PRFM1601: Semester 1, 2022

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Units PRFM1601 Semester 1 2022 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

PRFM1601: Making Theatre: The work of the director

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

What is involved in creating a work of theatre? This unit introduces students to the craft of directing theatre, both through a study of the historical emergence of the director and the practices involved, and participation in practical workshops in which key skills, involving creative leadership and collaboration, are developed and put to work. Students will then reflect upon this work, applying theoretical and methodological approaches in theatre and performance studies, including embodiment theory, ethnography, and dramaturgy. No theatre-making experience is required.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PRFM1601
Academic unit	Theatre and Performance Studies
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Glen McGillivray, glen.mcgillivray@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Analysis of rehearsal process See Canvas site	25%	Formal exam period Due date: 06 Jun 2022 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Workshop description See Canvas site	25%	Week 06 Due date: 01 Apr 2022 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Short essay: Preparing a scene See Canvas site	25%	Week 08 Due date: 14 Apr 2022 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Promptbook See Canvas site	25%	Week 13 Due date: 27 May 2022 at 17:00	1000 words per student
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Please see rubric on Canvas site
Distinction	75 - 84	Please see rubric on Canvas site
Credit	65 - 74	Please see rubric on Canvas site
Pass	50 - 64	Please see rubric on Canvas site
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction and Welcome Acknowledgement of Country. What to expect at University. The Department of Theatre and Performance Studies: Teachers, key approaches. This unit of study	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 01	Introductory workshop: Welcome to University; setting up expectations.	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 02	The role of the director: Brief history What a director does	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Workshop 1	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 03	The work of a director: —observation —representation —negotiation —decision-making —style/genre	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 03	Workshop 2	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 04	Embodiment and experience: Embodiment is fundamental to theatre and performance. Performers embody action; spectators engage as embodied members of an audience. How might we explore this?	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 04	Workshop 3	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 05	Bertolt Brecht: his life and times. Introducing one of the key figures in western theatre history and practice	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 05	Workshop 4	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 06	The Marxist critique of culture. How might theatre—or any artform—operate politically? How might theatre have an influence on the world beyond its immediate aesthetic context? This lecture sets the scene for Brecht's radical dramaturgy.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 06	Workshop 5	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 07	Brechtian Dramaturgy: the critique of Aristotle; Gestus	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 07	Workshop 6 Reading Brecht; forming groups	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 08	Key ideas and practices in Brecht's dramaturgy and aesthetics. An introduction to the key features of Brecht's work, including the Verfremdungseffekt.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 08	Workshop 7 Group work	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 09	The Lehrstucke: rehearsal as radical pedagogy	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	Analysing rehearsal. Rehearsal is generally a 'hidden realm': but what actually is involved in creating a work of theatre or performance? How might such processes be studied? How are they generally learnt?	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	Workshop 8 Group work	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 11	Brecht in rehearsal. How did Brecht go about creating his work and realising his theoretical, political, and aesthetic aspirations?	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 11	Workshop 9 Group Work	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 12	Documenting Performance. What traces do performances leave beyond the texts created by playwrights. How do performances themselves endure?	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	Workshop 10 Creating documentation	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 13	After Brecht. What is Brecht's legacy to contemporary performance? We will consider in particular to Heiner Muller, as well as more generally about his contributions to modern theatre.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 13	Workshop 11 Reading Heiner Muller Finalising documentation	Workshop (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Details of readings are on the unit Canvas site

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. offer an account of the context, intentions and innovations of Brechtian theatre, as well as the taking up of those innovations in Boalian Forum Theatre and Heiner Muller’s post-dramatic theatre
LO2. offer a contextualised analysis of a workshop exercise
LO3. make collective decisions about mounting a performance
LO4. describe the process of making and offer a rationale for those decisions
LO5. document the performance upon which you worked.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The unit has been modified to frame the work on Brecht within a more general set of questions about the process of directing theatre and performance work.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

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