatre and demonstrate a lot of choral work this tends to show that they are a strong ensemble and gains them higher marks for rapport.
Planning the performance
On the evening of the exam it is essential that you structure the performances in an order that benefits your students. To do this, start your performances from your weakest group and end with your strongest group. Again, this prevents students from being compared negatively to another group.
Meeting the assessment criteria
It is essential to ensure that the students are demonstrating the skills listed in the specification. Key skills to focus on are:
- Vocal work
- Movement/stillness
- Characterisation
- Rapport – with both audience and other performers.
As previously mentioned, it is beneficial to use non-naturalistic scripts as this will often allow students to multi-role. This can then show the full range of their skills. Avoid letting students do accents other than their own if they struggle with performing these to a flawless standard, as they will lose marks if they are not consistent.
Movement is essential to gain the higher marks, if they can use physical theatre (Frantic Assembly's videos on YouTube have some excellent tips on lift work and devising simple sequences) it can help them to access the higher marks, as can the use of stillness within a piece.
Characterisation is a key area that students are marked on and it is essential that they use their movement and vocal skills to demonstrate the character fully, it is also essential that they are consistent and do not come out of character. I always advise my students to practise what they may do if lines are forgotten, as a lot of students find it difficult to spontaneously improvise the script if it goes wrong. The advice I always give is that if they forget a line they must stay in character until they remember it. For example, in Shakers they may choose just to clean a table until someone remembers the line or can help them out. The examiner cannot technically mark them down, if they do not come out of character.
Finally, rapport is essential. When they are staging their pieces it is important that they find moments in which they can have interaction with each other and the audience. I always tell them to ‘own the stage’. If they look comfortable, they will come across as confident, and the performance will be elevated.