GCSE Drama - good choice for a quiet child??

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My daughter is trying to decide whether she should take GCSE drama or not. She's very quiet and loves performing at home but struggles to convey the performance element in front of others. She thinks doing GCSE drama will help her confidence. I've heard that they work in groups and I wonder if she'll just get drowned out by the many others who are more confident. Any feedback from anyone with some experience of the course would be great. Thanks.

She thinks doing GCSE drama will help her confidence.

It will, provided she is at least willing to 'put herself out there' in lessons.

DD2 started GCSE Drama but it had to fall by the wayside due to her MH in lockdown. She did get sidelined a bit in larger group pieces, but there were quite a few two-handed pieces where she got to show and develop her skills. (DD1 also did Drama a few years back but her experiences are less relevant.)

They were due to study Blood Brothers and Things I know to be True (?)

I suggest you contact her current drama teacher and ask for feedback before making a decision.

(see previous post about being a drama teacher) - Just came back because I have faced the 'what use is a Drama degree'/Drama is a soft option blah blah in my whole career.

...well its been my whole career, so its been extremely useful for me, and not many people can say they have got to do what they love for their whole career.

I think people confuse that pupils tend to find it fun, be passionate and dedicated with 'soft' when it offers highly relevant skills such as event management, time management, team work, opportunities to develop the creative process from thought to execution, working to deadlines, working under pressure - plus its roots are in reality. If you are on stage - you are an actor. Not to mention its cultural captial and opportunities to explore different points of views and emotions in a safe environment.

Long live Drama GCSE!!

My friend, who has a great career, credits drama with her confidence at work.

My daughter is set for a science career AND a GCSE in Drama

Yep, mine too. @HypnoRuler is spouting bullshit. A well educated person has a balance of different subjects. And fwiw, my dd has learned a great many more useful skills from her GCSE drama than she did from GCSE statistics. I will concede that history was also useful.

OP, I think it's a question of how well your dd will cope with the performance aspects of the subject. The performances are actually only worth a relatively small proportion of the marks, but she will need to spend a lot of time working on these, including time for rehearsals after school etc. She will need to be ready to work in a group with the other kids and do her fair share of the work. That doesn't mean that she needs to be super-confident, but she will need to be willing to get stuck in and have a go. She also needs to be prepared for the fact that the kids are often asked to critique each other's performances.

My dd loves her drama group and they are generally incredibly supportive of each other. They don't judge people for being shy or less confident, but they do get fed up with the ones who don't contribute and put in the work, and typically nobody wants to go in a group with those kids.

If dd really enjoys it and is willing to put the work in, then I think she should go for it, but the workload is heavy in comparison to other subjects, so she needs to bear that in mind! If she decides against it, how about signing up to an extracurricular drama group instead?

It seems an interesting course from when DD did it - at least to the point she dropped it - but that was her rather than the subject! She loves performing so for her, the course wasn't quite what she'd expected and she had a difficult Y10 so the thought of trying to struggle in groups with the devised piece was what made her decision to give it up.

OP, I'd think how your daughter is in a group (probably not one of her choosing necessarily) and whether she'd find that confidence-building or too much. Something like Lamda is good for children who want to build on their speaking etc and doesn't require interaction with others.

OP, I'd think how your daughter is in a group (probably not one of her choosing necessarily) and whether she'd find that confidence-building or too much.

I think this is excellent advice from @GU24Mum. Group work is a huge part of GCSE drama. For dd, that has been one of the most valuable aspects of the course as it has really helped to develop her teamwork and leadership skills, but she does find it fun and easy to work with others. Not everyone would enjoy that, though, and some would find it very challenging.

I've always had 0 confidence. I did gcse drama and I loved it.

I would speak with the drama teacher.

We are looking at it now for the final subject for my DS who is ASD and sometimes goes mute - he still manages to perform in drama and had the impression they take it in turns playing different parts so I don't think others can drown them out in that part. The drama teacher said she thought he would be OK but may get marked down by not been willing to work with everyone and he will work with the children he feels sercure with. She said quite a few mainly girls were the same and were dropping it for that reason. Our senco is really keen he takes it and said the ed pscyh said it was good for him though I am not sure. It's between French, history and drama for us but will be 11th subject, I'd prefer he could do less. The rest are probably Hypno's dream options - english x 2, maths, additional maths, stats, computing, triple science, geography.

I cannot reply to your question of “would my child enjoy GCSE drama”. It totally depends on the child.

My DD was into musical theatre from a very young age. She joined an amateur drama group and enjoyed taking part in productions both as main lead and chorus. She was eager to do drama as GCSE but dropped out relatively quickly because “everyone on my drama course is only on it because they took drama as an easy option’. Drama lost its appeal when she was assessed as part of a group who had no interest in “performing” and she was assessed as part of a very unenthusiastic group. She had a sudden career change and is doing well in her second chosen career.

DS took all academic subjects for GCSE, and although academically intelligent, he was very quiet and shy, with little self confidence, he enjoyed stage shows - He enjoyed being part of a group although didn’t have the confidence to play a leading role in school productions.

He thoroughly enjoyed drama GCSE and performed well in productions, to our great surprise! He fund it easier to perform within a group who were interested in drama, rather than trying to express himself amongst his peer group who had no interest in stage performance. He went on to study music and performance at uni level and thoroughly enjoyed 7 years of performing in The West End.

Due to the pandemic he has relied on his excellent academic achievements and has worked with children, on- line, teaching maths and English. He can’t wait to get back on stage.

In your shoes I would allow your dd to give drama a try and if she doesn’t enjoy it she can drop out and choose another subject instead.

Firstly: @HypnoRuler
What utter rubbish about French. (And the other subjects!) French is a preferred subject at Cambridge University - for a whole raft of courses. For what it’s worth, DD2 has a degree in worthless French and Italian. Somewhat surprisingly she is a barrister now. And, guess what, that A* at GCSE Drama has come in quite useful!

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking GCSEs don’t count for much. Many competitive universities/courses look at the GCSEs of applicants and weight them. Yes, they can matter.

In general terms, make sure the school gets good results in Drama. At DDs school no-one got a B. In DD2’s year, only 1 pupil got an A. All the others were A*s. It was taken very seriously and they had great teachers and facilities. Both DDs performed music/dance and took part in school/house plays as well. DD2 mostly did dramatic character/mime acting with few words in the performance piece I recall! It really doesn’t all have to be about speaking.

Look at the gcse curriculum and talk to the teacher. It can be great for more reserved DC. They can devise a role within the group that’s not quite so “out there” for quieter DC. Good marks are available for the less starry members of he group. It definitely helps with confidence and my DC really enjoyed it.

History is not useless at degree level. Define useless? History grads can earn pretty well. Lots of barristers DD knows are history grads. Now why might that be? So many bizarre assertions on this thread!

My DD sounds a bit like yours and it taking GCSE drama. As others have said there is quite a heavy proportion that is theoretical, that she is doing really well in. She's not the star when it comes to the performance element and does get drowned out by more confident others in big groups, but she's sneakily worked out that if she can write the playscript for the small group performances, she can play to her strengths! Before she took it I'd heard horror stories on MN about people who were put in groups with other who weren't interested, but that's not been DD's experience at all. It's a relatively small class (24) and everyone in it is genuinely interested in the subject and wants to do well. I would look at the non-performance elements of the course as well though - there is more that's not performance, than is!

@MarleytheDog you make some good points but this:

In your shoes I would allow your dd to give drama a try and if she doesn’t enjoy it she can drop out and choose another subject instead.

is a bit risky as IME schools are not keen on GCSE changes, certainly after the first week or so. And you would have a limited choice (only the subjects that matched that option and had space). Better to pick what you want first off.

Lots of helpful comments here (and a few not so helpful!) So much will depend on the teacher and the class, but yes, it can make a huge, life changing difference in confidence. I taught at a highly academic grammar school and many pupils chose to do drama alongside sciences. Medics need to be able to communicate, present, speak in public and work with others. And who doesn't? I think it adds huge value.

The poster who said it's pointless is ridiculous 😂

It's hugely helpful to learn communication skills, how to adapt to different situations appropriately and confidently, think on your feet etc.

Great shout from another poster to ask for the teacher's advice. Most of the curriculum for theatre studies during my GCSEs was theory so it's by no means all performance.

That theory really helps with the skills I mentioned above. Plus she can take on roles she is comfortable with and also directing / writing and more.

Great she is willing to do something brave by stepping out of her comfort zone - that's a bloody good start!

@HypnoRuler

Id recommend a real GCSE instead; Statistics, History, IT, etc.

Yes, I favour STEM over arts anyday.

Don't be a dick. The qualification can entail extensive practical application of science as well as language, written and verbal, as well as physical skills.

A huge number of barristers have drama qualifications and being able to stand up in front of 300 people and speak clearly, engage them and not disappear into a corner out of terror is an invaluable skill for scientists as well as accountants, doctors and teachers, to name but a few professions.

At my DDs Inn of Court, a short course was offered to pupil barristers from RADA. It covered things like voice projection, deportment, engaging your target audience etc. I think being able to speak to others assertively and engagingly when needed, and certainly with confidence, is important for so many roles. Gcse Drama is a great start.

I used to run kids drama classes and lost count of how many parents came up to me and said, I wish I'd done something like this as a child. I have to give presentations/reports/run training courses etc etc at work and I find myself just mumbling and the anxiety of standing up in front of everyone etc etc.

Saying that group work is a huge part of GCSE drama. If your dd thinks she may struggle with this it might be an opti0n for her to join an out of school group where there is less pressure or do LAMDA exams instead.

My DD did drama GCSE last year. It involves a bit of performance, but a lot of other stuff as well!

The main performance bit involved a group, duo or monologue which they had to work up amongst themselves - costume, staging etc, and keep a log of their progress. The end result should have involved an external examiner coming to the school to grade each performance (due to covid theirs were filmed instead)

They studied a play in depth (Noughts and Crosses) - again characterisation, script, costume stage design etc. They had to be able to write eng. lit type essays, as well as the more technical elements.

They had to study a live performance and again do the above.

They also had to know some of the technical aspects of staging a play.

DD has done gcse drama, however the last two years have made it challenging, they have obviously done a lot more monologue/duo stuff than I would presume is usual. Their trip to the two live performances have obviously been cancelled too. She has enjoyed it and says that there is a wide range of people that do this and that the teacher is aware of those that work well together/conflicts and people trying to be cliquey. She has really enjoyed it but isn't taking it further. However I think it's one of those subjects that if you should enjoy you should take. Many benefits for confidence and public speaking in future. You do have to be prepared to perform in front of others though, there's no avoiding that.

Also I should add, the groups have been mixed up a lot and for devised performances they obviously arrange between themselves however she has done scripted pieces where she has been given her role by the teacher.

I did GCSE drama 20 years ago. I was very shy at the time. The way our GCSE options were structured I had to do one of drama, dance or art so chose drama. I was rubbish at it but it did help with my confidence as I was having to perform our work in front of everyone on a weekly basis. I have no qualms now speaking in public, and actually, I enjoy it and volunteer at work for presenting the client training seminars my employer runs. Most other colleagues fear doing these so it makes me popular with both colleagues and management and it's good networking opportunities for me as clients know me.

HypnoRuler don’t be a nob.

Even if there was anything valid in what you’re saying, the way subjects are grouped at gcse means that pupils have to choose an arts subject!

The column with drama usually includes music, art etc
Then there will be another column with humanities subjects - history, geography, RE.

Modern language is compulsory, I believe.
As are sciences and maths.

Ensures a breadth of education at GCSE level.

But no, you’re right, there’s only one worthwhile path in life and only one kind of intelligence. We don’t need creative or linguistic minds, only scientific and mathematical ones. Everyone else is a waste of oxygen. Better to take stem subjects than arts subjects even if your natural ability lies in the arts. Better to get a fistful of C’s in stem subjects than A*’s in languages 🙄🙄🙄

Bell end.

is a bit risky as IME schools are not keen on GCSE changes, certainly after the first week or so. And you would have a limited choice (only the subjects that matched that option and had space). Better to pick what you want first off

My DD had no problem swapping GCSE for a different subject (I can’t remember what the other subject was now - it was a while ago - but it was a subject within the GCSE choice group that included drama).

Yes of course it’s best to study what you want first off. My DD definitely wanted to study drama. Unfortunately there were only 7 in the class - DD...and 6 others who were only there because they were time wasting tbh. If the class had been larger DD would have placed herself into a group more suited to herself. She found it impossible to perform within a group who didn’t want to perform. They also did no homework so when having to work together to produce short plays etc nobody did it except DD. The others then didn’t want to perform the play - other than stand there with a script (which should have been learnt) - for assessment.

There is a lot of creative writing involved, as well as knowing the various roles within the industry etc However, drama involves a great deal of group work and if the group you are working with are uninterested and unresponsive there is no point.

DS was in a class of 27 and the groups were sorted, according to who works well with who, by the drama teacher - so a lot more scope for him.

Drama is one of those subjects where you need others to succeed.