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Theatre Practice II: Interpretative Acting

Module description

The aim of this module is to provide you with an understanding of several tools and methods for approaching acting a text and creating a role. Much more than a workshopping of text, this module is an exploration of the craft of the actor and the psychophysical preparation necessary to develop a basis for entry into that craft. The module will begin with you exploring your prepared monologues with the tutor as well as specific acting approaches developed by Stanislavsky, M.Chekhov and Grotowski, which will develop physicality, voice and characterisation. You will then be given characters for the ensemble production for individual research and etude creation. Workshops on acting approaches, etude creation and rehearsal of scenes will continue until the final weeks of the module where everything will join together in a performance presentation. In addition, the module will further extend your understanding of the theories and processes of acting through exposure to a variety of readings and other sources about the art of the actor. These sources inform your reflection on the practical phase of the module which will be compiled in an essay at the end of the module. Learning and teaching methods include workshops, rehearsals, seminars, practical presentations, and individual tutorials to reflect on progress.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to offer you the opportunity to explore the interpretative possibilities of the actor, to develop the psychophysical preparation necessary for acting and the ensemble collaboration essential to theatre. The module will further extend your understanding of the theories and practices of performance and encourage an exploratory approach towards processes for preparing texts for performance. The histories of actor training will be introduced and you will be further encouraged to explore the politics involved in the transmission of specific acting approaches. In this way, you will be asked to generate and reflect upon your own acting methodology.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Demonstrate an ability to translate theoretical approaches to acting into performance
• 2. Demonstrate an ability to analyse theatre texts in preparation for performance
• 3. Demonstrate an ability to work with others as a part of an acting ensemble

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 4. Relate to others in theatrical processes and performances; to work effectively with others in small task- orientated groups and to initiate and sustain creative, analytic and interpretative work within strict time limits and basic technical competence.
• 5. Contribute research to small groups in effective presentations, to evaluate visual evidence and analyse, critique and manipulate complex material.
• 6. Explore theoretical concerns through practice, and vice versa, and to synthesise findings in practical and written tasks. The ability to interpret research into physical practice and vice versa.

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 analytic abilities in discussions.
• 8. Develop confidence in performance skills and public presentation, both of dramatic practice and researched material.
• 9. Collaborate in various groups and group sizes, to learn elements of teamwork and presentation.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that this module will:

• begin with individual work on chosen monologues in order to explore various working methods for approaching a role.
• convenor-led workshops on the craft of acting and various methodologies will be weekly for 2/3 of the module
• weekly discussion of the practical experiences in relation to readings and resources to develop critical and reflective skills.
• Weekly work on a large ensemble piece for performance at the end of the module.
• through logbooks, workshops, rehearsals and discussion you will begin to critically reflect on the relationship between working practices and modes of performance, towards developing your own personal 'methodology' for developing a role.

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

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

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

• Alfreds, Mike (2007) Different Every Night, London: Nick HernBrown, Bryan and Petrakova, Olya (2016) Devising a Playground: ARTEL's Strategies for Embodying Research and Text [unpublished conference paper].
• Chekhov, Michael (1953/2002) To The Actor, London: Routledge.
• Donnellan, Declan (2005) The Actor and the Target, London: Nick Hern.
• Krasner, David (2000) Method Acting Reconsidered: Theory, Practice, Future, Basingstoke: Macmillan.
• Merlin, Bella (2001) Beyond Stanislavsky: the Psycho-Physical Approach to Actor Training, London: Nick Hern.
• Oida, Yoshi (1997) The Invisible Actor, London: Routledge.
• Overlie, Mary (2016) Standing in Space.
• Panet, Brigid Essential Acting: a practical handbook for actors, teachers and directors, Oxon: Routledge.
• Stanislavsky, Konstantin; Benedetti, Jean (trans.) (2008) An Actor's Work: a student's diary, London: Routledge. 
• Wangh, Stephen (2000) An Acrobat of the Heart: a physical approach to acting inspired by the work of Jerzy Grotowski, New York: Vintage books.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• Exeter Digital Archive
• Digital Theatre Plus
• Kanopy
• ELE: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11507

Key words search

Character Acting, performer training, psychophysical acting, text interpretation