Year 9 Drama (9DRA)

Overview

In Year 9, students will build on the foundations developed in Year 7 and 8 Drama. Guided by the school’s core values of courage and compassion, ākonga will be encouraged to communicate with confidence and perform with empathy. Through collaborative performance work, students will learn to support one another and deepen their understanding of others' experiences.

Students will explore the impact of performance on an audience by devising scenes centred on conflict. They will use the convention of "interview" to examine multiple perspectives and motivations, gaining insight into different viewpoints. As part of this exploration, they will choreograph unarmed stage combat and apply trauma makeup to enhance the realism of their scenes.

Ākonga will also study a New Zealand script to explore chorus and ensemble work. This knowledge will be applied in the creation of their own ensemble-devised performance.

Finally, students will analyse and perform a scene from a Theatre Aotearoa play, applying dramatic techniques to develop and convey character. Throughout all activities, ākonga will be encouraged to step into others’ shoes—developing empathy, insight, and a deeper connection to the stories they tell.

In all learning, students will be required to examine and develop perspectives and demonstrate empathy by putting themselves in “other people’s shoes”.

What will I learn?

Through practical workshopping and development of short performances and exploration of specific lighting, costume, set design and props you will learn many skills including:

• Improvisation

• Exploring and developing ideas around the drama elements of role, place, time, focus, and tension.

• Ensemble work (working in a variety of group sizes)

• How to develop an idea and the skills of collaboration

• How the use of space, voice, movement and body is important to all of the work you do in Drama (techniques)

• Creating and building on short scenes using dramatic conventions both for stage and film contexts

• Explorations of technologies costume, makeup props and/or set design

Where does this course lead?

This course will lead to the building of confidence and creativity, and a desire to continue learning through Drama in the coming years, starting with Year 10 Drama.

Indicative costs

Read more about indicative course costs.