Elli Forester Sale Grammar School (33633)
Candidate No.1363 Component 2: Devising Drama (8261/C)
GCSE Drama
Component 2: Devising Drama (8261/C)
The Devising Log
Section 1: Response to a stimulus
Initial Stimulus
In our stimulus, Evan Placey’s ‘Girls Like That’, I was drawn to the themes of evading
responsibility and how the bystander effect can surmount to drastic consequences. Similarly,
J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’ inspired me through themes of ignorance of the upper
class, and the consequential butterfly-effect on the powerless. We will explore these through
a working-class protagonist suffering the repercussions of an ignorant politician’s thoughtless
decisions.
Initial Research
I researched the shooting of public figure Charlie Kirk 1 mid-discussion about gun violence.
The poignant, sinister irony of this specific detail inspired me, which we will carry into our
piece to aptly differentiate hypotheticals versus reality. The politician speaks in hypotheticals,
safe from the consequences to his decisions (represented by the conference at Cambridge, the
UK’s wealthiest university2), whilst the protagonist, Hope, lives the reality. She forces him to
face the consequences that he created.
Upon researching episodic versus thematic framing, I learnt: “Episodic frames highlight how
to fix the person experiencing a problem, while thematic frames highlight how to fix the
conditions that caused the problem.”3 Reading this, we will employ an episodic structure,
presenting short, personal vignettes of Hope’s life, to mimic how media blames the individual
rather than the system. We will make her the only named character, framing her story as a
standalone case, to deflect from the much wider issue.
I was inspired by Brecht’s ‘Verfremdungseffekt’4, which I learnt ‘estranges’ the audience to
limit their suspension of disbelief. For example, creating very minimal set using mostly
cardboard boxes would highlight the symbolism of the non-cardboard items, such as the
austerity of Hope’s belongings on her ‘vanity’ contrasted with the politician’s. This could
emphasise the contrast between their characters: her indigent humility, and his hubristic
vanity. We will perform on a proscenium stage, physically distancing from the audience.
Additionally, we will implement non-naturalistic components such as choral speech, freeze
frames, and multi-role the politician as a dog; I discovered that dogs are depicted Biblically
as filthy and impure5, so could implement a motif of dog imagery such as “dirty dog” or
“barking” as a metaphor for moral corruption. Collectively, these aspects employ Brecht’s
idea of ‘Historicisation’, which I learnt “invites [the audience] to think carefully about the
1
TIFFANIE TURNBULL. (2025). BBC News. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy04p4x21e5o].
2
CAMBRIDGE REPORTER. (2025). Reports and Financial Statements 2025.
[https://www.cam.ac.uk/system/files/university_of_cambridge_group_annual_reports_financial_statem
ents_2023-24.pdf].
3
DIANE BENJAMIN. (2007). Frameworks. [https://www.frameworksinstitute.org/articles/episodic-vs-
thematic-stories/].
4
WIKIPEDIA USER: DDIMA. (2006). Wikipedia. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_theatre].
5
MARY CARTER. (2023). Bible Boulevard. [https://bibleboulevard.com/what-does-the-bible-say-
about-dogs/].
1
, Elli Forester Sale Grammar School (33633)
Candidate No.1363 Component 2: Devising Drama (8261/C)
interaction between the figures on stage and their social and historical contexts” to “consider
what needs to change for a situation to improve.”6
Hence why most characters will remain nameless, inspired by ‘Girls Like That’, acting as
symbols rather than characters: the politician represents the countless hypocritical
powerholders who ignore the majority’s true interests, whilst his ‘minion’ represents the
bystanders who endorse them.
However, the acting will be mostly naturalistic, reinforcing the idea that these characters exist
among us everywhere.
Dramatic Aims and Intentions for our Target Audience
Our dramatic aim is to represent the extreme effects of shortsighted politics on the working-
class. The assassination will not be honourable nor satisfying; the audience are not meant to
feel proud of Hope, but indignant towards our selfish but realistic portrayal of political media.
Focalising on artillery laws distances us from the current UK, therefore avoiding personal
audience bias. They simply represent any law that affects ordinary civilians far more than its
creators, allowing us to resonate with a broader UK audience. However, it also foreshadows
an imminent, Americanised future for the UK as we shift towards more extreme politics.
Our target audience is the young working-class, who are most naïve and susceptible to media
propaganda and worst affected by the ignorance of powerholders.
We will target this demographic through representing them in my character, Hope. She
spends her life striving to fulfil the prophecy of her own name, but her ‘hope’ is truncated by
reality: the financial difficulties and grief following her father’s death at the hands of the
‘law’.
She is far from perfect, acting on anger, isolation and grief, with the objective of gaining
closure on his death. I aim to show her struggle between morality and vengefulness in her
transition from youth to adulthood, through her deep, exasperated breaths, frequent zone-
outs, and self-deprecating facial expressions, especially at the end upon realising she still
feels unfulfilled. In denial of her actions, I will shed my cynicism and revert to vulnerable,
childlike innocence through shaking hands, frequent swallowing and hesitant, disbelieving
tone. I aim for the audience to sympathise, but not agree with, her actions.
My Section 1 word count (without
subheadings) is: 718
6
DAVID BARNETT. (2022). Brecht In Practice.
[https://www.brechtinpractice.net/theory/historicisation].
2
Candidate No.1363 Component 2: Devising Drama (8261/C)
GCSE Drama
Component 2: Devising Drama (8261/C)
The Devising Log
Section 1: Response to a stimulus
Initial Stimulus
In our stimulus, Evan Placey’s ‘Girls Like That’, I was drawn to the themes of evading
responsibility and how the bystander effect can surmount to drastic consequences. Similarly,
J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’ inspired me through themes of ignorance of the upper
class, and the consequential butterfly-effect on the powerless. We will explore these through
a working-class protagonist suffering the repercussions of an ignorant politician’s thoughtless
decisions.
Initial Research
I researched the shooting of public figure Charlie Kirk 1 mid-discussion about gun violence.
The poignant, sinister irony of this specific detail inspired me, which we will carry into our
piece to aptly differentiate hypotheticals versus reality. The politician speaks in hypotheticals,
safe from the consequences to his decisions (represented by the conference at Cambridge, the
UK’s wealthiest university2), whilst the protagonist, Hope, lives the reality. She forces him to
face the consequences that he created.
Upon researching episodic versus thematic framing, I learnt: “Episodic frames highlight how
to fix the person experiencing a problem, while thematic frames highlight how to fix the
conditions that caused the problem.”3 Reading this, we will employ an episodic structure,
presenting short, personal vignettes of Hope’s life, to mimic how media blames the individual
rather than the system. We will make her the only named character, framing her story as a
standalone case, to deflect from the much wider issue.
I was inspired by Brecht’s ‘Verfremdungseffekt’4, which I learnt ‘estranges’ the audience to
limit their suspension of disbelief. For example, creating very minimal set using mostly
cardboard boxes would highlight the symbolism of the non-cardboard items, such as the
austerity of Hope’s belongings on her ‘vanity’ contrasted with the politician’s. This could
emphasise the contrast between their characters: her indigent humility, and his hubristic
vanity. We will perform on a proscenium stage, physically distancing from the audience.
Additionally, we will implement non-naturalistic components such as choral speech, freeze
frames, and multi-role the politician as a dog; I discovered that dogs are depicted Biblically
as filthy and impure5, so could implement a motif of dog imagery such as “dirty dog” or
“barking” as a metaphor for moral corruption. Collectively, these aspects employ Brecht’s
idea of ‘Historicisation’, which I learnt “invites [the audience] to think carefully about the
1
TIFFANIE TURNBULL. (2025). BBC News. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy04p4x21e5o].
2
CAMBRIDGE REPORTER. (2025). Reports and Financial Statements 2025.
[https://www.cam.ac.uk/system/files/university_of_cambridge_group_annual_reports_financial_statem
ents_2023-24.pdf].
3
DIANE BENJAMIN. (2007). Frameworks. [https://www.frameworksinstitute.org/articles/episodic-vs-
thematic-stories/].
4
WIKIPEDIA USER: DDIMA. (2006). Wikipedia. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_theatre].
5
MARY CARTER. (2023). Bible Boulevard. [https://bibleboulevard.com/what-does-the-bible-say-
about-dogs/].
1
, Elli Forester Sale Grammar School (33633)
Candidate No.1363 Component 2: Devising Drama (8261/C)
interaction between the figures on stage and their social and historical contexts” to “consider
what needs to change for a situation to improve.”6
Hence why most characters will remain nameless, inspired by ‘Girls Like That’, acting as
symbols rather than characters: the politician represents the countless hypocritical
powerholders who ignore the majority’s true interests, whilst his ‘minion’ represents the
bystanders who endorse them.
However, the acting will be mostly naturalistic, reinforcing the idea that these characters exist
among us everywhere.
Dramatic Aims and Intentions for our Target Audience
Our dramatic aim is to represent the extreme effects of shortsighted politics on the working-
class. The assassination will not be honourable nor satisfying; the audience are not meant to
feel proud of Hope, but indignant towards our selfish but realistic portrayal of political media.
Focalising on artillery laws distances us from the current UK, therefore avoiding personal
audience bias. They simply represent any law that affects ordinary civilians far more than its
creators, allowing us to resonate with a broader UK audience. However, it also foreshadows
an imminent, Americanised future for the UK as we shift towards more extreme politics.
Our target audience is the young working-class, who are most naïve and susceptible to media
propaganda and worst affected by the ignorance of powerholders.
We will target this demographic through representing them in my character, Hope. She
spends her life striving to fulfil the prophecy of her own name, but her ‘hope’ is truncated by
reality: the financial difficulties and grief following her father’s death at the hands of the
‘law’.
She is far from perfect, acting on anger, isolation and grief, with the objective of gaining
closure on his death. I aim to show her struggle between morality and vengefulness in her
transition from youth to adulthood, through her deep, exasperated breaths, frequent zone-
outs, and self-deprecating facial expressions, especially at the end upon realising she still
feels unfulfilled. In denial of her actions, I will shed my cynicism and revert to vulnerable,
childlike innocence through shaking hands, frequent swallowing and hesitant, disbelieving
tone. I aim for the audience to sympathise, but not agree with, her actions.
My Section 1 word count (without
subheadings) is: 718
6
DAVID BARNETT. (2022). Brecht In Practice.
[https://www.brechtinpractice.net/theory/historicisation].
2
