Research Skills for Theatre-Making - TFT00101M
Module summary
This module aims to introduce you to the critical and practical thinking and research skills that are crucial to theatre-making, through engagement with examples of contemporary theatre and performance practices and their contexts, discussion activities and lecture-workshop content. The module also begins to examine theatre-making skills, with opportunities to explore, for example, micro-performances in your own sited contexts.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
The aims of this module are:
- To develop a critical understanding of theatre and performance through analysis and discussion of a range of case studies and their contexts
- To begin to develop a practical understanding of theatre-making and basic artistic decision-making skills
- To begin to develop source-gathering, classification and analysis skills appropriate to postgraduate level research and writing
Module learning outcomes
By the end of this module, you are expected to:
- discuss, evaluate and critically analyse theatre and performance case studies
- situate theatre and performance case studies within a range of relevant contexts
- identify, classify and analyse a range of research sources
- make solo micro-performances in response to research areas
Module content
This module is designed to lay the theoretical and practical foundations for your studies with us, and to push your existing skill-set further. It will focus on developing research skills appropriate to a postgraduate level of study, including traditional scholarly disciplines for written work as well as specific skills for practice-as/by/based-research. In all of this, the module emphasises the importance of research (in its practical and library-based senses) to postgraduate study. You will explore how to locate, gather and evaluate primary and secondary sources, and how to apply critical thinking skills to essay- writing of various kinds. You will also develop a portfolio of written and micro-performance responses to research areas explored through the module.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Students will produce formative written and practical work throughout the teaching on the module, and will receive formative feedback throughout.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
You will receive written feedback in line with standard University turnaround times.
You will receive bespoke verbal feedback on your formative work within one week of completion of presentation.
Indicative reading
Adiseshiah, S. & LePage, L. ed. (2016). Twenty-First Century Drama: What Happens Now.
Arlander, A. et al ed. (2017). Performance as Research: Knowledge, Methods, Impact.
Cottrell, S. (2017; 3rd edn.). Critical Thinking Skills: Effective Analysis, Argument and Reflection.
Harvie, J. & Lavender, A. ed. (2010). Making Contemporary Theatre
Hilevaara, K. & Orley, E. ed. (2018). The Creative Critic: Writing about/as Practice.
Kershaw, B. & Nicholson, H. ed. (2011). Research Methods in Theatre and Performance.