Higher Drama SQA

Acting Concepts

Characterisation

• Explore the background and motivation of your character to make your performance believable.
• Show different moods and emotions through gestures, facial expression, and voice modulation.
• Emphasize on key moments and understand the peaks and valleys of the character's emotional journey.
• Use character development to tell a story, ensure character changes and grows throughout the performance.

Voice and Speech

• Avoid monotonous voice; use variations in tone, pitch, pace, volume and rhythm to better express character.
• Use projection and clarity; ensure your dialogues are clear and audible.
• Implement speech techniques like pause, stress (emphasis on words), accent to distinguish character and context.
• Incorporate voice modulation to convey different emotions, situations and atmospheres.

Physicality

• Evoke character through body language and physical movement; how the character sits, walks, interacts physically says a lot about them.
• Highlight character traits through use of space; the personality could be expressed on how your character interacts with the space around.
• Show differences in characters using posture and gesture; even small changes like how a character holds their hands can make them distinctive.

Role and Responsibility

• Understand the responsibility of character on stage; consider how your actions might affect other performers.
• Consider interaction with other characters; understand the power dynamics, relationships, and conflicts between the characters.
• Be aware of blocking; your movements around the stage can add another layer to the performance.

Improvisation and Adaptability

• Train in improvisation skills to adapt if something unexpected happens on stage.
• Show ability to react in character to unexpected events; maintain your character even while dealing with a surprise.
• Master quick change of strategies if something goes wrong on stage, like forgetting lines or a prop's failure.

Performance Analysis

• Understand how to analyse a performance; examine characterisation, use of space, voice work, physicality and themes.
• Develop ability to give and take feedback; truly constructive feedback can help develop your performance.
• Reflect and learn from previous performances; always look for ways to better your performance.