Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
*demonstrate a thorough critical awareness of the current debate regarding human consciousness;
*master the terminology associated with the debate;
*relate essential aspects of theatre to ideas and concepts of the consciousness debate;
* develop their own programs and projects of practical theatre making use of concepts encountered throughout the module.
Aims
- To provide students with a general survey of the current consciousness debate;
- To develop a critical methodology in dealing with key issues of the debate;
- To relate insights from this general survey to major aspects of theatre: the actor'r emotional involvement, realism and naturalism, postmodern trends in theatre, physical theatre, improvisation and body memory;
Content
Research into human consciousness has yielded a fascinating framework for understanding the workings of the human mind. Many issues are discussed quite controversially, and a unified understanding of consciousness has not yet emerged. However, the progress in the debate is such that it allows a reassessment of key aspects that have been dealt with in traditional interpretation of literary and theatre texts. The module Introduction to Theatre and Consciousness will discuss a number of approaches that make use of traditional and more recent developments in the understanding of the human mind as relevant to the writing of drama, the concept of theatre, its position in history, and interpretations of the dramatic text.