| Unit name | Devised Performance |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THTR20021 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Bentivegna |
| 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:
There is a long and rich history of theatre and performance makers experimenting with various techniques to create original, devised performance material. This unit will provide you with the opportunity to explore a range of contemporary performance practices and to develop your own original devised performance material. You will have the opportunity to explore and experiment with a range of approaches that might include working with: text-based improvisation; movement-based performance; creative technologies; adaptation; and found or verbatim texts. The unit will advance your knowledge of a range of contemporary theatre and performance makers who are producing devised theatre and performance. Through this exploration of a range of approaches to devising, you will build a toolkit for making original theatre/performance and identify techniques and approaches that are of particular interest to you as a practitioner. You will have the opportunity to develop your understanding of design, towards the production of an original piece of devised performance. This unit will also provide you with the opportunity to develop your reflective skills, as you critically reflect on your individual contribution to the devising process and your creative decision making.
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 devised performance making. This unit provides you with the opportunity to engage in an in-depth performance-making process as you work towards the staging of an original piece of devised performance for an audience. This unit also provides the opportunity for you to develop and deepen your reflective skills as you critically reflect on your individual contribution to the artistic process, as well as on the devising processes, compositional strategies and design approaches used.
Overview:
This unit explores a range of contemporary performance practices that do not use an already existing play text as their starting point. Practical workshops will explore strategies for devising, which might include text-based improvisation, movement-based theatre, the use of creative technologies, approaches to adaptation or working with found or verbatim texts. The unit will also advance students’ knowledge of a range of contemporary theatre and performance makers who are producing devised theatre and performance. The unit will develop students’ creative and technical skills, and understanding of design, towards the production of an original piece of devised performance. This unit will also provide develop students’ reflective skills, as they critically reflect on their creative decision making and their individual contribution to the devising process.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit:
Students will develop confidence in devising original performance material for a set purpose. As well as developing detailed knowledge of a range of contemporary devised theatre and performance companies/practitioners, they will also be able to reflect critically upon their own development as practitioners and on their creative decision making throughout the devising process. Through the workshops, and the skills developed through the group performance project’ students will develop the confidence to take an idea from its initial stages through a process of rehearsal and development towards a final performance for a set purpose. Students will develop their understanding of how the different performance and productions elements come together in a final performance. Students’ will develop their organisation, time management and communication skills.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Weekly 2 x 2-hour workshops + 2-hours of timetabled independent rehearsals/production work.
Weekly interactive practical workshops will introduce students to devising techniques informed by or derived from specific devised theatre/performance companies/practitioners. Workshop discussion and 1-2-1 tutorials will also be used to build the analytical skills needed to reflect upon the students’ performance work and their individual creative decision making. The students will then work in groups (or individually if needed) to apply and adapt some of these techniques to produce original devised performances. 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 practitioners, and optional theatre trips.
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 creative decision making and will receive feedback from the unit tutors. In the second half of the unit students will have regular opportunities to share their work-in-progress and receive feedback from both peers and unit tutors.
Assessment:
Devised Performance (70%) (groups, 3 minutes per person) [ILOs 1, 2, 3]
Critical Analysis (30%) (Individual, no longer than 1000-words or 7-minutes of recorded verbal discussion) [ILOs 2, 3, 4]
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.
Reassessment: Individual Presentation (digital – narrated PowerPoint or similar) (100%) (no longer than 12 minutes) [ILOs 1, 2, 3, 4]
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. THTR20021).
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 assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
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.
