| Semester 1, 2023 Online | |
| Units : | 1 |
| School or Department : | School of Creative Arts |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
| Course fee schedule : | /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules |
Staffing
Course Coordinator:
Requisites
Pre-requisite: THT1001 and THT1002
Overview
Dramaturgical and textual analysis are essential for all theatre-makers in order to ground their practice in the ways in which dramatic text might create a fictional world on stage, or on film. This course provides advanced exploration of the role of dramaturgy at the service of the dramatic text. Dramatic responsibility refers to how theatre-makers create the fictional 鈥渨orld of the play鈥� according to the playwright鈥檚 instructions, or not. Historical performance theory, from Aristotle to Peta Tait will be used to align students to dramaturgical processes and the dramatic responsibility of translating written text into performance text.
Using historical and modern theories on performance theory, this course brings students back to the text and its potential for being at the centre of the production process. However, placing the text at the centre of theatrical practice can reduce the innovation of the text and deny critical agency of the static text and live performance. Historical dramatic analysis (including political and social contexts), performance theory and the process of critical dramaturgy will be linked to the practice of theatre-making in order to students to explore advanced ethical responsibilities around the use and embodiment of a text on stage. Indigenous, queer, and female absences will be explored in practice. The debates around the effects of liveness and mediatisation in theatre practice will also illuminate how dramaturgical practice and dramatic analysis interconnect.
Course learning outcomes
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- Apply analytical and critical strategies from performance theory to plays as texts and performances
- Analyse the concepts of open and closed texts, written and performance texts as key components of dramaturgical practice influenced by historical dramatic analysis
- Debate the notions of liveness and mediatised performance outcomes in order to understand dramatic innovation and critical dramaturgy
- Communicate advanced concepts and debates through written and oral language to explore the potential for articulating theatre making
- Recognise and reflect on political, social and ethical issues in the construction of performance
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Historical Dramatic Analysis: politics and social influences | 20.00 |
| 2. | Performance Theory: open, closed, written and performance texts | 20.00 |
| 3. | Liveness, Presence and Mediatised performance: debates | 20.00 |
| 4. | Ethical responsibility in converting a written text into a constructed performance text: cultural absences restored | 20.00 |
| 5. | Critical dramaturgical processes | 20.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
Student workload expectations
To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.
Assessment details
| Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | No | 30 | 1,2 |
| Interview | No | 30 | 3,4 |
| Essay 2 | No | 40 | 3,4,5 |