ROSSHALL ACADEMY
Performing Arts Department: Higher Drama
Prelim Revision Booklet
EXAM DETAILS
Date:
6th February 2006
Time:
1.45pm – 3.30pm
(1 hour 45 minutes)
Format:
Section A
One question based on ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur
Miller – 45 minutes
Section B
One Dramatic Commentary based on ‘The Crucible’ –
1 hour.
Higher Drama Revision Booklet ~ A. Mitchell ~ January 2006
1
Ten Tips for Exam Success
REVISION
1)
Know what you have to do.
Look at the format of the exam. This booklet will help you focus on
the areas you should know. It will also help you discover the areas
you need to revise most.
2)
Make a revision plan
Well before your exams, set up a revision timetable. Many people
don't do this, but it is essential. Set a realistic number of hours for
revision each week. Plan to work through each of the topics in the
period up to the exam, leaving time for final revision. Regularly
review your plan and make changes in the light of your progress.
3)
Revise effectively
Find a quiet private place to revise (try the drama studio or the
library if there's no room at home), with a suitable, well-lit table or
desk to work at and always have all the equipment you need at hand
- class notes, plays, Study Guides, and previous essays. Work for a
set period (30-40 minutes suits most people), and then have a 10
minute break away from your desk.
4)
Revise actively
Don't just read through your class notes - revision needs to be more
active than that if it's to stick. Working through this booklet, make
your own revision notes (they'll come in useful for final revision),
draw mind maps, to summarise points, make up word games (e.g.
CAKES) to help memorise key points and, above all, keep testing
yourself (or get a friend to test you).
5)
Practise exam questions
Practice exam questions you have been given. Get used to the style
of the questions and the words used by the examiner. It is most
important to answer the question set and not one you would prefer
to answer.
Higher Drama Revision Booklet ~ A. Mitchell ~ January 2006
2
THE EXAM
6)
Drink Water
Drink water before the exam, and inside the hall. Water is good for
the brain and can help you concentrate.
7)
Be Confident
It’s mind over matter! If you believe in your self on the day, you
stand a better chance of succeeding. Keep your distance from
people who are nervous.
8)
Reading and Planning Time
Give yourself time to read through the paper before you attempt to
answer the questions (between 5 and 10 mins). Remember, the
dramatic commentary extract can help you with The Crucible essay.
You want to ensure you answer what is asked rather than writing
everything you know about each play. Draw a Mindmap OR write a
linear plan for each answer.
9)
Order
It doesn't matter what order you answer the questions in (as long
as you make it clear to the examiner). It’s always a little more
reassuring when you find a question that you CAN answer, so why
not attempt those which you feel more confident with first!
10)
Stay Calm
Try to relax. Brush up on a few relaxation techniques before
the exam. Use breathing exercises which you have learned in drama.
If you find a question difficult – ask yourself:
‘If I knew the correct answer to this, what would I write?’
You have the knowledge – show the examiner what you know.
Higher Drama Revision Booklet ~ A. Mitchell ~ January 2006
3
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?
Background
 Historical Context
 1950’s Parallel (McCarthy Trials)
 Modern Parallel – Terrorist Threat
 Arthur Miller
Themes and Issues
 Mass Hysteria
 Personal Integrity / Individual Conscience
 Witchcraft
 Puritanism
 Individual vs. authority (of employers / of the church)
 Materialism
Setting
 Salem, Massachusetts, 1692
 Society – beliefs and behaviour
 Dress
 Status of men / women
 Home environment
Relevance
 Universal Play
 Individual message for members of an audience
 Message / meaning for society in general
 Purpose – to entertain? To educate?
Structure and language
 Climax and/or most important scene
 Language style - taken from original court records.
Characters
 Protagonist
 Which characters are most central to themes, context and action
 Relationships and status
Higher Drama Revision Booklet ~ A. Mitchell ~ January 2006
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The Crucible: Performance Concepts
Each essay question will ask you to answer from the perspective of a director or an
actor in preparation for a performance. You must be fully prepared to answer questions,
with justification, based on every performance concept:
Staging
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Venue
Stage type
Location
Setting
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Dramatically viable ground plan for each act
Viable scene and set changes
Backdrops – e.g. cross
Attention to colour, atmosphere, in keeping with the period
Style of set e.g. naturalistic, representational.
Lighting
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Lighting state for each act – remember changes within Act 2 and Act 4
Atmosphere
Time of day and year
Special Effects
Significance of lighting to action of the play – e.g. Act 2: ‘What keeps you
so late? It’s almost dark?’; Act 4: ‘What say you Proctor? The sun is soon
up.’
How will you create each lighting state? Gobos, gels, stage candles?
Sound
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Sound effects necessary in each act
Suggested music to enhance atmosphere
Significance of sound to action of the play – girls screaming?
How will you create sound effects? Live music?
Higher Drama Revision Booklet ~ A. Mitchell ~ January 2006
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Costume
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Period – Salem 1692
Status – differences in costume. E.g. judges.
Costume changes?
Suggestions for each character
Props
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Period – 1692
Status – e.g. Hale’s books ‘weighted with authority’
Necessary props – poppet
Characterisation: Voice
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Language
1692 Salem
Accent
Status and register
Suggestions for each main character
Characterisation: Movement
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Fluidity
1692 Salem - historical accuracy
Health
Stage positionings as they affect status
Changes in movement depending on status and situation
Suggestions for each main character
Characterisation: Relationships
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Timeline of the play: How did relationships develop prior to the start of
the play. Remember – each character has a history from birth until we
meet them.
How do important relationships change / develop throughout the course
of the action?
Characterisation: Meaning
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Exemplification of themes through particular characters
Exemplification of meaning and message through particular characters.
Higher Drama Revision Booklet ~ A. Mitchell ~ January 2006
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Make-up
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Period – 1692. Relate to costume.
Health / climate
Changes in make-up e.g. Elizabeth and Proctor in Act 4
Programme Notes
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Meaning of your production
Influences which informed your interpretation
Information you would wish to give to an audience
Intended impact on audience
Vocabulary:
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Theocracy
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Puritanical Society
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Concepts
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Exemplification
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Depicted
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Significance
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Convey
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McCarthyism
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Justification
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Realise – 2 meanings
Higher Drama Revision Booklet ~ A. Mitchell ~ January 2006
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