Creative Theatre

Course Length: Full academic year (30 weeks)

This Year's Schedule: Click here to view

Overview of the Course

We will study an assortment of different performance texts representing a range of social, historical and cultural contexts to enhance students’ understanding of theatrical form traditional realism to Broadway theatre of the 1940s/50s, and more innovative work from the the present day.

The course will be divided into six areas: thus taking us on a journey of development from the Belle Époque to the present. The study includes writers such as Ibsen, Priestly; Arthur Miller; tom Stoppard and Carol Churchill.

Through both the texts and online theatre productions we will examine how plays were originally performed, and students will be given the chance to study and respond creatively to their experiences.

Aims of the Course

The course has two aims; the first is to study an assortment of different performance texts representing a range of social, historical and cultural contexts to enhance students’ understanding of theatrical form traditional realism to Broadway theatre of the 1940s/50s, to more innovative work from thel the present day.

The second is to explore the plays creatively. We will write a melodrama, design sets and costumes, consider lighting and sound, perform a voice version of A Christmas Carol, and develop plots, characters and our own radio play by drawing on what we have learnt from the writing we have studied.

Homework Expectations

Students will attend a one-hour webinar, where they will type in the chat box. They will be asked to read manageable sections of the texts of the plays over the course of a few weeks. Through class discussion and homework, they will be given the opportunity to:

Reinterpret an extract from a text to develop and demonstrate their creative abilities.
Understand theatres at work, thinking about sound, set and lighting
Delve into the craft of playmaking, set and costume design and production
Discover elements of the performance
And develop ways of Talking about Theatre: The Critical Audience

Throughout the year, students will be encouraged to collaborate with readings and bring their interpretations to the lessons.

How It Supports Your Child's Education

For UK students and others doing UK-style IGCSE exams, this unit will introduce them to many of the main works studied at exam level. These skills are relevant to many IGCSE English Literature exams in the UK, anyone studying Drama, or anyone studying for a higher Arts Award (Bronze upwards).

For US students, this course provides one credit for high school English or Fine Arts.

Who Teaches Creative Theatre?

Jenny Wells holds a degree in History of Art and English from the University of York, and an MA from the Open University. She home educated her children, and has been teaching History of Art and English GCSE and A Levels at an independent Oxford sixth form college for over twelve years, including being an A level examiner for History of Art. She has a special interest in teaching and encouraging students with specific learning needs.
See all courses taught by Jenny