Year
2018
Units
4.5
Contact
1 x 1-hour lecture weekly
1 x 1-hour seminar weekly
1 x 2-hour film screening weekly
Prerequisites
DRAM2102 - Reading Theatre: Theories, Plays and Productions A
Enrolment not permitted
DRAM3507 has been successfully completed
Topic description
This topic will examine and evaluate some key playwrights (Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, Brecht) and their plays in performance. There is also an examination of the creative and logistical components of a current local production.
Educational aims
This topic aims to:

  • provide students with the opportunity to examine the works of key playwrights (Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, Brecht) in performance and the influence of benchmark productions on the readings of their plays as contemporary works

  • provide students with the opportunity to develop an historical perspective by recognising, articulating and evaluating emerging theories and performances as applied in the works of the key playwrights studied

  • develop students' ability to think, speak and write about performance in a critically engaged, aesthetically informed and ethically responsive manner
Expected learning outcomes
On completion of this topic students will:

  • be able to integrate and embody theoretical concepts in the performances in which they participate and have the ability to apply appropriate aesthetic criteria and historical perspective in analysing performance and the cultural contexts from which they have come

  • have acquired a close knowledge of the set theatrical texts and their landmark presentations and have an understanding of their significance in relation to the recent history of drama and, in particular, the emerging concept of the director

  • be able to exercise skills to critically assess the student's own praxis, have the ability to contribute to group discussions and respond constructively

  • be able to analyse a performance to evaluate the praxis the creators of the performance used and demonstrate an ability to research, formulate and present seminar papers and essays in a clear, coherent and confident manner