VCE Drama (Year 11) · Unit 1 — Performance Styles and Contemporary Drama Practices · 11m read

Analysing Your Own Devised Performance

After every devised performance you analyse your work in writing. Good analysis is specific, uses Drama terms and judges effectiveness honestly.

Learning objective: Analyse and evaluate how you used the play-making process, expressive skills, dramatic elements and conventions in your devised performance.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can describe specific moments of my performance.
• I can explain how choices created meaning.
• I can evaluate what worked and what I would change.

Analysis is the director’s replay. Pause on key moments, zoom in, and explain why they worked — or didn’t.

Describe, analyse, evaluate

• DESCRIBE — what happened in a specific moment.
• ANALYSE — which skill, element or convention was used and what it communicated.
• EVALUATE — how effectively it achieved your intention, with a reason.

Sentence model: "In the opening, I [choice] using [term]. This [meaning/effect], which [evaluation]."

Worked example (Medium)

Write an analytical sentence about a moment when the ensemble froze in a tableau as the protagonist spoke her thoughts aloud.

1. Describe and name. Frozen tableau; protagonist steps out using direct address.
2. Effect and evaluation. Contrast between stillness and speech focused the audience; effective.

Answer: "As the ensemble froze in a tableau around the dinner table, Mia stepped out and spoke directly to the audience. The contrast between the frozen family and her urgent voice focused attention on her hidden fears, effectively revealing the gap between appearance and reality."

Common mistakes

• Retelling the plot Analysis focuses on how meaning was made. Fix: Choose two or three key moments and go deep.
• Only praising your work Evaluation is balanced. Fix: Include one improvement.

Practice questions

1. Which is an evaluation?

   1. I stood on a chair.
   2. Standing on the chair effectively showed my character’s growing power.
   3. There were four actors.
   4. The lights were on.

   (1 marks)

2. Analyse one moment from your devised performance where you used a convention.

   (3 marks)

Summary

• Describe, analyse, evaluate.
• Use Drama terminology.
• Focus on key moments.
• Balance strengths with improvements.