This module is a core requirement for all Drama students at Level 4 and runs throughout the academic year. It operates and is assessed in conjunction with DA4001 Staging Histories. The module introduces students to significant skills, vocabularies and methods associated with creating performance and explores ways in which these may be applied within a range of dramatic and theatrical contexts. The main features of this module are the study and practice of key elements of performance such as the use of space, time, force (or energy); body and voice; play; interpersonal interaction onstage and off; performance structure and dynamics; and the creation of dramatic meaning and theatrical effect. In the first part of the module students participate in a variety of tutor-led exercises designed to increase their understanding and skills in these areas. These are drawn from methodologies and techniques developed by 20th and 21st century practitioner-theorists such as Anne Bogart; Rudolph Laban, Jacques Lecoq and Augusto Boal. They are also introduced to the basic principles of theatre lighting and sound. In the second part of the module they apply what they have learned in a student-led, staff-supervised project based around material studied in DA4001 Staging Histories.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
The particular methods and techniques selected each year will depend upon the specific expertise of module tutors and on appropriateness in relation to the texts studied on Staging Histories
Personal Tutor System activities:
For the first sixteen weeks, this module is taught principally as a practical workshop, although it may include occasional presentations and viewings. Practical workshops engage and motivate students, develop their communication and interpersonal skills, and are appropriate to the study of performance. Critical reflection and analysis are developed through performed 'sharings' in which students comment on their own work and that of others. Presentations and viewings contextualise the practical exercises in relation to the ideas and methodologies of practitioner-theorists. From midway through the second semester, students work independently in groups (though with tutor supervision) to create, rehearse and perform a group-based performance inspired by a text studied in DA4001 Staging Histories. The aims of making this link between modules are to: encourage students to understand their degree as an holistic experience; apply new skills and ideas in different contexts; establish the connection between theory and practice in a creative, motivational way. The use of synoptic assessment early in the programme is designed to encourage and enable students to make meaningful connections between different areas of theatrical and cultural practice. The expectation is they will continue to make these connections as they progress through the programme.
This module and DA4001, Staging Histories, are also directly linked to the Personal Tutor system. Students meet regularly in small groups or on a one-to-one basis with their personal tutor, who is one of the tutors teaching them on either DA4001 or DA4002. The tutorial sessions help them to consolidate and reflect on their learning in these modules and to prepare for assignments, as well as offering more general support and guidance in relation to the transition to degree-level study. Groups for the final project-based assessment are formed from tutor groups and supervised by the personal tutor. The activities and hours for the personal tutor system are detailed as part of this section in DA4001.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 16 X 3 hour workshops (including presentation/viewings) | 48 |
| Guided independent study | Independent group rehearsal including scheduled supervision | 15 |
| Guided independent study | Performance (including own performance and watching others) | 8 (all students and tutors attend all performances) |
| Guided independent study | Individual independent study | 229 |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
There is one formative assessments in this module which help to prepare students for their final assessment. This is a group-based polished improvisation at the end of Teaching Block 1.
The summative assessment consists of three elements: a short, preparatory reflective writing exercise; a group performance and a reflective essay. The initial reflective writing exercise requires students to analyse, evaluate and contextualise their efforts to apply in practice one of the techniques or methods to which they have been introduced in the first five weeks of teaching; the performance assessment requires small groups of students to respond creatively to an aspect or aspects of one or more of the plays studied in DA4001 Staging Histories and is synoptically assessed with this module; and the reflective essay requires students to explain their group's aims and creative method and reflect critically on their process and performance.
The three elements of assessment are structured as follows (percentages are indicative):
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Show awareness of key elements of performance and understanding of how these operate in relation to each other | formatively in polished improvisation and reflective writing exercise summatively in performance and reflection |
| Display confidence and an appropriate degree of skill in employing performance methods and techniques | formatively in polished improvisation and reflective writing exercise summatively in performance and reflection |
| Select and apply ideas and techniques imaginatively and appropriately in the creation of performance (Key Skill: Creativity and Problem Solving) | formatively in polished improvisation and reflective writing exercise summatively in performance and reflection |
| Employ their understanding of aspects of dramatic structure and theatrical effect to the creation of performance | formatively in polished improvisation and reflective writing exercise summatively in performance and reflection |
| Work creatively and effectively in individual and group contexts (Key Skill: Interpersonal) | formatively in polished improvisation; summatively in performance |
| Reflect critically and usefully on their creative work (Key Skill: Self Awareness) | formatively and summatively in reflective writing |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Reflective Exercise | 10 |
| PRC | Practical Exam | 60 |
| Coursework | Reflective Essay - 1500 words | 30 |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
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