DR35630 - SCHOOL'S SHAKESPEARE PROJECT

Module Identifier

DR35630

Module Title

SCHOOL'S SHAKESPEARE PROJECT

Academic Year

2005/2006

Co-ordinator

Mr Richard A D Cheshire

Semester

Semester 2

Other staff

Mr David W Kendell, Mrs Joan G Mills, Mr Simon J Banham

Pre-Requisite

DR31720 , DR33320 , DR33620 , SG30720 Any ONE of these 4 modules

Course delivery

Practical

6 Week intensive rehearsals (normally 35 hours per week) , 20 x 2 hour practical workshops, 8 performances (including post-production discussion)

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	The rehearsal process: development and progress throughout the period of preparation and rehearsal	20%
Semester Assessment	The active manifestation and development of rehearsal work in public performance	40%
Semester Assessment	Contribution to planning, devising and execution of the workshops	25%
Semester Assessment	Oral examination	15%

Learning outcomes

Typically, upon completion of this module students should be able to:

Demonstrate an intelligent awareness of the challenges which Shakespearean text offers in the context of performance, directed towards primary or secondary school students
Effectively participate in the creation of the public performance of the text, using appropriate skills
Grasp the concepts behind, and organisational procedures appropriaet for the creation and presentation of educational workshops on the text
Reflect critically on their contribution to both the production and workshops

Brief description

Students will work on the Schools' Shakespeare Project in conjunction with colleagues at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre as part of the performance and/or production team. An experienced staff director and staff design tutor will direct and design the production, which will be presented to the public. As well as considering the challenges inherent in interpreting the text chosen for contemporary theatre audiences, students will engage in a series of practical sessions, designed to enable them to create and conduct two one-hour workshops for schoolchildren visiting the performance. Where appropriate, students will work alongside professional performers cast in specific roles in the project.

Content

Students will be allocated as either actors, designers, stage managers or assistants to the staff director and work intensively for six weeks on producing a production of one of the GCSE or A-Level Shakespearean set texts. This will be performed in either Aberystwyth Arts Centre or one of the Studios in the Parry-Williams Building. There will usually be a total of eight performances of the play: five specifically designed for the school children and three for members of the general public.
Students will also undertake a series of ten two-hour practical workshops which are specifically designed to introduce them to strategies and approaches to devising, creating and executing workshops for the school children visiting the performances. Students may also be expected to participate in a post-production discussion with the audience.
At the end of the semester, students will participate in an oral examination during which they will analyse and appraise their experiences of the module.

Module Skills

Problem_solving	These skills are developed as the students respond to the different challenges that emerge during the process of transferring page to stage
Research skills	These skills are developed through preparation for rehearsals and the workshops, although these skills are not directly assessed.
Communication	The development of communication skills is intrinsic to all aspects of performance. The ability to interact effectively with schoolchildren forms an important part of the workshop element for this module.
Improving own Learning and Performance	Progress throughout the rehearsal process and the ability to reflect critically on individual achievement attained.
Team work	The development of team working skills is intrinsic to all group performance situations. Team leadership skills also form an important part in the assessment of the workshops.
Information Technology	Students may choose to make use of on-line materials to locate data and documentation relevant to their research, but this skill will not be separately assessed.
Personal Development and Career planning	Personal development and career planning will not be explicitly developed through this module, however, many of the generic skills developed through the practical work of this module will have significant transferability to a wide range of contexts
Subject Specific Skills	The module will enhance and develop the students' understanding of the potential of theatre as a means of communicating with a particular audience, in this case, schoolchildren

Reading Lists

Books
Students will be required to read the set text chosen and consult the relevant volume of both 'Shakespeare in Performance' and 'Text in Performance'
Hall, Peter (2003) Shakespeare's Advice for the Players Oberon Books
Barton, John (1984) Playing Shakespeare Methuen
Aers, L and Wheeale, N (1991) Shakespeare in the Changing Curriculum Routledge
Marowitz, Charles (1991) Recycling Shakespeare Macmillan
Linklater, Christine (1992) Freeing Shakespear's Voice Theatre Communications Group
Berry, Cicely (1993) The Actor and the Text Virgin Publishing
Berry, Cicely (1993) Voice and the Actor Virgin Publishing
Boal, Agusto Games for Actors and Non-Actors Adrian Jackson
Meyer - Dinkgrafe, Daniel (2001) Approaches to Acting, Past and Present Cassell
Hagen, Uta (1991) A Challenge for the Actor MAcmillan

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6