“As students work with drama techniques, they learn to use spoken and written language with increasing control and confidence and to communicate effectively using body language, movement, and space. As they perform, analyse, and respond to different forms of drama and theatre, they gain a deeper appreciation of their rich cultural heritage and language and new power to examine attitudes, behaviours, and values.” The NZ Curriculum 2007 The drama curriculum focusses
on three main areas:
Drama Performance, Creation and Studies. Drama Performance:
Students have opportunities
to grow their confidence through drama performances. Performance work is
scaffolded to ensure students feel safe and free to express themselves.
Performance work teaches self-confidence, resilience, elocution, discipline,
time-management, organisation, self-awareness, focus, accountability.
Drama Creation:
Devising a drama is creating
an original drama from a scratch. It teaches creative thinking, collaboration,
communication skills, accountability, teamwork, initiative, and problem
solving. Students can devise drama based on an historical event, a picture,
a poem, a newspaper article, a sound effect, a prop, a situation, a script
extract or a concept such as kaitiakitanga.
Drama Studies:
Students study different
theatre genres and styles which leads to a deepen understanding of history and
culture. Students view and research the purposes of production,
performance, and technologies of drama in a range of contexts, including New
Zealand drama.