Module Information

Module Identifier

DR22620

Module Title

STUDIES IN PRACTICAL ACTING: THE ACTOR AND THE TEXT

Academic Year

2010/2011

Co-ordinator

Mrs Joan G Mills

Semester

Intended for use in future years

Pre-Requisite

Students must take either DR23610 or DR20920 for entry to this module.

Course Delivery

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment length / details	Proportion
Semester Exam	Duologue	30%
Semester Exam	Monologue	30%
Semester Exam	Directors' Project	15%
Semester Assessment	Classwork	25%
Supplementary Assessment	Each supplementary examination and assessment where necessary will need to be arranged and timetabled individually with staff and other students involved.	100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

- Understand the key principles of a number of acting and rehearsal methodologies, in addition to those applied to psychological realism;

- Employ a range of conceptual and rehearsal procedures and modes of exposition appropriate to the presentation of different theatrical styles and genres;

- Explore and present a text within the time scale whilst paying attention to body and voice integration;

- Demonstrate evidence of vocal capacity and ease which avoids generalisation and emotional overlay;

- Demonstrate their ability to work with others, responding to the given circumstances and demands of the text;

- Make individual and shared artistic choices and decisions which are appropriate to the chosen text;

Brief description

This module develops students' understanding of the use of voice and movement as modes of theatrical exposition. This module requires students to engage with different theatrical modes and apply key principles of practice to classical and contemporary texts.

Content

This module is taught through a series of 10 x 3 hour practical workshops in which students will be asked to investigate and experiment with different rehearsal techniques and methodologies appropriate for investigating text in performance.

Workshops will include the following:

The voice: Safety; Understanding the vocal mechanism; pitch, range, timbre, resonance, volume, expression.
The body: posture, balance, appropriate tension, release, support.
Co-ordination and flexibility.
The connection of breath to emotional impulse and language.
Presence: physical action; image; being; the sub-text; tempo rhythm.
Spontaneity: response, listening, working with others.
Analysing the action, thought-to-thought analysis of the text
Making the text one's own, avoidance of cliche, avoidance of generalisation, being in the moment.

Module Skills

Skills Type	Skills details
Communication	The individual student's ability to articulate and communicate their ideas and opinions is developed throughout the module. This area of development is encouraged and assessed within all aspects of the processes and presentations involved.
Improving own Learning and Performance	Self assessment and appraisal are intrinsic to the practical and theoretical study of the craft of study. This module places emphasis on students' progression, development and achievement and students are given continuous feedback during classwork and opportunities to reflect on their progress.
Information Technology	Information handling is not formally assessed, but is encouraged through the conduct of research.
Personal Development and Career planning	The module encourages the initial development of skills directly applicable to careers within the theatre/performance industries. A large number of students elect to further their acting training at postgraduate level.
Problem solving	Creative problem solving, outcome recognition, and the identification of the appropriate strategies and procedures and encouraged and assessed throughout the module.
Research skills	A wide range of research skills are necessary e.g. researching writers' background, examining the style and context of the play, comparing rehearsal methodology. Whilst these skills directly inform the work of the students, they are not directly assessed as part of this module.
Subject Specific Skills	A theoretical and practical understanding of the craft of acting is at the core of the Department's Drama provision.
Team work	Group working is addressed and exercised throughout the module. Practical classes demand the application of skills necessary to conduct successful collaborative activity.

Reading List

General Text
Barba, Eugenio (most up to date) The Paper Canoe Routledge Primo search Barba, Eugenio (1991) The Secret Art of the Performer Routledge Primo search Barton, John Playing Shakespeare methuen Primo search Berry, Cicely. (2001.) Text in action /Cicely Berry ; foreword by Adrian Noble. Virgin Primo search Boal, Augusto (1992) Games for Actors and Non Actors Routledge Primo search Caldarone, Marina (May 2004) Actions:The Actor's Thesaurus Nick Hern Books, Limited Primo search Callow, Simon (1991) Acting in Restoration Comedy Applause Thetre Books Primo search De Mallet, Burgess, Thomas and Skillbeck, Nicholas (2000) The Singing and Acting Handbook Routledge Primo search Eddershaw, Margaret (1996) Performing Brecht: 40 Years of British Performances London: Routledge Primo search GELB, MICHAEL . J BODY LEARNING AURUM Primo search Hagen, Uta (1991) A Challenge for the Actor Macmillan Primo search Hall, Peter (2003) Shakespeare's Advice to the Players Oberon Primo search Hampton, Marion/ Acker, Barbara (1997) The Vocal Vision Applause Primo search Hodge, Alison (1999) Twentieth Century Actor Training Routledge Primo search Huxley, Michael & Witts, Noel (eds) (1996) The Twentieth Century Performance Reader Routledge Primo search Linklater, Kristin (1992) Freeing Shakespeare's Voice Theatre Communications Group Primo search Linklater, Kristin (2006) Freeing the Natural Voice Nick Hern Books Primo search Merlin, Bella (2007) The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit Nick Hern Books Primo search Newell (ed) (2003) Shakespeare for One Greenwood Press Primo search Park, Glen (2005) The Art of Changing Ashgrove Primo search Rodenberg, Patsy (1998) The Actor Speaks: The Voice and the Performer Methuen Primo search Spolin, Viola Improvisation for the Theatre Primo search Stafford Clark, Max Letters to George Nick Hern Books Primo search Zarrilli, Phillip (1995) Acting (Re) Considered Routledge Primo search Recommended Text
The Department has a supplementary booklet recommending reading lists for all practiceal modules. Extract from texts will be distributed in workshops Primo search

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5