§-Drama syllabus

SA · SACE Board← Drama

Drama syllabus, dot point by dot point

Every dot point in the SA Drama subject outline, in syllabus order, with a focused answer for each. Open any dot point for the answer, exam-style questions and links to related points.

Assessment Type 1: Group Production

Topic overview →

What production roles exist in theatre and how do they combine to realise a unified vision?

Identify and undertake one or more production roles, explaining how each contributes to realising the ensemble's dramatic vision.

6 min read →

How does an ensemble move from a starting stimulus to a polished devised production?

Apply the dramatic process collaboratively to conceive, develop and refine a devised group production from stimulus to performance.

6 min read →

What is the actor's technical toolkit of voice, movement and characterisation, and how do you build a role with it?

Apply the actor's craft of vocal technique, physicality and characterisation to build and sustain a believable or stylised role.

6 min read →

How do you form a dramatic company and run it with the entrepreneurial thinking the Company and Production area of study expects?

Establish a dramatic company with a shared vision and apply entrepreneurial and project-management skills to bring a production to an audience.

6 min read →

How do set, lighting, sound and costume designers turn a dramatic vision into the physical and sensory world an audience experiences?

Undertake a design role and explain how set, lighting, sound or costume choices realise the ensemble's dramatic intention.

6 min read →

What do the director and dramaturg actually do, and how do they shape a production's meaning and coherence?

Undertake the director or dramaturg role and explain how it unifies the ensemble's interpretation and dramatic structure.

6 min read →

Assessment Type 2: Folio

Topic overview →

How do dramatic styles and their conventions shape an audience's experience of theatre?

Distinguish between major dramatic styles and their conventions, and explain how style shapes meaning and audience response.

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How do the theories of major practitioners shape the way theatre is made and performed?

Explain the theories and techniques of major dramatic practitioners and apply them to the making and analysis of drama.

6 min read →

How do contemporary Australian and First Nations theatre practices shape culturally meaningful drama and how should they be engaged with responsibly?

Investigate contemporary Australian and First Nations theatre practices and apply them respectfully when making and analysing culturally meaningful drama.

6 min read →

How do you analyse and evaluate a professional dramatic work with critical precision?

Analyse and evaluate the dramatic works of professional practitioners, supporting judgements with specific evidence from the performance.

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How do you generate, develop and synthesise original dramatic ideas from theory, stimulus and practitioners?

Undertake creative inquiry by generating, experimenting with and synthesising dramatic ideas from diverse sources into original work.

6 min read →

Assessment Type 3: Creative Presentation

Topic overview →

How do performers and designers realise a dramatic vision in front of an audience?

Apply performance and realisation skills - voice, movement, design and presence - to communicate meaning effectively to an audience.

6 min read →

What does the external Creative Presentation require and how do you plan a strong one?

Conceive, plan and produce a creative dramatic presentation as the external assessment, documenting the journey in a learning portfolio.

6 min read →

How does an ensemble generate a shared dramatic intention and a vision that holds a Creative Presentation together?

Develop a shared dramatic intention and vision through the Exploration and Vision area of study to drive the Creative Presentation.

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How do you reflect critically on your own drama-making to evidence your learning?

Reflect critically on your creative process and collaboration, justifying decisions and evaluating outcomes in a learning portfolio.

6 min read →

Course overview

Topic overview →

What are the learning requirements of SACE Stage 2 Drama and how do the capabilities run through every task?

Understand the learning requirements of Stage 2 Drama and how the SACE capabilities are developed and evidenced across the three assessment types.

6 min read →

What are the assessment design criteria and how do markers decide your grade in SACE Stage 2 Drama?

Interpret the assessment design criteria and performance standards and use them to plan work that reaches the highest bands.

6 min read →