Schemes of work

The reflective report: How to plan and structure the written work

The aim of this scheme of work is to provide teachers with a guide to how to:
▸ Create a plan over two years to deal with the written coursework demands of Component 3▸ Structure the reflective report▸ Link the theory and techniques of the chosen practitioner with the plays and extracts chosen▸ Build in consistent evaluation terms into sections examining rehearsal and more sustained workshop performance moments. This is really useful planning that can also be used in Section C: Live Theatre Productions.
What is the reflective report? This is the written document, marked by the visiting AQA examiner for Component 3: Making Theatre. In it, students are required to analyse and evaluate the methods they used to bring the three extracts they have researched, rehearsed and brought to some form of workshop performance for the first two, and a full assessed performance for extract 3. AQA state that extracts 1 and 2 do not require an approach to theatrical realisation that reflects the influence of a practitioner, but this seems like a missed opportunity for two dry runs before the final assessment of extract 3 by a visiting examiner. My students use Artaud for all three extracts and build up their expertise regarding demonstrating his influence as they work over the two years. They do Berkoff as practitioner 2 for Component 2 as there are clear links between them that can be explored, as well as significant differences, which definitely helps them to refine their own work.
The reflective report expects students to discuss the opportunities and challenges offered by each extract. They must show understanding of the genre and style of each play, the context of each chosen extract, the playwright intention and their own theatrical aims. They must also consider why their chosen plays and extracts are appropriate for an approach influenced by their chosen practitioner. This means that subject matter becomes a central consideration for an Artaudian approach. It also means that students are going to need to do some good old fashioned research and, if you can afford it, get a workshop in early in that research to give them some ideas about exactly how they can put the rehearsal techniques (and these are vital for the reflective report) into actual, purposeful practice.
Students need to consider the reflective report as their own theatrical memoirs. It is a document where they detail their success in bringing their practitioner-influenced realisation of a chunk of a play to life. They are essentially a theatre company trying out the ideas of a famous theatre individual or group, and saying what methods they used, why they used them and how successful they were in their execution. It is, essentially, like a live theatre productions essay, but instead of discussing what they saw and why it was successful, they are describing what they, individually, did and what was successful for about 80 per cent, and what they did as a group for about 20 per cent. It is mostly about their own skill development.

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