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Home > Drama > HSC Course > Group Performance > The Group Performance

The Group Performance

In the Group Performance each student collaborates with the group in devising a piece of original theatre, based on a theme, concept, issue, idea or image taken from the Group Performance list. The Group Performance list is available from the Board of Studies web site.

Before you start your Group Performance you should check the guidelines so that you follow them carefully. These can be found on the Board of Studies web site in Support Documents, Marking Guidelines.

Board of Studies information about the group performance to check includes:

• current topic list for starting points
• maximum and minimum size of groups
• maximum and minimum duration for presentation
• audience limit
• who cannot be in the audience
• who can be in the audience
• recommended venues for the examination
• guidelines for production effects
• who can and cannot operate technical equipment
• the mark weighting for the group presentation.

If you are in any doubt about the Board of Studies guidelines contact the Board for confirmation on (02) 9367 8111.

The process

Choosing the group for you

Work on the group project can start from the beginning of Term 2. The Group Performance will take the majority of class time from this point on.

Groups can be formed in a variety of ways. Some common ways are:

• formed by the teacher alone or after consultation with the class
• formed by students alone, based on choice and negotiation, with the teacher
• selected randomly, for example names can be pulled out of a hat
• assigned by teacher after students choose the topic.

Starting with your group

You are going to be working with the people in your group very closely until your Group Performance examination at the end of Term 3. So you have to plan how you are going to work together and what you expect from each other.

Many people use a contract which they work out together; talking about how they all keep in touch, what happens if they are away, how they will share the recording of the process for their logbooks, how they will solve any disagreements.

It is important to sort out these things and to keep working on them because even though you are all marked as individuals, you are involved in a Group Performance so you must work as a team.

Choosing a topic

Your teacher will give you a list of topics provided by the Board of Studies which you will use as a starting point for developing your Group Performance.

To find a suitable topic each group could start by:

• brainstorming and mind-mapping ideas about each of the topics on the list.
• narrowing the choice of topics by making a preliminary list and deleting any that the group rejects.
• recording in your logbooks some ideas based on these three statements:
  • Things I know about…
  • Things I care about…
  • Things I want to explore…
• creating a cut-and-paste collage of images about ideas for the presentation
• collecting things that might relate to the topic and help you to develop ideas. These can be things like:
  • music and musical instruments
  • objects
  • art works and photographs
  • newspaper stories
  • poems
  • songs
  • costumes
  • masks.

Developing the performance

The Group Performance uses a process of playbuilding. Playbuilding involves:

1. selecting an idea or subject
2. collecting relevant information
3. selecting, structuring and developing the material
4. creating roles
5. establishing situations
6. planning
7. making a record of ideas
8. performing
9. reflecting and evaluating.

To develop your performance each group should:

• use improvisation, discussion, research and as wide a variety of stimulus material as possible
• talk to people about your ideas and your performance
• record some rehearsals on video and watch them together
• hotseat characters and create character and role summaries
• explore a variety of presentation styles and techniques
• develop individual and group warm-up ideas.

Experiment as much as you can, but very soon you must MAKE SOME
DECISIONS

Refining the performance

When you have been working on ideas and you have developed some parts of your Group Performance you will need to start to refine it so that it becomes a smooth and coherent performance piece.

You could:

• videotape a performance and show it to a variety of people for comment
• try doing the performance with no words to check on the use of the stage and the links to different scenes
• check carefully through the marking criteria and look at how you meet each requirement
• check your production effects and see if they add meaning to your work
• exaggerate the voice and movement to see if that adds variety and meaning
• try performing scenes in different styles for instance operatic or soap opera.

Remember to record all the steps of development
and your reflections on them in your logbook.

Time line

Term 2

Weeks 1–4 Choosing the topic: Brainstorming, hot seating, preparing character profiles, developing ideas and random scenes. Writing in logbook.

Weeks 5–8 Developing the performance: Focussing on particular topic and developing scenes around that idea. Writing and reflecting in the logbook.

Weeks 9–10 Performance for drama night: A chance for feedback and evaluation. Writing and reflecting in logbook.

Term 3

Weeks 1–4 Refining the Group Performance

• Finalise script
• Check production effects (keep them minimal)
• Check logbook
• Check and sign examination paperwork.

Weeks 5: Drama HSC Practical Examinations.

Important questions to ask yourself while you are developing your performance

1. Have I checked the criteria in the HSC Guidelines?
2. What can I do best to show my performance skills?
3. Have I thought about the development of my character or role?
4. What is the message our group wants to communicate?
5. Are we using the performance area effectively?
6. How have we established an actor–audience relationship?
7. Do we show that we are working well as a group?

The logbook

The logbook is meant to be a record of your involvement in the development of your Group Performance. It should be with you all the time and you should record each day’s work. Remember to:

• date it
• describe what your group did that day and how you felt about it
• write what problems you are having and what you are doing about those problems
• include any staging or costume ideas you have
• record what you are learning from working with the group
• include any materials you use: brainstorming notes, articles, photos, poems, songs, interviews, drawings and quotes
• record any advice or comments you get from other people
• record all ideas and material you create and explore, even if eventually you don’t use them in your performance
• include a record of the final product.

As the examination day approaches

Have we timed the performance and checked that it is between 8–12 minutes in length?

Do we have a written script to give to anyone doing production?

Have we checked on all production and rehearsed all aspects?

Have we prepared our logbooks?

Have we given our photographs to the teacher for our examination marking sheet?

Have we checked all transitions throughout the performance and checked that they work?

Have we planned for any costume that may be necessary?

What will happen on the examination day?

Two or three examiners will come to the school and the group performances will be examined first. If there are any Individual Projects (Performance), they will usually be examined after all Group Performances are complete.

The examiners will ask each group to stand in front of them. They will then check each student’s examination numbers and make sure they can identify each person in the group as individuals.

The examiners will ask the group to begin and they will start a stopwatch. If the group goes over time it will be asked to stop. At the end of its performance, the group will have a brief interview with the examiners.