Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

Students will work on an approved Departmental production of a play-text during the first semester of year three. They will be allocated specific roles integral to the performance and/or production team. The play will be directed by an experienced staff director or a guest practitioner. He/she will construct the rehearsal and performance processes to give students opportunities to investigate, reflect upon and evaluate critically their experience of working on the project.

The rehearsal and production processes will be designed to develop and enhance the skills, methodologies and rehearsal techniques encountered during the students' second year. During this process each student will be required to give a research-in-practice presentation which will be formally assessed. At the end of the rehearsal and performance processes, students will be required to reflect upon and evaluate critically their experiences of working on the project.

Students will be invited to complete a questionnaire on their prefferd choice of project during the Summer Term of the 2nd year. The allocations will be published before 1st August each year.

Students who wish to act in the project must normally have attained at least 50% in the relevant pre-requisite acting modules or have convinced the examiners of their aptitude and ability to take this module.

Students will be allocated as actors, members of the stage management or design team and/or assisstants to the staff director (or any combination of the above). They will work intensively on the rehearsal and production processes for approximately seven weeks. There will be a total of five public performances which will give an opportunity for parents, friends and members of the public to view the practical work of the Department.

During rehearsals students will encounter and experience appropriate theatre games, improvisations, exercises and, where appropriate, will be introduced to the work of relevant theatre practitioners.

An integral part of this process will be to encourage student-centred learning. Students will be expected to lead weekly seminar discussions reflecting on the progress of the project and several rehearsals will be devised and led by student directors. They will also be expected to work responsibly, constructively, creatively and safely with fellow students on solving problems as they arise and on specific challenges set.

The project will be performed either in the Aberystwyth Arts Centre, one of the Departmental performance venues or an appropriate site-specific location.

Students will be advised to keep a working notebook documenting significant developments and challenges they have encountered in the process. This notebook will not be formally assessed.

At the end of the project, students will participate in an oral examination during which they will reflect upon and appraise their experiences of the module. Students should refer to the Departmental Guidelines for Generic Modes of Assessment to ensure that their critical analysis meets the requirements set for level 3 work.

During this oral examination process, students may refer to their working notebooks if they wish.

Further Details

Induction: All students following this module will be required to attend an Induction Session on Monday 22nd September 2008. Details of the venue will be e-mailed.

Rehearsal Schedule: It is the responsibility of the director of each project to circulate the schedule of work for the rehearsal and performance processes during the first week of the project.

Rehearsals and workshops will normally be arranged within the following times:

Tuesday 9.00a.m. - 6.00p.m.
Wednesday 9.00a.m. - 10.00p.m.
Thursday 9.00a.m. - 6.00p.m.
Friday 9.00a.m. - 10.00p.m.
Saturday 9.00a.m. - 6.00p.m.

Normally, the only exceptions to this schedule are made during Production week when it will be necessary to make additional calls outside these working hours to complete the technical and production schedule for each project.

All students should notify their Director and Deputy Stage Manager of any lectures, seminars, workshops or meetings timetabled for any other modules being taken during the rehearsal and production processes for the project. Students should ensure that they attend these classes and should not be pressurised by any individual to miss them. The only exception to this is during production week when we respectfully request that students ask permission from the relevant teaching staff to be excused for Departmental technical and dress rehearsals. It is the students' responsibility to ensure that they manage their time effectively and meet the deadlines set for their chosen modules during the rehearsal and production processes.

Good Practice

Involvement in Departmental practical work requires each student to learn and to apply consistently appropriate professional standards of personal conduct and self-discipline, and to work as part of a creative team. As with all modules in TFTS, regular attendance and punctuality is important. The student who is frequently late or missing fails to make the most of his/her opportunity and wastes a place which might more profitably have been allocatede to another student. He/she also substantialy undermines the work of fellow students by demonstrating a lack of cmommitment, thereby disrupting the creative energy of the group, and becoming the kind of person with whom, eventually, no-one else wishes to work. Students are requested not to be late or miss rehearsals, workshops or meetings without good cause. Students whose punctuality and attendance give cause for concern will be referred to Student Support and may be asked to withdraw from the allocation.

Criteria for Assessment

In awarding the final mark for the module, the rehearsal and performance processes for each project will be given proportional weighting as indicated above. When assessing each individual student, the examiners will take into account variables such as the nature and difficulty of the task undertaken. Not all of the criteria below will be applicable or relevant to all allocations or projects.

1 a) Workshop development and rehearsal process: 20%
b) Research in practice presentation and contribution to the process 20%

When assessing the above, the examiners will refer to the following criteria and expect to see evidence of :-

• Imaginative and practical responsiveness to directorial concepts, working methods and frameworks for investigation.
• Reading, investigating and engaging with the performance possibilities implied by the text.
• Engagement with independent, group and/or performance research.
• Application and development of acting, directing and/or stage-management skills introduced during the pre-requisite modules.
• Willingness and ability to take risks, to experiment with new techniques and approaches and work safely and responsibly within the rehearsal and production processes.
• Willingness to work collaboratively and co-operatively as part of a team towards the collective presentation of the project.
• To take initiative and demonstrate qualities of leadership when appropriate.
• Make appropriate artistic choices and directorial decisions within the conceptual framework and guidelines of the project.
• Competence in the creative use of various technical apparatus necessary to realise the demands of the production during the rehearsal and performance processes.
• The ability to manage personal workloads efficiently and effectively to meet deadlines.

c) The active manifestation and development of rehearsal work in public performance: 40%

When assessing the above, the examiners will refer to the following criteria and expect to see evidence of:-

• Ability to apply and sustain an active and consistent understanding of the role/s within the guidelines of the project, given circumstances of the text and production schedule.
• To integrate and apply the creative discoveries made during the rehearsal period to live performance.
• Application of appropriate physical and voice skills to effectively communicate with an audience.
• A developing awareness of the audience or client group for performance and ability to respond and adapt to it through flexible means.
• Ability to receive and apply constructive criticism and feedback.
• Developing consciousness and responsiveness to the challenges of consecutive performances.
• Effective handling of stage space, technical equipment, set, costumes, props and books in your care.
• The ability to work creatively, efficiently and effectively within the production and performance schedules and the context of the role/s allocated.
• To manage personal workloads efficiently and effectively.

Group Oral: 20%

The oral examination for this module will take place in a two hour session which will be scheduled as soon as possible after the completion of the project. In this presentation the group will be expected to analyse collectively and appraise the rehearsal and performance processes. This presentation must involve contributions from all students allocated to the module and should be organised by the group independently. Students are advised to refer to the learning outcomes of the module when structuring their presentation and may refer to their working notebooks where appropriate. The working notebooks are not formally assessed.

In accordance with the generic modes of assessment at level 3 this reflective analysis:

Will be presented by means of a sustained and consistent argument, incorporating discussion of the individual's experience of specific performance environments, and demonstrating a critucal awareness of the chosen/assigned roles within a production, setting this knowledgeably within historical trends and relevant theoretical discussions.

When assessing the above, the examiners will refer to the following criteria and expect to see evidence of:-

• The ability to reflect upon and analyse critically the effectiveness of the rehearsal and performance processes from the perspective of the individual and the group.
• The ability to identify significant moments of discovery and development for the individual and the group
• Ability to engage critically with the production/performance processes through a developed and sensitive understanding and analysis of appropriate performance vocabularies, working methods and relevant contexts.
• The ability to analyse the effectiveness of the group's and directors' ideology and method.