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Theatre Practice II: Directing

Module description

This module will explore the art of theatre directing using a primarily practice-based approach. You will learn about different approaches to directing and will begin to develop your own directorial style and philosophy.

Instruction will involve workshops and discussions on approaches to directing and reflection on experiences of being directed.. You will work with fellow students, directing them in short scenes or plays. Scenes may take the form of monologues or duologues.

Choices about material and approach can be made collaboratively, in discussion with the module convenor.

For summative assessments, directors will produce a treatment before rehearsals start and a programme note that will be made available before the performance. These will be taken into account in the assessment as part of ‘process into performance’.

Performances can be in studios, open air, agreed found space or in digital presentation.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to offer students an opportunity to explore the possibilities and methodologies of the director's role in depth, and its social implications.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Work with a theoretical and research-based knowledge of directing and play-texts
• 2. Understand the place of criticism in interpretative practice
• 3. Manage the rehearsal and production process in order to stage a theatrical text

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Relate to others in theatrical processes and performances. Work effectively with others in small task-orientated groups; initiate and sustain creative, analytic and interpretative work within strict time limits and to solve a number of specific technical problems and apply that understanding to performance work
• 5. Utilise research tools and to translate theory into practice
• 6. Engage critically and analytically with physical discipline; the development of thoughtful creative processes, understanding of physicalisation in performance and the capacity to articulate that understanding in appropriate ways

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Develop group cooperation skills, including the ability to give and receive constructive critical feedback, and to improve communication skills and advanced analytic abilities in discussions
• 8. Collaborate in various groups and group sizes, negotiating and managing conflict, and demonstrating leadership skills when appropriate
• 9. Balance self-direction and collaborative work; adapt and design working methods for each new situation, self-management, collaborative working skills, problem solving, critical analysis and valuing own and others' ideas and beliefs

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that the module will begin with students working with one actor on a monologue. Each director then develops collaborative work and directs a scene working with two actors and possibly with new writers.. 

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• L. Catron, The Director's Vision, Mountain View, Calif: Mayfield, 1989
• A. Dean & L. Carra, Fundamentals of Play Directing, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1989
• E. Donkin & C. Clement, Upstaging Big Daddy, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1993
• D. Donnellan, The Actor and the Target, London: Nick Hern Books, 2002
• D. Kahn & D. Breed, Scriptwork: A Director's Approach to New Play Development, Carbondale: Southern Illinois Press, 1995
• R. Schneider and Gabrielle Cody (eds.), Re:direction., London and New York: Routledge, 2002)
• J. Whitmore, Directing Postmodern Theatre, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1994

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11170

Key words search

directing, theatre, staging