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NATIONAL
SENIOR CERTIFICATE
GRADE 12
SEPTEMBER 2017
DRAMATIC ARTS
MARKING GUIDELINE
MARKS: 150
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Dramatic Arts Grade 12 Eastern Cape Mock 2017 Memo (English)
Grade 12 Dramatic Arts memorandum from the Eastern Cape Mock Exam 2017 (English), 40 pages. Read online or download the free PDF.
Dramatic Arts · Grade 12 · Eastern Cape Mock Exam · 2017. Memorandum, 40 pages. Read online or download the PDF.
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- 2017
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- Eastern Cape Mock Exam
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Eastern Cape Mock Exam 2017
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2 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
GENERAL COMMENT FOR EXAMINERS/EDUCATORS:
1. Candidate must refer to the Dramatic Arts theory and contextualising within the play
studied. Full marks cannot be awarded unless the candidate shows an
understanding of the theories of the subject. The answers must be discipline
specific. Use What, Why and How with pointed references to examples in the text.
2. Tick clearly to indicate the learning which is being assessed. Markers should
engage actively with the answers.
3. Chief markers should facilitate the rubric with markers. The level descriptors of
Dramatic Arts must be used to guide the marking.
4. Have regular rounds of consultation to ensure marking is standardised.
5. In the case where a candidate writes more than the suggested number of words – do
not penalise (essay question).
6. The answers in the marking guideline are a suggestion and do not offer all the
answers for a question. Markers should take this into account and be open to
candidate’s responses and make sure that different teaching styles do not
disadvantage the learner.
7. Spend the first day to unpack the quality and quantity of the evidence in the marking
guideline and standardise and find common definitions and concepts.
8. Markers to align Broad Topics and Topics with the questions.
9. The suggested answers are often beyond what most candidates at Grade 12 level
can manage and should be regarded as a learning tool for markers.
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(EC/SEPTEMBER 2017) DRAMATIC ARTS 3
SECTION A: 20TH CENTURY THEATRE MOVEMENTS (-ISMS)
This question is COMPULSORY.
QUESTION 1: 20TH CENTURY THEATRE MOVEMENTS (-ISM)
The candidate must answer this question in the form of an essay and use the play
text he/she has studied as an example. Theatre of the Absurd, Epic Theatre OR
Postmodern Theatre.
Candidate should choose any THREE of the sub topics suggested in the question.
The essays should be marked using the rubric grid and the notes provided below.
Take into consideration the candidates’ approach to the topic. Motivated, original
answers that show insight should be given credit.
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DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
CATEGORY MARKS DESCRIPTOR
Outstanding Thinking process: Adapts factual, conceptual, procedural and meta-cognitive knowledge in the question, source and integrates the demands of the
question. Quotes in a differentiated, interpretative, creative and original manner.
Metacognitive 27-30
90-100 Evaluates examples in the play text, the theatre movement and other additional sources within an expansive range of insightfully chosen
Knowledge A+ theoretical, practical and aesthetic content.
Create
Designs and creates an argument in a new and unique pattern that proposes reflexive creative, critical and analytical thinking.
Cognitive level: Demonstrates an ability to create, reorganize, synthesize, discover, renew, change, elaborate, and improve.
Excellent Thinking process: Appraises factual, conceptual, procedural and meta-cognitive knowledge in the question, source and content and integrates the
demands of the question. Quotes in a differentiated, interpretative and interesting manner.
Metacognitive
24-26
80-89 Appraises/Assesses examples in the play text, the theatre movement and other additional sources within a significant range of appropriately
Knowledge A chosen theoretical, practical and aesthetic content.
Evaluate
Compiles an argument in an interesting pattern that proposes reflective critical and analytical thinking.
Cognitive level: Demonstrates ability to judge, critique, recommend, report, evaluate, predict, invent, and propose.
Thinking process: Analyses, distinguishes and explores factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge in the question, source and the content and
Meritorious
integrates the demands of the question. Quotes in a differentiated and interpretative manner.
Procedural
21-23
Knowledge 70-79 Analyses/Dissects examples in the play text, the theatre movement and other additional sources within a broad range of appropriately chosen
B theoretical, practical and aesthetic content.
Analyse
Compiles an argument that proposes critical and analytical thinking.
Cognitive level: Demonstrates and ability to analyse, infer, deconstruct concepts, interrelate, attribute, discover.
Thinking process: Analyses and distinguishes factual, conceptual and procedural knowledge in the question, source and content and integrates the
Substantial
demands of the question. Quotes in an organised, differentiated and interpretative manner.
Procedural
18-20
Knowledge 60-69 Integrates examples from the play text, the theatre movement and other additional sources within a wide range of appropriately chosen theoretical,
C practical and aesthetic content.
Apply
Provides an argument that proposes critical and analytical thinking.
Cognitive level: Demonstrates an ability to apply, construct, integrate, simulate.
Thinking process: Explains, interprets and rephrases factual and conceptual knowledge in the question and source and content and integrates the
Adequate
demands of the question. Quotes in a differentiated manner.
Conceptual 15-17
50-59 Interprets examples in the play text, the theatre movement and other additional sources within a general range of theoretical, practical and
Knowledge D aesthetic content. Predictable.
Understand
Provides an argument that proposes analytical thinking.
Cognitive level: Demonstrates an ability to interpret, infer, exemplify, classify, summarise, compare and explain.
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DRAMATIC ARTS 5
CATEGORY MARKS DESCRIPTOR
Thinking process: Explains and interprets factual and conceptual knowledge in the question, source and content and integrates the demands of the
Moderate
question and quotes in a differentiated manner.
Conceptual
12-14
Knowledge 40-49 Explains examples in the play text, the theatre movement and other additional sources within a predictable range of theoretical, practical and
E aesthetic content.
Understand
Writes an explanation within a range of predictable/general thinking processes.
Demonstrates the ability to interpret, infer, exemplify, classify, summarise, compare, and explain.
Elementary Thinking process: Defines and applies knowledge from memory and integrates the demands for the question. Quotes in an
Factual 10-11 uncomplicated/straightforward and fundamental manner.
Knowledge 30-39
F Selects examples in the play text, the theatre movement and other additional sources within a narrow range of theoretical and aesthetic content.
Remember Writes an explanation within a range of predictable thinking processes.
Cognitive level: Demonstrates an elementary ability to problem solve, identify, list relate, and define.
Not Achieved Thinking process: Remembers and applies disjointed/irrelevant knowledge. Demonstrates limited to basic ability to solve the demands of the
Factual 1-10 question.
Knowledge
20-29
G Chooses examples from the play text, the theatre movement and other sources.
Remember Writes an explanation within a basic range of thinking processes that is decontextualized.
Cognitive level: Demonstrates a limited ability to identify, list, relate, define, interpret, and differentiate.
Not Achieved Demonstrates no understanding of the question or source, unable to write an essay, provides no examples from the play text or the theatre
Factual movement. OR
0
Knowledge Presents a few facts, unrelated to the question. OR
H
Remember Unable to identify, list, relate, define. OR
Presents memorized information and content that does not answer the question
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6 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
The following are notes based on the conventions of the 20th century theatre
movements. Candidate has to show this knowledge in their response regarding the
instructions of the question. This knowledge must also be demonstrated in relation
to the text of study as prescribed by the Department of Education.
EPIC THEATRE
Along with Constantin Stanislavski, Bertolt Brecht was one of the two most influential
figures of 20th century theatre and the most significant practitioner since
World War II. Brecht’s theories for the stage, including his well-known epic theatre
form and distancing techniques, made him a force to be reckoned with.
Although it is well documented Brecht had a team of workers around him to ease the
load, his creative output was nothing short of prolific. He was a theorist, poet,
playwright of over fifty plays, an essayist, and above all a practitioner who
painstakingly applied his theories to the works of one of the great theatre companies
of the world, the Berliner Ensemble.
Unlike Grotowski, Brecht preferred to demonstrate his concepts for epic theatre in
performances instead of acting exercises. Unlike Artaud, Brecht’s ideas were
concrete and translatable for actors for generations to come. A staunch Marxist,
Brecht’s plays often had a political and social message for those viewing them.
Accordingly, his works included songs that drummed home the message of the play,
storytellers and narrators, projection, placards, and actors directly addressing the
audience.
THEORY
Brecht loathed the theatre of realism
He likened the realistic theatre to the effects of a drug, in that a realistic
performance pacified its audience
Brecht’s plays were didactic and aimed to teach or instruct their audience
Brecht used the term ‘Lehrstück’, meaning ‘learning-play’. Social activist theatre
wanting the spectators to make change in their own world outside the theatre
walls
In 1926 Brecht embraced Marxism and his theatre techniques after this point
served his Marxist beliefs
Brecht’s umbrella title for a range of non-realistic techniques is
‘verfremdungseffekt’
Verfremdungseffekt, or V-effekt (German)/A-effect (English), short for ‘alienation-
effect’ misleadingly translated over the decades as ‘distancing effect’ recent and
more accepted translation is ‘to make the familiar, strange’ or ‘estrangement’
‘Epic’ borrowed from the great poems of literature (The Iliad, The Odyssey, The
Mahabharata, Ramayana)
Brecht was influenced by (German) expressionism and had an interest in the
cabaret scene in Berlin
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FORM
Brecht’s form of theatre was known as ‘epic theatre’, most likely coined by
collaborator, Erwin Piscator.
Some scholars argue the term ‘epic theatre’ was already in use in European
experimental theatre
Epic plays employed a large narrative (as opposed to a smaller plot), spanning
many locations and time frame
Brecht called scenes ‘episodes’, with each scene being relatively self-contained
in the story
Epic plays used non-linear, fractured plots, where the events of an episode were
not necessarily a result of the preceding episode
This juxtaposition of scenes employing multiple locations and time frames
created a montage effect
He used his acting troupe at the Berliner Ensemble to perfect his theories on
acting and the theatre
Focus was always on the society being presented in the play, not individual
characters
Events in plays were sometimes told from the viewpoint of a single storyteller
(alienation device)
Brecht wrote his plays with no act or scene divisions; these were added later
Long scenes told the main events of the story and were interspersed with
occasional short(er) scenes
Short(er) scenes normally involved parables, used to emotionally detach the
audience marginally
Parable scenes often involved the use of song, an alienation device employed by
Brecht to help deliver the (Marxist) message of the play
‘Historification’/’Historicisation’ was a Brecht term defining the technique of
setting the action of a play in the past to draw parallels with contemporary events
‘Historification’/’Historicisation’ enabled spectators to view the events of the play
with emotional detachment and garner a thinking response
Brecht crushed Aristotle’s model of the three unites of time, place and action (one
location, single day)
MOVEMENT AND GESTURES
Mix of realistic and non-realistic movement
Movement was at times graceful, but at other times forceful
Brecht used the Latin word ‘gestus’ to describe both individual gestures and
whole body postures
Character gestus denoted one’s social attitude and human relationships with
others (linked to Marxist principles)
Some Oriental gesture used (Brecht’s influence of a Balinese dance showing)
Groups of characters often positioned on the stage for functional and not
aesthetic reasons
Characters grouped according to their social relationships in the play (Marxist)
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SPACE AND ACTOR AUDIENCE RELATIONSHIP
Brecht’s plays were performed in traditional proscenium arch theatre houses
However, the stage curtain was often dispensed with or a half curtain used
instead of a full one
Brecht preferred to call the audience ‘spectators’
Direct address by actors/characters to audience was a strong and
unconventional technique used by performers
Direct address broke the (invisible) ‘fourth wall’ and crushed traditional
realistic/naturalistic conventions
The narrator was a common figure in Brechtian dramas (Brecht was probably the
father of the modern narrator)
STAGECRAFT
Costume was not individually identifiable e.g. the farmer’s costume represented
‘a (typical) farmer’
Costume was sometimes incomplete and fragmentary e.g. tie and briefcase for
the businessman
Costume often denoted the character’s role or function in society (plus
wealth/class)
Sets were sometimes non-existent or fragmentary (either partial sets or one
object representing many of the same)
At other times sets were industrial e.g. ramps, treadmills (influence of
Meyerhold’s constructivist set design)
Some makeup and mask use, but non-realistic and ‘theatrical’ e.g. grotesque
and/or caricatured
Makeup and costume used to depict a character’s social role in the play, not that
of his/her everyday appearance
Signs/placards used to show audience a range of information
Screen projection used to reinforce play’s theme/s (to garner an intellectual
response, not emotional)
Open white light only (as colour would generate an emotional response from the
audience)
If the house lights were left on during a performance, open white light also
allowed for the spectators and performers to share a single same-lit space
Lighting instruments in full view of audience (no attempt to hide them, but rather
remind the audience they were watching a play)
Music and song used to express the play’s themes independent of the main
spoken text in the play (in parable scenes)
Music was used to neutralise emotion, rather than intensify it (opposite to a
modern-day musical)
ACTING AND CHARACTERISATION
Actor was never to fully become the character, as in the realistic/naturalistic
theatre
Actor was asked to demonstrate the character at arm’s length with a sense of
detachment
Often characters tended to be somewhat oversimplified and stereotyped yet
other characters were sometimes complex historical, real-life characters in some
Brecht plays some (but not all) character names were generic e.g. the worker,
the peasant, the teacher
Mix of presentational and representational acting modes
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ABSURD THEATRE
The theatre of the absurd was a short-lived yet significant theatrical movement,
centred in Paris in the 1950s. Unusual in this instance was the absence of a single
practitioner spearheading the form. Largely based on the philosophy of
existentialism, absurdism was implemented by a small number of European
playwrights. Common elements included illogical plots inhabited by characters who
appeared out of harmony with their own existence. The typical playgoer had never
seen anything like this on the stage before. The theatre of the absurd will be
remembered in history for many things, the most significant of these being Samuel
Beckett’s masterpiece Waiting for Godot, one of the great plays of the 20th century.
Absurdism is commonly studied in senior high school and university drama and
theatre courses. Below are the main conventions of the theatre of the absurd.
BACKGROUND
NOT a conscious movement
EXPONENTS of the form were a disconnected group of playwrights
THE term theatre of the absurd was first coined by scholar Martin Esslin in his
1961 text The Theatre of the Absurd
TRUE absurdist playwrights are few in number: Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco
and Jean Genet (with some scholars including Arthur Adamov)
OTHER playwrights whose selected works have been labelled absurdist by
others include Harold Pinter, Edward Albee, Tom Stoppard, Fernando Arrabal,
and Peter Weiss (though most deny the label of absurdist playwright)
THE beginnings of absurdism lie in avant-garde experiments of the 1920s and
30s, while some argue absurdist elements exist in plays such as Alfred Jarry’s
Ubu Roi (1896) and even in ancient Greek dramas
THEORY
THEATRE of the absurd is otherwise referred to as absurdism
ABSURD originally means ‘out of harmony’ (in a musical context) – its meaning
in the theatre of the absurd is different to the everyday meaning of the word as
‘ridiculous’
ABSURD in the context of absurdism can mean:
o Without purpose
o Illogical
o Out of harmony
o Useless
o Devoid of reason
o Meaningless
o Hopeless
o Chaotic
o Lacking order
o Uncertain
LYING in the background to absurdism is the notion of existentialism
EXISTENTIALIST philosophers who influenced absurdist playwrights were
Frenchmen Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) and Albert Camus (1913–1960) –
both also playwrights themselves
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10 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
Existentialism refers to a particular view of the nature of man’s existence. The
existentialist believes that man starts life with nothing. His life is made up of acts;
through the process of acting man becomes conscious of his original
nothingness. By choosing to act, man passes into the arena of human
responsibility which makes him the creator of his own existence. However, the
existence inevitably ends with death. Man returns to his original state of
nothingness. This existential notion eliminates the Western concept of man’s
exalted nature. Life becomes meaningless and useless – a condition which is in
essence ‘absurd’. Man’s only freedom in this condition is the exercise of his
conscious mind. However, consciousness means conflict – between man’s
awareness of the absurdity of his existence and his need for justification of his
human action. (J.L. Crawford: Acting In Person and in Style)
THE atrocities of World War II are considered influential events to the movement,
highlighting the precariousness of human existence
Sartre denied the existence of a God, seeing humans with no choice but to
create their own standards and moral code in life (instead of accepting standards
offered by the Church, the State, or society)
Camus’ book-length essay The Myth of Sisyphus sees Sisyphus endlessly
pushing a boulder to the top of a mountain, only to see it roll to the bottom again
– this futile labour is an analogy for man’s meaningless existence, a quality seen
in many characters and plots of absurdist plays
For Camus, the legendary figure of Sisyphus was the prototype of an ‘absurd’
hero, condemned by the gods forever to roll a rock to the top of a mountain, only
to have it roll back down again by its own weight. He represented the epitome of
futile labour and pointless existence. Although Camus denied any connection
with Sartre’s existentialism, the book (Sartre’s The Myth of Sisyphus) became a
manifesto for the new existentialist drama, and later for the theatre of the absurd.
In it, Camus asserted that it was legitimate and necessary to wonder whether life
had any meaning. He described how man felt himself to be a stranger in an alien
world, and believed that this divorce between man and life was properly
‘le sentiment de l’absurdite’, the feeling of absurdity
PLOT AND STRUCTURE
Anti-realistic, going against many of the accepted norms of conventional theatre
Labelled by some critics as ‘anti-theatre’
Often characterised by a deliberate absence of the cause and effect relationship
between scenes
Non-linear plot developments, sometimes cyclical – ending where they began
Occasionally appearing as though there is no plot at all to speak of deliberate
lack of conflict
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ACTING AND CHARACTERISATION
Both presentational and representational modes of acting
Sometimes stereotypical
Often an absence of character development
Absurd characters lack the motivation found in characters of realistic dramas,
highlighting their purposelessness
Time, place and identity are frequently blurred with characters often unsure about
who or where they are
Characters are often out of harmony or out of sync with the world in which they
live
MOVEMENT
Mixture of realistic and non-realistic
Elements of circus, vaudeville and acrobatics
Ritualistic
Slow
Illogical
Repetitive
Action sometimes defies logic or easy understanding
The absurdists, while for the most part accepting Sartre’s philosophical outlook,
tended to concentrate upon the irrationality of human experience without
suggesting any path beyond. By employing a succession of episodes unified
merely by theme or mood instead of a cause-to-effect arrangement, they arrived
at a structure paralleling the chaos which was their usual dramatic subject. The
sense of absurdity was heightened by the juxtaposition of incongruous events
producing seriocomic and ironic effects
One extreme to the other without notice
Often sombre and serious, then highly comical
DIALOGUE
Language was devalued as a communication tool (unreliable and distrusted)
Often illogical
Sometimes telegraphic and clipped
Long pauses
Clichéd
Repetitive
Rhythmical
Frequent use of silence
Monotone
Slow dialogue sometimes accompanied by a frenzied, fast-paced monologue
(extremes)
STAGECRAFT
Often simple and minimalist use of stagecraft
Barren set pieces barely denoting a location (e.g. a tree and a country road in
Waiting for Godot)
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POSTMODERN THEATRE
Postmodern Western theatre responds to the multi-cultural, ironic, cynical, and
chaotic social, political, philosophical and artistic developments of the last quarter of
the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. It does not view the world
as an absurd, meaningless place of existence teetering on the edge of absolute
destruction, but rather as a place where meaning and truth are relative and subject
to different understandings and interpretations. In this world, the apocalypse has
already occurred. Postmodern theatre suggests that existence can only be properly
conceptualised by living and thinking outside the standard dynamics of human
relations and perceptions of space and time.
The playwrights and directors Tom Stoppard, David Mamet, Sam Shepard and Eric
Bogosian are considered the most popular and prominent practitioners of
Postmodern Western theatre. Tom Stoppard’s meta-fictional plays often offer
pastiches of different literary and historical sources in order to provide a new
perspective on seemingly disparate ideas and historical events. David Mamet’s
plays tend to focus on the ways in which people relate to, assault, and manipulate
one another through language and the complicated dynamics that exist between
different genders, ideologies, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and social classes.
Meanwhile, Sam Shepard’s plays tend to examine clashes between different
generations and social classes and the subtleties of communication and meaning
that exists within the American language. Eric Bogosian’s decidedly self-conscious
plays consider influence of mass media on postmodern American life and the social
effects of resisting conformity to social norms and standards of behaviour.
Contemporary drama critics debate when the Postmodern age of Western theatre
can be said to have begun. Some critics argue that Postmodern theatre began with
Samuel Beckett, while others argue that Beckett’s plays represent the ultimate
conclusion of the Modern theatrical movement. While these debates continue, it is
generally accepted that the Western world remains in the midst of the age of
Postmodern theatre.
Postmodern Western theatre serves, mainly, to attack and deconstructs (takes
apart) a number of the central ideas often presented in Modernist theatrical
productions while highlighting the Postmodern notion of ‘truth’ as ultimately
unverifiable. It suggests that it is up to the audience to decide what is and is not
‘true’ in terms of the drama being presented on the stage.
It is generally accepted that the Western world remains in the midst of the age of
Postmodern theatre.
• It is hard to fix it in time or space, because it is not clear exactly when
Modernism ends or Postmodernism begins.
• The movement of Postmodernism began with architecture, as a reactionary
movement against the seeming dullness and hostility present in the Modern
movement.
Postmodern Western theatre responds to the multi-cultural, ironic, cynical, and
chaotic social, political, philosophical and artistic developments of the last quarter of
the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. It does not view the world
as an absurd, meaningless place of existence on the edge of destruction, but rather
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(EC/SEPTEMBER 2017) DRAMATIC ARTS 13
as a place where meaning and truth are relative and subject to different
understandings and interpretations.
CHARACTERISTICS
The accepted norms of seeing and representing the world are challenged and
disregarded
A pastiche of different texts and media forms is used, including the simultaneous
use of multiple art or media forms
The narrative needs not be complete but can be broken. Uses non-linear
storytelling conventions. A postmodern play proceeds in almost any order the
playwright wishes to construct, and such time warping no longer seems
surprising
Characters are fragmented
Each new performance of a theatrical piece is a new Gestalt, a unique spectacle
The audience is central to the shared meaning making of the performance
process and its members are included in the dialogue of the play.
The production exists only in the viewer’s mind as what the viewer interprets –
nothing more and nothing less. Acknowledgement of a play’s fictionality
The rehearsal process in a theatrical production is driven more by shared
meaning-making and improvisation, rather than the scripted text
The play steps back from reality to create its own self-conscious atmosphere.
This is sometimes referred to as meta-theatre
Radical experimentations in language and thought
The abandonment of any attempt to replicate reality
The deliberate combination of wild humour with terrible tragedy
A postmodern play proceeds in almost any order the playwright wishes to
construct, and such time warping
An audience can expect cross-association and is able to keep several ideas
and chronologies in mind at the same time, blending them into a satisfying
dramatic experience
STYLISTIC ELEMENTS
Objective is to bring attention to the medium and message. Not random and
arbitrary but sophisticated rationale/thinking for choices.
Design – no prescribed rules on how it should look e.g. sergeant could use cup
that look like a gun from which he drinks.
Setting – use architecture of existing spaces and buildings as context for
performance
Costume – does not have to reflect an era that is presented- it could be defied,
an interpretation (sergeant doesn’t have to wear stereotypical costume but a
medal could signify his status, wearing underpants could show his vulnerability
Lighting – multi-media
Use of language – several genres from tragic to comic, from Elisabethan to rap
in the same performance. Inter-textual, may have beginning, middle and end but
not necessarily in that order
Characterisation – it could be deliberate cross-gender casting
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STAGING
Actors played scenery and props, and played themselves using story and character
merely as vehicles for direct interactions with audiences.
De-familiarising the familiar: Rejected conventional notions of where theatre
should be presented. It could be in restaurants, in a restroom, in an abandoned
railway station, etc.
Set: It is no longer in a building
site-created e.g. at a cemetery and create play using gravestone, epitaphs,
existing landscape, etc. to create performance
site-specific – rehearse performance and perform in venue different to rehearsal
space
Performance, instead of conventional presenting of lines, could be done as rap
Character, time, space does not have to be from same era. Can be pastiche
(collage) of different streams
TOTAL SECTION A: 30
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(EC/SEPTEMBER 2017) DRAMATIC ARTS 15
SECTION B: SOUTH AFRICAN THEATRE (1960–1994)
QUESTION 2: WOZA ALBERT! BY BARNEY SIMONS, PERCY MTWA AND
MBONGENI NGEMA
2.1 2.1.1 Candidate may discuss any TWO styles evident in the play Woza
Albert! As discussed in class. The following are the possible styles
evident in the play:
Jerzy Grotowski’s Poor Theatre:
Martin Esslin’s Theatre the Absurd:
Or Bertolt Brecht’s Epic Theatre:
Award ONE mark for the style and ONE mark for the correct name of
the practitioner. (4)
2.1.2 The following are suggestions regarding how the styles mentioned in
QUESTION 2.1.1 have been applied in the play Woza Albert!
Poor In the play Woza Albert! Poor Theatre techniques are applied in the total
Theatre: presentation of the production. The actors act as the centre of all action.
They used very little props for multifunctional purposes. The clothing rail is
used to hang costumes through which the actors ‘transformed’ into many
different characters. Some objects are used symbolically, such as the pink
nose. The actors used their own voices to transform from character to
character. The actors uses their bodies to create images such as the totem in
the beginning of the play. Actors uses their bodies as musical instruments as
seen in the scene with the jazz band and the guitarist, etc.
Theatre The style of Theatre of the Absurd is evident mostly in subject matter and the
of the themes of the play. The waiting for Morena and the false hope implied by
Absurd: this. The characters actions are repetitive and there’s a sense of continuous
search for purpose in the process of waiting. The lack of trust in the Calvinist
theories and the implication that it does not serve everybody as suggested in
the theology itself. The hopelessness for change through which many of the
characters are constantly wasting time while looking forward to it.
Epic Epic theatre is mostly evident in the way the play is structures, according to
Theatre scenes with different challenges and the oblivious use of the names
Mbongeni and Percy instead of the actual characters. This alienation in the
text is seen through the fact that the actors do not adopt the character names
instead their use their own names. Because Woza Albert! has an agenda
driving the thought of the play; the propaganda or agitprop in this regard,
satisfies Brecht’s efforts to make theatre a medium for discussion and
audience mobilisation instead of the fantasy of illusion, etc.
Candidate may not be able to generate the same kind of thinking in
their response as the above, however, mark holistically and assess on
the basis of fact and consideration there-above. Award five marks per
style, well explained and examples thereof. (10)
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16 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
2.1.3 The socio-political context of the play has to do with the life of the
society during a certain era as well as their political situation. The
following is an example in relation to Woza Albert! Consider this as
the basis of candidates’ response.
Woza Albert! is regarded as South Africa’s finest example of social
theatre, and the collaboration between Ngema and Mtwa, two
black playwrights, and Simon, a white producer, was a significant
relationship that crossed the colour barrier. Theatre served as a
vehicle for educating white audiences about the horrors of
apartheid and became a vehicle for black self-expression during
this period when other, more direct forms of social criticism were
banned.
The play also provides different interpretations of the functions of
policemen serving the white South African government.
Mandela’s release from prison
The struggle to find jobs in the city
Homelessness
Labour related issues or unfair treatment of employees by the
employers
Overpopulation and desperation in the cities for the sake of a
better life
The question of unfair political stance as stipulated in the law of
governance
The play generally addresses oppression, labour, survival,
separation of families between South African homelands and the
cities, poverty and homelessness, police brutality, and political
imprisonment
The need for South African black leaders in Apartheid South Africa
Candidate may mention the above with examples from the play to
support their statements. ONE mark for the socio-political issue
mentioned and ONE mark for giving an example. (6)
2.2 Consider the following in candidates’ response:
Protest can be defined as a moment where a person or a group of people
show disapproval for an unacceptable practice. The simplest form of informal
Protest Theatre can be one person lodging a complaint to another, where the
other person has the ability to intervene. It has most of the times been
referred to as Agit-prop, stands for Agitation and Propaganda.
There are many instances in the play, especially, in the thematic structure of
the play where protest is being demonstrated. The characters are trapped in
the unfortunate situation in effect to the political situation of the time. Absence
of proper education, seen in the character of the barber, unbearable working
conditions at Coronation Brickyard, the space restrictions, small businesses,
uprising against the Calvinistic thinking, police brutality, etc. These stand at
the core of the big complaint that is launched by this production done in a
performance jam packed with protest energy. The audiences are
metaphorically summoned to rise against these problems and solve them
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head on through the symbolism of Albert Luthuli. They are figuratively
reminded of the revolutionary ethics of the Lilian Ngoyis and Albert Luthulii so
that they can be inspired to find strength in themselves to move forward and
be mobilised to take action against the backdrop of Apartheid South Africa.
Consider candidates’ knowledge of the theatre term ‘protest’ and award marks
for identifying at least FOUR events in the play that are an example of this
kind of theatre. (8)
2.3 2.3.1 Multi-functional props are props that can be used for many reasons
than one in a performance. The uses may vary from using the same
prop for literal use and even for symbolic purposes. Many
presentations use props for many functions than the actual role for
which the prop may be literally used. They use props to transform
roles, environment, time, mood and for the imagery of a performance
in total.
In Woza Albert! the tea chests are used in many ways. The following
are some ways the tea chests has been used for many functions:
As the seats on a train
As the stalls in the street-vendor scene
As a chair for the barber
As a dustbin in the Aunt Dudu scene
As symbols of history of oppression by referring to colonialism (export
of tea by British), etc.
Consider candidates response along these lines. (2)
2.3.2 In Woza Albert! the performance technique applied in the
performance of the text is Poor Theatre as explained in the account of
how the collaborators came up with the play. The performance style
focuses on the technique of multi-functional props as stipulated in the
conventions thereof.
The black boxes are used to portray the train, the jazz band stand, the
pink nose, the clothing rail to put up all the costumes for multi-roles.
Award marks for the understanding of multi-functionality as portrayed
in the play. (6)
2.3.3 Candidate either agrees or disagrees with the question. Award TWO
marks per reason provided by candidate. (4)
[40]
OR
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QUESTION 3: SOPHIATOWN BY JUNCTION AVENUE THEATRE COMPANY
3.1 The following are the common differences between Township Musical and
Community Theatre:
Township Musical Community Theatre
Usually involves some trained Usually done by amateurs and maybe one
cast and crew. Ginson Kente or two people who have learnt about
used to train his actors to be drama.
able to perform the style.
Theatre mostly showcases the Works with the community to create a
urban lifestyle of the township platform for development
communities
The themes of a township The themes are usually concerned with
musical include historical, social, community issues such as drug abuse,
political and cultural aspects of crime, HIV/Aids, poverty and they mostly
township life do not entertain political issues
Consider candidates’ understanding of the difference between the two, any
TWO relevant distinctions between the two must be awarded TWO marks per
difference discussed. (4)
3.2 Sophiatown is a Township musical. For instance:
In a township musical there is usually a reflection of urban township
lifestyle that include vibrant scenes and an illicit drinking spots (shebeens)
like Mamaritil’s Diamond Shebeen where the rest of the production is set.
There are usually pennywhistle players, a capellla singing and traditional
mbaqanga music, as well as a mixture of jazz and the blues styles. In
Sophiatown the characters usually engage in song and dance in a jazz
style and their form of entertainment is to go and listen to the blues of
Mariam Makeba and Dolly Rathebe and the jazz of Dollar Brand (Abdullah
Ibrahim) and bro Hugh Masikela, etc.
The themes of a township musical include historical, social, political and
cultural aspects of township life. In Sophiatown we see this in the themes
of political nature of the time, the forced removals, the way the people
used to live, free-hold suburban lifestyle under the roof of Mamariti, the
gangs and the chinaman, the gong and the culture of music, bioscope,
literature and dance.
The costumes are mostly reflective of the American styles like in
Sophiatown, the labels that Mingus and Charlie always wear and designer
suits, hats and shoes that they always brag about.
Award ONE mark to candidate for explaining the township musical element
and TWO marks for giving relevant examples from the play. Candidate must
at least discuss THREE conventions of township musical and give an example
for each to achieve full marks. (9)
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3.3 3.3.1 Forced Removals (2)
3.3.2 Candidate will be awarded for correct details of ONE of the following:
A ‘Blackspot’ was an area of land in which blacks lived in freehold in
what the National Government regarded as white South Africa. The
Blackspots were bought legally by blacks, either as individuals or as
groups, before apartheid legislation made it illegal to do so, and many
had been bought as far back as before the Union Government of
South Africa in 1910.
Examples of Blackspots were Charlestown, Besterspruit and
Kumalosville. In 1953 the black people of Charlestown were told
that they would have to move to Buffalo Flats, 40 miles away, and 18
miles from Newcastle, the nearest town. In 1963 people were forcibly
moved from Charlestown to another area, 6 miles from Newcastle,
called ‘Duck Ponds’. Their Charlestown houses were demolished,
and their goods were loaded onto lorries and moved to small
prefabricated huts. They were not allowed to take their livestock with
them.
The Liberal Party of South Africa (LPSA) was involved in the fight
against these policies, particularly Peter Brown, whose involvement
led to the founding of the Association for Rural Advancement (AFRA).
And the people of District Six were moved to Khayelitsha and
Gugulethu
Award a mark per event mentioned. (2)
3.4 Internal conflict usually sees a troubled character, mostly the protagonist
suffering from inner turmoil.
For instance: Jakes feels like he has been too much involved in writing about
boxing for Drum magazine and for that reason he feels like his creativity is
fading out into this repetitive style of journalism. He feels like he has not been
challenged a lot recently and thus wants to write about something different.
We see his character dealing with this issue from the beginning of the play
and this brings the inciting incidence of the play into action. He decides to
advertise on Drum magazine for a white lady to come and dwell in Softown
which becomes the point from which the plot of Sophiatown is triggered into a
different direction.
Consider this from candidates’ response even though it won’t be verbatim to
the guidelines above. (5)
3.5 Candidate must demonstrate their understanding of theatre conventions as far
as Poor Theatre is concerned in their response.
Candidate may agree or disagree for which and support their answer by
applying the conventions of drama and giving examples from the play. (10)
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3.6 Award marks if candidate mentions the fact that Lulu is still a student
presented in uniform in the production. She is resistant against the education
system, Bantu Education, thus speaks on behalf of all the students in high
school at that time. She feels like the education system is not practical
enough to help her construct her life accordingly. This was a big issue in
apartheid South Africa and the climax of it all was the June 16 uprising in
Sharpeville.
Award marks to candidate when they demonstrate the understanding of
history especially with regards to Bantu Education and how it was received by
the black youth of the time. (4)
3.7 This is an open question and candidate has to be assessed on the
understanding of the value of drama to a community and is able to
substantiate their answer.
Award marks for TWO well explained reasons. (4)
[40]
OR
QUESTION 4: SIENER IN DIE SUBURBS BY PG DU PLESSIS
4.1 First, candidate has to demonstrate understanding and knowledge of the
concept: exposition
For instance:
Exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information about
events, settings, characters, etc. to the audience. Exposition can be
presented through a variety of other modes of drama like monologues,
dialogues, prologues, a protagonists thought or narrator’s explanation of past
events. In drama this can also be presented through the stage directions and
didascalia.
In this case of Siener in die Suburb assess if candidate knows and can
describe the setting of the play, the characters and the total environment of
the play and award marks in this regard; ONE mark for knowledge of concept
TWO marks for each example given in relevance to the play. (5)
4.2 The following is a commonly held idea of what Archtype characters mean:
A common character found in a play and considered to be universal across
most cultures. Examples of which can be found in the world around us every
day, in our speech, our beliefs, media, sports, psychology, art and even our
dreams.
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For example:
The hero: the character of Tjokkie
The mentor: Ma can be seen as the mentor even though she’s presented as
the powerless in the play
The ordinary guy: Fe
The innocent: Tiemie, Tjokkie
The villain: Jakes and Giel
Award marks for knowledge of concept and TWO marks for valid examples
taken from the play. (5)
4.3 Consider the following information:
Traverse is a form of catwalk – though in its purest form it does not have the
stage and back wall area that a fashion catwalk has – the purest form of
traverse is illustrated below where you have the audience on two sides of the
stage.
Audience Audience
STAGE
Siener in die Subrub is set up in a yard with a garage and a hint of the house.
The setting presents a realistic view of the environment of the play. The set
gives an impression of a peep into the lives of the characters as far as the
story is concerned. There’s a fourth wall made invisible and the audience are
taken on a journey to follow the everyday lives of these characters. This type
of presentation is usually suited for a performance on a proscenium arch
stage. The proscenium arch stage is convenient because it is organised such
that the audience is on the one side of the stage. Award marks to candidate
for their understanding and knowledge of the stage types and explaining how
the play fits to be performed or not performed on it. (5)
4.4 Conflict generally occurs when a character cannot achieve an objective due to
an obstacle. This obstacle may be internal or external – between characters
or between characters and their environment. Conflict can be shown in a
variety of ways, for example through physical, verbal or psychological means.
Conflict can be embedded in the structure of the drama. (8)
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22 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
4.5 The following are the basic functions of costume in drama:
Defining Character – differences between characters must be clearly
visible to audience, even when other characters are confused. What does
an audience need to know?
Setting a character in time and space
Establish approximate age and gender of character
Establish rank or social status
Establish personality
Reflect changes – richer, poorer, older, injured, fatter, etc.
Supporting Theme, Concept, and Mood
Style – the manner or mode in which the costumes are created to best
interpret the mood and concept
Consider the above in relation to Timmie’s character. Candidate needs to
understand the functions of costume in drama and have a clear knowledge of
the character of Timmie and use that knowledge to interpret the costume
suitable for her personality, status, aspirations in concern to the play.
Mark holistically. (5)
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4.6 Use the following rubric to assess candidates’ response.
CATEGORY MARKS DESCRIPTOR
The candidate clearly understands the quotation and can
relate the play text and theatrical movement he/she has
studied to the quotation. The candidate is able to
construct an argument supporting the truth of the
quotation and uses concrete, specific examples from the
movement and play text. The candidate discusses a
Good 10–12
minimum of three of the bullets and a maximum of five,
choosing suitable points from the bulleted list connecting
to the play text and movement he/she has studied.
He/she focuses on the different purposes of theatre and
clearly discusses how the play text studied is an example
of a particular motivation.
The candidate is able to describe the role of the director
through a concise giving of notes. Candidate shows
some knowledge of the character of Jakes. Candidate
Average 6–9 demonstrate some knowledge of characterisation and
able to mention practitioners and any actor will be able to
somewhat follow them and use them as a guide to
characterisation.
The candidate attempts to describe the role of the director
through a concise giving of notes. Candidate shows little
Weak 4–5 knowledge of the character of Jakes. Candidate
demonstrate very little knowledge of characterisation and
able to only mention a practitioner.
The candidate is unable to describe the role of the
director through a concise giving of notes. Candidate
shows very little to nothing at all knowledge of the
Not achieved 0–3
character of Jakes. Candidate does not understand
characterisation and unable to mention practitioners
characterisation.
Consider candidates’ response with regards to the character of Jakes and
award marks as guided by the rubric to assess candidates’ answer. (12)
[40]
TOTAL SECTION B: 40
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SECTION C: SOUTH AFRICAN THEATRE POST-1994
QUESTION 5: NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH BY JOHN KANI
5.1 Inciting incident may be referred to as the opening moment of a play that has
a narrative structure. This is an event that sets the plot of a play into the
direction of the themes of the play and brings about the central conflict of the
play.
The inciting incident in the play Nothing but the Truth is generally believed to
be the very death of Themba, however, because this has already happened
when the play begins, it can be agreed that the arrival of Mandisa with the
ashes instead of the corpse is the inciting incident.
From this point, the burial plans that Sipho is busy with in the exposition are
thrown into vanity. The tradition of funerals is challenged by the western
traditions. This arises some unresolved matters with the character of Sipho
also. The central idea of reconciliation, forgiveness and truth are seen in the
process and this couldn’t have happened if Mandisa had brought the corpse.
Now Sipho feels like all his efforts, from history also, have been falling on the
blind sight and no one has ever seen him do his duties as a big brother.
Award a mark for the understanding of what an inciting incident is, TWO
marks for identifying the incident and TWO marks for giving the reason. (5)
5.2 5.2.1 A box-set is a naturalistic setting of a complete room built from flats
with only the side nearest the audience missing. The fourth-wall
convention. A room with four walls and the invisible fourth wall for the
audience to peep in. (2)
5.2.2 Consider the above definition of a box-set. The play is set such that
the audience can see only one room and hinted of the other rooms
through doors that are exits and entrances. The following is the
details of the setting of the play.
46 Madala Street, New Brighton. As the lights go up, we see the
township home of Sipho and Thando Makhaya. It consists of four
small rooms: a kitchen, lounge and two bedrooms. It is taken that the
bathroom is located outside the house, as with most township houses.
The house is only 7,2 metres by 3,6 metres and these dimensions are
accurately depicted on stage. The building is made out of ash blocks,
a common, cheap building material used in government funded
houses. All of this is informs us how the Thando and Sipho live, their
economic status and the kind of community they live in. The small
house has a warm, intimate feel to it, well cared for. The books
suggest educated inhabitants. It also acquires this feeling by the
warm lighting used, and the way the actors move freely and
comfortably around the set, like one would in a place where they are
at home.
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Candidate may not report verbatim to the above description, be
considerate of their understanding of box-set and explains it in terms
of the play Nothing but the Truth. (6)
5.3 Thando is Sipho’s only daughter and only living child. She has grown up with
only her father to count on, because both her mother and brother left her in
their own ways at a young age. It is because of only ever having her father,
that Thando is greatly attached to him, and patient with him in all his
seemingly cold moods, when he is actually just cutting off his thoughts of the
past. For the most part of her life, Thando has grown up in a very different
world then her father did, and thus is also a very different person that her
father is.
She has unresolved issues pertaining to her mother, she does not know what
happened to her mother and whether she is still alive or not. As a woman, a
great part of her still longs for the maternal figure in her life for the balance.
We see this in the scene where she and Mandisa are ‘cross-examining’ Sipho
and the shock she befell at the hands of the catharsis.
She has identity issue:
‘Oh yes, My mother, another mystery, not a word, not even a
letter from her. All I have is that picture of both of you in front of
the library in town. Nothing else. You think she is still alive’
Candidate must demonstrate understanding of character analysis and indicate
whether they understand the subtext in the speech of characters. (6)
5.4 Mark this question holistically on the basis of candidate’s creativity.
Determine from the answer whether candidate is able to create a story with
the assumption given in the subtext of the play Nothing but the Truth and
award marks for this.
Candidate should demonstrate their knowledge of the actual script and the
implications of the implied characters that are mentioned in the play; how
does the play view the characters of Themba and his relationship with
Mandisa. How would Themba’s presence affect the themes; would Sipho
confront Themba about these issues? Would Thando want to know the truth
about her biological mother and father, how would Mandisa look at her own
father at this point? Such questions should be considered by candidate and
the marker should assess with this in mind. (9)
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26 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
5.5 Candidate may choose any scene from the play and show creativity in the
direction thereof. Use the following rubric to assess candidate’s answer.
CATEGORY MARKS DESCRIPTOR
The candidate clearly understands the quotation and
can relate the play text and theatrical movement
he/she has studied to the quotation. The candidate
is able to construct an argument supporting the
truth of the quotation and uses concrete, specific
examples from the movement and play text. The
Good 10–12 candidate discusses a minimum of three of the
bullets and a maximum of five, choosing suitable
points from the bulleted list connecting to the play
text and movement he/she has studied. He/she
focuses on the different purposes of theatre and
clearly discusses how the play text studied is an
example of a particular motivation.
The candidate is able to describe the role of the
director through a concise giving of notes.
Candidate shows some knowledge of the character
Average 6–9 of Jakes. Candidate demonstrate some knowledge
of characterisation and able to mention practitioners
and any actor will be able to somewhat follow them
and use them as a guide to characterisation.
The candidate attempts to describe the role of the
director through a concise giving of notes.
Candidate shows little knowledge of the character of
Weak 4–5
Jakes. Candidate demonstrate very little knowledge
of characterisation and able to only mention a
practitioner.
The candidate is unable to describe the role of the
director through a concise giving of notes.
Not Candidate shows very little to nothing at all
0–3
achieved knowledge of the character of Jakes. Candidate
does not understand characterisation and unable to
mention practitioners characterisation. (12)
[40]
OR
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QUESTION 6: MISSING BY REZA DE WET
6.1 The answer should be a ‘NO’ unless candidate demonstrates a very creative
writing and is suited to the choice they make. There must also be a clear
understanding of the conventions of poor theatre as well as that of realism.
The following notes are details of the setting of Missing and markers must
consider this when they mark:
The space as seen on the stage represents the kitchen of an extremely poky
house. It is clear from the costumes, furniture, coal stove, etc. that the drama
takes place in the early years. The little house is built with galvanised
corrugated iron. Doors give access to other parts of the house, for example
the passage door that leads to the rest of the house, like the bedrooms that
are often referred to. Then there is the backdoor that leads to the outside
(freedom), and the drop-door in the ceiling where the old man has been living
for many years (captivity).
The above is suitable for a typical realist setting and should be set in those
conditions. Poor theatre requires, from its conventions, that the space is bare
and objects are used multi-functionally and actors do multi-rolling and use
their body to create the space and the props and set the environment, etc. (10)
6.2 6.2.1 Consider the following information/guidelines and assess candidate
along that context.
Women’s role in the conventional Afrikaner community has always
been that of a caregiver.
An idealised image of the Afrikaner or Boer woman, the
volksmoeder, appeared for the first time in South African
historiography in the late nineteenth century.
In some studies the women featured more prominently than before
and they became the symbols of courage, ‘virtue, moral sensibility
and political independence’.
Some of the scholars also stressed their ‘racial superiority and
purity’, despite their isolation and contact with ‘wild barbarians’
(black, indigenous population).
In the late nineteenth century the Dutch Reformed Church used
these idealised notions of motherhood in their magazines to
encourage members to support missionary and philanthropic
efforts.
F.W. Reitz, former president of the Orange Free State, used
Theal’s portrayal of the Boer women in his defence of the Boer
republics on the eve of the South African War (1899–1902) and
during the war, Gen. J.C. Smuts referred to the heroism of the
Voortrekker women to inspire the men on the battle field.
After the war, the suffering of Afrikaner women in concentration
camps, their ‘heroism, patriotism and defiance of the British
enemy’, were used to augment this idealised image of women.
In this regard, the volksmoeder was in part based on the image of
idealised womanhood in nineteenth-century England, namely that
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28 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
her most important attributes were her ‘ability and willingness to
suffer and sacrifice for nation, husband and children’.
The portrayal of Afrikaner women differed from this ideal in that
unlike the ‘passivity, modesty and decorativeness’ encouraged in
the drawing-rooms of metropolitan England.
They were productive members of society and ‘far more the fellow
labourer and comrade of man, than are the masses of women in
nineteenth-century societies’.
Although this was a romanticised view, the active participation of
Afrikaner women in all spheres of society is well documented.
The above notes may be used as guidelines and traces of this
knowledge should be found in the response by candidate. Consider
also the relevant examples in the play:
How the women treat men (as in the relationship between the invalid,
Gabriel, and the trust in the blind Konstabel), etc. (8)
6.2.2 Consider the following, the female characters in the play are in terror
because of the events that had occurred in their environment of the
play. There is a strange thing that always happens when the circus is
in town and they are scared. They are trapped inside their own home
due their vulnerability. The presence of Konstabel brings some sense
of security because he is a man and he will protect them in the event
where something dangerous may happen. However, this is not the
case.
The following is information regarding the character of Konstabel in
the play. Candidate may use this information in their response to
strengthen their thesis.
He is mysterious – between 30 and 40 years old. He wears a police
uniform and, very strange for a constable, he is blind. This does not
make sense. Already we sense the presence of a strange, magical
element. He carries a stick and wears a pair of sunglasses. From the
bag he carries with him, he at a later stage produces his other
possession: an apple. During his metamorphosis as a clown, he does
not wear a shirt, and the jacket of the police uniform is upside-down.
He now resembles a court clown/fool or pierrot (a French clown
figure). Together with this ‘new’ costume, he can suddenly see again.
Note that he did not put on a different jacket, but that it is the same
one which he just turned upside-down. This creates the illusion of
two-in-one, and reflects the transformation. Important is the fact that
he is doing this in the presence of the audience. In doing so, each
member of the audience actually becomes part of the ‘conspiracy’. If
it were an entirely different jacket, it would not have had the same
effect, and it would definitely be detrimental to the drama if he put it
on somewhere else. As it is, the audience is involved in the dramatic
end.
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Konstabel is not only secretive; he is also a manipulating and magical
character. He only reveals information about himself if he can use it
to manipulate others. Compare what he tells Gertie about ‘tant’
Hannie. He is aware of her sexual frustration, and to an extent he
liberates her from that frustration. He says he is only used in special
cases. This gives Miem a feeling of importance – to think that midst
their poverty they are ‘a special case’! To compensate for his
blindness, he is blessed with extraordinary well-developed sense
organs for smelling and hearing. About his origin he does not say
anything. They call him ‘snuf in die neus’ (wind of something).
Strange indeed, is the fact that Miem, who is always looking for a
villain behind each hill, does not get (‘snuf in die neus’) wind of
something. (Note the pun!)
He tells Gertie of his experience with ‘tant’ Hannie, and accompanies
her verbally (by means of words/narration) in her fantasy play as
Hannie. At a later stage, as the clown opposite Meisie, he plays his
role completely and manipulates her within the situation without giving
much information about himself.
Being remarkably sensitive for human weaknesses and hidden
conflicts within people, he exploits it. He manipulates the three with
his demonstration of a sharpened sense of smell by guessing each
one’s age and sexual status correctly. Meisie regards him as a
sensitive confessor to whom she can confess about her constrictive
existence and need for freedom. For him, this information comes in
handy at a later stage.
As Konstabel, his uniform presents him as the one who protects. He
represents safety and order in the community, as well as sound
values. This image of him becomes ironic in the light of his actions at
a later stage and of his dual lifestyle: he manipulates Gertie with his
narration, and he accompanies Meisie out of the house to ‘bevry’
(liberate) her. This is directly opposing Miem’s exorcism of the evil
and Konstabel’s pretension to protect them. Significant is the fact that
he does not have a name. Therefore, he can be regarded as a
personalisation of all liberators who rescue others from oppression.
In the ending, with his flamboyant gestures as a clown, he charms
(‘toor’) a miracle out of the dung when Meisie, as a symbol of the
budding flower growing from the manure, unfolds to mature growth.
An apple is symbolic of seduction; therefore the apple in his bag is a
symbolic pre-indication that he is going to ‘seduce’ Meisie to leave the
house.
Konstabel is also part of the incomprehensible mystical/mysterious
and irrational (non-intellectual) dark world. Compare his apparent
blindness and sunglasses, his narration of the solar eclipse and his
sharp vision late in the evening.
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30 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
He brings inner-renaissance/change/conversion. He also represents
enlightenment amidst the sombre people with their oppressive fears
and beliefs. He penetrates into the dark world of the characters (for
them light – even if it is artificial lantern light) and brings light into it for
Meisie and, partially, for Gertie.
With Konstabel, De Wet made provision for dramatic irony in the play.
The audience is aware that not all is in order, while the characters
trust him blindly. It creates suspense, and sometimes even comical
relief. (Compare Gertie who feels so humiliated when he rebukes her
when she wants to help him, or when he says that she has a ‘suur
reuk’. Even if the dancing points to her liberation, it still amuses the
audience. Compare for example the incident regarding the hair. This
also contributes to the development of some type of audience
sympathy with the constricted Gertie, who also longs to be beautiful
and popular.) (6)
6.2.3 Consider the following notes regarding the character of Gertie and
place it in the context of the question:
The themes of patriarchy versus matriarchy, however, the lyrics also
emphasises the presence of a solution and that is inter-dependency.
To emphasise that the men make the rules but in this event also they
need women for a certain kind of support.
The irony of blindness, the three women have the eyes but have trust
in a blind person for the fact that he’s a man. Gabriel who does not
contribute, by virtue of manhood, is treated with the same kind of
respect because he is a man. However, underlying to this is the fact
that these men need these women too for a balanced life.
Consider candidate’s understanding of the lyrics of the song and the
ability to identify events in the play to support their thesis. (8)
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(EC/SEPTEMBER 2017) DRAMATIC ARTS 31
6.3 Candidate needs to consider the following regarding the character of Gertie
and place it in context to the question.
She is a short, colourless, middle-aged little woman with a chignon. Her
clothes already tell us something about her character: hat (skew over one
eye) and wool overcoat. At a later stage we see the unsightly old vest she is
wearing. She is a spinster and physical training teacher. She is a friend of
Miem.
The first impressions of her are that she is extremely conservative. From her
later behaviour, we learn that she is actually a suppressed and sexually
frustrated woman. Her obsession with PT, physical wellness and fresh air is
merely her bulwark to hide herself. Her sexually motivated fantasy play in the
role of Hannie, in which she performs the movements in a suggestive way,
shows an almost promiscuous person – just the opposite of the first
impressions! She is also part of the Calvinistic hypocrisy. She pretends to
hate the circus (Miem indeed expects her to do so, and one gets the
impression that she will do everything to please Miem), but still she goes to
watch it. She openly tries to capture Konstabel for herself.
She is beyond her nubile lifetime; however, she reacts nearly aggressively to
Konstabel’s presence, trying to get his attention. In a subtle way, by means of
all kinds of little favours (picking up his stick, giving his coffee to him, etc.),
she tries to get his attention. She tries everything in her power to get rid of the
others, so that she can be with him all by herself. She sends Miem and
Meisie for pretence to bed in order to be alone with Konstabel. When Meisie
and Konstabel are alone outside, she calls them to come inside under the
pretence that the evening air will make Meisie sick. She still wants to appear
sexually tempting.
At a symbolic level she is the withered flower. In her fantasy playing as
Hannie she tries to find inner liberation. Take notice of the fact that she, after
Miem interrupted her playing, escapes to go and dress herself, without
continuing her playing. She steps back to her old role as spinster.
Candidate must use the basics of characterisation and the above information
to create a suitable character for Gertie. (8)
[40]
TOTAL SECTION C: 40
OR
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32 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
SECTION D: THEATRE HISTORY, PRACTICALCONCEPTS, CONTENT AND SKILLS
QUESTION 7 is COMPULSORY.
QUESTION 7: THEATRE HISTORY
7.1 Candidate may discuss any TWO of the following:
Award TWO marks per well discussed difference.
REALIST THEATRE POOR THEATRE
Uses a typical Box-Set Usually uses the idea of an Empty Space as
discussed by Peter Brook
Settings and locals and Setting is usually created physically by the actors
props are often indoors and imagination is used as a communication
and believable medium between spectator and audience
Setting is often bland Setting is often imaginary and actors use their
(deliberately ordinary) body to portray their physical environment
Props and décor are used Props, if any, are used for the sake of symbolic
for their actual familiarity representation
Objects are used literally Props are used for object transformation
Costumes and lights are Costumes, if used at all, would be anonymous,
used to enhance the time not identifying character
and position of characters
in the play
TWO marks for each difference discussed. (4)
7.2 7.2.1 The father of modern Realist Theatre is Hendrik Ibsen (1)
7.2.2 Candidate responds to this question by stating what they know about
Realist Theatre.
The following are some facts pertaining to Realist Theatre:
Characters are believable, everyday types
Costumes are authentic
Stage settings (locations) and props are often indoors and
believable
The ‘box set’ is normally used for realistic dramas on stage,
consisting of three walls and an invisible ‘fourth wall’ facing the
audience
Settings for realistic plays are often bland (deliberately ordinary),
dialogue is not heightened for effect, but that of everyday speech
(vernacular)
The drama is typically psychologically driven, where the plot is
secondary and primary focus is placed on the interior lives of
characters, their motives, the reactions of others etc.
Realistic plays often see the protagonist (main character) rise up
against the odds to assert him/herself against an injustice of some
kind (e.g. Nora in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House)
Award a mark per fact explained by candidate. (3)
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7.3 Candidate may respond by mentioning the term Workshop Theatre and give
the various parts of the process.
Observation: A story, issue or theme is decided upon by the group. They
then begin the process of observation which may include
research, reading, interviews with relevant people, observing
people in everyday life or sharing personal experiences.
Improvisation: The structure of the improvisation may be determined by the
director, if there is one, or by the actors themselves. Scenes
are improvised and recorded by scribes, or remembered
through repetition. Sometimes the improvisations are
recorded using tape or video.
Selection: The various sections are selected or rejected and structured
in such a way as to create the form of the performance; this
may be decided democratically by consensus, or the director
may be responsible for creating a coherent theatrical whole.
Two marks per stage of the process and an explanation thereof. (6)
7.4 Assess whether candidate understands the value of drama as well as the
functions thereof in a society.
Mark holistically. (6)
[20]
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34 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
QUESTION 8: VOCAL AND PHYSICAL WORK
8.1 Candidate may write any TWO valid outcomes of not projecting when
performing. Consider the following:
The audience does not easily hear you
Your speech can not be easily understood
The audiences might not be able to get the total idea and the plot of the
story especially if dialogue is organised to develop the storyline.
Some information about the characters and their circumstances can be
lost in lack of audibility.
Some parts of the play, especially the scenes that form the main message
of the play, may be missed due to lack of hearing.
Award TWO marks for a well-explained point that candidate makes. (4)
8.2 The following are some of the things that an actor may consider when creating
vocal characterisation.
The socio-political background of the character
The physical attributes of the character
The age of the character
The overall linguistic ability of the character
The role of the character in the themes of the play and the total mood and
tone of the play
The emotional characteristics of the character
How is the character affected by subject matter?
What is the character’s position in the world of the play?
The above are some of the things that may be considered in order to portray a
vocal characterisation of note. Award marks per well discussed idea. (6)
8.3 8.3.1 External characterisation refers to how an actor creates a character
with the world around the character in mind. This usually involves
consideration of the immediate world of the character and the
relationships he has with the people in that world. External
characterisation also implies how the actor approaches a role and
their intentions as far as the visuals of production is concerned;
meaning, what the audiences see in the character the first time they
see a character on stage. This includes physical behaviour of the
actor when portraying a role; is he a respectable old man or a tramp
in the streets of Johannesburg? How will an actor dress to express
the position of the character in the society, what facial expressions will
they use, what gestures and physical mannerisms will the employ to
make the character fit in the environment of the play?
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(EC/SEPTEMBER 2017) DRAMATIC ARTS 35
For instance:
Sipho Makhaya in Nothing but the Truth
He is an Assistant Chief Librarian. He wears formal wear and carries
himself in a rather conservative way. The environment of the play
suggests that someone working in that particular position should be
dressed and behave in a certain way both psychologically and
physically; by virtue of mannerism, gestures, facial expression,
deportment, etc. all physical attributes that will make an actor
believable in a role.
Award TWO marks for the understanding of the concept and TWO
marks for a suitable example. (4)
8.3.2 The following are some of the things that an actor may consider when
creating physical characterisation.
The socio-political background of the character and the impact it
has had on their lives, psychologically and physically.
The physical attributes of the character, does the character have
one leg or arm missing, etc.
The age of the character, an old man may not walk the same as a
younger man.
The role of the character in the themes of the play and the total
mood and tone of the play. What features are there in the
character that make him scary, feared, loved, hated or highly
valued by the people around him?
The emotional characteristics of the character, arrogance,
gullibility, naïve, etc. can cause a character to behave in a certain
way physically.
How is the character affected by subject matter? Was he injured
from World War or suffered a stroke after hearing news regarding
some issue dealt with in the plot of the play?
What is the character’s position in the world of the play?
The above are some of the things that may be considered in order to
portray a vocal characterisation of note. Award marks per well
discuss idea from the candidate.
Candidate may discuss any THREE things to consider in physical
characterisation. Award TWO marks per well substantiated point. (6)
[20]
OR
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36 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
QUESTION 9: LIVE PERFORMANCE
9.1 Candidate discusses, reasons, their choice between the two media.
The biggest difference between performing on stage and performing for
the camera is the location of your audience. On stage, the audience can
easily be 30 metres or more from the performers. Since the audience
must see and hear a performance to enjoy it, stage performers must act
for the back row. The result is a larger than life performance since the
other actors are only a fraction of that distance from you.
Since the camera can always see you and the microphone can always
hear you, you only have to move and speak so the person or people in the
scene can see and hear you in television and film acting. If someone is
three feet away, speak as though they are three feet away. If they are
45 metres away, speak to them in that manner. Reality is less enhanced
when a camera and microphone become involved. In fact, due to camera-
work, score, lighting, and other effects, it is sometimes better to do less
than you would in real life because so many things are augmenting your
performance. So the main responsibility of television and film actors is that
they behave naturally. No exaggerated sound or movement is required.
The second major difference between stage and camera acting is the
familiarity of the material. Theatre is by its very nature repetitive and
therefore familiar. When a play takes hold and becomes popular, it is put
on by company after company, night after night, all over the world. That
repetition creates an iconoclastic image of the story. When people think
they know the material, they want to hear it exactly the way it was written
and they know when it is changed because it is so familiar to them. The
words of the play become iconic and any errors of dialogue will sound like
fingernails on a chalkboard. Imagine if Richard III chose instead to say, ‘A
horse, a horse...or maybe a camel?’
Television and film is different because the audience has never seen the
writing. It is fresh and largely written on the fly. Words are being changed
right up until shoot times in many cases. Therefore, at a TV/film audition,
an actor can make mistakes or small changes without consequence. An
original and believable performance is king.
In film and on TV, actors don’t create their own performances, editors and
directors do. That’s one major difference between stage and screen
acting. In the rehearsal process for the theatre, it is not uncommon for an
actor who is in control of their performance to sense something has gone
‘wrong,’ stop, go back, and fix it to get it ‘right.’ On a film set that’s
someone else’s job. Actors don’t call cut. Well-prepared actors may find
themselves filming a scene when they forget a line or something happens
that changes the direction of how they thought the scene should go. This
could send them into their head and stop the take. But the director might
have liked what they were seeing or had a vision for how the footage could
be used elsewhere in the storytelling. In transitioning from stage to
screen, actors need to practice letting go of control. This doesn’t mean
letting go of preparation. Far from it. Rather, when they arrive on set,
actors must have the ability to trust the other artists they are working with
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(EC/SEPTEMBER 2017) DRAMATIC ARTS 37
as collaborators, and play along. Being fully prepared and simultaneously
able to stay relaxed and in the moment is a vital skill for film and television
acting.
The above are mere suggestions, award MARKS per comparison or
differentiation, well-motivated. (6)
9.2 Award TWO marks for each reason stated by candidate.
For instance:
Without energy, drama can communicate sloppiness and lack of
believability
Lack of energy may cause the entire production loss of focus and can
affect other actors in your production negatively
Energy brings excitement to drama and the audiences watching
The themes of production are effectively demonstrated by the energy in
characters and total performance and this helps the audience in
understanding even the underlying messages that are carried through in
performance.
Candidates may transcribe this information in their own words, the above is a
suggestion. (4)
9.3 Pay attention to candidate’s ability to demonstrate their understanding of the
term ‘process’ and that they are able to identify practitioners such as
Grotowski who contributed to process based theatre, the workshop methods,
etc. (10)
[20]
OR
QUESTION 10: RITUALS AND CULTURAL PERFORMANCES
10.1 The following are the common elements of theatre. Candidate may write
down FIVE from any of the known elements. Award a mark per element:
One-Act Play: Takes place in a single location and unfolds as one continuous
action. The characters in a one-act play are presented
economically and the action is sharply focused.
Act: Major division in the action of a play, accommodating changes in time,
setting, character(s), mood. Acts are further divided into scenes.
Scene: Changes when the location of the action shifts or when a new
character enters.
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38 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
Dialect: A type of informational diction. Dialects are spoken by definable
groups of people from a particular geographic region, economic
group, or social class. Writers use dialect to express differences in
educational, social, and regional backgrounds of their characters.
Dialogue: The verbal exchanges between characters.
Drama: Derived from the Greek word dram, meaning ‘to do’ or ‘to perform’.
Play: General term for a work of dramatic literature.
Playwright: The writer who makes plays.
Exposition: A narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work, which
provides necessary background information about the characters
and their circumstances.
Stage Directions: The playwright’s instructions about how the actors are to
move and behave.
Plot: The author’s arrangement of incidents in the play.
Theme: The central idea or meaning of the play.
In Media Res: Term used to describe the common strategy of beginning a
story in the middle of the action, usually on the verge of some
important moment.
Denoument: A French term meaning ‘unraveling’ or ‘unknotting,’ used to
describe the resolution of the plot following the climax.
Irony: The difference between what appears to be true and what is known to
be true.
Cosmic Irony: Also called irony of fate, occurs when God, fate, or some
larger, uncontrollable force seems to be intentionally deceiving
characters into believing they can escape their fate.
Verbal Irony: The difference between what is said and what is true (sarcasm).
Dramatic Irony: Difference between what the character believes to be true
and what the reader or audience knows to be true.
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(EC/SEPTEMBER 2017) DRAMATIC ARTS 39
Situational Irony: The difference between what is expected to happen and
what actually happens due to forces beyond human
comprehension and control.
Award marks for ANY other elements of drama as discussed in other works.
One mark per drama element mentioned. (5)
10.2 Candidate selects a myth from any of the many that they have learned or
heard about in their community. Assess candidate based on the clarity of the
myth and award marks also for the understanding of dramatic arts concepts
such as those that are in the elements of drama. Assess also whether
candidate knows how to apply knowledge of drama concepts into analysing
and identifying similarities between a myth and traditional elements of drama.
Use the following rubric to assess candidate.
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40 DRAMATIC ARTS (EC/SEPTEMBER 2017)
CATEGORY MARKS DESCRIPTOR
• Well organised, comprehensive and coherent, outstanding
structure
• Displays an exceptional high level of competence for
Outstanding
12–15 processing information, for original interpretation and
achievement
thoughtful selection of facts
• Candidate uses a selection of relevant dramatic references
• Insightful, fluent, observation and knowledge authoritatively
• Well organised, detailed and coherent, polished structure
• Displays a high level of competence and careful selection of
Meritorious facts for information sake
10–11
achievement • Candidate uses a selection of relevant dramatic references
• Shows insight, observation and knowledge are well
expressed
• Organised, detailed, some level of competence, some slight
flaws evident in structure
Substantial • Interesting read, clear statements, convincing, and simple
9
achievement direct language
• Uses a select relevant dramatic reference
• Shows some insight but not enough. Some logic statements
• Structure not always logical
• Displays a basic understanding but tends towards mechanic
Adequate and stereotype responses at times
7–8
achievement • Adequate selection of dramatic references
• Adequate reading but feels memorised. Not always a high
level of insight and lack of imagination
• Not always organised, not logically constructed
• Limited selection of information, poor language skills might be
Moderate
6 a contributing factor
achievement
• Candidate lacks the ability to support his/her answer with
suitable examples
• Rambling no structure, limited vocabulary and little effort
made to present work in an acceptable manner
Elementary • Very little information, jumbled, not easy to follow, often
4–5
achievement irrelevant
• Candidate lacks the ability to support his/her answer with
suitable examples
• Incoherent very little work, limited skills, in need of support
• Irrelevant
Not achieved 0–3
• Simple phrases or words written down that candidate have
learnt, but does not understanding
Use the above rubric together with the information given by candidate to
assess the understanding of drama elements and the skills to put it into
context with the immediate world of South African cultures and traditional form
and their contribution to the basics of drama. (15)
[20]
TOTAL SECTION D: 40
GRAND TOTAL: 150
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