�鶹Լ��

Entering the written exam with a strong knowledge and understanding of the set text studied will help in writing high-quality responses. Revision should be done to fully understand:

• the �������ɰ��������’s intentions
• the characteristics of the play
• the social, cultural and historical context
• how meaning is interpreted and communicated on stage

The �������ɰ��������’s intentions

Playwrights often write plays to convey a message or an idea to the audience. It is important to consider what the playwright was trying to achieve through writing the set text studied.

The characteristics of the play

To make sense of a play, it is important to understand its characteristics, eg the genre, structure and style. The genre and structure are decided by the playwright and will become evident through how the play is written, eg a play with lots of comedic moments will likely be a comedy. An awareness of these factors will inform how the play might be interpreted stylistically on stage.

The social, cultural and historical context

It is easier to understand a play with knowledge of its context, as this provides information about when and where a play was written and set. Context is split into three categories:

• social - the way people lived and what they believed when the play was written and set
• cultural - the arts and popular interests associated with a particular time and place
• historical - what was happening in the world when the play was written and set

How meaning is interpreted and communicated on stage

Everything on stage is intended to convey meaning to the audience and it is important to understand how. This means having clear and contextually appropriate ideas about how the set, sound and lighting were designed in every scene of the set text, as well as having design concepts in mind for each character’s costume and puppets, if appropriate. Finally, it is important to have an understanding of how vocal and physical skills would be used to convey all of the characters in the play.