| Unit name | Production Skills for Performance 1 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | DRAM10028 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1A (weeks 1 - 6) |
| Unit director | Mr. Rod Terry |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Theatre |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Through a mixture of presentations, demonstrations, hands-on workshops and group exercises, students will be introduced to a range of production skills and processes necessary for creative, effective and safe participation in practical units in the Department’s theatre spaces and elsewhere. The unit will include an introduction to one or more of: stage management, costume design, lighting design, set design, sound design. Workshops will teach a selection of technical and design skills, which students will then apply to a small-group production assignment: for instance, designing, producing, stage-managing and cueing a short extract from a play. Within their groups, students will have the opportunity to choose and focus in more depth on a production area that interests them.
On successful completion of this unit students will
(1) be able to implement safe-working practices in the theatre;
(2) have acquired key practical skills in one or more theatre production areas;
(3) have been introduced to the practical application of these technical and design skills;
(4) have reflected on their own strengths and weaknesses in key production areas, with a view to developing these in subsequent units;
(5) be prepared to benefit fully from practice-based units in the following semesters.
5 x 3-hour practical workshops + short intensive production period, with supervised production and design meetings in preparation for Group Presentation. Workshops in the theatres and design studios will consist of a combination of information-giving presentations or demonstrations, hands-on skills training and practical exercises for individuals and small groups.
Group Production Presentation (group Pass/fail) ILO 1-3, 5
Journal, kept over the course of the unit (Pass/fail) ILO 1, 4-5
The unit is assessed as pass/fail by successful participation in an assessed group presentation and the satisfactory completion of an individual journal, which documents participation in taught production workshops and the student’s production role in the group production presentation. The journal may comprise workshop and production notes, designs, drawings, photographs, self-evaluation and reflection on their skills development. Students must pass both elements to complete the unit.
Pallin, G. (2010) Stage Management: The Essential Handbook, London: Nick Hern Books.
Howard, P. (2009) What is Scenography? 2nd ed. London: Routledge.
Bicat, T. (2001) Making Stage Costumes, Marlborough: The Crowood Press.
Fraser, Neil . (1999) Stage Lighting Design: a practical guide, Marlborough: The Crowood Press.
Brown, R. (2010) Sound: A Reader in Theatre Practice, Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Kaye, D & LeBrecht, J (2009) Sound and Music for the Theatre: The Art and Technique of Design, Abingdon: Focal Press.
