Unit 3 - Area of Study 3: Analysing and evaluating a professional drama performance

Outcome 3

Analyse and evaluate a professional drama performance.

Examples of learning activities

• Select a play from the VCE Drama Unit 3 Playlist. Use information about the production of this play (for example, images or notes from the theatre company) to research the performance style and associated conventions.
• Workshop the conventions that can be associated with the performance style/s.
• Make a list of questions to ask the actors after the performance. Base these questions on the description on page 25 of the VCE Drama Study Design (pdf - 239.47kb) – Analysing and evaluating a professional drama performance.
• 
  Following the performance, respond to a set of questions and analyse the actors' use of expressive and performance skills when representing character and communicating meaning in the performance.
  
• Discuss ways in which the actor-audience relationship was created and manipulated. Write a list of these with examples from the production.

 

Detailed example

Sample questions

Focus: Actor's use of expressive and performance skills

1. Analyse and evaluate one actor's use of timing in the performance. Give at least one specific example.
2. Analyse and evaluate one actor's use of focus in the performance. Give a specific example.
3. Discuss one actor's use of energy in a specific dramatic moment in the performance.
4. Explain how one actor used voice and movement to transform into two different characters in the performance.
5. Evaluate how one actor transformed time and place in the performance.
6. Describe how one actor used one expressive skill to convey one character.
7. Analyse how one actor manipulated actor-audience relationship the performance