Recall — GCSE Flashcards
🎭 GCSE Drama Flashcards
Practitioners, techniques and analysis — 10 free revision cards. Study them below, or add the whole deck to Recall and let FSRS spaced repetition schedule your revision so it actually sticks.
Who was Konstantin Stanislavski and what is his "system"?
Russian practitioner (1863-1938). Founder of naturalistic acting.
Key ideas: emotional memory, the magic "if" (what would I do if...?), given circumstances, objectives and super-objectives. Aim: truthful, believable performance.
Key ideas: emotional memory, the magic "if" (what would I do if...?), given circumstances, objectives and super-objectives. Aim: truthful, believable performance.
Who was Bertolt Brecht and what is Verfremdungseffekt?
German practitioner (1898-1956). Created Epic Theatre — anti-naturalistic, politically engaged.
Verfremdungseffekt = "alienation effect". Techniques (placards, direct address, song) remind the audience they're watching a play so they think critically instead of empathising.
Verfremdungseffekt = "alienation effect". Techniques (placards, direct address, song) remind the audience they're watching a play so they think critically instead of empathising.
Name 5 vocal skills an actor can vary.
1. Pitch — high or low
2. Pace/Tempo — fast or slow
3. Volume — loud or quiet
4. Tone — emotional quality
5. Accent/Articulation
(Also: pause, emphasis, breath control.)
2. Pace/Tempo — fast or slow
3. Volume — loud or quiet
4. Tone — emotional quality
5. Accent/Articulation
(Also: pause, emphasis, breath control.)
Name 5 physical skills an actor uses.
1. Posture
2. Gait/Walk
3. Gesture
4. Facial expression
5. Body language / proxemics
(Also: stillness, levels, eye contact.)
2. Gait/Walk
3. Gesture
4. Facial expression
5. Body language / proxemics
(Also: stillness, levels, eye contact.)
What is proxemics?
The use of space and distance between performers (and between performers and audience) to convey meaning — power, intimacy, conflict.
Example: A character standing far upstage from another suggests emotional or physical distance.
Example: A character standing far upstage from another suggests emotional or physical distance.
What is physical theatre?
A style that prioritises movement, gesture and body over text to tell a story.
Practitioners: Frantic Assembly (Hymns, build/break), DV8, Complicite. Techniques include lifts, ensemble work, choreographed sequences.
Practitioners: Frantic Assembly (Hymns, build/break), DV8, Complicite. Techniques include lifts, ensemble work, choreographed sequences.
What is the difference between proscenium and traverse staging?
Proscenium arch: audience faces the stage from one side — "fourth wall". Most traditional theatres.
Traverse: audience on two opposite sides of a long playing area — like a catwalk. Forces actors to play both sides.
Traverse: audience on two opposite sides of a long playing area — like a catwalk. Forces actors to play both sides.
Name 4 other types of staging.
Thrust: audience on three sides (e.g. Shakespeare's Globe).
In the round: audience on all four sides.
End on: like proscenium but no arch.
Promenade: audience moves with the action through different spaces.
In the round: audience on all four sides.
End on: like proscenium but no arch.
Promenade: audience moves with the action through different spaces.
What are stage directions (USR/DSC etc.)?
Positions from the actor's perspective facing the audience.
| USR | US | USL |
|---|---|---|
| R | C | L |
| DSR | DS | DSL |
U = Upstage (back), D = Downstage (front), R = Right, L = Left, C = Centre.
| USR | US | USL |
|---|---|---|
| R | C | L |
| DSR | DS | DSL |
U = Upstage (back), D = Downstage (front), R = Right, L = Left, C = Centre.
What is a stimulus in devising drama?
A starting point for creating an original piece — could be a poem, image, headline, piece of music, object or theme.
The ensemble responds to it, develops ideas, and structures them into a performance. Used in GCSE devising units.
The ensemble responds to it, develops ideas, and structures them into a performance. Used in GCSE devising units.
These 10 cards are a free starter deck — a companion for memorising the core facts, not a complete course. In the Recall app you can also paste your own class notes and have AI build decks for the topics your exam board covers.