Performance and Reflection

Overview

In this final lesson of the unit Exploring Artaud's Theatre, Year 9 students will have the opportunity to perform their devised scenes inspired by Antonin Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty principles. Following performances, students will engage in structured reflection and peer feedback to deepen their understanding of how they applied Artaud’s techniques, alongside articulating the challenges encountered and skills developed during the unit.

This lesson aligns with the National Curriculum for England: Drama Key Stage 3 programmes of study, ensuring students meet statutory objectives involving performance skills, understanding of drama techniques, and critical evaluation.

---

National Curriculum References

• Drama KS3: Performing
  Pupils should be taught to:

  • Develop competence in improvisation, devising, and script work.
  • Perform scripts and devised work using expression, movement, voice, and technical skills to communicate meaning.

• Drama KS3: Evaluating and Appreciating
  Pupils should be taught to:

  • Evaluate their own and others’ performances, explaining their views with reasoned arguments.
  • Understand and explore how drama combines movement, speech and sound to create effects and meaning.

• Drama KS3: Knowledge and Understanding of Drama
  Pupils should be taught to:

  • Recognise how drama genres, styles and traditions influence performance and audience.
  • Explore key theatrical practitioners and their impact on theatre, specifically how Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty challenges conventional theatre.

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

1. Confidently perform devised scenes using Artaud’s principles such as the use of physicality, sound, and intensity to convey meaning.
2. Articulate their creative choices and reflect critically on their own and peers’ performances.
3. Identify challenges faced during the development and performance process and consider strategies to overcome these in future work.
4. Demonstrate understanding of the impact of Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty within their work and evaluate its effectiveness.

---

Resources

• Performance space/area
• Props and costume elements devised by students
• Reflection prompt handouts (questions focusing on experience, challenges, application of Artaud)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Timer/stopwatch for managing performance and discussion time
• Feedback sheets for peer assessment

---

Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity: Warm-up and Focus (10 minutes)

• Begin with a physical and vocal group warm-up inspired by Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty – e.g., rhythmic stomping, guttural sounds, and focused breathing to centre students’ energy and physicality.
• Brief recap discussion (5 mins) on Artaud’s core principles: visceral impact, symbolic gestures, and breaking traditional narrative forms.
• Set intentions for today’s performances emphasising courage, engagement, and focus on sensory impact.

2. Performance of Scenes (30 minutes)

• Each group (approx. 5 groups of 5 students) performs their devised scene.
• Time each scene to roughly 5 minutes.
• Encourage attentive and respectful audience behaviour focusing on physical and vocal elements and emotional intensity.
• Teacher notes observations on each group’s use of Artaud’s techniques.

3. Reflective Discussion and Peer Feedback (15 minutes)

• After all performances, facilitate a whole-class reflective discussion guided by these prompts:
  • What physical and vocal techniques did you find most effective in conveying meaning?
  • How did Artaud’s concepts influence your performance choices?
  • What was challenging about performing in this style? How did you handle it?
  • How did working with your group support or hinder the creative process?
• Use feedback sheets where students write one strength and one area for development for their own work and a peer group’s performance.
• Encourage constructive language and specific examples based on Artaud’s principles.

4. Plenary: Self-Evaluation and Forward Thinking (5 minutes)

• Students complete a quick self-assessment question on the whiteboard or post-it notes: “One thing I learned about Artaud’s Theatre today” and “One skill I want to improve in drama moving forward”.
• Teacher summarises key themes from reflections, emphasising how this unit has developed physicality, confidence, and critical thinking in drama.
• Encourage students to consider how these skills and approaches might be applied to future performance or technical drama projects.

---

Assessment Guidelines

• Formative assessment will be continuous through teacher observation during performances and discussion, focusing on how students apply Artaud’s techniques.
• Peer assessment sheets provide opportunities for students to articulate understanding and give constructive feedback, aligning with the National Curriculum’s focus on evaluation and appreciation.
• Self-assessment reflections allow students to consolidate learning and set personal targets for future drama work.
• Informal written notes will support teacher evaluation of student progress for final reporting.

---

Differentiation Strategies

• Support: For students needing additional help, allocate roles within groups that align with their strengths (e.g., narrator, physical performer) and provide prompt sheets with key Artaud terms and simple examples.
• Challenge: Encourage more able students to experiment with abstract or symbolic movements and experiment with breaking the fourth wall to engage the audience directly, a core Artaud concept.
• Inclusion: Ensure all students participate in performance or reflection roles; use paired or small group reflection for those less confident speaking in larger groups.

---

Reflection for Teachers

This lesson offers a culmination of the creative skills developed during the unit and provides an authentic opportunity for students to enact and critique experimental theatre techniques. Encouraging honest reflection supports metacognitive development and reinforces the National Curriculum’s emphasis on self-evaluation and understanding theatrical traditions in context. Use the reflective discussions to gauge which Artaud concepts resonated most and consider integrating similar practitioner-led approaches in future units.

---

Note: This lesson assumes students have prior knowledge of Antonin Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty from previous lessons, including key concepts such as the use of sound, physicality, emotion and breaking traditional narrative forms.