The IB Diploma Program theatre course is a multifaceted theatre-making course of study. It gives you the opportunity to make theatre as creators, designers, directors and performers. It emphasizes the importance of working both individually and collaboratively as part of an ensemble. It offers the opportunity to engage actively in the creative process, transforming ideas into action as inquisitive and productive artists.
Through the study of theatre, you will become aware of your own personal and cultural perspectives, developing an appreciation of the diversity of theatre practices, their processes and their modes of presentation. It will enable you to discover and engage with different forms of theatre across time, place and culture.
Course Description
This class is designed to develop appreciation for theatre while increasing an understanding of oneself and others.
Methods of Instruction
Participation, Performance, Projects, Class Lecture, and Class Discussion.
Course Major Focus
This course will focus on perfecting all the skills learned in previous Theatre/Drama classes. However, previous theatre experience is not required if a student is interested in pursuing a meaningful learning experience in this course.
Performance (individual, group and pair), research on historical/cultural/socio-political theatre. Devising and realizing original works are the major focuses for IB Theatre Arts.
Core Areas of the Course
The theatre syllabus at SL and HL consists of three equal, interrelated areas:
- Theatre in Context
- Theatre in Process
- Presenting Theatre
All students will undertake three assessments in the second year of the programme, with HL students undertaking one further assessment.
This is the only difference to the HL and SL students. The assessments will be as follows:
Solo theatre piece: Students at HL research a theatre theorist they have not previously studied, identify an aspect(s) of their theory and create and present a solo theatre piece (4-8 minutes) based on this aspect(s) of theory.
Director’s notebook: Students at SL and HL choose a published play text they have not previously studied and develop ideas regarding how it could be staged for an audience.
Research presentation: Students at SL and HL plan and deliver an individual presentation (15 minutes maximum) to their peers in which they outline and physically demonstrate their research into a convention of a theatre tradition they have not previously studied.
Collaborative theatre project: Students at SL and HL collaboratively create and present an original piece of theatre (lasting 13 to 15 minutes) for and to a specified target audience, created from a starting point of their choice.
