2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

PECI5408M Writing for Contemporary Theatre and Performance

30 creditsClass Size: 15

Module manager: Dr Campbell Edinborough
Email: c.edinborough@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module provides a critical and practical introduction to creative writing in the context of contemporary theatre and performance. The module encourages students to explore a wide range of creative approaches to writing for live performance, contextualising them in relation to the study of recent examples of theatre, live art and popular performance. Students are encouraged to explore: dramatic scriptwriting, writing for devised performance, writing for live art, solo and popular performance, and writing in the context interactive, immersive and participatory performance.

Objectives

The module encourages students to identify distinctive characteristics of contemporary writing for theatre and performance, contextualising practices in relation to specific conditions of production and reception. Though this process, students are encouraged to locate their own creative practice in relation to the wider field.
Students achieve these aims through the following learning activities:
• discussing and engaging critically with scholarship related to contemporary theatre and performance
• analysing scripts and performance texts
• undertaking creative writing exercises prior to developing a script or performance for the final assessment.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Understand personal creative practice in relation to broader trends and debates in industry practice and culture.
2. Demonstrate specialist knowledge of form, genre and medium through developing a script, score or performance (as appropriate).

Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
3. Develop strategies for creative experimentation in the production of a piece of writing (script/score/performance) for live performance.
4. Produce creative writing (script/score/performance) suitable for development or presentation in a relevant professional context.
5. Communication/presentation skills relevant for working as a creative practitioner in the context of contemporary theatre and performance.

Competence standards
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following competence standards:
1. Apply relevant theories and concepts to the development of creative writing projects for live and mediated performance.
2. Demonstrate a critically and theoretically engaged understanding of current debates in the context of contemporary theatre and performance.
3. Reflect on the relationship between personal practice and broader trends and debates in industry practice and culture.
4. Demonstrates ability to design and realise creative projects working effectively within constraints of time and available resources.

5. Demonstrate communication/presentation skills relevant to specific industry contexts.

Syllabus

Indicative Content:
The theory and practice of writing for live theatre and performance.
The place of written texts in contemporary theatre and performance.
Styles, genres and conventions in writing for theatre and performance.
Intercultural adaptation.
Writing for theatre and performance as interactive and relational forms.
Character, language, form and theme.
Skills in editing and redrafting work in response to tutorial and peer criticism.
Responding critically to live theatre and performance in a diverse range of styles as a stimulus for creative work.
The dramatic text in production, including the devised production.
The stage space: architecture and possibilities.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Workshop	3	3.00	9.00
Supervision	2	0.50	1.00
Lecture	1	2.00	2.00
Practical	10	3.00	30.00
Private study hours			258.00
Total Contact hours			42.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Class discussion and ongoing peer and tutor response to in-class practice.
First tutorial provides formative feedback on student ideas for assessment project.
Peer-to-peer feedback on rehearsed reading of 5-10 minutes of first draft.
2nd draft rehearsed reading presented to tutors and industry advisors.
3rd draft submitted for formative assessment during second tutorial.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Practical	30-40 minute script, performance or performance score (approx 5,000-6000 words), supported by a 1000-1500 word critical framing statement.	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Resits task are the same as above.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 11/06/2024

Disclaimer

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• Undergraduate module catalogue
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