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Staging and Design

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do costume, props and makeup tell an audience who a character is and what a moment means, and how can a single object carry symbolic weight?

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 meaning
A focused answer to the O-Level Drama outcome on costume, props and makeup. What costume and makeup communicate about character, period and status, the use of personal and set props, and how an object can become a symbol.
8 min answer →

How does lighting do far more than let an audience see, and which lighting choices create place, time, mood, focus and meaning?

Understand lighting design, including the functions of stage lighting and how intensity, colour, direction and changes create visibility, mood, focus, time and meaning
A focused answer to the O-Level Drama outcome on lighting design. The functions of stage lighting and how intensity, colour, direction, area and changes create visibility, mood, focus, time of day and meaning for an audience.
8 min answer →

How does the set and the use of stage space create the world of a piece, carry meaning and shape how an audience feels and where they look?

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 staging
A focused answer to the O-Level Drama outcome on set design and the use of stage space. How a set establishes place, period, mood and meaning, the value of simple and symbolic sets, and how the arrangement of space serves staging.
8 min answer →

How do sound and music shape what an audience feels, where and when a scene is set, and the meaning of a moment, and what is the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic sound?

Understand sound and music design, including the functions of sound, diegetic and non-diegetic sound, and how sound creates mood, place, time and meaning
A focused answer to the O-Level Drama outcome on sound and music. The functions of sound design, the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic sound, and how sound and music create mood, place, time, tension and meaning.
8 min answer →

How does the shape of the playing space and its relationship to the audience change how a piece is staged and experienced?

Understand stage configurations, including proscenium, thrust, theatre-in-the-round and traverse staging, and how each shapes sightlines, staging and the audience relationship
A focused answer to the O-Level Drama outcome on stage configurations. Proscenium, thrust, theatre-in-the-round and traverse staging, their sightlines and demands, and how each shapes staging and the relationship with the audience.
8 min answer →