Review
MASK MAGAZINE, VOL 30.1,
AUTUMN/WINTER 2007
Published by: Drama Victoria
Acting Smart Drama,
Bird, J., Sallis, R.
Acting Smart Theatre Studies,
Bailey, M., Bird, J., Sallis, R.
Reviewed by Justin Cash.
Head of Drama, Avila College.
President, Drama Victoria
While you're in the midst of grappling with the new requirements of the revised VCEDrama and Theatre Studies courses, down from heaven comes Version 5 of the Acting Smart Drama and Theatre Studies textbooks.
For some years now, the Acting Smart books have been a staple diet for our Unit 3-4 students, proving to be a valuable step-by-step guide to better understanding performance and written SACs, course terminology and examinations.
The new editions of Acting Smart see a major overhaul in content and the way in which information is presented. Both books have been completely rewritten to ensure they strictly adhere to the revised Study Designs for VCE Drama and Theatre Studies.
As with previous editions, the focus of Acting Smart is on Units 3 and 4, but for the first time an overview of Units 1 and 2 is also given, so students can see their relevance in the lead up to the Year 12 course.
Each SAC for Units 3 and 4 is covered in detail, with helpful advice on how students should approach and understand various tasks. Outcomes are now covered separately, focusing on one major activity at a time. These guides have also been expanded in the new editions, describing each Outcome in greater detail. Advice is written in a non-complicated, student-friendly manner, which makes understanding the nature of complex tasks, a breeze.
Occasional bolded words in the text ensure students don’t miss essential information. Important concepts relevant to the VCE Drama and Theatre Studies courses are listed and well-defined in a section covering key concepts, including the all important dramatic and stagecraft elements, ‘collaborative’, ‘actor-audience relationship’, ‘theatrical traditions’, and more. New terms in the revised Study Designs are also defined and an area on tools and devices defines important words such as ‘brainstorm’, ‘analyse’, ‘document’ and ‘describe’.
There are new student examples for each written SAC, assisting current students as to the appropriate standard expected and language to be used. At the end of each guide on how to approach a SAC, links from that SAC to the end of year written examination are detailed. Images of actual VCE Drama and Theatre Studies students are appropriately scattered throughout the new texts, too.
One of the most useful additions to Version 5 of the Acting Smart books is a comprehensive resources section. It includes a directory of relevant books, support organisations and handy websites for students to visit. Many of these resources are reviewed by the authors of Acting Smart, making them so much more useful than a simple shopping list.
The revised Acting Smart editions include a guide to the newly formatted end of year exams and other useful tips, like how to cope with teaching several VCE Units in the same class. At the end of the Acting Smart books is a glossary of many more acting and technical theatre terms.
Acting Smart Drama or Theatre Studies makes a valuable text, with worthwhile step-by-step instructions for any student wishing to succeed at the VCE level. The authors painstakingly and meticulously guide students every step of the way through the Year 12 courses, covering all tasks in both Studies. New information included in these editions, coupled with a more student friendly layout as part of an impressive design, make Acting Smart Drama or Theatre Studies Version 5 a wonderful resource for teachers and students, alike.
Justin Cash
President, Drama Victoria
|
