In creative arts, students discover a variety of art forms through a study of dance, drama, music and visual arts.
Studying the creative arts, students learn to appreciate, compose, listen, make and perform. Each art form has its own unique knowledge and skills, elements or concepts as well as a capacity to inspire and enrich lives.
Students must study 100 hours of both music and visual arts during Years 7 to 10. They also have an opportunity to further develop their knowledge and skills in other art forms through elective subjects including drama, dance, photography and visual design. Students can then select from a range of courses in Years 11 to 12.
Study in the arts is integral to our society. ... The arts are what make us most human, most complete as people. The arts cannot be learned through occasional or random exposure any more than maths or science can.
Students participating in the Creative and Performing Arts will gain further development in the following areas – Creativity, Confidence, Academic Performance, Decision Making, Perseverance, Focus, Self-Discipline, Collaboration and Accountability.
The Creative and Performing arts (CAPA) Faculty at Dungog High School comprises Music, Drama and Visual Arts, with highly experienced, committed and innovative teachers who provide opportunities for students to develop their gifted and creative potential in their individual areas of talent.
In the CAPA Faculty students are provided with many opportunities to perform and exhibit throughout the year, both within the local community and the Hunter area.
DRAMA
Students studying Drama will be involved in the process of Making, Performing and a Critical Study through both individual and group experiences.
Students learn to collaborate in a process where they explore, shape and symbolically represent imagination, ideas, feelings, attitudes, beliefs and their consequences. Students are given as many opportunities as possible to perform at school and in the local community.
Courses
Yr 8 – CAPA Rotation. Students will rotate each term to complete a range of CAPA subjects, including Drama.
Yr 9-10- Elective course
Yr 11 and 12 - 2 Unit Drama
In the Preliminary course the following elements are covered:
- Improvisation
- Playbuilding
- Acting
- Elements of Production in Performance
- Theatrical Traditions
- Performance Styles
The HSC Course involves
- Two theoretical components
- Two Practical components
Students must present a
- Group Performance which involves creating a piece of original theatre.
- an Individual Project where they demonstrate expertise in a particular area like Critical Analysis, Design, Performance, Script Writing or Video Drama
Drama Events
There are various key events that are organised by the Performing Arts Faculty in the way of Drama. These events run throughout the year and are available to students who study Drama.
- MADD Nights
- Showcase evening
- Theatresports comps
- CAPA Mini Tour of the Primary Schools
- Drama Festivals and Camps
- HSC Performances in Group and Individual Project
- Specialist workshops
- Dungog Festival and Community events
- Excursions to Professional productions, workshops and Onstage
Special Features
- Use of emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality
- Strong links with Newcastle University
- Involvement with local community events - Dungog Festival, CAPA mini Tour
- Opportunities to participate in NIDA workshops, Senior Excursion
