What is the drama GCSE exam like?

My drama class is really bad?

• Sorry for the long question! I'm taking GCSE Drama and I love it, I really want to get somewhere with acting, Broadway is my dream! I worked really hard when we were doing individual projects like written work and monologues, and I got A grades and I feel really proud, but now we have to do group work. This is not meant to sound mean at all, and I do have friends in my group too, but most people in my class mess around all the time. I really want to do well and impress, and our practical exam next year is a group piece that's marked by an examiner with a live audience. But when we did group work last week my group was messing around, and I try to encourage everyone and give ideas and organise practice at lunch but it's hopeless. I'm not being bossy, but I feel really frustrated! Even my friends in the group sometimes say "Oh I can't be bothered" and I say "Hey we really have to book a practice today" and they always say we'll do it tomorrow or they can't be bothered. There's 2 Drama classes in our year, and we had to perform to eachother. Honestly, it seems like the other group has all the enthusiastic people who love Drama! Their performances were amazing, they'd obviously spent so much time on it and it were so enthusiastic, it was amazing. I felt embarrassed performing ours, we hadn't practiced enough and we made so many little mistakes and it wasn't GCSE quality, I was so humiliating. It's not like my class has bad actors, I just wish we could focus and do something amazing. I wanted to be in the amazing group from the other class, I love acting so much and it feels like I'm not getting to do any! Anyway, what I'm trying to ask is what to do? Should I try just being authoritive and organising people and stopping them from messing around? I can't move classes because you're put in a class according to what options you've taken and I can't possibly switch. I don't want to tell my teacher. And I'm honestly not trying to be mean at all!! (: Thanks for any help!

• Answer:

  As a Fellow actor in high school, I have this to say. If they will not listen to you, and the teacher cannot get them to work, then do the next best thing. Gather anyone interested, then let the rest do whatever. If you work by yourself, then do so. Work on a monologue, write it yourself, or such. If a scene, as at least one other person would do it, then just do the scene with those people in it. "A show is only as good as the worst character/actor in it." If the failures want to get into it later, it would be with bit parts. Dont struggle with them, it is not worth the anxiety.