School: Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

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

    Devising Text, Character and Story
  • Unit Code

    PAM1405
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Alexa TAYLOR

Description

This unit introduces students to a range of strategies and tools for devising and presenting new works of theatre and performance. In practical workshops, students utilise improvisation and creative writing strategies to generate text, character, and story for performance. Rather than writing theatre through the individual process of a playwright, this unit will explore collaborative writing and devising strategies for generating, refining and editing new works. Students will study devised and experimental approaches to theatre-making and synthesise research with their developing creative practice.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Create, edit, refine and structure performance material for presentation using improvisation and creative writing strategies.
  2. Design and facilitate devising tasks to generate text for performance.
  3. Evaluate draft material to develop detail, depth and complexity of ideas.
  4. Apply fundamental vocal, physical and acting skills to the performance of new texts.

Unit Content

  1. Designing improvisation and devising tasks.
  2. Workshop presentation and facilitation skills.
  3. Strategies for writing, editing and developing text for performance.
  4. Development of character, plot and story.
  5. Dramaturgical perspectives on performance.
  6. Consolidating acquired vocal, physical and acting skills and applying them to the performance of new texts.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 2Not Offered11 x 1.5 hour practical classNot Offered
Semester 2Not Offered11 x 1.5 hour seminarNot Offered
Semester 2Not Offered5 x 4 hour studioNot Offered
Semester 2Not Offered11 x 3 hour workshopNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

Students will attend a series of classes and engage in learning activities via the ECU Learning Management System.

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 School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
WorkshopPeer-led devising workshop to generate and collate material20%
PerformancePerformance of self-devised material40%
AssignmentWorkbook documenting the devising process40%

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.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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