| Unit name | Introduction to Performance Practices |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THTR10009 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Wozniak |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Theatre |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Working in small groups, students will be introduced to a range of performance practices necessary for creative, effective and safe participation in practical units in the Department’s theatre spaces and elsewhere. These will include devising, performing, directing, stage management, costume design, lighting design, set design and sound design. Students will be introduced to a range of approaches to making performances in a number of workshop performances which will introduce them to key theatre practitioners. Students will also be introduced to a range of production and design skills and processes. All of these elements will be developed in the units in the second teaching block: Staging the Text and Producing the Performance. Students will receive both peer and tutor feedback on which they can reflect to develop their own practice throughout the Teaching Block.
Successful students will be able to:
1) implement safe-working practices in the theatre;
2) demonstrate an understanding of key theatre practitioners;
3) demonstrate an understanding of key practical skills and design processes in one or more theatre production areas;
4) demonstrate an understanding of effective collaborate working;
5) evaluate and reflect upon their own strengths and weaknesses, with a view to developing these in subsequent units
11 x 3 hour ensemble performance workshops
11 x 3 hour production workshops
5 x 2 hour induction sessions
6 x 2 hour supervised rehearsal sessions
Group workshop presentation (40%) (ILOs 1, 2, 4)
Group Production Presentation (40%) (ILOs 1, 3, 4)
Workfile, kept over the course of the unit (20%) (ILO 2-5)
The individual workfile documents participation in taught performance and production workshops, and the student’s role in each group presentation. It provides an opportunity for reflection on their learning and skills development. It may include workshop and production notes, designs, drawings, photographs, as well as written self-evaluation and reflection.
Pallin, G. (2010) Stage Management: The Essential Handbook, London: Nick Hern Books.
Howard, P. (2009) What is Scenography? 2nd ed. London: Routledge.
Bicat, T. (2001) Making Stage Costumes, Marlborough: The Crowood Press.
Fraser, Neil . (1999) Stage Lighting Design: a practical guide, Marlborough: The Crowood Press.
Brown, R. (2010) Sound: A Reader in Theatre Practice, Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Kaye, D & LeBrecht, J (2009) Sound and Music for the Theatre: The Art and Technique of Design, Abingdon: Focal Press
Brecht, B. (1978) Brecht On Theatre, London: Methuen.
Christopher Innes and Maria Shevtsova (2013) The Cambridge Introduction to Theatre Directing, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Delgado, Maria M. and Dan Rebellato (2010) Contemporary European Theatre Directors, Abingdon: Routledge.
Hodge, Alison (2010) Actor Training, London: Routledge.
Mitchell, Katie (2008) The Director's Craft: A handbook for the theatre, London: Routledge.
Stanislavski, C. (1937, 1988) An Actor Prepares, trans. E. R. Hapgood, London: Methuen.
