Antigone: The Chorus A Level Drama Study and Performance Resource

A detailed five page A Level Drama resource exploring the role, function and theatrical possibilities of the Chorus in Sophocles’ Antigone.

Designed primarily for AQA A Level Drama and Theatre, where Antigone is studied as a Section A ‘Drama through the ages’ set text, this resource combines contextual knowledge with practical theatre making and performance analysis.

Students explore the origins of the Greek Chorus and its relationship with ritual, Dionysian performance and the civic life of the polis before examining how Sophocles uses the Theban elders structurally, dramatically and thematically throughout the play.

The resource covers:

• The origins and historical context of the Greek Chorus
• The Chorus as representatives of the Theban elders and civic community
• Structural functions of the parodos, stasima and exodos
• The development of the Chorus across the tragedy
• Their changing relationship with Creon and Antigone
• Ethical mediation, civic identity and audience response
• Voice, movement and spatial possibilities for contemporary performance
• Costume, symbolism, music and sound
• The Chorus in Greek performance tradition
• Key terminology including strophe, antistrophe, orchestra, parodos, stasimon, miasma, hubris, anagnorisis and catharsis
• A glossary of Greek theatrical and tragic terminology
• A final practical planning page linking key moments and quotations to artistic intention and specific performance skills

The resource is particularly useful for encouraging A Level students to move beyond simply describing the Chorus as a ‘narrator’. Instead, students consider how the Chorus functions as a theatrical ensemble whose changing responses help shape rhythm, atmosphere, meaning and the audience’s interpretation of the tragedy.

The final planning activity encourages students to select precise textual moments and develop performance choices that connect directly to intended audience impact, supporting the kind of practical interpretation required for A Level Drama.

Ideal for:

• AQA A Level Drama and Theatre Component 1
• Section A Antigone study
• Context and Greek theatre lessons
• Chorus focused practical workshops
• Performer and director preparation
• Revision
• Independent study
• Developing detailed theatrical interpretations of the set text

Although written primarily for AQA A Level Drama and Theatre, the material would also be useful for other A Level Drama specifications studying Greek tragedy or Antigone.

Suitable for: A Level Drama and Theatre, particularly AQA 7262.