GCSE DRAMA COMPONENT 1
UNDERSTANDING DRAMA 2026 REVISION
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
◉ Backlighting. Answer: Lighting from behind to create a silhouette
of the performers
◉ blackout. Answer: when all stage lights go out at the same time
◉ blocking. Answer: The planning and working out of the
movements of actors on stage.
◉ body language. Answer: nonverbal communication through
gestures, facial expressions, behaviors, and posture
◉ Brecht, Bertolt. Answer: A German theatre maker who played a
major role in the development of epic theatre
◉ catharsis. Answer: the sense of release felt by an audience when a
play makes them feel strong feelings
◉ cliffhanger. Answer: when a conflict isn't fully resolved, leaving the
audience wondering what happens next
, ◉ climax. Answer: the most intense, exciting, or important point of a
play; a culmination or apex.
◉ crime thriller. Answer: a genre where the plot revolves around a
crime and the question of 'Whodunnit?'
◉ cyclorama. Answer: A screen or curtain at the back of the stage
which can be lit or projected onto
◉ dialogue. Answer: the general term for lines spoken between
characters
◉ diction. Answer: the quality (or clarity) of a performers vocal
expression
◉ diegetic sound. Answer: a sound that can be heard by the
characters in the play
◉ downlighting. Answer: when the stage is lit from above to
highlight certain characters or cast shadows
◉ dramatic irony. Answer: when the audience is aware of something
that a character isn't
UNDERSTANDING DRAMA 2026 REVISION
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
◉ Backlighting. Answer: Lighting from behind to create a silhouette
of the performers
◉ blackout. Answer: when all stage lights go out at the same time
◉ blocking. Answer: The planning and working out of the
movements of actors on stage.
◉ body language. Answer: nonverbal communication through
gestures, facial expressions, behaviors, and posture
◉ Brecht, Bertolt. Answer: A German theatre maker who played a
major role in the development of epic theatre
◉ catharsis. Answer: the sense of release felt by an audience when a
play makes them feel strong feelings
◉ cliffhanger. Answer: when a conflict isn't fully resolved, leaving the
audience wondering what happens next
, ◉ climax. Answer: the most intense, exciting, or important point of a
play; a culmination or apex.
◉ crime thriller. Answer: a genre where the plot revolves around a
crime and the question of 'Whodunnit?'
◉ cyclorama. Answer: A screen or curtain at the back of the stage
which can be lit or projected onto
◉ dialogue. Answer: the general term for lines spoken between
characters
◉ diction. Answer: the quality (or clarity) of a performers vocal
expression
◉ diegetic sound. Answer: a sound that can be heard by the
characters in the play
◉ downlighting. Answer: when the stage is lit from above to
highlight certain characters or cast shadows
◉ dramatic irony. Answer: when the audience is aware of something
that a character isn't
