IB Drama + ATL: Telling Stories with Your Whole Self

1. Where this article fits

So far, you’ve seen how ATL works in:

ATL: The Secret Skill Set Behind Every IB Class
IB I&S Essay + ATL (arguments, PEEL, thesis)
IB Science Writing + ATL (labs, investigations)
MYP Design + ATL (design cycle, prototypes)
IB Math + ATL (problem solving, communication in steps)

This article is the Drama / Theatre chapter in the same series.

You already know the ATL categories: Thinking, Research, Communication, Social, and Self‑Management. Now we’re going to ask:

What do those skills actually look like in a Drama class?

We’ll focus mainly on MYP Drama/Performing Arts (ages ~11–16), with a glimpse of how it leads into DP Theatre later. MYP Arts aims to help you create, perform, and respond to art, and to enjoy “lifelong engagement with the arts.”

2. What IB Drama actually is (beyond “acting”)

In the MYP, Drama usually falls under MYP Arts – Performing Arts (along with music and dance). You’re not just “doing plays”; you’re learning to:

Create original pieces (devising scenes, improvisation)
Perform scripted and devised work to an audience
Respond to theatre – analyse, reflect, and give feedback
Understand theatre forms and traditions from different times and cultures

Later, in DP Theatre, IB explicitly describes theatre as a multifaceted, ensemble-based course in which students work as creators, designers, directors, and performers, building confidence, imagination, and collaboration.

So Drama is both:

a practical subject (you move, speak, improvise, rehearse), and
a thinking subject (you analyse scripts, research context, and reflect on choices).

ATL sits in the middle of those two.

3. The four MYP Arts criteria in Drama

MYP Arts (including Drama) uses four criteria, each marked 0–8:

Criterion A: Knowing and understanding
Criterion B: Developing skills
Criterion C: Thinking creatively
Criterion D: Responding

Here’s what they mean in Drama:

A. Knowing & Understanding

You learn the language of theatre – terms like status, blocking, proxemics, levels, gesture, and stage directions.
You study theatre forms/styles (Greek, Commedia dell’arte, physical theatre, naturalism, etc.) and how they work.
You explore how theatre connects to context (time, place, culture) – e.g., why a scene feels different in Shakespeare vs. contemporary drama.

In ATL terms, this is Research + Thinking: reading, watching, taking notes, and making sense of what you see.

B. Developing Skills

You build performance skills: voice, movement, facial expression, timing, and use of space.
You may also develop production skills: simple lighting, sound, set, costume, and makeup.
You apply these skills in rehearsals and performances – you’re not just learning them in isolation.

This is Self‑Management (practice, repetition) plus Thinking + Communication through your body and voice.

C. Thinking Creatively

You devise original scenes from a stimulus (image, song, news story).
You experiment: “What if we stage this monologue in the round?” “What if the character never speaks?”
You make interpretation choices about characters, staging, and style.

IB describes this as students exploring and challenging boundaries, experimenting in innovative ways, and discovering their artistic identity.

This is Creative Thinking ATL in its purest form.

D. Responding

You watch your own work (video) and others’ performances, then reflect.
You give constructive feedback and analyse what worked and why.
You connect your choices back to intention and context: “We used slow motion here to show time stopping for the character.”

Criterion D is where you show critical thinking + reflection, + communication. It’s like the “evaluation” stage in Science or Design, but with performances instead of experiments.

4. ATL skills in Drama – what they look like in real life

You already know the ATL categories. Here’s how they show up in Drama class.

4.1 Thinking (critical + creative)

Breaking down a scene: Who wants what? What’s the conflict?
Choosing how to play a character: high/low status, stillness vs. movement, subtext.
Trying three different ways to stage the exact moment and picking what best communicates the intention.
Reflecting: “Why did that scene work better when we slowed it down?”

In I&S, you used PEEL to build an argument; in Drama, you’re using your body, voice, and staging to make an argument about the character and story.

4.2 Research

Drama research isn’t copying Wikipedia into your notebook. It can be:

Learning about the era or culture of the play (costumes, social norms, accents).
Watching clips of similar scenes and analysing what the actors/director did.
Looking up practitioners (like Brecht, Stanislavski, Boal, Lecoq) and trying their techniques.

In DP Theatre, research into context and styles becomes even more critical, but it starts in MYP.

4.3 Communication

Drama is communication turned up to 100:

Verbal: clear diction, projection, tone, pace.
Non‑verbal: gesture, eye contact, posture, use of space, silence.
Script work: understanding punctuation, beats, pauses, and stage directions.
Written: drama journals, performance reflections, and director’s notes.

In your I&S essays, you used sentences and paragraphs; in Drama, you still use words, but your main “text” is your performance.

Drama is an ensemble art. You practise:

Building trust (warm‑ups, status games, partner exercises).
Listening and responding on stage (not just waiting for your line).
Negotiating ideas when devising – “What if we combine your ending with my staging?”
Handling disagreement respectfully in a group.

This is the same collaboration ATL you used in Design group projects, but here the risk is more personal: you’re literally being watched. That’s why trust and respect matter so much.

4.5 Self‑Management

Drama uses self‑management in every lesson:

Time management: learning lines gradually, not the night before.
Organisation: keeping scripts, notes, and costume/prop lists in order.
Emotional self‑management: handling stage fright, using warm‑ups to focus, bouncing back after a rough rehearsal.
Reflection: using rehearsal journals to plan what to fix next time.

Just like in Math, small, consistent practice beats last‑minute panic. Rehearsal is to Drama what problem sets are to algebra.

5. Typical Drama tasks & how ATL appears

Here are everyday Drama tasks, with the hidden ATL skills:

5.1 Warm‑ups and exercises

Examples: name games, trust falls (safe!), status walks, voice and breathing work, physical theatre games.

Social: trust, listening, group awareness.
Self‑management: focus, switching from “school mode” to “ensemble mode.”
Thinking: exploring status, space, and physical choices without overthinking words.

5.2 Scripted scene work

You’re given a scene from a play to rehearse and perform.

A – Knowing & Understanding: Learn the play’s context, vocabulary, and character relationships.
B – Developing Skills: Practise voice, movement, and blocking.
C – Thinking Creatively: Interpret subtext, staging, character choices.
D – Responding: Maybe write a reflection on how your scene changed over rehearsals.

ATL mix: Thinking + Communication + Self‑management + Social.

5.3 Devised work (creating your own piece)

You start from a stimulus – a photo, poem, news story, piece of music – and create a performance as a group.

Brainstorm ideas (creative thinking).
Research background if needed (research).
Decide structure (beginning–middle–end, or non-linear).
Rehearse and refine (self‑management, collaboration).
Perform and reflect (communication, responding).

This is Drama’s version of a Design project: you’re designing a performance instead of a product.

5.4 Production roles (off‑stage work)

Some units let you explore:

Set design
Costume/makeup
Lighting/sound
Stage management

You still use the same criteria: you research styles, develop skills (e.g., lighting cues), think creatively about design choices, and respond by evaluating how your design supported the story.

5.5 Drama journal/reflection

Many teachers ask you to keep a Drama journal. This is similar to your Design folder or Science lab book:

notes from lessons
sketches of blocking or set ideas
photos of rehearsals
reflections on what worked/didn’t
plans for next rehearsal

It’s evidence of your ATL in action and is often used for assessing Criteria A and D.

6. Using ATL to do better in Drama (very practical tips)

6.1 Before/during rehearsal

Thinking: For each rehearsal, pick one specific focus (e.g., “today I’ll work on pacing our scene” instead of trying to fix everything).
Self‑management: Highlight your lines, mark cues, set mini‑deadlines: “off‑book by next Tuesday.”
Communication: Ask your teacher or cast, “Does this choice show the character’s intention clearly?”

6.2 Memorising lines

Break lines into chunks; repeat with a partner.
Use cue lines: practise hearing the line before yours and jumping in.
Record audio of the scene and listen back while walking; say your lines out loud.

This is self‑management + communication together.

6.3 Handling nervousness

Acknowledge it: “Being nervous means I care.”
Use warm‑ups seriously (breathing, physical shakes, tongue‑twisters).
Focus on task, not self: “What do I want from the other character?” instead of “Do I look stupid?”
After performing, write a short reflection: “3 things that went well, 2 I’d change next time.”

This is emotional self‑management – an ATL skill that helps far beyond Drama.

7. Connecting Drama to the other IB subjects

You’ve already seen ATL in other subjects:

In I&S, you argued with PEEL paragraphs and evidence.
In Science, you structured lab reports and investigations.
In Design, you followed the Design Cycle to make prototypes.
In Math, you showed each step and reasoned through problems.

Drama uses the same ATL toolbox, but:

Your “essay” is a live performance,
Your “lab experiment” is a rehearsal where you test staging,
Your “design prototype” is a scene, character, or piece of theatre,
Your “math working” is your blocking, timing, and subtext choices.

The skills are the same; the language and medium are different.

8. Quick Drama + ATL checklist

Before a performance or assessment, ask yourself:

Thinking: Do I understand my character’s objective and the scene’s key moments?
Research: Do I know enough about the play/style/context to make informed choices?
Communication: Is my voice, body, and staging clear to the back of the room?
Social: Am I listening and responding to my scene partners, not just saying lines?
Self‑management: Have I rehearsed enough, warmed up properly, and planned how to improve after feedback?

If most of these are “yes”, you’re not just “acting” – you’re working like an IB drama student who understands ATL.