Drama Essay Questions. (1 Viewer)

[Will_Sparky]

Well as much as I'd hate to admit it, HSC exams are coming up and we need to get together some practice essay questions. Here are the ones from a few HSC's to get us started. Please keep this thread on topic and spam free .

Australian Drama

• How does the Australian drama you have studied use particular forms and conventions to explore significant experiences of living in this country?
  
  
• 'Australian plays make ordinary situations and issues more interesting by the way they are staged.’
  
  Discuss to what extent theatrical techniques and styles are used to entertain and challenge an audience in the Australian drama that you have studied.
  
  
• ‘The weakness of Australian drama is that it relies on stereotyped characters to explore serious social and personal issues.’
  
  Discuss this statement, considering the challenges and opportunities for people staging productions of the plays you have studied.
  
• "The function of Australian Drama has always been the development of a unique Australian identity. This identity is inextricably linked to the land"
  
  Discuss this statement with reference to Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and Mother and Son (Try for Cont. Aust.)
  

Absurdism

• ‘Most plays in the Theatre of the Absurd include elements of the violent, the
  illogical and the hopeless — this is what makes them so funny.’
  
  Discuss this statement, referring to the style and dramatic techniques of Waiting for Godot and TWO other texts set for study.
  
  
• ‘Nothing to be done.’
  
  The first line from Waiting for Godot could be said to sum up the Theatre of the
  Absurd, except that there’s always something happening.
  
  Discuss this statement with reference to the theatrical features and dramatic action of theTheatre of the Absurd as realised in performance. You must refer to Waiting for Godot and TWO other texts set for study.
  
  
• ‘Human interactions are central to Absurdist drama, but the plays show that these are ultimately meaningless.’
  
  Discuss this statement, showing how the performance of the plays you have studied might present optimistic and pessimistic images of the human condition. In your answer, refer to Waiting for Godot and TWO other plays set for study.
  
• "Absurd Drama is the theatrical expression of intellectual ideas"
  
  Imagine that you are a director and have been employed to direct two absurd plays. One is Waiting For Godot, the other is either The Zoo Story or The Dumb Waiter. Explain how you would use the stylistic devices inherent in absurdism to express the fundamental philosophies behind the style. in your answer, refer to key practioners and theorists.
  
  

Meyerhold

• Identify the most important theatrical innovations in Meyerhold’s work and discuss their significance for today’s theatre.
  
  
• Discuss how Meyerhold used physical actions to express emotional relationships between characters, with reference to Figure 1 and other examples you have studied, including relevant contemporary theatre.
  
  
• ‘Meyerhold worked to tear down the boundaries that separate theatre from life.’
  
  Discuss this statement, highlighting the ongoing relevance of Meyerhold’s theatrical innovations for the contemporary stage.
  
  

American Drama

• ‘American drama examines moral dilemmas that are real but the dramatic styles used are not realistic.’
  Discuss this statement with reference to TWO of the texts set for study.
  
  
• The American plays set for study use expressionist and symbolist techniques in order to change people’s perceptions of the world.
  
  Discuss the dramatic techniques that might be used to produce TWO of these plays in 2002 so as to create relevant and challenging theatrical experiences.
  
  
• ‘American drama has always found new theatrical forms to explore the changing American identity.’
  
  Discuss this statement, showing how dramatic techniques can be used to present images, on the stage, of living in America. In your answer, refer to TWO of the plays set for study.
  

Irish Drama (Only 2003 Available)

• ‘Irish theatre always deals with conflicting ideas about what it means to be Irish.’
  
  Discuss this statement, showing how the plays you have studied could be staged so as to produce a range of ideas and images of Ireland and the Irish. In your answer, refer to TWO of the texts set for study.

Brecht (Only 2003 Available)

• ‘Brecht’s theatre was designed to prevent the spectators from remaining passive observers.’
  
  Discuss how Brecht used his practice of epic staging and other dramatic techniques to jolt audiences into thought and action. In your answer, refer to TWO of the plays set for study.

 

[flipsyde]

thanx sparky

 

[Ashleet]

Practice Questions - Irish Drama and Australian Drama(Bush and City)

Thought you guys could use these. Came across these when I was using some of my old drama stuff for my uni course, so they are from when I did these 2 topics last year (Mother and Son, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, The Plough and the Stars and the Playboy of the Western World)

Australian Drama (Bush and City)

HSC question: "The weakness of Australian drama is that it reiles on stereotyped characters to explore serious social and personal issues." Discuss this statement, considering the challenges and opportunities for people stagingproductions of the plays you hae studies.


1. "Drama and theatre examines the relationship between Australian characters as well as the environment they inhabit." Discuss.

2. "Theatre in its content and style reflects the society from which it springs." Discuss.

3. Antonin Artaud once described theatre as "a double or mirror of society from which both reflects society and influences it." To what extent is this true of Australian drama and theatre?

4. Dymphna Cusack remarked at the Adelaide Arts Festival..."If the spirit of the bush walked down Martin Place, it would beraped before it got 10 feet." Evaluate this statement in relation to Australian playwirghts representations of the Bush and the City on the Australian stage, refering to the texts you have studies.

Irish Drama

HSC Question: "Irish theatre always deals with conflicting ideas abou what it means to be Iris." Discuss this statement, showing how the plays you have studied could be staged so s to produce a range of ideas and images of Ireland and the Irish.

1."Irish drama uses particular dramatic techniques to examine the ways in which religious and political influences influence the life of the Irish." Discuss.

2. "Theatre in its content and style reflects the society from which it springs." Discuss.

3. "Modern Irish Dramatists have worked hard to ensure that their work is reflective of the social, political, cultural and historical context from which it is born." Discuss.

4.Antonin Artaud once described theatre as "a double or mirror of society from which both reflects society and influences it." To what extent is this true of Irish drama and theatre?

5. William Allingham commented in the 19th century that...."Not men and women in an Iris street, but Catholics and Protestants that you met." With this concept in mind how does modern Irish drama present the religious and political contexts of the people of Ireland on stage?

If you need any help or have any questions contact me via email.
Hope this helps

 

[Skillo]

Thanks for the questions guys. However, after doing plans for the past HSC paper questions I am now seeking questions from class exercises (NOT TRIALS).
i.e. questions formulated by your class teacher...NOT for trials...lol

Esp. questions on Brecht. We've only used the past HSC one...GRRR.

Love from your fellow stresssed chickadee Skiillloooo.

 

[grk_styl]

Skillo, I know ur doing Brecht, but if you're doing Australian Bush and City Theatre/Drama then the last question Will posted up was from an assessment task NOT from a past paper. But that only helps u if ur doing Bush and City theatre. lol

 

[Skillo]

aha. I've always been a Contemporary Australian Theatre gal myself. Its all good. Tomorrow I've got my Drama trial, so yeah...

FREAK OUT! First day of trials tomoz. Good luck everyone. CHHOOOOKKKAASS!!

 

[skankit]

oh my god ashleet, how hard are your irish questions?? ours ave been so broad so far, like "How do the playwrights represent the world of the irish on stage?"

IM GONNA DIE... i hate irish. australian you always know what they'll ask, its always the same thing... but irish.. you neve know!

 

[rowie]

this is the question we had for our trial im not sure if it was a catholic trail or whatever but i thought the question for aust contemporary was pretty good.

"if theatre holds up a mirror to life, Australian theatre must hold up many mirrors if it hopes to reflect the diversity of the nation's cultures, interactions and environment."
how is australia's diversity relfected in the writing performance and design of its theatre? in your answer you should refer to TWO texts set for the topic you have studied.

 

[Will_Sparky]

This is a trial paper. Could somebody please find and post the CSSA trial?

Australian Drama

"The narrative world of Australian plays strives to capture the changing cultural context of what it means to be Australian."

Is this description true of the issues, characters and the impact on the audience of the TWO Australian plays you have studied?

In your answer you should refer to at least TWO texts from the topic you have studied.


Absurdism:

"Absurdist plays are no longer relevant. Even their comic moments are no longer funny on the contemporary stage."

Assess this statement with reference to the concept and content of Theatre of the Abusurd and the theatrical conventions that it used.

In your answer you must refer to Waiting for Godot and TWO other plays set for study.


Irish Drama:

"It's not just the language and the characters. It's the image and contexts of Ireland itself that are captured on the stage."

Discuss this statement with reference to your experience of the content, the characters and the theatrical styles and techniques used in TWO Irish plays you have studied.


Brecht:

Through your experiences and study of TWO of Brecht's plays, discuss how the message ot and impact on an audience were central to his theories of theatre making and how he used specific staging and dramatic techniques to achieve this didactic apporach.


Environmental, Street and Event Theatre:

"... when you use the space you happen to be in, you use it all - the stiars the windows the street, the doors..."
Peter Schuman, Bread and Puppet Theatre

Discuss how different spaces and goals affected the way environmental, street and event theatre movements developed their performances, and how you used specifice spaces and techniques to develop your own special event performances.


Meyerhold:

"The fantastic will exist in its own right on the stage."
Meyerhold

How did Meyerhold innovate with such things as theatrical traditions, masks and the grotesque to achieve 'the fantastic'?


American Drama:

"American playwrights of the past set out to challange the audiences of their time by using Expressionist and Symbolist techniques in essentially realist plays."

Why were these an techniques effective? How could 21st Century theatrical techniques be similarly used to challange contemporary productions of their plays?

In your answer you should refer to TWO of the texts set for study


Seventeenth Century Comedy:

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream

How could Puck's words be said to describe the satiric intent of the 17th Century playwrights you have studied, and the characters and situations portrayed in their plays?

In your answer refer to The Misanthrope and ONE other text set for study.

 

[Will_Sparky]

Does anyone use these? , hoping I can make one person's study easier!

2001 Speciman Exam released by the Board of Studies:

Aust:

'Drama and theatre in their content and style reflect the society from which they spring.'

To what extent is this true of the Australian topic you have studied?



Absurdism:

'Theatre of the Absurd introduced theatrical innovations that continue to provide a challenge to the values of its audiences.'

To what extent do you agree with this statement in relation to Waiting for Godot and TWO other texts set for study?



Environmental, Street and Event Theatre:

'Environmental, street and event theatre challenges the conventions previously considered necessary for effective theatrical production.'

Evalutate the statement in relation to different forms of environmental, street and event theatre.



Meyerhold:

How did Meyerhold use a wide range of different theatrical techniques to radically challenge the restrictions of naturalistic theatre?

In your answer refer to specific productions you have studied.



American Drama:

'American drama extends realism through the use of expressionist and symoblist techniques.'

Evaluate this statement in relation to the ways in which TWO of the texts set for study might be produced on the Contemporary Stage.



Seventeeth Century Comedy:

'The use of traditional character types from popular theatre traditions in seventeenth century comedy still offers relevant social satire to contemporary audiences.'

Evaluate this statement in relation to performance of The Misanthrope and ONE other text set for study.

 

[green_appletini]

I have 2 Brecht Essay questions, hope these help!:

- "In his plays, Brecht uses many techniques to make his intent clear to his audience." Discuss this statement with reference to 2 prescribed texts.

- The scale of Brecht's plays, both in terms of plot and staging, serves a specific political agenda. Discuss this statement with reference to 2 prescribed texts.

Here's 1 for Contemporary Australian Theatre:

- Australian drama and theatre utilises both dramatic action and the elements of production to explore how individuals are alienated by society.
Discuss this statement with specific reference to the use of dramatic forms, styles and conventions. In your answer, you should refer to at least 2 set texts for the topic you have studied.

marilia- xoxo :uhhuh:

 

[grk_styl]

thanks darl, you're a champ! Did u stick in the ones from the trial we both got?? I can't remember the question, so I don't know if u added it.

 

[Skillo]

Thanks for the Brecht questions Green Appletini.

I've had no success with finding the CSSA trial...anyone else? I'm going into school tomoz to see if my teacher ended up getting it.

7 days to go.

 

[grk_styl]

did u get the cssa trial paper kt???

 

[neo o]

'American drama extends realism through the use of expressionist and symoblist techniques.'

Ouch thatd be a nice one to get, since its pretty much all i write about anyway!

 

[miss_unsquiggle]

hey
ok our CSSA trial on Brecht was:
"Comment on some of the dramatic techniques, including epic staging, emplyed by Brecht in order to achieve his artistic and political goals"

 

[miss_unsquiggle]

I also just found some more revision questions:

What images of society are given in two of Brecht's plays?

Discuss this question in relation to Brecht's attitude to society at the time of his writings



Brecht wanted his audiences to remain "detatched from the characters in his plays, as he believed that if the became too emotionally involved with the plight or the suffering of his characters, thgis would prevent them from understanding clearly the message of the play

Discuss this with reference to the techniques used by brecht in attempts to achieve this "detatchment" and the main characters of two plays studied


How did Brecht achieve his aims through his form of theatre?
discuss with reference to two plays

 

[Skillo]

Didn't end up getting the CSSA Trial peoples.

I'm totally farked if the Brecht question is to do with his political aims...

 

[Smashing Crabs]

I was just wondering if youre able to help me out with the Bush and City assessment for Drama? Any notesor links you may have would be an excellent help to me! Im stressing pretty bad because I REALLY suck at the theory side.
Thanx
Tegan xxx

 

[Will_Sparky]

Check the notes section of the bored of studies site, a whole new bunch were recently added.

Also check out the HSC drama links thread in this forum.