IB Group 6 Theatre Presenting Theatre Original performance creation

What This Is and Why It Matters for IB

Presenting Theatre: Original Performance Creation is a crucial skill for IB Diploma students in Theatre, where they create, rehearse, and perform an original theatrical work. This topic appears in Theatre (SL/HL), specifically in the Internal Assessment (IA), under Assessment Objective 1: Understanding. Students often get this wrong by failing to demonstrate a clear understanding of the theatrical work's context, themes, and artistic decisions. ⚠️ This can lead to losing marks on the IA, which can significantly impact the overall grade.

Where It Appears in the IB Syllabus

This topic appears in the Theatre (SL/HL) syllabus, specifically in the Internal Assessment (IA), under Assessment Objective 1: Understanding.

Key Command Terms

• Analyse: Break down the theatrical work into its constituent parts, examining how they contribute to the overall effect.
• Evaluate: Assess the effectiveness of the theatrical work in achieving its artistic goals.
• Discuss: Explore the themes, ideas, and artistic decisions that underpin the theatrical work.

Step-by-Step Understanding

1. Understand the context: Recall the historical, cultural, and social context in which the theatrical work was created.
2. Identify the themes: Analyze the work to identify the major themes, ideas, and artistic decisions.
3. Evaluate the performance: Assess the effectiveness of the performance in achieving its artistic goals.
4. Discuss the artistic decisions: Explore the reasons behind the artistic decisions made by the creators of the theatrical work.

⚠️ Avoid simply summarizing the plot or describing the performance without analyzing its artistic decisions.

Assessment Criteria Connection

Real Student Mistakes

Student 1

What the student did: The student wrote a summary of the plot without analyzing the artistic decisions.
Why it lost marks: The student failed to demonstrate an understanding of the theatrical work's context, themes, and artistic decisions.
What the correct approach should be: The student should have analyzed the work to identify the major themes, ideas, and artistic decisions.

Student 2

What the student did: The student evaluated the performance without considering the context in which it was created.
Why it lost marks: The student failed to take into account the historical, cultural, and social context in which the performance was created.
What the correct approach should be: The student should have evaluated the performance within its historical, cultural, and social context.

Exam Technique (Paper-specific)

For the IA, allocate sufficient time to analyze the theatrical work and plan the performance. Use a clear and concise structure to present your ideas. Link your analysis to the command terms analyse, evaluate, and discuss.

Internal Assessment / Extended Essay Relevance

This topic connects to the Extended Essay (EE) in that students may choose to write about a theatrical work that they have created or performed. The EE can be used to explore the historical, cultural, and social context of the theatrical work.

TOK Connections (if applicable)

This topic connects to the Ways of Knowing in that students may use empirical evidence to support their analysis of the theatrical work. A sample TOK discussion question could be: "To what extent can empirical evidence be used to support the artistic decisions made in a theatrical work?"

Quick Check (Self-Assessment Questions)

1. What is the context in which the theatrical work was created?
2. How do the artistic decisions made in the theatrical work contribute to its overall effect?
3. To what extent can the performance be evaluated within its historical, cultural, and social context?

Revision Card (60-Second Summary)

• Theatrical work: A performance created by a group of people.
• Context: The historical, cultural, and social background in which the theatrical work was created.
• Themes: The major ideas or messages that underpin the theatrical work.
• Artistic decisions: The choices made by the creators of the theatrical work.
• Evaluation: Assessing the effectiveness of the performance in achieving its artistic goals.
• Discussion: Exploring the themes, ideas, and artistic decisions that underpin the theatrical work.
• Analyse: Breaking down the theatrical work into its constituent parts.

If You Get Stuck

• Review the syllabus and the IA requirements.
• Ask your teacher or a study group for help.
• Use online resources to find examples of theatrical works and their analyses.

Related IB Topics

• Theatre History: This topic connects to the historical context in which the theatrical work was created.
• Theatre Appreciation: This topic connects to the evaluation of the performance within its historical, cultural, and social context.
• Drama Education: This topic connects to the application of the understanding of the theatrical work to a specific context or situation.