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2019/20 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ENGL1291 Approaches to Theatre and Performance

20 creditsClass Size: 40

School of English

Module manager: Dr Lourdes Orozco
Email: l.orozco@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2019/20

Module replaces

ENGL1230 and ENGL1290

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Objectives

On completion of this module, students will:
be able to demonstrate understanding of key moments, movements and issues in contemporary theatrical performance;
be familiar with a range of examples of textual and non-textual work and able to discuss these critically and engage with them effectively on a practical level;
know how to take responsibility for their own learning, and to reflect on the development of their own critical and creative skills.

Learning outcomes
Students will have developed:
- their abilities in working collaboratively towards critically informed creative work;
- the ability to use written and oral communication effectively;
- the capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse;
- the ability to manage quantities of complex information in a structured and systematic way;
- the capacity for independent thought and judgement;
- critical reasoning;
- research skills, including the retrieval of information, the organisation of material and the evaluation of its importance;
- IT skills;
- efficient time management and organisation skills;
- the ability to work as part of a team;
- the ability to learn independently.

Skills outcomes
Skills for effective communication, oral and written.
Capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse.
Ability to acquire quantities of complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way.
Ability to develop and carry through a project of relatively independent work.
Capacity for independent thought and judgement.
Critical reasoning.
Research skills, including information retrieval skills, the organisation of material, and the evaluation of its importance.
IT skills.
Time management and organisational skills.
Independent learning.
Ability to communicate in a variety of oral and performance media.
Creative and imaginative skills as shown through the realisation of practical research projects.
An understanding of group dynamics and an ability to implement this understanding in a variety of contexts.
The ability to negotiate and pursue goals with others.


Syllabus

This core module for Level 1 students on the BA English Literature and Theatre Studies programme introduces some key strategies for exploring and analysing contemporary theatre practice. It considers both written plays and live performances as “texts” to be compared, contrasted, re-interpreted and (where appropriate) re-worked. This module builds a foundation that will inform all the work undertaken during Levels 2 and 3.

The module begins with four weeks of classes exploring core elements of theatre practice. Seminars focus on performance analysis from a spectatorial perspective, using current performances in Leeds as a point of reference. Here the emphasis is on considering the combined impact and signifying functions of text, acting, direction, design, lighting, sound, space, architecture, etc. Lectures and practical workshops complement these sessions by focusing in detail on selected theatrical elements (e.g. uses of theatre space, body, voice). They involve the consideration of professional productions as well as your own explorations. Technical and design elements of theatre making will also be central to discussions and practice within the sessions. You will be asked to consider set design, sound, lighting and multimedia in their engagement with the texts and their actual and potential performances texts.

The subsequent six teaching weeks of the module are subdivided into two blocks of three weeks each. During each of these blocks, you will examine an exemplary theatre text, and consider various, contrasting approaches to that text in performance. Lectures will consider the staging choices made by selected professional practitioners, while workshops will explore alternative approaches developed by the students themselves. A range of contemporary theatre styles and strategies will be explored through the use of these case study examples.

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Workshop103.0030.00
Seminar101.0010.00
Private study hours160.00
Total Contact hours40.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)200.00

Private study

Reading, preparation and rehearsals.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

- Contribution to seminars and workshops.
- Feedback on group performance.

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Practical10-15mins group performance33.30
Written WorkCritical analysis of 2,750 words looking at the case study plays and their performance potentials66.70
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 30/04/2019

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