Studying at York
Elements of Theatre-Making - TFT00063M
Module summary
This module runs in parallel to the Contemporary Approaches module. Where, in the Contemporary Approaches module you will explore, in detail, the work of significant contemporary theatre makers, in this module you will develop your own creative practice. The teaching will focus on crucial elements of theatre-making, which might include storytelling, use of space and the audience-performer relationship, working with actors, developing and organising rehearsals. The focus on these areas is designed to develop your own practice ahead of the Production Project module at the end of the Spring Term. The teaching will be a combination of discussion, practice and in particular putting research into action. The module will draw on recent scholarship into theatre-making, such as Duska Radosavljevic’s Theatre-Making: Interplay Between Text and Performance in the 21st Century, and Barbara Simonsen’s The Art of Rehearsal: Conversations with Contemporary Theatre Makers. A range of performance texts will be used to practically investigate these areas.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 to Spring Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
The aims of the module are:
- to develop your own creative practice, equipping you to work both independently and within a team
- to develop your application of dramaturgical research in theatre-making, and to be able to effectively reflect on this application in written work
- to provide you with useful, relevant and considered tools to develop your own work
- to further develop your collaborative skills, such as your clarity of intent, your appropriate choice of approach for the task in hand, and a clear link between the ways of making and the end result of this process.
- to demonstrate the opportunities and potential of workshopping as a method of exploration.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module you will be expected to:
- be able to conduct and apply effective dramaturgical research in the rehearsal room, and to reflect on this process in written work
- choose and, if necessary, adapt existing theatre-making tools in the service of your own work
- be able to lead a workshop involving a small group of theatre-makers and to clearly articulate the purpose of the workshop and the link between the aims and the methods
- demonstrate your ability to explore the implications for contemporary performance of ideas and information derived from dramaturgical and practice research
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 50 |
| Practical | 50 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Assessment comprises a practical component (50%) and written component (50%):
- A 15-minute in-class demonstration on a particular aspect explored on the module in Week 5 of the Spring Term.
- A 3,000 word essay written over the Easter vacation. The essay will analyse putting research into practice in one of the areas explored on the module. (Week 1 Summer Term)
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 50 |
| Practical | 50 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written feedback on their summative work within the 20-working day University feedback policy, and will receive written feedback on their formative work within 20 working days or sooner, with an option of an individual follow-up meeting if any aspect of the feedback is unclear to the student or if more guidance on interpreting the feedback is requested.
Indicative reading
Simonsen, Barbara (Ed) (2017) The Art of Rehearsal: Conversations with Contemporary Theatremakers, London; New York: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama
Radosavljevic, Duska (2013) Theatre-Making: Interplay Between Text and Performance in the 21st Century. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
Harvie, Jen and Lavender, Andy (eds) (2010) Making Contemporary Theatre: International Rehearsal Processes. Manchester: Manchester University Press