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Staging the Text

Module description

In this module you will learn key skills involved in staging a dramatic text, including, for example, textual analysis and dramaturgy, theatrical adaptation, directing, voicework, movement, and choreography. Instruction will take the form of lectures, workshops, and group supervisions. You will work in groups of up to twelve students on staging a particular play-text, working together as actors, directors, designers, etc. You will be supported throughout your creative process by one or more members of the teaching staff. You will also receive formative feedback from your peers. The module will culminate with a festival of performances. The plays that are selected for staging will change from year to year. You will aim to make work that is relevant for a contemporary audience.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module will familiarise you with a range of strategies to address the transformation from page to stage, both conceptually and practically, and in a range of roles as directors, actors, facilitators, collaborators and dramaturges.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Understand, reflect on and practically explore different approaches to staging text of a playwright or group of playwrights
• 2. Engage in close dramaturgical analysis and creative conceptualisation of text-based theatre practice
• 3. Explore and negotiate different roles in the process of transforming, adapting and interpreting a dramatic text for the stage

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 4. Relate to others in theatrical processes and performances; work effectively with others in small task-orientated groups and initiate and sustain creative, analytic and interpretative work within strict time limits and basic technical competence
• 5. Utilise research tools effectively and translate theory into practice
• 6. Engage critically and analytically with physical discipline; develop thoughtful creative processes and understanding of physicality in performance

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 7. Develop group cooperation skills, including the ability to give and receive constructive critical feedback and improve communication skills and analytic abilities in discussions
• 8. Express and communicate creative ideas and images; develop the ability to initiate and sustain creative work, both group and solo
• 9. Collaborate in various groups and group sizes; learn elements of teamwork and presentation

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:

• Lectures on script analysis and key skills for understanding dramatic texts, introduction, historical context, approaches to the writer(s) in question, and staging techniques
• Workshops about performance skills
• Technical introduction and basic training
• Work-in-progress showings
• Independent Rehearsals (with weekly supervision)
• Final Performance

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:

• Barba, Eugenio (2009). On Directing: Burning the House. New York, Routledge.
• Bogart, Anne (2001). A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre. London: Routledge.
• Bradby, David (1988) Directors' theatre. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
• Edgar, David (2008) How plays work: the theory and practice of playwriting. London: Hern, 2008
• Fuchs, Eleanor (2004). "EF's Visit to a Small Planet: Some Questions to Ask a Play." Theater 34(2): 5-9.
• Lennard, John (2002) The drama handbook: a guide to reading plays. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Luckett, Sharrell and Tia M. Shaffer (2016) Black Acting Methods: Critical Approaches. London, Routledge.
• Luckhurst, Mary (2006) Dramaturgy: a revolution in theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Meisel, Martin (2007) How plays work: reading and performance. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.
• Merlin, Bella (2010) Acting: the basics. London: Routledge.
• Pfister, Manfred (1991) The Theory and Analysis of Drama. Cambridge: CUP.
• Turner, Cathy and Synne Behrndt (2008) Dramaturgy and performance. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Waters, Steve (2010). The Secret Life of Plays. London, Nick Hern Books.

Specific reading for each year’s playwright(s) will be indicated via ELE before the start of the module.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2659 

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• Exeter Digital Archives 

Key words search

dramaturgy, staging, theatre