1. Home
  2. Contemporary Theatre Practice [DST4165]

School: Education

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Contemporary Theatre Practice

  • Unit Code

    DST4165

  • Year

    2016

  • Enrolment Period

    1

  • Version

    1

  • Credit Points

    15

  • Full Year Unit

     N

  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

Description

This unit examines the role of the director as instigator of change in theatre development in contemporary society. This will include the study of major contributors including Brook, Wilson and LePage. It will consider the influence of avart-garde theorists on traditional theatre and explore postmodern performance practice.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Analyse through research presentations the philosophies and theories of theatre experimentation in contemporary society.
  2. Appraise critically the major contributors to change in contemporary theatre including Brook, Wilson, Forced Entertainment, Frantic Assembly and LePage.
  3. Compare and contrast developments in contemporary theatre with those in the other performing arts.
  4. Demonstrate through performance and reflection an understanding of the role of the director as an instigator of change in contemporary theatre.
  5. Evaluate in writing the influence of experimental theatre in translating traditional texts into performance.
  6. Identify through both practice and theory the roles of playwright, director and actor in contemporary theatre experimentation.
  7. Re-visit Stanislavski, Brecht, Artaud in this context.

Unit Content

  1. Devising with frantic assembly.
  2. Innovation in Western Theatre.
  3. LePage and emotion.
  4. Robert Wilson and his collaborators.
  5. The Emergence of the Director.
  6. The work of Peter Brook in relationship to Stanislaviski, Artaud, Brecht practical workshops in interpreting and presenting experimental contempory theatre.
  7. Theatre of cruelty - Artaud.
  8. Tim Etchells and forced entertainment.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Practical workshops Seminars Tutorials

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
PerformancePerformance60%
Research PaperResearch presentation40%

Text References

  • ^ Nil
  • Harwood, R. (1984). All the world's a stage. London: Secker & Warburg.
  • Artaud, A. (1985). The theatre and its double. New York, NY: Grove Press.
  • Benedetti, R.L. (1985). The Director at work. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.
  • Birringer, J. (1992). Theatre, theory, post modernism. Indianapolis: Indiana Uni. Press.
  • Bradley, D., & Williams, D. (1988). Directors' theatre. London: Macmillan.
  • Brook, P. (1986). The empty space. London: MacGibbon & Kee.
  • Brook, P. (1989). The shifting point: Forty years of theatrical exploration 1946-1987. London: Methuen.
  • Grotowski, J. (1969). Towards a poor theatre. London: Methuen.
  • LePage, R. (1999). Connecting flights. Theatre Communications Group.
  • Kaye, N. (1994). Postmodernism and performance. London: Macmillan.
  • Laurence, S. (1989). Robert Milsom and his collaborators. New York: Theatre Communication Group.
  • Morowitz, C. (1986). Prospero's staff: Acting and directing in the contemporary theatre. Indianapolis: Indiana Uni. Press.
  • Roose-Evans, J. (1984). Experimental theatre from Stanislavski to Peter Brook. London: Routledge.
  • Styan, J. (1990). Modern drama in theory and practice. New York: Cambridge.
  • William, D. (Ed.) (1989). Peter Brook and the Mahabharata. London: Routledge.
  • Etchell, T. (1999). Certain fragments. London: Routledge.
  • Graham. S. (2009). The frantic assembly book of devising theatre. London: Routledge.

Website References

  • Nil

^ Mandatory reference

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

DST4165|1|1

School: Education

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Contemporary Theatre Practice

  • Unit Code

    DST4165

  • Year

    2016

  • Enrolment Period

    2

  • Version

    1

  • Credit Points

    15

  • Full Year Unit

     N

  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

Description

This unit examines the role of the ensemble as the makers, directors and writers of theatre in contemporary society. This will include the study of major contributors including Bogart, Margolin, Wilson, LePage, Complicite and Forced Entertainment. It will consider the influence of avant-garde theorists on traditional theatre and explore postmodern performance practice.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Analyse through research presentations the philosophies and theories of theatre experimentation in contemporary society.
  2. Appraise critically the major contributors to change in contemporary theatre including Brook, Wilson, Forced Entertainment, Frantic Assembly and LePage.
  3. Compare and contrast developments in contemporary theatre with those in the other performing arts.
  4. Demonstrate through performance and reflection an understanding of the role of the director as an instigator of change in contemporary theatre.
  5. Evaluate in writing the influence of experimental theatre in translating traditional texts into performance.
  6. Identify through both practice and theory the roles of playwright, director and actor in contemporary theatre experimentation.
  7. Re-visit Stanislavski, Brecht, Artaud in this context.

Unit Content

  1. Creating a director's vision from a contemporary dramatic text.
  2. Deb Margolin and Performance Composition.
  3. Devising with contemporary theatre practitioners and companies such as Robert Wilson, Frantic Assembly, DV8, Ex Machina, Complicite and Sankai Juku.
  4. Immersive, interactive and interdisciplinary theatre.
  5. Provocations, using a variety of stimuli, for solo work.
  6. The creation of an ensemble.
  7. The work of Stanislaviski, Brecht and Grotowski as foundational practitioners of experimental theatre.
  8. Tim Etchells and Forced Entertainment.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Blackboard documents and materials; collaborative group work and discussion; professional reading; independent study; student presentations; skill based workshops; use of multi-media technology. practical workshops

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
PerformanceWork in Progress50%
Tutorial PresentationResearch presentation and physical workshop50%

Text References

  • LePage, R. (1999). Connecting flights. Theatre Communications Group.
  • Artaud, A. (1985). The theatre and its double. New York, NY: Grove Press.
  • Etchell, T. (1999). Certain fragments. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.
  • Styan, J. (1990). Modern drama in theory and practice. New York, NY: Cambridge.
  • Roose-Evans, J. (1984). Experimental theatre from Stanislavski to Peter Brook. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.
  • Morowitz, C. (1986). Prospero's staff: Acting and directing in the contemporary theatre. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana Uni. Press.
  • Laurence, S. (1989). Robert Milsom and his collaborators. New York, NY: Theatre Communication Group.
  • Kaye, N. (1994). Postmodernism and performance. London, United Kingdom: Macmillan.
  • Harwood, R. (1984). All the world's a stage. London, United Kingdom: Secker & Warburg.
  • Grotowski, J. (1969). Towards a poor theatre. London, United Kingdom: Methuen.
  • Brook, P. (1989). The shifting point: Forty years of theatrical exploration 1946-1987. London, United Kingdom: Methuen.
  • Brook, P. (1986). The empty space. London, United Kingdom: MacGibbon & Kee.
  • Bradley, D., & Williams, D. (1988). Directors' theatre. London, United Kingdom: Macmillan.
  • Birringer, J. (1992). Theatre, theory, post modernism. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana Uni. Press.
  • Benedetti, R.L. (1985). The director at work. NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc.
  • Graham. S. (2009). The frantic assembly book of devising theatre. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

DST4165|1|2