Year 12 drama students across NSW began their HSC major assessment tasks last week with the presentation of their individual and group performances.
Mater Dei Catholic College has held its HSC Drama Performance night, where students showcased both their individual and group performances for assessment in front of friends and family.
Drama student James Michael, 18, spoke of the ‘nerve-wracking’ experience of presenting months of work in front of an HSC marking panel.
“The stress of actually performing is one of the most exciting parts,” Mr Michael said.
“It’s also probably the hardest.”
Aside from emulating an engaging stage presence, students must also utilise a consistent editing process to create an authentic performance vision.
“For my individual performance, there was a lot of practice at home,” Mr Michael said.
“There was a lot of adjusting the script to my own personal taste.”
To support students in producing a polished final work, Mater Dei’s drama curriculum integrates HSC performance projects into prior assignments to provide feedback relevant to students’ exam period.
Drama student Ava Jarick, 17, acknowledged the role those previous assignments played in the final curation stages of her performance.
“We did the same performance for an assessment a few weeks back,” Miss Jarick said.
“We’ve been applying feedback and working on it.”
Students are assessed on both the analytical and synthesising of each aspect of their performance, creating a well-rounded observation of knowledge and talent.
“I think we all did very well in our performances,” Mr Michael said.
“Despite every single person being endlessly nervous, I think everyone did a great job.”
The practical performance element of the examination will account for 60 per cent of a student’s overall mark, with the remainder consisting of a written exam later in the year.
HSC students will continue studying and finalising their portfolios until the completion of their exam period in October.
