Intermedial Performance Practice
| Module title | Intermedial Performance Practice |
|---|---|
| Module code | DRA2083 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Professor Heike Roms (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
From film projections on stage to the use of motion capture, from experimentations with sound to the influence of video games on immersive theatre, from NT Live broadcasts to Zoom shows – this module explores the close interrelationship of live performance with other media and the combinations of different media in live performance. We will examine theatre’s engagement with film, video, sound, digital media, video games, and VR and AR. You will be introduced to key theories on topics such as media theory, intermediality, interactivity, immersion and liveness. You will consider the changing role of the performer in our digital/postdigital culture; and the future of live theatre in a post-pandemic world.
Apart from analysing a wide range of examples of intermedial theatre practice and being introduced to key theories, you will have the opportunity to engage in practical experiments each week, which will help us deepen our discussions. You will also have the opportunity to pursue independent research into an area of your interest for your assignments.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module aims to:
- introduce you the close interrelationship of live performance with other media
- introduce you to key theories on topics including media theory, intermediality, interactivity, immersion, remediation and liveness
- further enhance your performance analytical skills by discussing a wide range of examples of intermedial theatre practice
- further enhance your performance making skills by engaging in practical exercises
- equip you with more advanced academic skills in reading, writing and research that you will use throughout your degree
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the interrelationship of live performance with other media, its history and its current forms
- 2. Draw on a range of theoretical approaches to critically reflect on the work of key practitioners in intermedial performance
- 3. Demonstrate, through discussions, presentations and practical explorations, a creative and intellectual engagement with the logics and strategies of intermedial performance making
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Contribute practical and theoretical research to small groups in effective presentations, evaluate audio-visual evidence and analyse, critique and manipulate complex material
- 5. Develop the ability to think performatively
- 6. Initiate and sustain creative and analytic work within strict time limits
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Develop personal research skills using personal initiative; set personal objectives and identify and evaluate personal learning strategies
- 8. Develop group cooperation skills, including the ability to give and receive constructive critical feedback and to improve communication skills and analytic abilities in discussions
- 9. Balance between self-direction and collaborative work; self-management, collaborative working skills, problem solving, critical analysis and valuing own and others' ideas and beliefs
Syllabus plan
Each week, you will have a seminar, followed by practical exploration. Examples of the topics we cover include:
An introduction to intermedial performance and media theory
The History of Intermedial Performance from the late 19th century to the 1960s
Filmic Theatres: Performance, Film and Video
Audio Theatres: Performance and Sound
Online Theatres: Performance and Digital Media
Virtual Theatres: Performance, VR, AR, and Motion Capture
Play Theatres: Performance, games and immersive technology
Liveness
The module also typically includes a workshop session for a more in-depth practical exploration
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 267 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 33 | Mixed-mode seminar activities (11 x 3-hour seminars) |
| Guided Independent Study | 67 | Class preparation: assigned reading and viewings |
| Guided Independent Study | 70 | Small group presentation research and preparation |
| Guided Independent study | 130 | Essay research, preparation and writing |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation plan | 500 words | 1-9 | Written and oral feedback |
| Essay plan | 500 words | 1-4, 6-7 | Written and oral feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 0 | 40 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentations (in groups of 3-4); plus a 500 word individual reflection | 40 | 15 minutes per student | 1-9 | Written feedback |
| Essay | 60 | 3000 words | 1-4, 6-7, 9 | Written feedback |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentations (in groups of 3-4); plus a 500 word individual reflection | Individual Portfolio including presentation plan (2,000 words) | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Essay | Essay 3000 words | 1-4, 6-7, 9 | Referral/Deferral period |
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
- Philip Auslander (2008) Liveness: performance in a mediatized culture, 2d ed. London ; New York:
Routledge.
- Sarah Bay-Cheng, Chiel Kattenbelt, Andy Lavender (2010), Mapping Intermediality in Performance, Amsterdam: AUP.
- Sarah Bay-Cheng, Jennifer Parker-Starbuck, David Z. Saltz (2015) Performance and Media: taxonomies for a changing field, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
- J. David Bolter, Richard Grusin (2000), Remediation: Understanding New Media, Cambridge/ MA: MIT Press
- Matthew Causey (2006), Theatre and Performance in Digital Culture: From Simulation to Embeddedness, London: Routledge.
- Freda Chapple and Chiel Kattenbelt (eds) (2006), Intermediality in Theatre and Performance, Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi.
- Mark Crossley (ed) (2019), Intermedial theatre: principles and practice, London: Red Globe Press; and Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan; 2019.
- Steve Dixon (2007), Digital Performance: A History of New Media in Theater, Dance, Performance Art and Installation, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Gabriella Giannachi (2004) Virtual Theatres, London: Routledge
- Gabriella Giannachi and Nick Kaye (2011), Performing Presence: Between the Live and the Simulated, Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.
- Rosemary Klich and Edward Scheer (2012), Multimedia Performance, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.�
- Marshall McLuhan (1964) Understanding Media: The Extensions o Man, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.�
- Bryan Reynolds (2017) Intermedial theater: performance philosophy, transferal poetics, and the future of affect, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Piotr Woycicki (2017) Post-cinematic theatre and performance, Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | August 2012 |
| Last revision date | 21/02/2023 |
