This document provides guidance for students to learn how to create and sustain roles in improvised drama. It outlines objectives for thinking creatively to devise characters and stay in role. Students will plan, practice, and perform a role-playing scenario of a school exclusion meeting with different characters. Success criteria emphasize developing original stories and complex narratives while appropriately using voice and body language to embody each role.

1. GCSE Creating and Sustaining a role
SPEAKING AND LISTENING

2. Learning Objectives
We are learning to...
- Create and sustain a role in a piece of improvised
drama
- Think creatively to come up with a workable idea for
a role-play
S4L: Creative Thinking and Team Work

3. The next two lessons...
Plan and Learn and
practice how
devise our to use bodies
characters and voice
Perform!

4. Scenario
A school student is in a meeting to decide if they are to
be excluded from school or not. Present at the
meeting are:
The
The Parent
Student
Headteacher Teacher

5. Task
 Prepare and perform the scene which plays out at the
exclusion meeting
 You are assessed individually (not as a group), on
how well you can create and sustain a role

6. Create and
Sustain a Role

7. Key Question: what’s the story?
 What may have happened to get the student into this
much trouble?
LO: learning to think creatively to come up with engaging
ideas

8.  Line up against the back wall alphabetical street
name order
 So – Appleton Road is A
 Young Street is Y

9. Success Criteria
Skilled discussion
will result in - 1. A clear idea for what has
happened to cause the
meeting
Excellent discussion
will result in -
1. An increasingly original and
engaging idea – think outside
the box
2. An increasingly developed and
convincing story, perhaps with
an unexpected twist

10. Question: what may have happened
to get the student in trouble?
1 3min
Think
3
/notes
time
2 4

11. Numbered-Heads Together
1 3min
Think
3
/notes
time
2 4

12. Numbered-Heads Together
1 3
2 4

13. Numbered-Heads Together
1 3
2 4

14. Numbered-Heads Together
1 3
2 4

15. Numbered-Heads Together
1 3
2 4

16. Numbered-Heads Together
1 3
2 4

17. Numbered-Heads Together
1 3
2 4

18. Remember
 By the end of the structure, you ALL have to be
comfortable with being able to explain your group’s
answer
 Only sit down when you can all do this
 ANYONE might be called upon!

19. Success Criteria
Skilled 1. A clear idea for what has
discussion will
result in -
happened to cause the
meeting
Excellent 1. An increasingly original and
discussion will engaging idea – think outside
result in - the box
2. An increasingly developed and
convincing story, perhaps with
an unexpected twist

20. My Character
Name:
Age:
Main Characteristics
What do they want to happen to the student?
Hidden Secret?

21. Success Criteria
Skilled work will 1. Clear and relevant ideas
show-
2. Some detail and development in the
character – beyond surface details
Excellent work will
show-
1. Increasingly original and
creative thinking
2. Increasing detail and
development in the character
3. A sense of narrative originality
or twist

22. My Character
Name: Bobby Banana
Age: 103
Main Characteristics
Wooden leg and no ears.
What do they want to happen to the student?
Get expelled.
Hidden Secret?
Used to be a pirate

23. My Character
Name: Mr Hoggart
Age: 25
Main Characteristics
Trendy young teacher – tries to be really friendly with the students
What do they want to happen to the student?
Want him to stay at the school – knows that the student is innocent because witnessed
the incident and saw that the student was provoked.
Hidden Secret?
- He knows that the headteacher is trying to get rid of the student, because the student
has seen the head cheating the school’s exam results.

24. Now...
 Practise and improvise your role play – make it up as
you go along
 Be ready to show a rough draft by the end of this
lesson

25. Learning intention
We are learning to...
- Understand how to manipulate the ways we use our
voices and bodies to create and sustain characters

26. How will we learn this?
 Bit of planning and thinking
 Give ourselves a frame
 Have a go
 Assess how we are getting on
 Improve our work

27. Rally Robin
 How can we act to create a role and stay in role?

28. Task 1
 Create 3 tableaux to show your meeting at the
beginning, the middle and the end
 You have 1 minute per tableaux!

29. Success Criteria
Skilled role- 1. Say and do appropriate things for your
play will- character
2. Stay in role throughout
3. Explore a story which is clear and
relevant to the task
Excellent role- 1. Show increasing subtlety in the way that
play will- voice and body are used
2. Stay in role even when not speaking
3. Show imagination, creativity and flair,
using techniques such as flashback /
narrator’s voice / mime
4. Explore a complex narrative, including
twists and a clear resolution

30. Success Criteria
Skilled role- 1. Say and do appropriate things for your
play will- character
2. Stay in role throughout
3. Explore a story which is clear and
relevant to the task
Excellent role- 1. Show increasing subtlety in the way that
play will- voice and body are used
2. Stay in role even when not speaking
3. Show imagination, creativity and flair,
using techniques such as flashback /
narrator’s voice / mime
4. Explore a complex narrative, including
twists and a clear resolution

31. Success Criteria
Skilled role- 1. Say and do appropriate things for your
play will- character
2. Stay in role throughout
3. Explore a story which is clear and
relevant to the task
Excellent role- 1. Show increasing subtlety in the way that
play will- voice and body are used
2. Stay in role even when not speaking
3. Show imagination, creativity and flair,
using techniques such as flashback /
narrator’s voice / mime
4. Explore a complex narrative, including
twists and a clear resolution

32. Success Criteria
Skilled role- 1. Say and do appropriate things for your
play will- character
2. Stay in role throughout
3. Explore a story which is clear and
relevant to the task
Excellent role- 1. Show increasing subtlety in the way that
play will- voice and body are used
2. Stay in role even when not speaking
3. Show imagination, creativity and flair,
using techniques such as flashback /
narrator’s voice / mime
4. Explore a complex narrative, including
twists and a clear resolution

33. Success Criteria
Skilled role- 1. Say and do appropriate things for your
play will- character
2. Stay in role throughout
3. Explore a story which is clear and
relevant to the task
Excellent role- 1. Show increasing subtlety in the way that
play will- voice and body are used
2. Stay in role even when not speaking
3. Show imagination, creativity and flair,
using techniques such as flashback /
narrator’s voice / mime
4. Explore a complex narrative, including
twists and a clear resolution

34. Success Criteria
Skilled role- 1. Say and do appropriate things for your
play will- character
2. Stay in role throughout
3. Explore a story which is clear and
relevant to the task
Excellent role- 1. Show increasing subtlety in the way that
play will- voice and body are used
2. Stay in role even when not speaking
3. Show imagination, creativity and flair,
using techniques such as flashback /
narrator’s voice / mime
4. Explore a complex narrative, including
twists and a clear resolution