Stone Cold by Robert Swindells

The Edexcel unit 3 asks students to create a ‘unique and original piece of theatre’. It expects that they will apply the knowledge and understanding they gained in units 1 and 2 to create their piece, and they will be assessed on both the creative process and the finished product.

The unit allows students to produce a piece of drama based on stimulus materials; to that
end, this scheme of work offers ideas, suggestions and stimuli, helping you to guide your students to create a piece of work on the theme of homelessness. In response to the stimuli, students can move in any number of directions, perhaps even deciding on a final piece that is quite far removed from the stimuli.

This is all part of the process we want to encourage. Stone Cold offers many relevant stimuli; strong characters that we feel an affinity to as well as strong socio-historical elements based on contemporary culture which can spark a whole range of reactions from students.

Each session will give teachers practical ideas of how to tackle the theme and plenty of material to guide students in their practical work. In addition to the thematic work offered I have referred in some depth to Antonin Artaud as a practitioner, aiming to create work based on strong theoretical concepts.

Learning objectives:
The unit focuses on a group production in response to stimulus materials, themes, ideas, issues or published plays and students should be given the opportunity to:

• Create an original piece of drama
• Apply the knowledge and experience gained in the AS units
• Work co-operatively in a creative context
• Develop drama and theatre through background research and practical exploration
• Synthesise and apply knowledge of dramatic forms and genres
• Explore stylistic features of performance
• Perform a created piece of drama to an identified audience
• Engage and work as a member of a group
• Respond to the initial stimulus material, theme, issue or a published play
• Develop clear aims and intentions
• As a member of a group, develop ideas for the intended audience
• Research, develop, shape and refine ideas
• Make creative and artistic decisions in relation to their aims and intentions
• Demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of drama and theatre gained through
• Other units of the course
• Undertake relevant research activity

Number of Lessons: 7