HSC Drama cheat sheet

Improvisation builds material from a given stimulus; the stimulus is the starting point, not the finished idea, and must be documented in the logbook with its date and source.

Devised work requires a documented process: stimulus, research, improvisation trials, scripting, rehearsal drafts and evaluation entries form the evidence a marker looks for.

The dramatic elements are tension, contrast, space, time, sound, rhythm, mood, symbol and focus; the elements are the raw materials a maker selects and combines, not a checklist to include all at once.

The performance styles each carry conventions: for example, absurdist theatre uses circular dialogue and non-logical structure, while commedia dell'arte uses fixed stock characters (lazzi routines) and half masks.

Theatrical conventions are agreed rules of performance - direct address, aside, soliloquy, tableau, freeze, slow motion, chorus, mask, puppetry - chosen to serve meaning rather than decoration.

Structuring a piece usually follows a dramatic arc: exposition, inciting incident, rising action with complications, climax, falling action, resolution; non-linear structures deliberately reorder these.

Dramatic tension has identifiable types: tension of the task, of relationships, of surprise, of mystery, and of the audience's anticipation of what might happen next.

When working from a script, the playwright's stage directions and dialogue punctuation carry intent; cuts and additions must be justified in the logbook as interpretation, not convenience.

Collaborative devising uses role division - dramaturg, director, designer, performer - and each role's contribution should be traceable in the group's process documentation.

Vocal production rests on breath support from the diaphragm, open resonance in the pharynx and controlled airflow; projection is supported breath, not shouting.

The actor's vocal elements are pitch, pace, pause, volume, tone, articulation, emphasis and inflection; each is a deliberate choice that can be annotated on a script.

Movement elements are alignment, balance, locomotion, gesture, facial expression, weight, energy, direction and stillness; blocking records where and when each occurs.

Characterisation is built from given circumstances (who, where, when, relationships), objectives (what the character wants), obstacles and tactics used to overcome them.

Status is played through eye contact, spatial height, who initiates touch, who interrupts and who holds silence; status shifts can be scripted as turning points.

Ensemble performance depends on shared focus, listening, picking up cues and consistent spatial awareness; upstaging and breaking focus damage the group's coherence.

The performer's relationship with the audience is a deliberate choice: fourth-wall realism ignores the audience, presentational styles include them as witness or participant.

Rehearsal progresses through read-through, blocking, character work, runs and technical and dress rehearsals; each stage has distinct goals and evidence of refinement.

Warm-up before performance covers physical mobilisation and vocal preparation; cool-down and vocal rest protect the instrument across a performance season.

A written response must describe what was done, analyse how it was done using drama terminology, and evaluate the effect on the audience; description alone does not reach the higher bands.

Production elements to analyse are set, costume, lighting, sound, direction, casting, staging and publicity; each is judged by its contribution to the production's meaning, not by spectacle.

Lighting analysis uses colour, intensity, angle, focus, specials and cue timing; a lighting choice is significant when it changes the audience's reading of a scene.

Sound analysis distinguishes diegetic (motivated within the world of the play) from non-diegetic (underscoring outside it) and considers live versus recorded sources.

Audience response is shaped by proxemics - distance and arrangement of performer and spectator - including thrust, proscenium, in-the-round and traverse staging.

The critic's evidence is specific: a named moment, a described gesture, a quoted line, a lighting state; generalised praise or complaint is not analysis.

Context informs interpretation: a production's era, company, cultural setting and directorial concept can reposition a classic text, and that repositioning is itself analysable.

Australian drama study includes Indigenous theatre practice, where consultation, cultural authority and protocols of representation are part of the work's meaning, not an afterthought.

Comparing two productions of the same text requires a consistent criterion - directorial concept, design, acting style or audience address - applied to both.