9DRA - Drama

Performing Arts Whakataukī:

Te toi whakairo, ka ihiihi, ka wehiwehi, ka aweawe te ao katoa.

Artistic excellence makes the world sit up in wonder.

9DRA - 9 Drama

Drama expresses human experience through a focus on role, action, and tension, played out in time and space. In drama education, you learn to structure these elements and to use dramatic conventions, techniques, and technologies to create imagined worlds. Through purposeful play, both individual and collaborative, you discover how to link imagination, thoughts, and feelings.

As you work with drama techniques, you will learn to use spoken and written language with increasing control and confidence and to communicate effectively using body language, movement, and space. As you perform, analyse, and respond to different forms of drama and theatre, you will gain a deeper appreciation of culture and language and new power to examine attitudes, behaviours, and values.

By means of the drama that you create and perform, you will reflect and enrich the cultural life of your school, whānau, and community.

Junior Drama in Year 9 is a semesterised course which explores Theatre Form and Devised Performance. Year 9's will explore the essential techniques of performance (Voice, Body, Movement and Space) through script work using All the World's a Stage by Shakespeare, and the conventions of Drama through the Devised Theatre Form exploring Māori pūrākau.

The units and learning explored in the Year 9 Drama Course are;

Shakespeare & Drama Techniques

Shakespearean Form is important for Drama students to learn as the Elizabethan Theatre Form heavily influenced all modern Drama performed today. The two assessments for the Shakespeare Unit comprise of a project and a performance. The text we perform is an extract from All the World's a Stage by Shakespeare. The individual project of a programme design for their performance covers the synopsis, basic knowledge of Elizabethan Theatre, and basic understanding of Shakespearean language.

Devised Theatre & Drama Conventions

Drama is an act of whakawhanaungatanga; meaning is created through the reciprocal relationship between the drama and audience. Students are taught the stories of the clever god Māui and the formation of the North Island and South Islands; Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Waka-a-Māui. We also learn the Origin myth of Papatūānuku (the Earth Mother) and Ranginui (the Sky Father). We work and perform in groups to maximise our development of communication, collaboration, and shared creativity. Students then learn the conventions of Devised Theatre (slow motion, narration, aside, chorus of voice or action, split stage, multi-role, flashback or flash forward) and apply these to create a retelling of these Māori pūrākay for an audience. The two assessments for the Māori Myths and Legends Unit consist of a written test and a performance.

Drama is a collaborative and creative subject which asks ākonga to think, communicate, and problemsove in real time. It will help with growing confidence, interpersonal relationship skills, empathy, body and spatial awareness. We encourage all students to choose Drama as an option at Year 9, regardless of if they have taken Drama before. It is a subject for everyone.