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 Physical Performance
  • Unit Code

    PMA3010
  • Year

    2016
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

Description

This unit introduces students to devising original movement material for performance. Rather than staging a pre-existing text, students learn skills in improvisation as a way of generating physical performance. There is an emphasis on impulse, play, spontaneity, and kinaesthetic awareness in solo and group improvisations. The unit goes on to interrogate the collation and editing of movement to serve a given theme or starting point. Students work towards the creation and presentation of short compositional studies to investigate the principles of time and space as the building blocks of performance. They will work creatively with rhythm, duration, and tempo as well as spatial relationship, architecture, gesture and shape to explore a given theme, character or story through the language of the body. Students engage with critical reflection and receiving feedback as part of the creative process. They also conduct case studies into international practitioners who work with improvisation and devising as part of their methodology.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must pass 1 units from PAM1013, PMA2005

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded PAM3230

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Collate and edit material found through improvisation to compose repeatable, physical scores for performance.
  2. Design work-in-progress presentations for feedback on draft material.
  3. Research, co,pare and evaluate different approaches to devising in theatre, performance and dance.
  4. Use improvisation to generate ideas and movement material for performance.

Unit Content

  1. Creative research tools for generating physical performance.
  2. Principles of composition in space and time: Spatial relationship; architecture; gesture; shape; tempo; rhythm; speed and duration.
  3. Principles of editing and collation: Choosing movement material from improvisation in relation to a given theme, story or character.
  4. Principles of improvisation: Spontaneity; impulse; kinaesthetic response and play.
  5. Solo and group devising.
  6. Theory and practice of devised theatres and performance including case studies of practitioners and companies.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Workshops and seminars.

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
Participation ^Participation and engagement in creative process20%
Performance ^Performance/s of devised material50%
Portfolio ^Documentation and analysis of the creative process30%

^ Mandatory to Pass

Text References

  • ^ Bicat, T., & Baldwin, C. (2002). Devised and collaborative theatre. Wiltshire: Crowood Press.
  • ^ Bogart, A., & Landau, T. (2005). The viewpoints book: A practical guide to viewpoints and composition. NY: Theatre Communications Group.
  • Graham, S., & Hogget, S. (2009). The frantic assembly book of devising. Oxon: Routledge.
  • Oddey, A. (1994). Devising theatre: A practical and theoretical handbook. London and NY: Routledge.
  • Murray, S., & Keefe, J. (2007). Physical theatres: A critical reader. London and NY: Routledge.
  • Murray, S., & Keefe, J. (2007). Physical theatres: A critical introduction. London and NY: Routledge.

Journal References

  • Theatre Topics.
  • Performance Research.
  • Theatre, Dance and Performance Training.
  • The Drama Review.

Website References

^ 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.

PMA3010|1|1

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 Physical Performance
  • Unit Code

    PMA3010
  • Year

    2016
  • Enrolment Period

    2
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

Description

This unit introduces students to devising original movement material for performance. Rather than staging a pre-existing text, students learn skills in improvisation as a way of generating physical performance. There is an emphasis on impulse, play, spontaneity, and kinaesthetic awareness in solo and group improvisations. The unit goes on to interrogate the collation and editing of movement to serve a given theme or starting point. Students work towards the creation and presentation of short compositional studies to investigate the principles of time and space as the building blocks of performance. They will work creatively with rhythm, duration, and tempo as well as spatial relationship, architecture, gesture and shape to explore a given theme, character or story through the language of the body. Students engage with critical reflection and receiving feedback as part of the creative process. They also conduct case studies into international practitioners who work with improvisation and devising as part of their methodology.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must pass 1 units from PAM1013, PMA2005

Co-Requisite Rule

Students must be enrolled in course Y97

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded PAM3230

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Collate and edit material found through improvisation to compose repeatable, physical scores for performance.
  2. Design work-in-progress presentations for feedback on draft material.
  3. Research, co,pare and evaluate different approaches to devising in theatre, performance and dance.
  4. Use improvisation to generate ideas and movement material for performance.

Unit Content

  1. Creative research tools for generating physical performance.
  2. Principles of composition in space and time: Spatial relationship; architecture; gesture; shape; tempo; rhythm; speed and duration.
  3. Principles of editing and collation: Choosing movement material from improvisation in relation to a given theme, story or character.
  4. Principles of improvisation: Spontaneity; impulse; kinaesthetic response and play.
  5. Solo and group devising.
  6. Theory and practice of devised theatres and performance including case studies of practitioners and companies.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Workshops and seminars.

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
Participation ^Participation and engagement in creative process20%
Performance ^Performance/s of devised material50%
Portfolio ^Documentation and analysis of the creative process30%

^ Mandatory to Pass

Text References

  • ^ Bicat, T., & Baldwin, C. (2002). Devised and collaborative theatre. Wiltshire: Crowood Press.
  • ^ Bogart, A., & Landau, T. (2005). The viewpoints book: A practical guide to viewpoints and composition. NY: Theatre Communications Group.
  • Murray, S., & Keefe, J. (2007). Physical theatres: A critical introduction. London and NY: Routledge.
  • Murray, S., & Keefe, J. (2007). Physical theatres: A critical reader. London and NY: Routledge.
  • Graham, S., & Hogget, S. (2009). The frantic assembly book of devising. Oxon: Routledge.
  • Oddey, A. (1994). Devising theatre: A practical and theoretical handbook. London and NY: Routledge.

Journal References

  • The Drama Review.
  • Theatre, Dance and Performance Training.
  • Performance Research.
  • Theatre Topics.

Website References

^ 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.

PMA3010|2|2