Performance Practice Project
| Module title | Performance Practice Project |
|---|---|
| Module code | DRAM168 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 45 |
| Module staff | Professor Rebecca Loukes (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 15 |
|---|
Module description
This module provides you with the opportunity to develop your research-based practice over the term, building on the performance practice foundations introduced to you in Term 1. Through staff-led workshops, seminars and tutorials you will develop your performance and devising skills. You will encounter a range of ensemble and individual exercises from global and intercultural contexts. You will be expected to work individually and collaboratively throughout the term which will culminate in the creation and sharing of your own performance project. Additionally, you will be supported in developing your own abilities to critically reflect on your individual and collaborative processes.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to:
• Provide a focused, structured atmosphere for the first phase in the development of quality performance practice in the designated area of theatrical/performance practice
• Provide the opportunity to apply principles and processes of psychophysical performance practice to one's own creative work
• Facilitate the development of individual and collaborative creative work and reflection upon that work
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Apply psychophysical processes to specific performance tasks and/or texts
- 2. Demonstrate in-depth understanding of physical, vocal, directorial, dramaturgical and/or technical skills for performance
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Display an advanced understanding of the relationship between theatre research and theatre practice
- 4. Critically reflect, in significant detail, on process and performance through a portfolio
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Negotiate the achievement of advanced research and/or creative tasks individually and as a member of a group
- 6. Demonstrate creative independence and imagination
- 7. Demonstrate enhanced critical and creative skills in writing through the development of a portfolio
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:
• Development of performance practices introduced in Term One though tutor-led training, staff-led workshops and guided individual and small group tasks
• Planning, development and rehearsal of individual and/or small group practice projects. This phase includes individual and/or small group tutorials with the module tutor, taught sessions and a period of intense self-directed student work
• The module culminates with a set of performances/performed workshops
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 99 | 351 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 99 | Skills-building sessions, practical workshops, lectures, seminars and tutorials. |
| Guided independent study | 100 | Fulfilment of set tasks: self-directed work |
| Guided independent study | 101 | Preparation for summative performance |
| Guided independent study | 75 | Preparation for summative portfolio |
| Guided independent study | 75 | Academic research: reading, writing creative journal, research related to projects |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft of performance in process | 15 minutes (as a group) | 1-3, 5 | Oral |
| Draft of project proposal | 500 words | 1, 3 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process into Performance | 70 | 25 minutes | 1-3, 5, 6 | Written feedback |
| Critical Portfolio | 30 | 3500 words | 4 and 7 | Written feedback |
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 (25 minutes) | Process into performance (25mins, could be recorded) (70%) | 1-3, 5, 6 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Critical Portfolio (3500 words) | Critical Portfolio (3500 words) (30%) | 4 and 7 | 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 a further literature review. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the final mark and will be capped at 50%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
- Aronson, Arnold (2018) Routledge Companion to Scenography, London: Routledge.
- Colin, Noyale and Stefanie Sachsenmaier (eds.) (2016) Collaboration in performance practice: premises, workings and failures, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Crossley, Tracy and Niki Woods (2019) Making Postdramatic Theatre: A Handbook of Devising Exercises, Digital Theatre Plus
- Evans, M (2019) Performance, Movement and the Body, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Gomez-Pena, Guillermo and Sifuentes, Roberto (2011) Exercises for Rebel Artists: Radical Performance Pedagogy, London: Routledge.
- Heddon, D. and Milling, J (2014) Devising Performance: A Critical History (2nd edition) London: Palgrave.
- Lavender, A. (2016). Performance in the Twenty-First Century: Theatres of Engagement. London & New York: Routledge.
- Margolies, Eleanor (2016) Props: Readings in Theatre Practice, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Oram, Daron (2018) ‘Losing Sight of Land: Tales of Dyslexia and Dyspraxia in Psychophysical Actor Training’, Theatre, Dance and Performance Training.
- Romanska, Magda (2015) The Routledge Companion to Dramaturgy, London: Routledge.
- Tufnell, M. and Crickmay, C (2014) Body Space Image: Notes Towards Improvisation and Performance (2nd edition) London: Dance Books.
- Young, Harvey (2013) Theatre and Race, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Zarrilli, Phillip B, Jerri Daboo and Rebecca Loukes (2013) Acting: Psychophysical Phenomenon and Process, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan,
- Zarrilli, Phillip B, T. Sasitharan and Anuradha Kapur (2019) Intercultural Acting and Performer Training, London: Routledge.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
• ELE –
• Digital Theatre+
• Exeter Digital Archives
• Theatre, Dance and Performance Training Blog
| Credit value | 45 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 22.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | DRAM167 Contemporary Performance Practices: Training |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 28/03/2025 |
