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A-level Drama and Theatre Studies DRAM3 Further Prescribed Plays including Pre-Twentieth Century Report on the Examination 2240 June 2013 Version: 1.0 Further copies of this Report are available from aqa.org.uk Copyright © 2013 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre. REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 General Comments Examiners reported seeing a wide range of achievement. It was evident that many students were well-prepared for the precise and varied demands of DRAM3. Unfortunately, there were also several instances seen where students seemed to be under-prepared for the paper, especially in relation to Section B. Both sections of the paper require students to reveal detailed understanding of the whole of their chosen set text. Section A questions have an expectation that the students will reveal a creative overview of the play in the course of their answers. Section B requires an interpretation of the extract set that is entirely consonant with an overview of the whole play. The best students met the requirements of the paper with some assurance and sophistication, while the weaker scripts suggested a lack of full understanding of the demands of the different tasks. As always, the best students addressed the precise demands of their chosen questions immediately, and then maintained a tight focus upon these throughout their answers. Some students did not respond to all the demands outlined by the questions. Several students are still tempted to add in all the background information they had gathered during the course, unfortunately losing time for the main body of their answers, and losing the focus of the question. In general, those students who started their answers with paragraphs on historical context and author biography were less successful than students who integrated these facts (if relevant) into the body of their responses. Of the latter type of response, there were an encouraging number of good answers seen. Audience response and experience was less well dealt with, with some improbable or unsupported assertions, for example, “The audience will want to hug her…” or inexact use of language, e.g. “The audience will say ‘Aww’”. Similar examples were seen quite frequently. In both sections, it has been apparent that students dealing with comedy find this aspect of performance particularly difficult to write about, and several seemed unprepared to talk about comic business, timing and characterisation. It would be helpful if centres provided students with appropriate terminology to address these questions. Weaker answers often revealed an unequal level of knowledge and understanding across Sections A and B, suggesting that they were not, in fact, quite ready to meet the challenges of the paper in relation to one or the other of their chosen texts. This resulted in an uneven achievement across the script. Weaker scripts were also more likely to contain under-developed and/or very brief responses which were often very superficial in content or approach. It is disappointing to report that some A2 students presented the examiner with a series of almost cartoon-like sketches with only brief linking sentences. Examiners reported seeing a number of scripts that lacked the necessary support of reference to specific moments from the set text in action in both parts of the paper. In particular, there are too 3 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 many students who do not provide even the briefest of context for the scenes that they select to illustrate their answers in Section A. Some students have taken a misguided approach to saving time in the examination by abbreviating the names of the characters from the plays in their answers, for example, ‘LW’ for Lady Windermere or ‘Truf’ for Truffaldino. This is an unacceptable practice that inevitably resulted in students not achieving their potential. Students should be instructed not to abbreviate the names of characters in their answers, as this deviation into ‘note-form’ will be reflected in the mark awarded for AO2, where students’ expression is assessed. ‘Continuous prose’ is demanded in this paper thus does not allow for abbreviated names. In Section B, too many students referred exclusively to line numbers rather than to lines of speech. The expectation is that students take on the mantle of the director for this exercise, and how many real directors refer to line numbers when directing their cast? This practice has the effect of deadening rather than enlivening the students’ descriptions of their direction of the extract. Students may need to be reminded that they must justify their practical suggestions as well as illustrate their ideas with close reference to the text in action. Examiners reported seeing some answers where students offered inappropriate ideas with no attempt made to justify their application. Justification needs to be both robust and convincing to make the ideas acceptable. Nevertheless, examiners reported seeing many very good answers containing both intelligent discussion and purposeful textual references, which brought clearly explained practical suggestions vividly to theatrical life. Where students had engaged fully with their Section B texts, their directorial approaches were often both individual and inspiring. There were also numerous narrative answers which did little more than relay the events of the printed extract scene with little or no invention. Some students underachieved in this series because they appeared not to have a sound understanding of the original context of their selected plays. The demand in Section B that students should include a sketch appeared not to be taken seriously by some students whose attempts at a meaningful theatrical sketch were unimpressive. Sketches need to be clear, half a page in size and clearly labelled. Quite a number of students penalised themselves by the omission of a sketch/diagram to support their design ideas. As has been reported on many occasions, some weaker students revealed an inadequate understanding of design fundamentals. Students need to be reminded that both the clarity of their expression and their accuracy in the use of specialist theatre terminology is taken into account in the assessment of their responses. Section A: Pre-Twentieth Century Plays 4 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 In this Section, many students gave responses which did not demonstrate an overview of the chosen text but illustrated ideas using only a limited range of text, usually from the early scenes of the play. There were still a number of answers which approached the questions from a literary stand point, and ignored the practical demands of the questions. Many students selected appropriate sections of text to illustrate their answers, but some relied on very short sections of text, one line or a brief moment, limiting development and offering quite restricted evidence of understanding. There were also many students who chose completely inappropriate sections with which to support their answers. Sadly, there were many examples of very good performance ideas offered for completely unhelpful sections of the text. A number of students showed misunderstanding of historical mores. In particular, the physical contact allowed between men and women in the nineteenth century was often misunderstood and this affected answers on both The Seagull and Lady Windermere’s Fan. There were some reasonable and some good design ideas, showing a real understanding of design fundamentals and of the demands of the texts. However, a number of students who chose the design option showed only a limited understanding of the designer’s role. Answers were often not illustrated with explanatory diagrams, or offered no coherent design concept to support the choices made. Some students offered detailed ideas, but did not link their responses to the demands of the play, or to key moments of text. Most casting ideas were apt, but further justification was needed in some answers. Several students used the terms, “innocence” and “purity” to describe a character’s qualities, for example, without really considering the meaning of these terms. As in previous series, choice of theatre space was often discussed but with simplistic or unconvincing justification. It is insufficient to say, for example, that a studio space “will help the audience relate to the play”, without offering further reasoning. Similarly, the use of a proscenium arch does not necessarily make a performance “Naturalistic”. As in previous series, many students suggested that their choice of theatre space would “make the audience feel part of the play” without clarifying why this was an appropriate intention. The Revenger’s Tragedy Question 01 This play has minority appeal. There were some very good answers seen to this question, where students knew the play very well, understood who all the characters were and had the facility to quote in a purposeful way, revealing understanding of Middleton’s language. Unfortunately, this play is a real challenge for some students who struggled to identify a suitable audience response, let alone to achieve it. Some weaker answers offered contradictory ideas for the responses that they wanted to the Duke, citing “disgust” and “sympathy” at different points of the play. 5 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 The most frequently chosen sections were the initial court scene, where some inventive students created a loathsome lack of concern in the Duke for his step-son’s impending death, followed by the ‘discovery’ scene when Lussorioso surprises Duke and Duchess in bed, and concluded with the Duke’s encounter with the ‘Bony Lady’ and subsequent death. There was much invention in the best answers where the Duke’s self-importance and selfcentredness was considered to be a strong feature of his character, and the preferred audience response was invariably negative. Some answers did not fully consider the substance of the chosen scenes, nor did they take account of the playwright’s intentions. Many students failed to provide a single phrase from the text to support their ideas. Good answers to this question focused on performance and audience response, as the question demanded. The majority of answers showed some understanding of the role, although this was not consistently the case. Question 02 Examiners saw several very successful responses to this question although there were also many disappointing answers in evidence. The characters of the Duchess, Castiza and Gratiana were often understood in only very superficial terms. The contrasts between the roles and their functions were generally quite well understood, but some of the ideas for their representation were inappropriate or melodramatic. Some good answers were very clear as to the moral content explored by the playwright and used this well in their practical interpretations. There was some particularly good work on Castiza’s simplicity and virtue - not exactly the same as “innocence”. Similarly, Gratiana’s greed and the corrupting influence of the court upon women was considered with some useful discussion of Gratiana’s eventual ‘redemption’. Students who dealt with the Duchess often lapsed into inappropriate performance suggestions which were not adequately tied to the demand of the question to consider the ‘representation’ of women in the play. Some thoughtful students included reference to the remains of Vindice’s fiancé, Gloriana, as a representative (like Antonio’s ravished wife) of goodness assailed and destroyed by men’s corruption. Although these were rare responses, these students referred to the use of the ‘bony lady’ in the Duke’s demise and understood the implications of Middleton’s use of the device, setting her up as a fitting representation of ‘revenge’ personified. There was generally some understanding of the style of the play, although this was not always developed in terms of performance. Good answers generally addressed all three women and chose their illustration carefully. Tartuffe Question 03 6 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 This was the less popular question on this text. The majority of students who chose this option showed a reasonably good understanding of their selected character(s), and offered a suitable range of sections from the play. There were some very useful, subtle answers which used more than one section for their chosen role(s) and outlined their comic potential in some detail. There were particularly strong answers on Elmire. Occasionally, students chose to look at both of the young men, Valere and Damis. However, the most popular choice for this question was Madame Pernelle. Some students tackling this role did not find her second appearance and concentrated on her appearance in Act One, which was a little self-limiting. One candidate appeared to believe that Flipote was a dog. Weaker answers relied on brief moments of text, which were under-developed. Some answers showed only a limited understanding of casting, focusing either on personal qualities (“must be feisty”, for example) or on lengthy costuming. The former often showed no clear appreciation of the actor’s skills and the latter, although sometimes useful, often added little to “creation of comedy”. Very weak answers showed limited understanding of Moliere’s style and intentions, and showed limited understanding of the satire in the text. These answers often spent too long outlining Moliere’s influences without applying this knowledge in any clearly practical way. Question 04 This was a popular question and it attracted some very well informed responses as well as some very weak ones. There were some impressive answers to the question which showed a very good understanding of comedy, and were very clear in their use of comic timing, business and Moliere’s text. These answers focused very clearly on revealing Dorine’s dislike of Tartuffe. However, weaker answers tended to assert comic intention, but this was only mildly realised in the performance ideas given. Some answers gave insufficient attention to “dislike”, and a surprising number did not utilise Dorine’s interaction with Tartuffe himself. Some answers offered appropriate casting, commenting on Dorine’s physical confidence and sprightly nature. There were some good answers showing a clear understanding of her disrespectful attitude which offered detail of her physical responses and facial expression. Several answers offered quite uninventive performance ideas for Dorine. Her role as lady’s maid would not, for example, involve continuous dusting or scrubbing. Ideas for costume were also often inappropriate in terms of both period and condition. Some answers spent a considerable amount of time outlining Moliere’s style and the historical period, without applying this to the question as set, particularly with reference to the influence of Commedia and Moliere’s attack upon zealots. Better answers saw the sarcasm and dislike apparent in Dorine’s dialogue with Orgon in Act One, Scene Four, but a surprising number who chose this scene did not manage to communicate this at all. Many answers chose Act Three, Scene Two, but often appeared to find Dorine’s approach to 7 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 one of enticing Tartuffe with her low cut costume without seeing her open hostility through her dialogue. The Recruiting Officer Question 05 There were quite a few answers to this question and examiners reported seeing some very comical renderings of Silvia. That said, relatively few of the students who selected this option saw that the focus of the question was on creating comedy from Silvia’s relationships with at least two different characters, and most just wrote about creating comedy through the performance of the role. This lead to some poor choices of section; for example, when Silvia, as ‘Jack’, was threatening the Constable, with whom she clearly did not have any kind of ‘relationship’. Most students chose to discuss Act One, Scene Two between Melinda and Silvia, but many failed to extract the comedy from the text. Some saw the verbal sparring between the two as being a source for possible comedy, but often failed to realise this in practical terms. Students who chose to look at Silvia’s relationship with Rose were often more successful as they appeared to understand the comic conflict between what Rose desired and what ‘Jack’ could deliver. Act Three, Scene Two was another popular choice, with the comedy often claimed to stem entirely from the kiss between Plume and Silvia. More successful answers understood the inherent comedy from the restoration convention of a ‘breeches’ part, but many just found the idea of two people kissing when both are ‘men’ amusing. More successful answers found comedy in the earlier part of this scene and there were some apt performance ideas for Silvia’s expressions when questioned by Brazen as to her parentage and background. Good answers showed a command of comic direction, including pace, timing and comic business, and applied these features well in their realisation of their chosen sections of text. These answers often selected illustration to show the range of the character, both in “breeches” and out. Question 06 This was the less popular option although there were some successful answers seen. The majority of students showed a good understanding of their selected character(s), and offered a suitable range of sections from the play. Weaker answers relied on brief moments of text, which were under-developed. As with Tartuffe, some answers showed only a limited understanding of casting, but good answers showed some understanding of relationships and function, and how this could be supported through the actor’s physical appearance. 8 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 Better answers showed some understanding of “effects”, but weaker answers gave insufficient attention to the audience, and there were several examples where assertions were unsupported. Many of the students who chose this question focused on the character of Brazen. The ‘preferred effects’ were almost always the creation of comedy, and this was a question when his costume (as the ‘fop’ character) had more relevance than in some other questions; there were some appropriate suggestions for this aspect. Act Three, Scene One, Brazen’s first appearance, was the most popular choice of section, and there were some strong comic ideas for his initial failure to see Justice Balance. The more subtle aspect of comedy through the wit of the text – Balance’s ‘Very laconic, sir’ and Brazen’s ensuing interpretation of that as Balance’s name, and his prattling about his exploits in the war, were only seen by students with a strong understanding of the text and genre. A few students chose to focus on Rose, and Act Three, Scene One was a popular choice of scene for them. The comedy inherent in Rose’s evident innocence while Plume discusses ‘examining your basket to the bottom’, and the comic sub-text this involves, was one that students wrote fairly confidently about. Act Five, Scene One was another popular choice of section for them – it is a very brief section for Rose and does not offer a great deal of scope, but students found humour in the fact that Rose and Silvia had spent the night together with Rose not knowing that Silvia is a woman. There were some answers that looked at the characters of Bullock and Rose, and were able to bring their scenes of interaction vividly to life. Lucy was less popular and not apparently, securely understood. Weaker students did not use the text appropriately to lend immediacy to their suggestions which were not always entirely appropriate. Better students always considered the style of the play, and reflected it in their directorial ideas. The Servant of Two Masters Question 07 This play was the most popular choice in Section A, and examiners reported seeing many very amusing responses as well as plenty of uninventive attempts. A persistent mistake reported by examiners was students’ inability to distinguish between what might be useful reference to the commedia tradition, either offered in a brief introduction to the answer or as part of the developing response, and what was simply irrelevant background material that served only to distract the candidate from the focus of the question. In some cases, students spent far too long attempting to display their knowledge about commedia characters, and only found their focus on the Pantalone and Lombardi at the end of their answers. This work was invariably rushed and rarely comical. 9 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 Students should be fully aware that the set play is by Goldoni, and should not refer to Lee Hall (or any other translator of the text) as the playwright in this case. Some careless students failed to read the question closely, and examiners reported seeing some answers where the chosen scenes featured both characters; however, they chose their examples from moments when the old men were interacting with their children, or with other characters rather than with one another. There were some quite detailed ideas for the casting of the roles; often these were linked to commedia conventions. They were occasionally linked to the purpose of the question; to create preferred effects. Less successful were answers that spent up to half their answers on casting and costume suggestions, none of which appeared to contribute to the creation of any particular effects. Good answers realised the contrast between the two characters, and there were some useful suggestions for comic casting of Lombardi in relation to Pantalone, with some useful suggestions for physical qualities such as height and girth. These answers were supported by well selected sections that were contextualised as well as completely apt. The text is absolutely vital in supporting these answers, but many students failed to include a single full line of text. Less successful answers focused on the two ‘argument’ scenes showing no variety of approach. Often, these answers contained rather generalised ideas, relying upon the traits of the traditional Commedia characters but without making these ideas relevant to a modern audience. Limited genuine comedy was created by repeated use of ‘stock’ moves such as ‘figure of eight’ movement for Lombardi or the ‘beetle’ position for Pantalone after a pratfall. Students repeatedly asserted the hilarious effects that would be created by employing these dated and predictable routines. Many students failed to identify who these squabbling old men are, or why they are squabbling/reconciling. These answers offered no overview and were self-penalising. Question 08 Examiners saw several very successful, and some very comical, responses to this question, although there were also many disappointing answers offered. Most students of this text chose this question. A major problem here was of the reference to adlibbing. Presumably inspired by the current production of One Man, Two Guv’nors (in which the supposed ad-libbing is, in fact, scripted), there was an abundance of ideas for creating comedy through this technique when performing Truffaldino. Given the style of the play there is some validity in this approach, but the ad-libs should support the text and not replace it; some students produced answers where although they might have made one or two brief references to the text of a scene being discussed, everything else said by the performer of Truffaldino was an ad-lib. This is an examination on set texts and the prime purpose of the questions is to assess students’ knowledge and understanding of the set text. Offering a series of ad-libs does not adequately demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the set text, so this approach is self-limiting. 10 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 Another problem was where students ignored the focus of the question which asked students to create comedy from Truffaldino’s ‘relationships with his different masters’. Many students ignored this totally and just focused on the creation of comedy. Many students discussed Truffaldino’s relationship with the audience, (a previous question) and several chose to discuss Truffaldino’s ‘relationship’ with Pantalone (for example in Act One, Scene Two). One candidate claimed that Pantalone was a ‘master type figure’ but others did not explain this at all and just discussed the scene. There were even answers that focused on Truffaldino’s relationship with Smeraldina (another former question). Even where students did notice the specific focus of the question, they sometimes failed to offer examples of Truffaldino’s relationship with each of his ‘different masters’. Very frequently Beatrice was omitted altogether. Nevertheless, there were some very successful suggestions for comedy, both verbal and physical, from students who adopted the focus required and had a clear sense of the comedy and ways of creating this in practical terms. Good answers showed a secure understanding of the style of the piece, of the substance of the play, and of the integral nature of Truffaldino’s relationships with his two ‘masters’ to the play as a whole. Lady Windermere’s Fan Question 09 This was the most popular question on this play, and examiners reported seeing a very wide range of achievement. The question required students to discuss how their performance of Lady Windermere would reveal her development, but not all students noticed this very specific focus. The interpretation of Lady Windermere was generally secure, but not all students selected their examples wisely. Reference to ‘development’ in the question suggests that students might find it useful to start with a section from Lady Windermere’s ‘starting point’ in Act One, and ensure that they also consider her ‘finishing point’ in Act Four. The other section might profitably have been selected from either Act Two (revelation of Lord Darlington’s feelings for her, perhaps) or Act Three (scales fall from her eyes as Mrs Erlynne exhorts her to go back to her child). Examiners reported seeing many answers that began at the end of Act One or in Act Two and ended in Act Three. This sort of lack of care in selecting appropriate moments often resulted in diminishing potential achievement. It was very disheartening to read some very good performance detail that was related to Lady Windermere arranging the roses, for example, or opening the bankbooks or removing her cloak. The best answers came from students who had given the question a bit of thought before they began to write. They thought about what the term ‘development’ means. They did not assume it to mean the same as ‘change’. They considered Lady Windermere’s initial situation and selfconfessed puritanism. They considered her initial abhorrence at the notion of adultery and then 11 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 they traced her progress through the play in relation to her stated moral rectitude in Act One, through her reckless decision to take flight with Lord Darlington in Act Two, averted by Mrs Erlynne in Act Three, and resulting in a recognition in Act Four that people are not either wholly good or wholly bad; a rejection of her previous puritanical stance. Sadly, these students were not in the majority, and examiners reported reading many answers that simply failed to grasp the concept of development as they meandered their way in an apparently random fashion through an assortment of ill-chosen moments. The selection of appropriate sections is a discriminator in AO3, and this was the downfall of many a candidate. As reported in January, many of the suggested performance ideas for Lady Windermere were not fully appropriate. Many other students failed to offer ideas attuned to the period or style of the play and/or they wasted valuable time describing Lady Windermere’s various costumes or sketching her various surroundings. This was almost always a waste of time and space. Question 10 Very few students chose this question and, in general, it was not answered well. The focus on how the designs would help an audience understand the chosen characters was usually ignored as was the requirement that these designs should be linked to specific sections of the play. Good answers showed a sound understanding of the costume designer’s role, and applied colour and fabric suggestions with purpose. These answers linked their ideas very clearly to the text, and a few answers indicated how costumes could be used in action, in particular there were some useful ideas for the Duchess of Berwick generating gravitas and status. The best answers showed a good understanding of both the chosen roles and their function. The most frequently chosen pair was Lady Windermere and the Duchess. These answers offered suggestions which were well linked to moments of text. Use of colour and costume decoration developed ideas of characterisation, often with clear evidence of research. Good answers paid attention to the use of costume and accessories, and integrated their understanding of the historical context with apt and detailed direction. Sketches were clear and detailed. Less secure answers had only limited understanding of period and design fundamentals. Some ideas were clearly inappropriate to both period and Wilde’s subtle wit. Where chosen, the Duchess of Berwick was usually turned into a pantomime dame with over-large hats or huge skirts, as students focused on the creation of comedy rather than on understanding the characters. Low cut sleeveless dresses were also seen as appropriate for the Duchess’ visit to Lady Windermere in Act One, and more than one candidate had the Duchess getting stuck in the doorway or even knocking Parker over with her exaggeratedly large bustle. Lord Darlington was frequently represented wearing a top hat throughout. 12 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 It is important if students want to consider tackling a design question that they prepare themselves properly by researching the fashion and social mores of the age. The Seagull Question 11 This was a popular question although it wasn’t always well handled. There were some quite detailed ideas for the casting of the role, although these were often based on a misunderstanding of the relative ages of the characters. Some less successful students also wrote several paragraphs about costume, which added little to demonstrating Trigorin’s different attitudes. The interpretation of Trigorin was generally very secure, but many students struggled to stay focused on the question’s demand to explore the different attitudes that Trigorin displays towards Arkadina and Nina. Many students had prepared an answer on ‘audience response’ to Trigorin, and they pursued their agenda in spite of the demands of the question. This was self-limiting. The majority of better focused students interpreted Trigorin’s attitudes clearly, and there was some useful detail of his performance offered to support their ideas. Occasionally, students failed to differentiate between his attitudes towards the different women, seeing Trigorin as a self-centred misogynist in both relationships. However, the question demanded that students differentiate and, so, failure to comply was self-penalising, again. Generally, there was some appropriately detailed work on Trigorin’s relationship with Nina. Sensitive directors found subtle ways to demonstrate his initial friendliness with the younger girl, turning into attraction as he falls for her flattery and youthful enthusiasm. Other students mistook Trigorin’s words and actions to be those of a sexual predator. There were many students who ignored Chekhov’s presentation of a shy, self-contained character and took some liberties with the text to suggest a calculating lothario. Weaker answers were also more likely to be illustrated with sections that showed only their very early interactions and not the relationship as it develops. Trigorin’s attitude towards Arkadina was often less well interpreted and a significant number of students spent more time discussing the direction of Arkadina, in Act Three especially, than the direction of Trigorin. Examiners were not ‘shocked’ by the very large number of students who suggested that Arkadina performed oral sex on Trigorin, in Act Three, in order to re-gain his interest in her, but they did note that students who dwelt in excessive length on this section – with limited reference to the text – were veering off the focus of the question for no discernible benefit. Students should be encouraged to think carefully about what is and what is not appropriate in an exam script. 13 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 In good answers, practical suggestions were often detailed, and there was generally very good use of text, showing an understanding of the play and of Chekhov’s style. It is disappointing to report that students in this series had been encouraged to include extensive references to the methods of Stanislavski in their answers on this play. Rehearsal work is irrelevant in this paper, which focuses exclusively on the plays in performance, so these students wasted valuable time that would have better spent answering the question set. Question 12 This was the less popular option, although there were some answers seen. The question required students to discuss how their designs ideas for two design elements (and their use) would help to create a Naturalistic style. The majority of students addressing this question opted to discuss ‘set’ and ‘costume and accessories’, although all combinations were seen. Good answers addressed the ‘naturalistic style’ specified by the question and addressed period with some understanding. The best answers gave a clear overview of the play in context. Ideas were generally appropriate and supported by text. There were useful ideas to support action, for example of Sorin’s deteriorating health, through use of costume and accessories such as his walking stick and later his wheelchair. Some answers only offered limited design fundamentals in terms of colour, materials and texture. Better answers showed clear evidence of research. Most students were able to outline a setting design; many revealed some knowledge of the style of furnishings in the late nineteenth century, but few students went beyond listing the items of furniture that Sorin might have on the estate. Limited stage sense was in evidence. Good students began by referring to the style and period of the play, they outlined some design fundamentals, including entrances and exits, and they considered transitions. Good students always provided sketches to support their ideas. Weaker students often failed to supply a sketch and, not infrequently, they ignored the demands of the question. Some students who opted for this question appeared not to have given much thought to design requirements of the play prior to setting pen to paper. Some careless students failed to read the question sufficiently closely, and did not notice that the question demanded reference to at least two specific sections of the play. Section B: The Twentieth Century or Contemporary Drama 14 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 For the benefit of teachers new to the specification it is worth repeating here points made over successive series about the frequently seen errors of approach in students’ answers to section B questions. Better answers: • • • • • Better answers offered an interpretation of the printed extract that revealed their understanding of the extract and of the play from which it was taken Better answers considered the audience experience that they were aiming to achieve through their direction Better answers attempted to communicate meaning to the audience through each of the directorial decisions they made Better answers included clear evidence of relevant research embedded in their answers, where appropriate and informing their practical, directorial ideas In the work of better answers, sketches were of adequate size – about a third of a page – they were clearly labelled, they related to the necessary traffic of the scene and were compatible with the play as a whole. Weaker Answers: • • • • • • • • In a tiny minority of cases, some students failed to open their exam booklets to find the set extract but answered instead on the corresponding pages from the texts they had with them in the exam room. This anomaly was found to have occurred in response to all plays A more significant minority wrote exclusively about staging issues: choice of stage configuration, set and costume design, lighting and sound effects, and failed to offer a single idea about how they might direct their cast Many weaker answers spent almost all of their answers writing casting and costume suggestions, often betraying a very limited understanding of how casting and costume convey meaning to an audience Many weaker answers prefaced their ideas with potted biographies of the respective playwrights, which had no bearing whatsoever on the interpretation of the extract Many weaker answers wrote at length about their intentions for the audience, for example, ‘I would want to increase the tension here’, but then found themselves at a loss about how to achieve that in practical directorial terms Many weaker answers wrote about one or two lines of text in great detail but did not give a sense of understanding, either of the rest of the extract or of the play from which it was taken Many weaker answers swamped their answers with references to research that was: - purely biographical - purely literary - gratuitous and/or clearly irrelevant to their interpretation of the piece Sketches: - many weaker answers failed to include a useful sketch - some provided a sketch crammed into three lines of their answer books with little or no labelling - some offered a tiny sketch with so much labelling that it was impossible to see the sketch beneath it - some drew empty rectangles with no detail inserted - some answers betrayed a lack of understanding by, for example, nominating a traverse stage setting but drawing a proscenium arch, or nominating theatre in-the- 15 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 • round but putting a large structure in the centre of it, effectively blocking sight lines for the whole audience at one time or another Many weaker answers simply narrated the action of the extracts, and offered neither interpretation nor meaning to the reader/audience. These strengths and weaknesses were seen in relation to each of the texts. The following additional points are worth making in relation to specific texts. Blood Wedding – Question 13 The extract set for this series fired the imagination of many inventive students, and where the whole extract was considered, including the appearance of the Moon and the Beggar Woman, some very good theatre was realised. Most of the responses showed a quite well-developed sense of Lorca’s poetic style in comparison to previous series. There were some students’ answers whose staging ideas were imaginative but impractical, as is sometimes the case, with trees dotted all over the stage and no indicated of how they arrived there or of how they were supported, and some whose staging bore little relation to the text – one offered the setting as in a busy Spanish street. Many students, however, saw the evident passion between the Bride and Leonardo and offered some sensitive ideas for the realisation of this, incorporating movement sequences and physical directions for the actors that did not shy away from the intensity of their passion, while stopping short of being too graphic in the performances suggested. Many students communicated the solemnity of the extract and appreciated the necessity to build the tension within the extract, revealing a useful knowledge of the playwright’s intentions. There were some inventive ideas to show the change in atmosphere. A few students did, however, overemphasise the religious aspect of the context and paid insufficient attention to the “forest”. Weaker answers ignored the final section with the Moon and the Beggar Woman which is essential to an understanding of this scene. Students often selected as little as one or two lines to ‘direct’ having spent the rest of their time on relating the background to Lorca; referring, irrelevantly to Franco, to the other ‘Rural Tragedies’ to Andalucía, or to other aspects of Lorca’s personal life. This information was almost never utilised in the answer, and was therefore not made relevant. The Good Person of Szechwan – Question 14 As has been reported in previous series, some students appear to believe that the regurgitation of Brechtian theory – not always evidently fully understood – will be enough to secure success in answering this question. Alas, this is not the case. Students wrote at great length about Brechtian theory, about Verfremdung and späss and gestic acting. This occasionally helped better students to interpret the extract and to clarify the political thrust of the play as a whole, but often served as a distraction from treating one of the most 16 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 important aspects of this extract, summed up in the Sister-in-law’s defeatist belief that ‘It’s not for us to change the world.’ With this question, more than any of the others in this section, weaker students spent too little time on the direction of the actors. There was also a tendency with these students to focus on one part of the extract and to give very limited detail even of the brief section selected. In particular, weak answers did not offer developed ideas for the delivery of Shen Teh’s monologue/song nor did they adequately explore her relationship with Wang. The points being made by Brecht in this extract, through the refusal of the poor characters to take personal risk by bearing witness to brutal events, often eluded all but the most sophisticated of students. Wang’s disappointment in the possibility of his hand recovering and the prospect of compensation vanishing before his very eyes was also rarely appreciated. A number of weaker answers spent a considerable time discussing Brecht’s Marxist views and their influence on the piece, without focusing on the direction of the actors and how this could be communicated in performance. Weaker answers offered a generalised view, often not effectively linking performance ideas to their intention, but offering assertions. These answers did not consider the experience of the audience in sufficient detail. Some students offered considerable design detail. Where this was well researched and showed understanding of the text, this was appropriate. Some students, however, offered very limited designs and had evidently little understanding of Brechtian influence on design. A View from the Bridge – Question 15 This text was chosen by a large number of students. Good answers offered very clear understanding of the relationships between the characters, and there was some extremely subtle and detailed work outlining the interaction of Catherine and Eddie during the section. A few answers did not consider Beatrice except very briefly, although she is a constant stage presence. Some answers spent too long on design ideas, to the detriment of their ideas for direction. There was also some confusion with reference to the style of women’s costumes in the 1950s, with some inappropriate suggestions both in terms of style and appropriateness for the characters. Some suggestions for costume ignored the fact that the extract takes place in midwinter. Other careless readings of the text were evident in inappropriate casting ideas; Catherine was frequently described as having blonde hair, Eddie appeared more than once as a man in his late twenties and several students gave both Eddie and Beatrice Italian accents. Stage designs were often impractical with Alfieri’s office (not used in this extract but visible in most designs) downstage of the apartment and blocking the view of it, or the phone box downstage centre giving further sightline problems. Some students had Alfieri’s office suspended from the bridge without any visible means of support, and the actual apartment was often set far upstage with a large street downstage in front of it, which means that the main acting area was cramped and difficult to see. 17 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 Some students also felt the need to include additions such as police sirens heralding the arrival of the immigration officials which are not in the text and, at the point at which they were introduced, would probably have had a detrimental effect on the tension building within the apartment by diverting the audience’s attention outside it. Most students focused on the direction of Eddie and Catherine with Beatrice often reduced to the side-lines despite the fact that she is there and has a crucial role to play in the extract. There was usually a clear sense communicated of Eddie’s mood and most students were clear about the guilt he feels. Only stronger students saw the subtleties of Catherine’s divided allegiances, most saw her as having turned completely against Eddie at this point. Many answers put the section usefully in context and showed its importance, foreshadowing the tragic end of the play. This was, for the majority, a very successful answer. The Trial – Question 16 A number of answers were seen on this question, but these were generally less successful than on other texts in this section. Most students showed an understanding of Berkoff’s style and developed appropriate ideas for appearance and movement. However, several spent too long describing setting and costume to the detriment of direction. Good answers supported their suggestions with very clear diagrams which sometimes showed blocking and movement. Many of these were detailed and very useful. Some were overly sketchy and added little to the text of the answers. In weaker answers, staging decisions were usually limited to diagrams/sketches showing screens in a semi-circular formation around the stage area, and there was little attempt to go beyond that idea. Many scripts were seen that suggested a complete lack of understanding of the text of The Trial. This was especially noticeable in those answers where students had elected to transpose the action to some completely unsuitable other setting or time period. Good answers brought out the increasingly claustrophobic atmosphere and sense of menace that K is victim to. There were some good interpretations of Leni, although her interpretation could have been more theatrically consistent in some answers. There were some graphic descriptions of the physical action between K and Leni offering various interpretations of how the performers could recreate having sex on stage. The role of Huld was usually quite well realised, although direction of the chorus “miming the story” was at times confused or unconvincing. The latter part of the extract, “The Interrogators”, was frequently underdeveloped or not attempted. Several good answers offered clear casting for K, showing a secure awareness of his role in the play, and making useful reference to context. There were detailed directorial suggestions to create K’s weakness and growing confusion. 18 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 Students often struggled with the ideas that Berkoff is exploring in the extract, and very many students substituted detailed interpretation of the extract with generalised assertions about the corruptness of ‘the law’. Our Country’s Good – Question 17 This was a very popular question and generally a successful one on an extremely popular text. However, weaker answers gave very general realisation, and spent too long discussing set and technical aspects. A significant number of students still set the play on the ship, despite this setting appearing only in the first scene of the play. However, there were some very useful and detailed sketches. The majority of answers showed a secure awareness of the importance of the scenes and their relationship to each other. The juxtaposition of hope and concern for the play was frequently alluded to. Good answers offered equal attention to each scene and considered the majority of action in each. However, weaker answers offered irrelevant discussion of Brechtian theory at the expense of exploring the play, and some discussed the political and historical context of the play, with insufficient application to the question. There was, however, some excellent directorial suggestion of Scene One, particularly of Liz and Sideway, as Liz receives the fan. Better answers always considered her demeanour at this point, and there were some lovely ideas for showing how this moment marked a turning point for Liz. Better students referred to all the characters that appear in this scene, and to how the play had wrought its magic on them. In treating Scene Two, there was some very good direction of Ralph, and his relationship with Phillip was usually very clearly explored. However, some points needed development in many answers, and there was some misreading, including assertions of a “father/son relationship”. In weaker answers, this section of the extract was often quite briefly addressed, and was often prone to unsupported assertions about Wertenbaker’s political intentions. Phillip was frequently described in derogatory terms as ‘droning on’ or ‘rambling’, giving very clear indication of the student’s lack of understanding of one of the most significant scenes in the play. The subtleties of Phillip’s intentions when talking to Ralph were lost on some students, and a significant number ignored the discussion of Socrates and his ideas. The central idea of adopting a different, and more enlightened, approach to dealing with the prisoners was not seen by several students, although very many used the line ‘No, Lieutenant, by redemption’ as their final statement, even though the extract does not finish here. Coram Boy – Question 18 This play has minority appeal. 19 of 20 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES – DRAM3 – JUNE 2013 The majority of students showed a good sense of context, and identified the importance of the extract in their direction. In particular, these answers identified the relationships between the characters, and there was some particularly sensitive direction of Mish. Others revealed a lack of understanding of the passage of time between the last time we saw Meshak, and they still had him dressed in shabby clothes – one chose a potato sack – and covered in bruises. Most students identified the theme of parents and children as being important in the scene, but few were able to realise this theme in concrete theatrical terms. Good answers showed a balanced development of both scenes; weaker ones paid less attention to Scene Six, possibly because of timing. Good answers also paid attention to the transition, showing good understanding of Edmundson’s style, and offering clear and practical ideas. Several answers made useful reference to the use of sound and lighting, particularly for Scene Five. Weaker answers offered less detail at this point. Some very weak answers showed only a limited understanding of the style of music or the historical context. Many students focused on the technical demands of the section, such as achieving the transitions and providing recognisable locations. These answers adopted a somewhat mechanical approach to the play as a whole, ignoring the minutiae of the action in this scene in order to concentrate on a whole play view. Some students appeared not to understand who Aaron is. Unfortunately, some students appeared not to be prepared to interpret the extract; instead, they offered a narrative description of the events on the paper in front of them with negligible directorial intervention. Such an approach is self-limiting. Mark Ranges and Award of Grades Grade boundaries and cumulative percentage grades are available on the Results Statistics page of the AQA Website. Converting Marks into UMS marks Convert raw marks into Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) marks by using the link below. UMS conversion calculator 20 of 20