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© New Zealand Qualifications Authority, 2012. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior permission of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

Level 3 Drama, 201290612 Analyse drama processes in a new context

and reflect critically on drama performance

2.00 pm Tuesday 27 November 2012 Credits: Four

Check that the National Student Number (NSN) on your admission slip is the same as the number at the top of this page.

You will be given ten minutes to read and prepare before the video recording begins to play.

You should attempt ALL the questions in this booklet.

If you need more room for any answer, use the extra space provided at the back of this booklet.

Check that this booklet has pages 2 – 16 in the correct order and that none of these pages is blank.

YOU MUST HAND THIS BOOKLET TO THE SUPERVISOR AT THE END OF THE EXAMINATION.

ASSESSOR’S USE ONLY Achievement Criteria

Achievement Achievement with Merit Achievement with ExcellenceAnalyse drama processes in a new context.

Critically analyse drama processes in a new context.

Perceptively analyse drama processes in a new context.

Reflect critically on drama performance.

Reflect critically and in detail on drama performance.

Reflect critically and comprehensively on drama performance.

Overall level of performance (all criteria within a column are met)

You are advised to spend 90 minutes answering the questions in this booklet.

INSTRUCTIONS

There are two questions in this examination.• In Question One you are to respond to a video recording of extracts from a live drama

production.• In Question Two you are to respond to TWO live drama productions you have studied.

During the first ten minutes of this examination, carefully read through Question One on pages 4 to 6, and the information on pages 2 and 3. This information provides some background on the drama production shown in the video recording.

Ten minutes after the start of the examination you will be shown a video recording. The recording is approximately nine minutes long, and will be shown TWICE, with a pause of five minutes of black screen in between.

As you watch the recording, and during the five-minute pause, you may make notes and / or sketches in the space on page 4 to help you formulate your answers to Question One.

The Video Recording: The Cherry Orchard

The recording shows three extracts from The Cherry Orchard by the Russian author and dramatist Anton Chekhov (1860 –1904). His last play, it had its premiere performance in 1904 at the Moscow Art Theatre.

The play is set in Russia at a time when society is in a state of change, although still clearly stratified into three classes: the landowning aristocracy, the bourgeoise (or middle class), and the serfs (or servant class). The wealth and power of the aristocracy has been in decline since the abolition of serfdom (essentially a system of slavery that provided them with free labour). The subtext of loss, particularly of “the way things were”, runs through the play.

Synopsis of extracts in the video recordingExtract 1

Lopakhin, a businessman, and Dunyasha, a housemaid, are awaiting the arrival of Madame Ranevskaya, an aristocrat, in the nursery at her family estate. Ranevskaya is returning after a five-year absence, having left Russia in grief after the death of her son.

Lopakhin recalls coming to the house with a bleeding nose when he was five, and the way Madame Ranevskaya comforted him then. He admires Dunyasha’s appearance, but reminds her to “remember what we are”, recalling that they both come from poor backgrounds.

Extract 2

Madame Ranevskaya has returned. She and her brother Gayev—a talkative eccentric who is addicted to billiards (a game related to pool and snooker)—are trying to save the family estate, which is to be auctioned unless they can find a way to pay their mortgage and the debts on the property.

Lopakhin presents Madame Ranevskaya with the only way he can see to raise enough money. It involves cutting down the estate’s beautiful cherry orchard, and she is too proud to accept this. He walks away in frustration, but she calls him back.

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Extract 3

Madame Ranevskaya responds to Lopakhin’s suggestion by encouraging him to marry her elder adopted daughter Varya. Gayev interrupts the intimate scene, claiming that he has been offered a job, and then Firs, an old family servant, enters with Gayev’s coat. Firs begins a rambling account of when the serfs were freed and how he chose to stay on as a servant to Gayev’s family. Gayev short-temperedly silences him, and says he will obtain a loan to save the property.

Madame Ranevskaya’s two daughters enter laughing, and the mood lightens.

Principal characters

Lopakhin A businessman, the son

of a former serf

Madame Ranevskaya The aristocratic owner

of the estate

Gayev Madame Ranevskaya’s brother

Dunyasha A housemaid

Firs A servant, formerly a serf

Source: The Cherry Orchard, dir. Richard Eyre. DVD: © BBC 1981.

For copyright reasons, these resources cannot be reproduced here.

For copyright reasons, these resources cannot be reproduced here.

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QUESTION ONE

You are to analyse at least ONE acting decision made by a performer, and ONE technical decision in this production of The Cherry Orchard. These decisions could include, but are not limited to:Acting decision(s)• use of voice • use of body• use of movement• use of space • use of gesture• exploration of subtext

Technical decisions• costuming• set• blocking

Note: Do NOT write about filming decisions.

ACTING DECISION(S) MADE BY ONE PERFORMER

TECHNICAL DECISION

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ASSESSOR’S USE ONLY

(a) Analyse at least ONE acting decision made by a performer in the production.

Character name (from page 3):

Explain how the acting decision(s) this performer made were effective in portraying their character. You may refer to the reactions of other actors in your answer.Justify the points you make with specific reference to the video recording.

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(b) Analyse ONE technical decision made in the production.

Technical decision (you may refer to the list on page 4):

Explain how this technical decision was effective.Justify the points you make with specific reference to the recording. Draw and annotate sketches or diagrams on page 7 to support your answer.

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Sketch page for Question One (b)

Label the sketch(es) to explain the point(s) you are making.

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QUESTION TWO

Choose TWO live drama productions you have seen to answer this question.

Carefully read the quotation below. Refer to it as you plan and write your answers.

“I found it enormously exciting when we sat around in a circle and talked to a character that someone had brought to life.”

Timberlake Wertenbaker, background to Our Country’s Good (London: Methuen, 1989)

An actor’s job is to bring a character to life. In developing a role an actor will work on ways to deepen their character. Reflect on theatrical ways that characters are brought to life by actors on stage.

Processes used to develop a role for performance include:• script interpretation• social research applied to performance (eg historical, economic, or political background)• use of theatrical conventions• creation of relationships with other actors in performance• creation of relationships with the audience.

Begin your answers on page 10. You may make notes and / or sketches in the spaces on page 9 to help you formulate your answers.

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Sketch page for Question Two

You may make notes and / or sketches on this page to illustrate any part of your answers to Question Two.Label the sketch(es) to explain the point(s) you are making.

FIRST LIVE DRAMA PRODUCTION

SECOND LIVE DRAMA PRODUCTION

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(a) First live drama production

Title:

Playwright:

Company / ensemble:

Venue: Year of production:

Select ONE character from the production.

Reflect critically on how the performer may have chosen to develop the character in the role they played.Support your answer with specific details from the live performance. You may like to refer to (but are not limited to):• emotional memory• exploration of

conventions• exploration of

movement• exploration of space

• gesture• historical or social

context• intention• objective• rehearsal technique

• subtext• use of body• use of dramatic irony• use of props• vocal delivery.

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(b) Second live drama production

Title:

Playwright:

Company / ensemble:

Venue: Year of production:

Select ONE character from the production.

Reflect critically on how the performer may have chosen to develop the character in the role they played.Support your answer with specific details from the live performance. You may like to refer to (but are not limited to):• emotional memory• exploration of

conventions• exploration of

movement• exploration of space

• gesture• historical or social

context• intention• objective• rehearsal technique

• subtext• use of body• use of dramatic irony• use of props• vocal delivery.

Note: The way(s) you write about must be different from the one(s) you discussed in part (a).

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QUESTION NUMBER

Extra space if required.Write the question number(s) if applicable.

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QUESTION NUMBER

Extra space if required.Write the question number(s) if applicable.

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QUESTION NUMBER

Extra space if required.Write the question number(s) if applicable.