ACT125 Modern Theatre Prior to 1945 (8)
CSU Discipline Area: Performing Arts (PEART)
Duration: One session
Abstract:
Playscripts are studied as texts for performance. An analysis of major theatrical conventions and the dramatic literature of the first half of the twentieth century is made through the study of selected plays, influential theorists and periods of innovation. Improvisation and scene study provide a focus for practical studio work as participants learn about the major methodological influences of the period prior to the Second World War, with particular emphasis upon the European innovations developed by Stanislavsky, Artaud, Meyerhold and Brecht. Special attention is paid to the analysis of dramatic structure, and the ways in which that structure works to heighten the dramatic tension associated with the moral dilemmas which the playwright poses through the action of the play.
+ Subject Availability Modes and Locations
| Session 1 | |
|---|---|
| Internal | Bathurst |
Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: ACT125
Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.
Enrolment restrictions:
Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media) (Core)
Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) (Restricted Elective)
Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations) (Restricted Elective)
Bachelof of Media Communication (Elective)
Bachelor of Sport Scienc/Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) (Restricted Elective)
Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology)/Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary Drama) (Elective)
Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
- be able to read and analyse plays for performance.
- be able to define and analyse the actors' task with specific reference to major methodological innovations of the first half ot the Twentieth Century.
- be able to plan dramaturgical strategies for researching characters and historical periods.
- be able to interrogate the dramatic structures, literature and theatre conventions of the period as a springboard to originating and planning original creative work.
- be able to cooperatively devise a creative performance as a
member of a team.
- be able to critically evaluate the performative implications of theatre texts from a production-based point of view
- be able to identify and discuss the philosphical and moral questions posed by the major playwrights and theatrical theorists of the first half of the twentieth century.
Syllabus:
The subject will cover the following topics:
- Exercises in basic stagecraft, improvisation, movement, speech, mime and mask, growth games, story-telling and drama text analysis.
- Concentration, relaxation, sensory awareness, imagination, control of physical space, emotional awareness and memory.
- The history of the theatre of the early modern period, representative plays and the variety of current theatre forms.
- Close reading may consider the issues of characterisation, sub-textual studies and physical theatre performance.
- Engage as a team in preparing an approach to dramaturgical research into a play that demonstrates its relevance to contemporary Australian issues.
- Scenario, scripted and improvisational work is rehearsed for studio research performances.
The information contained in the 2013 CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: 24 April 2013. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.