IBDP THEATRE SUBJECT REPORT TOP TIPS Headlines and recommendations from the subject report Key areas for students to consider for each of the assessment tasks Aleh Koba DP Theatre | MYP Drama Instructor Theatre SL/HL 2020/2021 Our Learning Checklist What we'll cover in this session COLLABORATIVE PROJECT RESEARCH PRESENTATION PRODUCTION PROPOSAL SOLO THEATRE PIECE Grade Boundaries COLLABORATIVE PROJECT Recommendations and guidance: This task requires a detailed creation process that cannot be completed in a short period of time. Students should be given opportunities to consider how evaluation and reflection changes when discussing initial ideas, development and rehearsal process and completed final performance. Students should be directed towards companies that create original material, some students are confused with devising companies and companies that perform existing texts. Some students are still including names/schools in the portfolio. A few teachers refer to students by name in the comments; this should be avoided. Students should use process journals to develop their abilities to record research, process and reflection. Students are encouraged to use images to convey process and performance choices, especially for candidates who are ESL or struggle to convey their ideas through writing. All candidates should remember the academic nature of the portfolio and the requirement that all researched material be properly referenced within the text as well as the provision of a bibliography. Images used should be sourced in a suitable academic format within the text. Candidates should also cite the source(s) of music used in performances/videos. RESEARCH PRESENTATION Recommendations and guidance: Students should be aware of the 6 areas that need to be covered, as there are TWO strands per criterion making up the 6 bullet points. Students should closely follow the requirements of each bullet point. Students should use their journals during the course, as this is invaluable to documenting process, feedback, comparisons, reflections etc. all of which are key to success in this task. Students should be well prepared for their presentation rather than simply reading their notes. The more successful presentations are those that demonstrate a genuine and dynamic engagement with the task. Students should use well-structured visual materials, all sources and a full bibliography to be submitted with the presentation. Students should practice the presentation, using their projected slides and any technical equipment, the space used by the student is covered by the camera to avoid having to pan and refocus. Students should choose an environment for filming that is quiet and provides adequate light. Too many videos have an excess of background noise which significantly disadvantages the student. Students should not film from a long distance. The student and their slides should be clearly visible and this often adversely affects the quality of sound. The students must remember that this is an externally assessed exam and they are also doing their presentation to an audience, so they should behave and dress suitably for the demands of the task. Recommendations and guidance: Students need to have an understanding of the level of detail that is required for the explanation of ideas, staging and the use of production and performance elements. Students should avoid using up precious space by quoting huge excerpts from the text, especially for criterion A. In writing about the ideas in a play it is best not to follow a play through chronologically but to instead identify and explain the ideas and how they are presented by the playwright with reference to the play text. Experiencing live performances (in person or digitally) is useful for this task, both in terms of giving students opportunities to discuss artistic intentions, design and also for understanding how production and performance elements can be used. Students consider the entire play text for Criterion B - not just design elements they need for their chosen moment in Criterion C. Students should be able to differentiate between TEAM as it exists in the narrative/action of the plot and as it exists in the staging of the play using performance and production elements. PRODUCTION PROPOSAL Recommendations and guidance: Students should consider what the theory looks like when staged, and then explain it by giving reasons and causes, always with the theorist’s overarching intentions in mind and a solid reference to the sources used. Candidates should explain the selected aspect/s in depth. This includes giving the reasons for the relevance of the aspect/s within the theory, and the effects that would be intended in the audience. Students to avoid narrating the final piece. No matter what the process of development was, it all counts towards demonstrating that the student started from a theory and through exploration, they came up with a piece of theatre. The video is enough evidence of what the performance looks like: focus on explaining why the student arrived to a final decision through process. Students should provide consistent evidence of strengths and limitations. When performing in front of an audience, people experience different things: some would be aligned to our intentions as theatre-makers, and some not. This is an opportunity for the student for quality reflection: they are not being assessed on how effective the piece was, nor on the extent to which intentions were met: the task requires the student to evaluate (providing strengths and limitations of the piece) and to explain (giving reasons and causes) the extent to which those intentions were achieved. References to feedback are meant to support this evaluation. SOLO THEATRE PIECE GRADE BOUNDARIES 01. 02. Higher level overall Grade: Mark range: 1 0-6 2 7-15 3 16-22 4 23-40 5 41-59 6 60-77 7 78-100 standard level overall Grade: Mark range: 1 0-5 2 6-14 3 15-20 4 21-41 5 6 7 42-62 63-82 83-100
