module specification

SM6006 - Production: Research and Realisation (2017/18)

Module specification Module approved to run in 2017/18
Module title Production: Research and Realisation
Module level Honours (06)
Credit rating for module 30
School School of Art, Architecture and Design
Total study hours 300
 
81 hours Scheduled learning & teaching activities
219 hours Guided independent study
Assessment components
Type Weighting Qualifying mark Description
Practical Examination 40%   Practical: Workshop presentation
Coursework 60%   Technical, Production and Marketing aspects of curation of festival and individual productions. (Perf. 30 mns)
Running in 2017/18

(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change)
Period Campus Day Time Module Leader
Year North Monday Afternoon
Year North Monday Morning

Module summary

Production: Research and Realisation is a year long module which is taught alongside Production: Practice and Performance. Research and realisation will focus upon aesthetics and making – encompassing technical, production and marketing aspects. Both modules will lead towards the student’s final piece of practical work which will be a culmination of all the work undertaken on the course: a festival of short theatrical productions that will be performed to a public audience. This module will also assess the curation and delivery of the whole festival. The structure reflects current practice in the industry: the first part of both modules will operate as research and development for the second part and will be assessed via practice and theory.

Module aims

• To allow students to apply technical and production skills and knowledge’s learnt on the course to a practical project.
• To model a two part structure to the aesthetics of theatre: research and development and realisation.
• To test students collaborative skills in practice.
• To teach the skills to make formal presentations of theory and practice appropriate for industry and community settings.
• To allow students to create the production aspects of a performance to professional standards  and to production deadlines.
• To teach self and peer evaluation skills.

Syllabus

For both Production modules, students will form small production companies (in groups of 5/6, with an opportunity to change groups after week 12) and they will undertake all their work in these groups. Students will be encouraged to both contribute to the ensemble and take a specialist role(s) within their groups: choosing from performer, director, dramaturg, aesthetic realisation, producer, participation and engagement.  Research and realisation will provide a structure for students to 1) undertake their own research and to develop an aesthetic for their piece, 2) to put into practice production and technical skills and techniques, 3) to realise their ideas in terms of technical, production and marketing aspects both for their group performance and the festival, 3) to ensure their aesthetic ideas are realised to the deadline of a professional performance. 4) to evaluate their work. Practical work will be assessed on both research and realisation.

Learning and teaching

This module will be taught through practical and theoretical approaches.  A lecturer will mentor each production group through their process and support them in the realisation of the work.
Practical workshops
Self-directed learning
Independent completion of practical craft based tasks in small groups
Guided learning through observation and feedback
Seminars
Tutorials

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module students will have gained:
• The ability to undertake analysis, enquiry and research into particular aspects of theatre practice and theories related to identity, culture and society, as individuals and as a group.
• The ability to present aesthetic ideas and concepts in a clear, engaging and complex way, making use of scholarly reviews and primary sources.
• The ability to realise those ideas in terms of technical, production and marketing aspects of a theatre performance with a social agenda.
• The ability to structure a process and liaise with external bodies and individuals in order to meet deadlines.
• The ability to evaluate their own work and the work of others, in the context of industry standards.

Assessment strategy

Assessment will be practical with supporting on line submission:
1) a group presentation of research and aesthetic ideas in development, which will reflect the requirements of many industry bodies.  This assessment will also be submitted online.
2) The second will be the technical, and production aspects of both a curated festival and a polished theatrical performance presented in front of an audience.  In this case process and product will be assessed.

Bibliography

Bicat, T.  2012. Costume and Design for Devised and Physical Theatre  The Crowood Press
Bleeker, M. 2011.  Visuality in the Theatre: The Locus of Looking   Palgrave Macmillan
Collins, J. and Nisbet, A. 2010. Theatre and Performance Design: A Reader in Scenography  Routledge
Dean, P. 2002. Production Management: Making Shows Happen - A Practical Guide  The Crowood Press
Fenton and Neal. 2005. The Turning World: Stories from the London International Festival of Theatre Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Hamilton, J. 2007. The Art of Theatre (New Directions in Aesthetics)   Wiley Blackwell
Seabright, J. 2010. So You Want to be a Theatre Producer  Nick Hern Books
http://www.liftfestival.com/ 
www.jstor.org/
http://muse.jhu.edu/