Singapore · SEABQ&A
DramaQ&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every Singapore Drama syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
Acting and Performance Skills
- Build a believable character for performance, including using objectives, given circumstances and physical and vocal choices to create a consistent, truthful character5Q&A pairs
- Develop focus and stage presence in performance, including concentration, commitment, energy and projection of presence, and staying in character and in the moment3Q&A pairs
- Use physical skills in performance, including posture, gait, gesture, facial expression, body language and the use of space, and how the body reveals character and meaning8Q&A pairs
- Listen and respond in the moment in performance, including active listening, truthful reaction, spontaneity within a fixed piece, and handling the unexpected on stage7Q&A pairs
- Play status and relationships in performance, including high and low status, status shifts, and how acting in relation to others creates believable, dynamic scenes8Q&A pairs
- Use vocal skills in performance, including pitch, pace, pause, volume, tone, clarity and emphasis, and how vocal choices reveal character and meaning to an audience6Q&A pairs
Devising Original Drama
- Collaborate effectively as an ensemble when devising, including roles and responsibilities, productive group behaviours, resolving disagreement, and working as a team9Q&A pairs
- Generate and shape dramatic material when devising, including improvisation and other techniques for making content, and how to develop, select and refine raw material9Q&A pairs
- Refine a devised piece through rehearsal, including the purposes of rehearsal, techniques for polishing performance, using feedback, and preparing for an audience8Q&A pairs
- Structure a devised piece, including linear and non-linear structures, ordering material for effect, and shaping a beginning, development and ending that serve the intention6Q&A pairs
- Keep a devising log and write reflective documentation, including what to record, how to reflect rather than describe, and how to explain and evaluate creative decisions3Q&A pairs
- Work from a stimulus to begin devising, including types of stimulus, techniques for generating responses, and how to move from open ideas to a clear dramatic intention9Q&A pairs
Elements of Drama
- Understand focus and tension as elements of drama, including how performers direct audience attention and how tension is created, sustained and released4Q&A pairs
- Understand mood and atmosphere as elements of drama, including the difference between them and how pace, sound, light and performance create the feeling of a scene4Q&A pairs
- Understand role and character as elements of drama, including the difference between role and character, and how an actor signals who they are to an audience4Q&A pairs
- Understand space and levels as elements of drama, including proxemics, the use of stage levels, and how spatial choices communicate relationship and status4Q&A pairs
- Understand the still image (tableau) as a dramatic technique, including how a frozen group picture communicates meaning and how images can be sequenced and brought to life7Q&A pairs
- Understand symbol and contrast as elements of drama, including how objects and actions become symbolic and how juxtaposition creates meaning and emphasis3Q&A pairs
Exploring Play Texts
- Analyse character objectives and motivation in a play text, including objectives, super-objective, motivation and obstacles, and how wants drive the action5Q&A pairs
- Analyse dialogue and subtext in a play text, including the functions of dialogue, the meaning beneath the words, and how to read and play what is implied rather than stated6Q&A pairs
- Analyse dramatic structure and plot in a play text, including exposition, rising action, climax and resolution, and how the shaping of events controls the audience's experience5Q&A pairs
- Understand that a play text is a blueprint for performance, and read a script actively for the staging, action and meaning it implies rather than as a finished story5Q&A pairs
- Analyse stage directions and context in a play text, including the kinds and functions of stage directions and how social, historical and cultural context shapes meaning3Q&A pairs
- Analyse theme and meaning in a play text, including the difference between subject and theme, how themes are explored dramatically, and how staging communicates meaning4Q&A pairs
Responding to Live and Recorded Drama
- Analyse a live or recorded performance, including watching critically across all elements, taking useful notes, and describing what was seen with precise evidence7Q&A pairs
- Evaluate acting in a performance, including judging vocal and physical choices, characterisation and impact, and supporting judgements with evidence and reasoning3Q&A pairs
- Evaluate design in a performance, including judging set, lighting, sound and costume by their contribution, and supporting judgements with evidence and reasoning5Q&A pairs
- Compare live and recorded drama, including the liveness of theatre, the role of the camera in recorded drama, and what each gains and loses for the viewer7Q&A pairs
- Write about performance using the language of informed response, including precise drama vocabulary, structuring a response, and avoiding plot retelling and vague praise9Q&A pairs
Staging and Design
- Understand costume, props and makeup, including what they communicate about character and world, the use of personal and set props, and how objects can carry symbolic meaning4Q&A pairs
- Understand lighting design, including the functions of stage lighting and how intensity, colour, direction and changes create visibility, mood, focus, time and meaning6Q&A pairs
- Understand set design and the use of stage space, including how set establishes place, mood and meaning, and how the arrangement of space serves the staging3Q&A pairs
- Understand sound and music design, including the functions of sound, diegetic and non-diegetic sound, and how sound creates mood, place, time and meaning4Q&A pairs
- Understand stage configurations, including proscenium, thrust, theatre-in-the-round and traverse staging, and how each shapes sightlines, staging and the audience relationship6Q&A pairs