Module Information

Students opting for this module will have already encountered various principles behind the devising process in the introductory Level 2 modules which are essential pre-requisite/s for this module.

In this module students will work in small groups on a devising a piece of theatre for a targeted group. This may be a theatre-in-education project for primary or secondary school children; a community theatre project created for a specific audience prisons, young offenders, the elderly, the unemployed etc; or a specially devised theatre text based upon a specific theme, image or concept. Central to the success of this module is the ability for students to work as members of a team under the guidance of staff or guest director/facilitator or leader. During rehearsals and workshops, the project leader will facilitate the development of a concept, strategy and methodology of work appropriate to devising theatre texts for performance. They will also be responsible for setting research projects and establishing clear aims and guidelines to ensure that there an realistic framework for the successful creation of the agreed theatre piece.

• This module intends to give students the opportunity to devise a piece of theatre for a specific targeted audience. It differs from the proposed new modules Production in Practice: Interpreting Theatre Texts 1 and 2 insofar as students will work in groups under the guidance of a director/director/facilitator to devise and create the material for presentation to specific theatre audiences. The prime emphasis will be n the creation and writing of a piece of theatre text. The director/facilitator, who will be an experienced staff or guest practitioner, will be responsible for enabling the group to work to a series of specific targets during the seven-week rehearsal and performance period and lead rehearsals and workshops designed to equip students with the expertise, skills and strategies appropriate to the devising process.
• Hitherto, devised work has been incorporated within the Level 3 Acting modules. Students have requested that the Department has separate and distinct Level 3 modules for devised theatre as the learning outcomes and methods of assessment for text-based project modules do not properly reflect the devising process. This view is endorsed by both Departmental staff and External Examiners.

Students will be allocated as actors/performers, designers, members of the stage management or production team and/or assistants to the staff director or facilitator (or any combination of the above). They will work intensively on the devising, rehearsal and production processes for approximately seven weeks. The project will culminate in performances which are targeted to specific audiences.

During rehearsals and workshops for the project, students will encounter and experience appropriate theatre games, improvisations, exercises and strategies which are designed to aid the devising and performance processes.

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 and workshops 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 challanges set.

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

Students are advised to keep a working notebook documenting significant developments and challenges they have encountered in the process. This notebook will not be formally assessed, but will be an essential resource in preparing for the oral presentation and can provide evidence of individual contributions to the development of the projects ideas and texts.

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

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, facilitator or the student group allocated to each project to determine the schedule of work for the rehearsal and performance processes within the agreed Departmental guidelines.

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

Tuesday 9.00 am - 6.00 pm.
Wednesday 9.00 am - 10.00 pm.
Thursday 9.00 am - 6.00 pm.
Friday 9.00 am - 10.00 pm.
Saturday 9.00 am - 6.00 pm.

Normally, the only exceptions to this schedule are made during production and/or performance week when it will be necessary to make additional calls outside these working hours to complete the technical and production and performance 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 and/or performance week when we respecfully request that students ask permission from the relevant teaching staff to be excused from their classes. It is the students' responsibility to ensure that they manage their time effectively and meet the deadlines set for their chosen modules during the devising, rehearsal and production processes.

Good Practice

Involvement in Departmental practical work requires each student to learn and consistently apply 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 allocated to another student. He/she also substantially undermines the work of fellow students by demonstrating a lack of commitment, 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, miss rehearsals, workshops or meetings without good cause. Students whose punctuality and attendance give cause for concern will be referrred 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.

a) Workshop development, research, devising and rehearsal process 50%

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

. The ability to work collaboratively and co-operatively within the group in researching, devising and creating a devised performance within the guidelines and given circumstances of the project.

. Imaginative and practical responsiveness to directorial concepts, working methods and/or frameworks for investigation.

. Reading, investigation and engagement with the project brief.

. Engagement with independent, group and/or performance based research.

. Application and development of acting/performing, directing, stage-management and/or applied theatre 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 development and presentation of the project.

. To take initiative and to 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.

b) The active manifestation and development of rehearsal work in public performance 30%

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 and feedback

. developing consciousness and responsiveness to the challenges of consecutive performances

. effective handling of stage space, 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

. ability to liaise efficiently and effectively with relevant educational and professional organisations in order to fulfil the aims and objects of the project

c) Group Oral

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 collectively analyse 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 dicussion of the individual's experience of specific performance environments, and demonstrating a critical 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 devising, 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 devising/production/performance process 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/or directors' or facilitator's ideology and method.

Following the group oral presentation the examiners will give summative feedback to the group