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Interpretative Acting II

Module description

The Interpretative Acting module has two strands.

Work in small workshops where individual attention can be given to actors on their approach to the work of acting. To start this work, students should bring a monologue of their own choosing to the beginning of the course. These workshops will continue alongside the other strand for most of the course.

The other strand is working with students from the directing module towards presentation of two pieces.

The first piece will be a duologue selected by the directors and cast by the course leader.

For the second piece students from the Creative Actor module will combine with Directing, modules to work collaboratively together to create/interpret a piece. (Choices re material and approach are made by Directing students but actors collaborate fully within creative/interpretative processes rather than being told what to do! Each Directing student writes a ‘treatment’ outlining the proposed material and approach. Actors will get copies of these. Then actors will hand in their first, second and third choices for roles. Casting will be done by tutors.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to offer students 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. Demonstrate an analytical understanding of the variety of approaches to the political and cultural issues of the period, through written and presentation work
• 2. Demonstrate a detailed grasp of current historiographical issues, through analytical writing and presentation
• 3. Evaluate a wide range of primary and secondary material relating to the period and synthesise this knowledge to generate argument, in written and presentation form

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 4. Contribute research to small groups in effective presentations, to evaluate visual and textual evidence and to develop advanced confidence in the ability to analyse, critique and manipulate complex material
• 5. Apply a wide range of library and IT skills in detailed independent research
• 6. Engage critically and analytically from different theoretical perspectives and utilise effectively in written form

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 7. Develop advanced personal research skills using personal initiative; to set personal objectives that are linked to a sense of challenge and extending boundaries and to identify and evaluate personal learning strategies that are self-critical as much as self-reflexive
• 8. Develop group cooperation skills, including the ability to give and receive constructive critical feedback, and to improve communication skills and advanced analytic abilities in discussions
• 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 it will cover some or all of the following topics:

The module begins with an exploration of a monologue and continues with work towards presentations with directors, firstly on a duologue and then on larger pieces to be presented in found space. Alongside these rehearsal there will be workshops exploring aspects of acting.

Learning and teaching methods: Seminars, research, rehearsal, practical presentations, written critical evaluation. Completion of the following assignments: Practical acting exercises: monologue, duologue, scene in a found space; portfolio, working with directors under supervision.

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

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

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

• J. Barton Playing Shakespeare (1984)
• C. Berry The Actor and the Text (1993)
• R. Benedetti The Actor At Work (1997)
• K. Stanislavski An Actors Work (2008)
• J. Willet The Theatre of Bertolt Brecht (1986)

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