Applying Performance: A Reflective Practice
| Module title | Applying Performance: A Reflective Practice |
|---|---|
| Module code | DRAM147 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
This module is part of the Applied Theatre pathway. It will provide opportunities to develop facilitation skills, producing skills, project delivery, pedagogy and reflective skills in applied theatre practice. The focus is on building students' awareness of the appropriate application of drama tools and skills in different settings and exploring the role of the facilitator, producer, teaching or community artist. Working across partnerships, non-traditional theatre contexts, and various settings (live/digital/local/global) students will have opportunities to shadow and observe practice in applied settings, building their skills in evaluation, project proposing, activity planning, and pedagogy. By the end of the module, students will be able to reflect on their own pedagogic or producing practice within a project-based model and/or design a forward-facing model of delivery, drawing on practice and research.
Module aims - intentions of the module
- To enable you to gain knowledge at the forefront of the academic and professional field of applied theatre work and to apply that knowledge in written and practical work
- To develop key practical skills in facilitation and creative producing within the field of applied theatre
- To engage as a participant/observer in a real life professional setting, either live or digitally
- To deepen critical understanding through methodological reflection on practical experiences via workshops, professional placement activities, observation of practice and/or seminar discussions
- To gain practical skills to design and shape a workshop or workshop series drawing on strong models and showing awareness of how to work safely and ethically with participants
- To provide opportunity for you to undertake advanced self-directed practice-based-research in the field, according to their interests and in the context of best-practice models
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Engage in the facilitation of applied theatre work (via observation/analysis or delivery/application)
- 2. Observe and evaluate, or plan, facilitate or deliver projects that apply theatre in social, educational, community or socially engaged settings
- 3. Develop frameworks for evaluating project delivery, drawing on strong models from the field
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Work effectively in collaboration with others; initiate and sustain creative, analytic, and interpretative work across sites, contexts, settings and/or partnerships
- 5. Explore theory through practice, and vice versa, and to synthesise findings in practical and written tasks
- 6. Reflect in-depth, upon your practice and that of other facilitators/teachers/producers, demonstrating critical awareness
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Understand how to manage risk, health, safety, and employ ethical working practices to ensure safe working contexts
- 8. Work effectively in time-bound and delivery-facing contexts, meeting deadlines, and ensuring professional communication and respectful collaboration
- 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 this course involves training in facilitation skills development, observation of practice, followed by design and planning toward a creative response (either live or future).
- Introduction: models for planning, delivery and evaluation
- Ethics and duty of care: safe space, risk assessments & code of conduct
- Facilitation Skills: supporting key strategies for delivery, including group dynamics & assessing need
- Research into relevant models of practice
- Meeting and consultation with partners
- Shadowing/Observation of project settings, or delivery (live or digital)
- Evaluation and analysis of delivery, exploring reflective practice
- Planning and implementing project design (present or future)
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | 234 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 66 | Studio and site-based contact hours, practical skills sessions, observation sessions, delivery, planning and seminar discussions |
| Guided independent study | 234 | Includes: reading and preparation for seminars; studio self-directed sessions, small group work; writing tasks; formative assessments; independent study; work on assessments. |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflective Journal/Practice Documenting | 500 words or equivalent | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 | Written or oral |
| Formative Presentation | 15 minutes | 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | Written or oral |
| Practice teaching/leading | 15 minutes | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 0 | 50 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process into Performance | 60 | 1500 words and 45 minutes performance/presentation | 1-9 | Written |
| Portfolio (may include visual or digital elements) | 40 | 2500 words or equivalent | 3-8 | Written |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process into Performance | Individual elements equivalent to 45 minute presentation with accompanying 1500 words or equivalent by negotiation | 1-9 | Referral/deferral period |
| Portfolio: written, digital or video formats | 2500 words or equivalent | 3-8 | 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 50%) you will be required to submit assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Alrutz, M. (2014) Digital Storytelling, Applied Theatre, & Youth: Performing Possibility. 1st edition. Abingdon, Oxon�; New York, NY: Routledge.
- Astles C., Fisher E., Purcell-Gates L. and Sextou, P. (eds) Journal of Applied Arts and Health 11.1 and 11.2, special issue on puppetry in health, wellbeing and disability.
- Baim, C., Brookes, S. and Mountford, A. (2002) The Geese Theatre Handbook: Drama with Offenders and People at Risk. Illustrated edition. Winchester: Waterside Press.
- Cohen-Cruz, Schutzman (2006) A Boal Companion: Dialogues on theatre and cultural politics, Routledge.
- Dawson, K. and Kelin, I. D. A. (eds) (2014) The Reflexive Teaching Artist: Collected Wisdom from the Drama/Theatre Field. Bristol: Intellect Books.
- Diamond, D. (2007) Theatre for Living: the art and science of community based dialogue, Trafford Publishing.
- Gallagher, K. and Freeman, B. (eds) (2016) In defence of theatre: aesthetic practices and social interventions. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
- Hepplewhite, K. (2020) The Applied Theatre Artist: Responsivity and Expertise in Practice. 1st ed. 2020 edition. Palgrave Macmillan.
- International Drama in Education Research Institute (Conference) and Ackroyd, J. (eds) (2006) Research methodologies for drama education. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham.
- Preston, S. (2013) ‘Managed hearts? Emotional labour and the applied theatre facilitator in urban settings’, Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 18(3), pp. 230–245.
- Preston, S. (2016) Applied Theatre: Facilitation: Facilitation: Pedagogies, Practices, Resilience. London: Methuen Drama.
- Purcell-Gates, L. and Smith, M. (2020) ‘Applied puppetry: Communities, identities, transgressions’, Applied Theatre Research, 8(1), p. 3.
- Rohd, M. (1998) ‘Activating Material’, in Theatre for Community, Conflict and Dialogue: The Hope is Vital Training Manual. Heinemann, pp. 97–111.
- Rowe, N. and Reason, M. (eds) (2019) Applied Practice: Evidence and Impact in Theatre, Music and Art. Methuen Drama.
- Saxton, J. and Prendergast, M. (2013) Applied Drama: A Facilitator’s Handbook for Working in Community. Illustrated edition. Jefferson, N.C.: University of Chicago Press.
- Thompson, James (2003) Applied Theatre: Bewilderment and Beyond, Peter Lang.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | DRAM148 Principles and Practices of Applied Theatre |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 2021 |
| Last revision date | 19/01/2021 |
