A-Level

OCR A-Level Drama & Theatre Revision

Adaptive practice aligned to the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations specification. 8 topics, exam-style questions, and instant AI feedback.

Start Revising Free All Exam Boards

About OCR A-Level Drama & Theatre

OCR provides GCSE and A-Level qualifications with a strong academic heritage. Their specifications are developed in partnership with the University of Cambridge and are widely adopted across England.

A-Level Drama and Theatre Studies combines practical performance with academic study of theatre history, theory, and practice. You will study set texts and the work of influential theatre practitioners (such as Stanislavski, Brecht, Artaud, and Berkoff), develop your skills as a performer or designer, and create original devised theatre. The course demands both creative ability and rigorous analytical writing.

Topics in OCR A-Level Drama & Theatre

1 Set Text Study

2 Live Theatre Review

3 Devising Theatre

4 Performing

5 Directing

6 Design Elements

7 Practitioners

8 Theatre History

Study Tips for OCR Drama & Theatre

For each practitioner you study, create a detailed profile covering their key techniques, staging style, use of space, performer-audience relationship, and the social or political context of their work. Learn specific examples from their productions to reference in essays.

Keep a detailed working notebook throughout your devised process, recording your creative decisions, rehearsal experiments, and reflections. This becomes the basis for your written analysis and demonstrates the quality of your creative process.

Watch as much live theatre as possible and analyse it critically. Attend a range of productions — mainstream, fringe, physical theatre, immersive — and consider how the director and performers have applied techniques from practitioners you have studied.

When rehearsing for performance assessments, record yourself on video regularly to identify habits you are unaware of, such as blocking issues, vocal projection problems, or unclear physicality. Self-review is one of the most effective rehearsal tools.