2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

PECI2112 Re-thinking Theatre & Performance Histories

20 creditsClass Size: 36

Module manager: Dr Lekan Balogun
Email: o.balogun@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

Module replaces

PECI2704

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module provides you with a theoretical and practical understanding of how historical artistic movements affect contemporary theatre practice. You will learn how historical influences and lineages have created the foundations for specific pieces of contemporary practice on a local and international level. Teaching is designed to decentre the conventional historic focus on European practice and introduce a broad geographic range of theory and practice through a focus on different facets of performance.

Objectives

This module will:
- Explore how contemporary theatre makers and practitioners position their own practice in relation to historical forms and movements.
- Examine dominant and subordinate theatre and performance histories and critically interrogate the dominance of particular theatre histories and their respective repertoire and question where such histories are subverted or resisted.
- Encourage the use of appropriate critical vocabulary for addressing the relationship between theory and practice in the works of practitioners studied.
- Introduce appropriate research methods for investigating in detail the work(s) of performance practitioners. This will include the the close reading of texts, creative methods, visits to venues and through formative tasks that encourage you to practice literary, archival and practical research skills.
- Experiment with adapting historical forms for the creation of contemporary performance.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will have acquired the ability to:
1. Discuss a contemporary maker and practitioner and the ways in which this example is connected to a specific performance lineage or a mixture of lineages.
2. Apply critical theory to analysis of the work of contemporary and historical practitioners/methods/spaces/texts.
3. Utilise a range of research methods to investigate contemporary artistic forms and historical movements.
4. Re-interpret extant text(s) and/or method(s) of performance practice in a way that is relevant to a current audience.

Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will have:
5. Demonstrate Critical Thinking in relation to historical and contemporary performance practices
6. Undertake research in an ethical manner to produce fair and just historical representations

Syllabus

The module follows a lecture and seminar format. There will be a will focus on examples of work from a current practitioner or company as the basis for a historical exploration. The exploration will interrogate the texts, movements and practices that inform their work, and the methodological approach they have taken to interpreting and advancing or rejecting historical sources or practices.
Practical/seminar sessions that follow each lecture provide a space to unpack and explore the lecture content, through a mixture of practical methodologies, close reading of texts, watching footage and further discussion of the ideas and issues arising from the lecture content.
Weekly lectures and seminars adopt a decentred case-study led approach, rather than attempting a potted European or world history. . The module will allow you to creatively adapt a form studied in class and discuss the creative decision-making process.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	10	1.00	10.00
Practical	1	5.00	5.00
Practical	10	2.00	20.00
Private study hours			165.00
Total Contact hours			35.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Formative feedback takes place on three levels during the module. 1) In weekly seminars, specific tasks are set and worked through within the seminar enabling the seminar tutor to provide feedback to students on aspects such as application of theory and research skills. 2) The performance/presentation is set early in the module with the assessment taking place approximately 8 weeks later, this enables students to share plans, creative ideas and short segments of work with their seminar tutor during seminars. Time will be allocated to do this within existing seminar provision. 3). Feedback on essay plans are scheduled to take place in the final seminar of the module prior to submission of essay.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	2500 words Essay	60.00
Presentation	20 minutes Presentation/Performance	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Alternative assessment for the performance/presentation element will take the form of a written proposal for a performance in the form of a portfolio combining descriptions, scripts, design ideas, etc. - comprising of 2,500 words.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 10/04/2024

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