The Live Performance Statement: What You Need
Which productions actually count, and why each condition is there. The six requirements a performance has to meet, the signed statement that records it, the digital fallback, and the rule about Section B that catches people out.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
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Why the rules exist
Section C is worth 32 marks and is about a production you chose and went to see. Before any of the evaluation, there is a list of conditions the production has to meet, and it is easy to treat that list as paperwork. It is worth seeing it the other way round. A 32-mark evaluation needs evidence, and each condition is there so that the evidence exists to be found. The specification does not spell out a reason for each one, but the reasons are not hard to see, and holding them in mind makes the list far easier to remember than learning it as six unconnected facts.
What counts as a live performance
Six terms from the requirements. The third is the one that rules out the easiest option.
Rule to what it makes possible
- a minimum of fifty minutes
- at least two actors
- a range of production values
- dialogue
- enough material for there to be moments worth choosing between
- something happening between performers, rather than one person alone
- a design dimension with enough in it to be worth evaluating
- spoken exchange, so vocal choices are there to be judged
Does this one count?
A student watches the school production of a full-length play, performed by other students in their year group, with lighting, sound, set and costume. Does it meet the requirements for Section C?
- No, because a performance by fellow students is a peer performance
- Yes, because it is a full-length production with a range of production values
- No, because a school production is unlikely to run for fifty minutes
- No, because only professional productions are allowed in this section
In or out
Run any production you are considering past both columns. A performance has to clear everything on the left, and anything on the right rules it out on its own.
Which two qualify
Select the TWO productions that would meet the requirements for this section.
- A local amateur company performing a two-hour play with a full design team
- A streamed recording of a professional production running ninety minutes
- A forty-minute solo performance by a professional actor
- A two-hour production performed by students at another school
The rule people miss
Here is the condition that catches people, because it is not about the production at all. The play you write about in Section C cannot be the same play you answer on in Section B. If your set play is being staged locally, going to see it is an excellent idea and will help your Section B answer enormously, but it cannot then be the production you evaluate in Section C. Check this before you book, not afterwards, because by the time you notice you may have no other production to write about.
The checklist in a paragraph
The production must run for at least _____ minutes and must have at least _____ actors. It must include dialogue and a range of production values such as lighting, sound, set and _____. It may be professional or amateur, but it must not be a _____ performance given by fellow students. Attending in person is expected, though a recording or _____ is an allowed fallback.
What to do, in order
Put these steps into the order that avoids problems.
- Check the production is not the play you are answering on in Section B
- Check it meets the length, cast, dialogue and production-values conditions
- Go and see it, making notes on moments you can still picture afterwards
- Make sure the Live Performance Statement is completed and signed
- Use your notes to prepare for whichever prompt you choose in the exam
Signed, and by when
Which statement about the Live Performance Statement is correct?
- It is a signed record of what was seen and when, and is required for certification from 1 January 2019 onward
- It is the evaluation itself, written up and signed before the exam
- It is recommended good practice but is not actually required
- It is the ticket for the performance, kept and handed in as proof
Spot the production that fails
Three of these productions meet the requirements. Select the ONE that does not.
- A professional touring company performing a ninety-minute play with four actors.
- An amateur company performing a two-hour play with lighting, sound, set and costume.
- A forty-five-minute professional production with a cast of six and full design.
- A streamed recording of a professional production lasting two hours with five actors.
Choosing what to see
You are choosing a production to evaluate for Section C. Work through the decisions.
- A local amateur company is staging a full-length play next month. Is amateur a problem?
- The play they are staging is the one you are answering on in Section B. What now?
- You find a different production, but it runs for only forty minutes. Does the rest of the list save it?
- You cannot get to any suitable production in person. What does the specification allow?
Explain the requirements
A friend in your class is choosing a production to see for Section C. Explain what it has to meet and what would rule it out.
- State the minimum running time and the minimum number of actors
- State two other things the production must include
- Explain why a school production performed by your own year group would not count
- Explain the rule about Section B, and why it needs checking before booking
- Say what the Live Performance Statement is and why it matters
- Say what your friend should do if they cannot get to a live production at all