AS 90608 (3.2) Interpret Scripted Text and Integrate Drama Techniques in Solo Or Paired

Drama Exemplar

AS 90608 (3.2) Interpret scripted text and integrate drama techniques in solo or paired performance– Level 3, version 3

Excellence

This exemplar provides extracts from recorded documentationfor the first criterionat theExcellence level with comments provided to indicate reasons for this judgement. The extracts are typical of the whole portfolio.

The first criterion:

Achieved / Merit / Excellence
Interpret scripted text and select a range of appropriate drama techniques for performance / Interpret scripted text and select a range of appropriate drama techniques for performance / Interpret scripted text perceptively and select a range of appropriate drama techniques for performance

Notes:

The evidence has been provided in a two column format. The first column has the student evidence. The second column provides comment explaining why the evidence is at the Excellence level.

Explanatory Note 7 of the standard states “Interpret means to read, identify, analyse and find meaning that is appropriate, and that can be translated into performance”.

Explanatory Note 6 states “Evidence must include a portfolio that includes an annotated script and detailed interpretation of the extract in relation to the play, and justification of techniques. Students are required to readthe playtext and the scene for performance with attention to detail. They should understand how the role has grown out of what has gone before in the play and how this scene shapes future events in the play for the character. Selection of techniques for performance needs to be seen as a natural result of the depth of understanding of the text. This is about how sighted techniques demonstrate textual meaning, rather than about how many techniques can be sighted. An audience should not be so aware of the individual techniques being played out but of the impact of the whole role. Careful selection will be a very conscious thing. The student must be in control of and responsible for performance choices. It is not appropriate for the teacher to be working as director for this standard.

Perceptively refers to the depth and breadth of thinking about the scripted text and how drama techniques communicate this. It is expected at the Excellence grade that students will explore the layers of the role and make insightful comment about the role within the text.

Overall comment

The Excellencegrade is awarded for the first criterion for the following reasons:

The student has read the play closely several times and made perceptive comment about the world of the character within the whole context of the play
The student has interpreted the role for performance, providing evidence for a depth of understanding of character motivation
The student has provided justification for choices for performance, both within the commentary and on the well annotated script.

The student plays Biff from Death of a Salesman

Extracts of student evidence / Comment
I am performing two scenes from the play. The first being the bedroom scene in which I am talking to Happy about my dreams and future. The second scene is towards the end of the play where Biff is finally confronting his father about his life. I am Biff Loman, 34, I have worked on farms in Texas, Arizona, Dakota and Nebraska in the past few years. I find it hard to settle down. Before I moved out to the West I lived with my mother and father in a small house in New York. I am also a kleptomaniac. / The student provides some details about the character’s background. The selection of scenes provides opportunity for contrasting emotion.
The drama takes place in the house. In the first scene Happy and I are contemplating our lives and talking about our father’s habit of talking to himself. My father has expressed his dislike about my current line of work. Earlier that morning my father and I had an argument about my future. / The student provides details about a significant relationship in the play – that of Biff and his father.
In the kitchen scene Happy and I have just returned home after abandoning my incoherent father at a restaurant after a heated argument. The argument originated from my realisation in which I admitted to myself that I had no place or interest in the business world. I am tired of the pointless lies and arrogance that have been holding our family together for so many years and I am tired of lying to myself. I am now eager to confront my father for the last time and tell him I am leaving for good. Willy needs to understand that. / The student provides insight into the character’s motivation for the scene to follow. In providing a rationale for the argument in the restaurant by exploring the inner desires of the character, the student moves into the ‘perceptive’ range of the Excellence grade for interpretation of text. The final comment also provides evidence of a driving force or motivation for the scene to come.
Willy and I have a cold relationship due to our mutual dislike for each other. After I walked in on him with another woman 17 years ago my judgement of him changed completely. I regard him as a fake. Willy expects me to be a successful businessman and I want to break free from the pressures of that world. We constantly disagree and argue. We share a common dislike but underneath we wish for each other’s acceptance. / The final comment is a powerful one but would be enhanced with some evidence for how the student becomes aware of this through the events of the play.
Linda and I have a fairly distant relationship. My absence in the household frustrates and saddens her. My dislike for Willy saddens her as she just wants the family to get along like we used to. When I express my dislike for Willy she gets angry and defends him. / Comment on how the role impacts on other roles in the play, provides breadth of information.
I want to live the life I want, follow my dreams and remove my father’s blind faith in myself. The objective is to confront him for the last time and set things straight. / The character’s objective is very clear.
The main obstacle for Biff is his father, Willy. Willy has always talked highly of Biff. He has always told Biff he is going to be amazing in life, usually either a famous football player or a rich businessman. After seeing his father as a fake, Biff became lost in a way, not sure what to do with his life. This was a pivotal point in which the character lost his confidence and his way in life.This disgusted and greatly disappointed Willy. Up until the final confrontation in the play Biff’s main obstacle is the constant expectation and disappointment Willy has towards him. Because of this pressure Biff’s mind has become cloudy, even lying to himself about his future. This is another obstacle for Biff. / The student reflects on the inner life of the character – there is perception in the comments about Biff becoming lost and lying to himself.
The Laban movement that is best associated with Biff is the wringer. Biff is constantly suppressing emotion, often poorly. He is always trying to express himself calmly, always with some deep emotion underneath. This deeper emotion always manages to break through. / The student uses Laban’s theory to help explain the inner nature of the role. It is not the Laban movement that becomes important here but the underlying information about the role that it highlights.
Biff is not confident so I stutter often and stand slightly hunched due to nervousness and insecurity. This changes at the end of the play where I speak clearly and confidently and straighten my posture. When I portray Biff as a teenager I stand firmly, upright and powerful as Biff was an overconfident and arrogant teenager. I use pause a lot in Biff’s dialogue as it helps me to portray the emotion. When I am angry, pause adds to my inner tension. When I am angry and frustrated I also breathe between words. / The student is able to make selection based on the understanding of the role.
The first time I read the play I took great pity for Biff. I felt that Biff was the main victim of the play. After the second reading I began to realise that Biff isn’t as innocent as I believed him to be at first. Biff causes his own problems in a lot of cases and he constantly lies to himself up until the end of the play. This is when I realised I needed to bring these darker aspects of Biff into the open, so the audience realises that like Willy, Biff is deeply flawed character. I also wanted to bring some shame into his character – especially his shame of being a kleptomaniac. / EN 6 of the standard states that the written portfolio must be submitted before the performance. This is to ensure that students have completed a process of analysis and made selection of techniques as a result of this, prior to performance. It would be expected that students would work in an on-going fashion to explore and analyse role, trial and refine their use of the techniques, in the playing out of the role. The analysis and the trialling of the characterisation become interchangeable. As students begin to play out the role, they may become aware of other aspects of the role that the reading of the text did not bring to light. Reflective comment made, as in this extract, is acceptable as evidence. There is an expectation in the Explanatory Note that this reflective comment would be made during, as well as after, rehearsals. Interpretation and selection are aspects of pre performance work.
Extracts from annotation of text –

“What’s he say about me?” Fast paced, as soon as Happy finishes his line, so you can hear Biff’s frustration and eagerness
Staring at Happy, searching for an answer
“There’s one or two other things depressing him, Happy”. An almost ridiculing voice, unsatisfied with Happy’s answer
“Well, I spent six or seven years..” speak with enthusiasm, true desire
Pause to show pain
“Maybe I oughta get married” slight chuckle, disbelieving in himself
Drops hand, in defeat
“Exactly what is it that you want from me?” speak with contempt and quiet hatred
“You’re one of the two assistants to the assistant, aren’t you?” no remorse, completely exposing him.

/ The student links choices for performance to a rationale. The explanation or justification adds to the evidence for the perception of the Excellence grade.

Achieved

This exemplar provides extracts from recorded documentation for the first criterion at the Achieved level with comments provided to indicate reasons for this judgement. The extracts are typical of the whole portfolio.

The first criterion:

Commentary:

The first criterion does not distinguish between the Achieved and the Merit grades. The step upwards for the Merit grade lies in the quality of the performance, the second criterion.

Explanatory Note 7 of the standard states “Interpret means to read, identify, analyse and find meaning that is appropriate, and that can be translated into performance”.

Explanatory Note 6 states “Evidence must include a portfolio that includes an annotated script and detailed interpretation of the extract in relation to the play, and justification of techniques. Students are required to readthe play text and the scene for performance with attention to detail. They should understand how the role has grown out of what has gone before in the play and how this scene shapes future events in the play for the character. Selection of techniques for performance needs to be seen as a natural result of the depth of understanding of the text. This is about how sighted techniques demonstrate textual meaning, rather than about how many techniques can be sighted. An audience should not be so aware of the individual techniques being played out but of the impact of the whole role. Careful selection will be a very conscious thing. The student must be in control of and responsible for performance choices. It is not appropriate for the teacher to be working as director for this standard.

Overall comment

The Achieved grade is awarded for the first criterion for the following reasons:

The student provides information about the background situation of the play and states underlying issues within the play but these comments are not developed
Interpretation of the scenes and role is presented in the detailed annotations of the script
The student presents justification for performance choices linking these, at times, to wider issues.
The evidence lacks the depth required for the perception of the Excellence grade.

The student plays Gobi from Krishnan’s Dairy

Extracts of student evidence / Comment
This play is the story of an Indian man named Gobi who has moved to NZ with his wife Zina and son Apu. He has been living in NZ for 12 months and set up business (a dairy). In Gobi’s eyes all is going well until she tells him she doesn’t like NZ and wants to go back to India. This shocks Gobi and he hates the fact that she wants to go back to Mepral. Things become tense between them. Then one day a thief steals from Gobi and yells at him, telling him to go home to India. After this point Gobi starts to think about going home more seriously as he feels unsafe and unwelcome. A few days later the same thief intrudes and shoots Gobi who has just yelled at Zina to call the police. We have interpreted Gobi “crumpling to the ground” as Gobi dying. / The student provides background to the setting and situation of the play. The student begins to interpret the role through the comment on the tension between Gobi and Zina.
I am Gobi Krishnan, 35, Indian, moved from India to NZ, have left family behind in India.
Underlying issues in the play-

Racism is harmful/hurtful
Communication is vital in relationships
Leaving family is not easy
Change can be hard

/ Contemplating the deeper issues in the text is more likely to result in a greater depth of interpretation of the role. The student mentions these issues but does not follow through with examination of where these issues are highlighted in the text or through the action/ dialogue of the character.
We decided to act out the ending but also needed to let the audience understand about issues that came before this. So we are doing a compilation of scenes. / The choice for performance extract has been carefully considered. The student is aware of what the audience will understand as a result of the performance. This is not explained in depth.
The student presents a map of India and highlights the fact that Mepral is a small village in India. There is also research into language and religion in India and into the type of clothing worn. The student links information on clothing to decisions for costume in performance. / While the additional research demonstrates commitment to the work, the actual information presented does not add to the evidence for Achieved. The performance aspect of this standard focuses on the integration of techniques in performance. The selection of costume does not add to the evidence unless movement is likely to be affected by the kind of clothing being worn. The student has not mentioned this.
Gobi and Zina are comfortable with each other. Eye contact and closeness helps to convey different moods such as tension when we are arguing or intimacy when we are having more personal conversations. Tension is clear in the first scene where I look into her eyes sternly and deliver the line “I will raise my voice whenever I want to”.
I have authority over Zina because I know better than her what works and what doesn’t work, selling in a dairy. / The student begins to provide some details for interpretation of the role. Most of this occurs within the annotation of the text.
Excerpts from annotated script-

I ignore her and carry on as though I don’t hear her
I say ‘no’ deeply and sternly because I want her to feel threatened so she’ll say it again. Tensed limbs give my body stiff posture. I don’t like what I am hearing. I don’t understand it. Gobi has brought his wife to NZ for a fresh start. He doesn’t want to know that she is unhappy. I list all the bad things about India to show I’m still trying to convince her to change her mind. I have a confident straight posture to show the power I feel over her.
When the customer arrives, I immediately contrast my manner. I go from using a stern voice to a cheerful tone “Good morning”, higher pitch to show politeness to the customer and contrast my mood with Zina. I don’t want to scare off the customer but I’m still mad at zina so I speak to her in a slow pace and under my breath while keeping my face smiling.
“Hey, did you pay for that” – I speak loudly and quickly. I’m accusing the thief and no longer want to be polite because he isn’t a customer.

/ The student is able to link decisions for performance to the understanding of the text.

I keep myself very busy. I know I have to work hard to make this life work. While speaking, I keep moving, stocking shelves…
I show stern face and angry reaction to the insult but my posture droops and so do my eyes to show sadness after the thief has gone.
I talk about my hopes and dreams in a passionate tone. I want the best for my family. I am frustrated by the action of the thief. There is pain in my voice to show my sad desperation. I don’t know what’s right anymore or if I’m a good person. I don’t know if my dreams are right anymore.
When the thief returns, I drop my arms and raise my head as I yell at Zina to phone the police to show that although I am afraid when I see him get closer to my family I suddenly feel stronger and defensive.

/ These statements link to the action of the scene and the wider play.

Not Achieved