University of the West of England

MODULE SPECIFICATION

(Revised November 2002)

Code: UATPB3-40-3 Title: Main House Public Productions Version: 3

Level: 3 UWE credit rating: 40 ECTS credit rating: 20

Module type: Professional Practice

Owning Faculty: Faculty of Creative Arts/Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Field: Professional Acting

Faculty Committee Approval: Q & S Committee Date 7th October 2009

Valid from: Sept 2009 Discontinued from:

Contributes towards: Awards up to BA Hons in Professional Acting

Pre-requisites: All level 1 & 2 modules relevant to the above award

Co-requisites: None

Excluded combinations: Any Stage Management Modules.

    Learning outcomes:

    On satisfactory completion of this module the student will be able to:

    Knowledge and Understanding

    • Demonstrate familiarity with and an understanding of dramatic texts ranging from Medieval plays, through Shakespeare and his contemporaries, Restoration, Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Century to contemporary writing in Verse and prose for Theatre.

    • Understand techniques for reading and interpreting texts and musical scores

    • Discuss and apply a knowledge and understanding of theatre history, social history and context for a range of theatre texts.

    Intellectual Skills

    • Research, evaluate and interpret character, plot and structure from a range of dramatic texts.

    • Communicate, discuss and engage with the artistic requirements and interpretation of the production as made explicit by the director and other members of the creative team

    • Research and explore a range of possibilities in communicating a given role to an audience on stage

    • Critically analyse and interpret a wide range of texts.

    Subject / Practical Skills

    • Command, hold and entertain audiences of paying customers in contrasting texts, styles, periods and venues;

    • Study, learn, inhabit and bring to life the text through individual work on characterization and performance and in group rehearsal;

    • Work in a live main-house environment with other performers, director, designers, costumiers, stage managers, technicians and audiences;

    Transferable Skills

    • Sustain and develop characterisation and performance over the run of the productions;

    • Work to professional standards of discipline, etiquette, rigour and deadlines.

    • Undertake performances in a wide range of venues, communicating clearly with audiences of differing sizes, ages and types to professional standards;

Syllabus outline:

The syllabus will cover; acting, mime, movement, dance, combat, tumbling, singing, care and use of costumes, care and use of props and weapons, and performance. The module involves rehearsing and performing a variety of plays on main-house stages in Bristol.

Teaching and learning methods:

Students will have the opportunity to learn through rehearsals, workshops, group classes, individual work, tutorials and performances.

Reading Strategy

Students are encouraged to become familiar with the subject area, and texts specific to the module, through reading lists and reference material provided. Lists are updated annually to maintain currency and relevance. Each department holds texts and reference material, as well as the general access provided to the Schools library and access to the Internet. The specifically vocational nature of training and study, combined with the project based nature of learning on the course, may require that students are guided to reading and research material in the first instance by the module leader.

NB: BOVTS students do not have access to UWE Libraries and UWE OnLine

Indicative sources:

The primary source for this module will be the text or script for the production concerned.

Background research material will depend entirely on the period, style and character involved in the play script.

Suggested reading includes:

Barkworth. P About Acting Methuen Drama (2001)

Callow. S Being An Actor Penguin (1984)

Latham. P ‘It’s Behind You’ ; the story of Panto New Holland (2004)

Mamet. D A Whore’s Profession Faber & Faber (1994)

Miller. J ‘Judi Dench’ With A Crack In Her Voice Orion (2002)

Stanislavski. C My Life in Art Routledge 1974

Stanislavski. C Building a Character Methuen Drama Books (2008)

Assessment

ATTEMPT 1

First Assessment Opportunity

Description Element weighting

1. Main House Public Productions 100%

Assessment of individual creative development, application of performance skills and techniques, and contribution to the rehearsal, performance and the success of the company in full-length main house public performances.

Second Assessment Opportunity (further attendance at taught classes is required)

Description Element weighting

1. Main House Public Productions 100%

Assessment of individual creative development, application of performance skills and techniques, and contribution to the rehearsal, performance and the success of the company in full-length main house public performances.

SECOND (OR SUBSEQUENT) ATTEMPT Attendance at taught classes is required.

Specification confirmed by …………………………………………………Date ……………………………

(Associate Dean/Programme Director)

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