module specification

This core module builds upon the foundational acting skills and techniques developed in Acting and Performance Skills 1. 

Acting and Performance Skills 2 explores established methods for preparing and utilising texts, and advances students’ understanding of how to employ experience and imagination to achieve truthfulness in acting.  They will also engage and experiment with systems of rehearsal that can be employed by actors to generate new texts, imagery, and other performance material.  Greater awareness of individual and group identity on stage will be developed through ensemble work and experimentation with different performance styles.  This learning will be supported and enhanced through training in voice and movement techniques.  Students will also be taught to practice industry-specific norms of professional conduct and behaviour.

Completion and pass (120 credits) of previous level.

• A series of workshops exploring specific acting techniques adapted from Stanislavski and other theorists. LO1, LO4

• A series of workshops examining approaches to devising theatre through collaborative exercises and group rehearsal tasks.  Students will receive feedback and redirection on devised work from an instructor. LO2, LO3

• Workshops in movement and voice techniques will teach students to communicate effectively and expressively on stage, learning to work in a healthy and sustainable manner LO2, LO3

• Students will experiment with different texts to apply the acting methods studied.  They will receive continuous feedback designed to increase their capacity and range as performers, and enable them to better understand the actor’s role in different styles of theatre. LO1, LO2

Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective and addresses the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. Students are expected to, and have the opportunity to, continue with their studies outside of scheduled classes. There will be a range of learning strategies deployed and individual learning styles will be accommodated. The module’s learning outcomes, its contents and delivery, have been scrutinised and will be regularly reviewed to ensure an inclusive approach to pedagogic practice.

The module and course utilise the University’s blended learning platform to support and reinforce learning, to foster peer-to-peer communication and to facilitate tutorial support for students. Reflective learning is promoted through assessment items and interim formative feedback points that ask students to reflect on their progress, seek help where they identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes, and make recommendations to themselves for future development. Throughout the module, students build a body of work, including reflections on progress and achievement.

The School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-related learning within the curriculum supports students’ personal development planning. Through these initiatives, students are increasingly able, as they progress from year to year, to understand the professional environment of their disciplines, the various opportunities available to them, and how to shape their learning according to their ambitions.

On completion of this module, students will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding
LO1:  demonstrate an embodied understanding of acting theories by constructing performances that are appropriate to the period, tone, aesthetic or genre of the piece;

Cognitive intellectual abilities
LO2:  generate new performance material that shows knowledge of specific theatrical techniques, and wider artistic and social trends;

Transferable skills
LO3:  demonstrate professionalism in conduct, through effective collaboration, responsiveness to directorial instruction, preparedness, punctuality and attendance;

Subject specific skills
LO4:  undertake a variety of roles and make imaginative choices in the delivery of texts or other performance material.

Students will be assessed through a variety of assessment modes on their ability to engage in ongoing acting exercises, effectively shape and deliver performance texts, make appropriate acting choices, communicate with their voices and bodies, and demonstrate an understanding of genre. They will also be assessed on their willingness to experiment and take creative risks, ability to integrate feedback, their capacity to generate new material, and their collaborative skills as demonstrated through in-class project work with peers. 

Process 1 (weeks 1-7):  50%
Process 2 (weeks 8-14):  50%

Process

Students are continuously assessed on this module, with their assessment referencing key events during each assessment period.  This includes their work in acting exercises, practical presentations, and collaborative projects.  Together with their creative and collaborative skills, process is also evaluated in terms of professionalism, engagement, progress, ability to integrate feedback, attendance and punctuality.

There is no core text for this module.

Alfreds, M. (2007) Different Every Night, Nick Hern Books
Benedetti, J. (2008) Stanislavski: An Introduction, Bloomsbury Publishing
Bogart, A. and Landau, T. (2006) The Viewpoints Book: A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Compositions, Theatre Communications Group
Bonczek, R. B. and Storck, D. (2012) Ensemble Theatre Making: A Practical Guide, Routledge
Brook, P. (2008) The Empty Space, Penguin
Davison, J. (2013) Clown: Readings in Theatre Practice, Palgrave
Ewan, V and Green, D. (2014) Actor Movement: Expression of the Physical Being, Methuen
Graham, S. and Hoggett, S. (2009) The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre, Routledge
Hagen, U. (1973) Respect for Acting, Macmillan
Harvie, J and Lavender, A. (2012) Making Contemporary Theatre: International Rehearsal Processes, MUP
Hodge, A. (2010) Actor Training, Routledge
Lecoq, J. (2009) The Moving Body (le Corps Poetique): Teaching Creative Theatre, Methuen
Keefe, J. and Murray, S. (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Introduction, Routledge
Kershaw, B. and Nicholson, H. (2010)  Research Methods in Theatre and Performance,  Edinburgh University Press
LeBank, E. (2015) Clowns: In Conversation with Modern Masters, Routledge
Lehmann, H. (2006) Postdramatic Theatre, Routledge
Malkin, J. (1999) Memory: Theater and Postmodern Drama (Theater: Theory/Text/Performance), University of Michigan Press
Meisner, S. (1987) On Acting, Vintage
Mermikedes, A. and Smart, J. (2012) Devising in Process, Palgrave McMillan
Moore, S. (1984) The Stanislavski System, Penguin
Moseley, N. (2012) Meisner in Practice: A Guide for Actors, Directors and Teachers, Nick Hern Books
O ‘Brien, N. (2010) Stanislavski in Practice: Exercises for Students, Routledge
Petit, L. (2009) The Michael Chekhov Handbook: For the Actor,  Routledge
Popescu, P. (1993) Amazon Beaming, Abacus
Radosavljevic, D. (ed.), (2012) The Contemporary Ensemble: Interviews with Theatre-Makers, Routledge
Simon, E. (2012) The Art of Clowning: More Paths to your Inner Clown
Wright, J. (2006) Why Is That So Funny?  A Practical Exploration of Physical Comedy, Nick Hern Books

http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/t/theatre-and-performance/
http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/services/sas/library-services/subject-help/subjects/theatre/web.cfm
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/digital-classroom/online-video
http://muse.jhu.edu/about/index.html