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Theatres of Space, Form and Colour: Constructivism and the Bauhaus

Module description

In this module, you will be introduced to histories, concepts, contexts and techniques relevant to Russian Constructivist theatre and the German Bauhaus. The approach will be oriented to practical work, developing skills in thinking visually and formally about theatre-making. This will offer an opportunity to use visual art and craft techniques to create striking images and to consider theatre as abstract art, while also asking why such work carried such political charge in the early decades of the 20th century. We will discuss whether it has the potential to speak to contemporary contexts with the same force, or if not, how it could be adapted to do so.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to:

• Introduce you to key concepts, histories and techniques associated with Russian Constructivism and Bauhaus theatre, with an emphasis on uses of space, form and colour
• Develop abilities to create visual compositions, using simple materials
• Consider the movement of figures in space, viewing the body as the source of line and rhythm
• Connect theatre history to recent and contemporary practice
• Develop an understanding of theatre design principles
• Develop approaches to non-narrative theatre/dance
• Develop an ability to analyse aesthetic concepts and their social significance

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Demonstrate knowledge of Constructivist and Bauhaus theatre history
• 2. Demonstrate an ability to work with space, form and colour in performance making
• 3. Demonstrate understanding of compositional principles based on formal and visual exploration

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 4. Develop the ability to relate to others in theatrical processes and performances; to work effectively with others in small task-orientated groups and to initiate and sustain straightforward creative, analytic and interpretative work (within strict time limits) and basic technical competence.
• 5. Develop confidence in the ability to contribute research to small groups in effective presentations and to evaluate visual evidence (and analyse, critique and manipulate complex material).
• 6. Understand how to translate theory into practice.

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 7. Demonstrate group cooperation skills, including the ability to give and receive constructive critical feedback and to improve communication skills and analytic abilities in discussions.
• 8. Express and communicate creative ideas and images; ability to initiate and sustain creative work, both group and solo.
• 9. Develop personal research skills using personal initiative; to set personal objectives and to identify and evaluate personal learning strategies,

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• The module will begin with an introduction to Constructivism, establishing a physical vocabulary for use in performance.
• It will move on to integrate this with stage constructions, experimenting with the idea of kiosk and agit-stand.
• The middle weeks will focus on the German Bauhaus, reconstructing experiments with body, line, colour, light and objects. This may include an exploration of grids, lines and circles as a basis for movement; exploration of colour theory; creation of lightshows; creation of props and costumes from found materials and reconstruction and reinvention of Bauhaus Dances and Mechanical Ballets.
• The final weeks will comprise work towards a performance integrating techniques and concepts learned during the module, transposing these into a contemporary context.

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

Basic reading:

• Braun, E. (1995). Meyerhold: A Revolution in Theatre. London, Methuen.
• Moholy-Nagy, Laszlo (1961) [1924] ‘Theater, Circus, Variety’ in Theater of the Bauhaus, ed. Walter Gropius, trans. Arthur S. Wensinger, Middletown: Wesleyan University, 48-70
• Molnár, Farkas (2002) [1925], ‘Life at the Bauhaus’ trans John Bátki. From Between Two Worlds: A Sourcebook of Central European Avant-Gardes, 1910-1930 (Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press) and with photographs of costume parties, found at http://rosswolfe.wordpress.com/2013/06/02/oskar-schlemmers-bauhaus-costume-parties-1924-1926/, accessed October 25, 2013.
• Pitches, Jonathan (2018), Vsevolod Meyerhold, London, Routledge.
• Schlemmer, Oskar (1996) [ca.1921] ‘Man and Art Figure’ in The Twentieth Century Performance Reader, Huxley, Michael and Witts, Noel, pp.359-371
• Turner, Cathy (2015), Dramaturgy and Architecture: Theater, Utopia and the Built Environment, Chapters 3 and 4.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE:
• Debra McCall’s reconstructions of Schlemmer’s dances – extracts found at http://bauhausdances.org/FIGURE_IN_SPACE.html, accessed October 25th 2013.

Key words search

European theatre; Modernism; Performance art; Constructivism; Bauhaus; Design