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Approaches to Acting

Module description

The Approaches to acting module has 4 key elements to it. Preparation, Rehearse, Perform and Reflect. In the beginning of the module you will participate in masterclasses looking at different approaches to acting. You will then partake in an audition where you will be asked to perform two contrasting monologues. You will need to find these monologues before the module begins. You will then be cast in a role and go through a period of rehearsals directed by the module leader as well as self-directed sessions with your peers. This will culminate in several performances, so that you are able to experience a small run of shows. In week 12 you will deliver a 30-minute duo creative presentation. This presentation will be a reflection and analysis of your learnings as an actor, referencing the masterclasses, the process and wider reading that you will undertake throughout the module.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will offer you an opportunity to explore the possibilities and methodologies of the actor’s role in depth, both in personal preparation and in working with others towards performance.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Analyse theatre texts in preparation for performance and interpret theoretical approaches into acting and performance.
• 2. Locate your own acting and performance practice in the wider fields of contemporary theory and practice and develop a language to critically reflect on it.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 3. Relate to others in theatrical processes and performances and work effectively with others in small task- orientated groups.
• 4. Demonstrate advanced confidence in performance skills and public presentation, both of dramatic practice and researched material.
• 5. Initiate and sustain creative, analytic and interpretative work within strict time limits and technical competence.

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 6. Express and communicate creative ideas and images; ability to initiate and sustain creative work, both group and solo.
• 7. Demonstrate group cooperation skills, including the ability to give and receive constructive critical feedback, and advanced analytic abilities in discussions
• 8. Demonstrate the ability to 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 it will cover some or all of the following topics:

The module begins with an exploration of a variety of ways that acting can be approached. These masterclasses will offer insights into working with text, devised material and thinking about the role of the actor with different audiences. Each student will then perform two contrasting monologues as part of an audition. Following the auditions, you will work towards a final group performance through a combination of text and devising work. You will develop skills in performance stamina and gain an understanding of how to develop a character through a combination of group-based and independent work.                       

Learning and teaching methods: Seminars, research, rehearsal, practical presentations. Completion of the following assignments: Practical audition monologue, working with a large ensemble for performances, presentation.

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

• Bogart A. (2007) And Then, You Act: Making Art in an Unpredictable World, New York: Routledge
• Barton, J. (2009) Playing Shakespeare, London: Methuen
• Binnerts, Paul (2012) Acting in Real Time (trans. by the author and Stephen Wang), University of Michigan Press.
• Chekhov, Michael (1953/2002) To the Actor, London: Routledge
• Donnellan, Declan (2005) The Actor and the Target, London: Nick Hern.
• Hess, Elizabeth (2016) Acting and Being: explorations in embodied performance, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Krasner, David (2000) Method Acting Reconsidered: Theory, Practice, Future, Basingstoke: Macmillan.
• Loui, Annie (2018) The Physical Actor: contact improvisation from studio to stage, London and New York: Routledge
• Luckett, Sharrell D., with Tia M. Shaffer (2017) Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches, Abingdon and New York: Routledge.
• Merlin, B. (2005) Beyond Stanislavsky, New York: Routledge 
• Merlin.B. (2014) Acting: the Basics, New York: Routledge
• Oida, Yoshi and Lorna Marshall (1997) The Invisible Actor, London: Nick Hern Books .
• Stanislavsky, Konstantin; Benedetti, Jean (trans.) (2008) An Actor's Work: A Student's Diary, London: Routledg.
• Zarilli, Phillip B. (1995) Acting (re)considered: theories and practices, London and New York: Routledge.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=639

Key words search

acting, theatre, text