| Unit name | Applied Theatre |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THTR20002 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. McCormack |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Theatre |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?:
This unit will provide you with the opportunity to consider a range of community-based and socially engaged applied performance practices that take place outside of traditional theatre spaces. Through a series of seminars and workshops you will be introduced to a range of applied theatre practices and projects and you will develop a critical understanding of the role of the applied theatre/arts facilitator in in a range of settings. You will advance your knowledge of a range of professional applied theatre/arts companies/practitioners. In the practical workshops you will explore approaches to facilitation and the practice of planning creative workshops or making performance work with/for specific groups or in specific settings. Through engaging with briefs provided by external organisations, this unit will provide students with the opportunity to engage positively with local communities. This unit will also provide you with the opportunity to develop your reflective skills, as you reflect upon your critical understanding of the role of the applied theatre/arts facilitator and upon your knowledge and understanding of a range of theoretical concerns within the field of applied theatre.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study:
This Year 2 unit builds on the existing theatrical and critical skills introduced in Year 1 and develops them through a specialist investigation of applied theatre practice. This unit provides you with the opportunity to engage in an in-depth exploration of how to plan and develop an applied theatre/creative arts project for a specific group/setting. This unit also provides the opportunity for you to develop and deepen your reflective skills as you critically reflect upon your understanding of the role of the applied theatre/arts facilitator, drawing on a range of theoretical concerns within the field of applied theatre.
Overview:
This unit will provide students with the opportunity to consider a range of community-based and socially engaged applied performance practices that take place outside of traditional theatre spaces. Through a series of seminars and workshops students will be introduced to a range of applied theatre practices and projects and will develop a critical understanding of the role of the applied theatre/arts facilitator in in a range of settings. Students will advance their knowledge of a range of professional applied theatre/arts companies/practitioners and projects. In the practical workshops students will explore approaches to facilitation, planning creative workshops and making performance work with/for specific groups or in specific settings. This unit will also provide students with the opportunity to develop their reflective skills, as they draw on a range of theoretical concerns within the field of applied theatre to reflect upon their critical understanding of the role of the applied theatre/arts facilitator.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit:
This unit provides a unique opportunity for students to think about how the creative and practical skills they have developed across the degree programme might be applied in a range of community/education settings. The unit aims to embed theoretical and practical knowledge and understanding of applied theatre practices. Students will develop their understanding of approaches to facilitation, workshop planning and performance making with/for specific groups or in specific settings. As well as developing detailed knowledge of a range of professional applied theatre projects, they will also be able to reflect upon their own developing understanding of a range of theoretical concerns within the field of applied theatre and their critical understanding of the role of the applied theatre/arts facilitator.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Weekly seminars will introduce students to a range of theoretical concerns within the field of applied theatre as well as to a range of applied theatre practices and projects. Weekly workshops will provide students with the opportunity to practically explore a range of approaches to facilitation, planning creative workshops and making performance work with/for specific groups or in specific settings. Then the students will have the opportunity to work in groups (or individually if needed) to respond to project briefs provided by community organisations. Students will plan and develop a creative workshop and/or a performance to be created with/for a particular group or for a particular setting. The last part of the unit will be focused on student-centred rehearsal and development workshops, with tutors providing feed-forward on work-in-progress. Learning across the unit will also be supported where possible by industry-focused visiting applied theatre practitioners.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
There is no formal formative assessment for this unit. Weekly formative feedback will be given to facilitate learning. Each week students will be asked to reflect on their developing skills and on their critical understanding of the role of the applied theatre/arts facilitator, receiving feedforward from the unit tutor. In the second half of the unit students will have regular opportunities to share their applied performance project plans and work-in-progress and receive feedback from both peers and unit tutors.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year. In the case of the presentation the re-assessment would be an individual rather than group presentation - Individual Presentation (digital – narrated PowerPoint or similar) (100%) (no longer than 5 minutes) (ILOs 1, 2)
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. THTR20002).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
