3BA Course Descriptions 2017-2018 Semester 1

3BA Course Descriptions 2017-2018 Semester 1

Introductory Session: 4 September, 11-12, Studio 1, O’Donoghue Centre.

In semester one, students do one of the following:

Take TP307, the Druid Academy Performance (worth 30 ECTS)

Take DT3107, DT3104, and DT3108 (worth 10 ECTs each)

Travel abroad, in which case you register for TP312 International Theatre Experience (30 ECTS)

TP307 / Thomas Conway / Monday 11-2
Tuesday 9.30-11
Tuesday 3-4.30 / BOI
BOI
BOI
DT3107: Theatre for Children and Young Audiences / Marianne Kennedy / Friday 11-2 / Studio 1
DT3104 Musical Theatre / Ian Walsh / Tuesday 2—4 / Studio 2
DT3108 Writing for Theatre (crosslisted with MA module) / Ciara Murphy
Chris McCormack / Wednesday 4-6 / CR1

In semester 2, you may:

Participate in a production of a Shakespeare play, directed by Max Hafler.

Apply to take an internship with a theatre company (applications will be accepted in October; students are not guaranteed a place)

Apply to engage in an independent group or individual theatre project (the equivalent of completing a dissertation, this option involves students engaging in an individual project such as writing a play or completing a research project OR working with a group of students to create a new work such as a devised piece or a new staging of an existing work – applications and further details will be available in late September).

Travel abroad on an approved exchange.

TP307

Instructor: Thomas Conway

This module invites students to respond to developments in contemporary drama by staging excerpts of new plays (whose premières have taken place within the last five years) and by engaging in critical analysis that relates the thematic content of the plays to contemporary ideological debates. The stagings will take place at the Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Lane, 22nd – 24th November.

On completion of this module, a successful student will demonstrate:

A technical facility with the requirements for vocal and physical performance, direction and design of contemporary plays
A command of analysis of new dramatic structures
An understanding of (and a stake in) the ideological debates in which the plays are situated—with a view to relating these debates to the staging of the play
Confident and creative approaches to engage audiences with ideas and embodied experience as encountered through the plays
Increased awareness of the disciplines involved in producing theatre, with each student applying herself or himself to one theatre discipline while contributing to the collective endeavor of mounting a production

Week
Beginning / Rehearsal/
Performance / Seminar / Training / Assignment
4th Sept / Intro / New Playwriting / Vocal Training
11th Sept / Alice
Birch / Feminist
Theatre / Image / New Writing
Exercises
18th Sept / Young
Jean Lee / Masculinities
and Drama / Rhythm / Feminist Analysis
26th Sept / Taylor
Mac / Queer
Theatre / Displacement / Masculinities
Analysis
3rd Oct / Branden
Jacobs-Jenkins / African American
Theatre / Argument / Queer
Analysis
10th Oct / Annie Washburn / Postmodern
Drama / Improvisation / Race
Analysis
17th Oct / Titles/
Discipline / Excerpts / Casting / Performance
Analysis
24th Oct / Rehearsal 1 / Audience / Actioning / Character
Analysis
30th Oct / Rehearsal 2 / Set Design / Stage Configuration / Action
Analysis
7th Nov / Rehearsal 3 / Costume Design / Blocking / Scenographic
Analysis
14th Nov / Rehearsal 4 / Sound Design / Run through / Programme Note
21st Nov / Performance
8th December / Self-Evaluation

Assessment:

Practical, performance, design and technical work: 40%

Weekly Assignments: 30%

Self-evaluation: 30%

Bibliography:

Primary Sources

Birch, Alice. 2014. Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. inMidsummer Mischief: Four Radical New Plays. London: Oberon Books. Print.

Jacobs-Jenkins, Branden. Neighbors. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012. Web. 27 June 2017.

Lee, Young Jean. Straight White Men. In American Theatre April 2015, Vol. 32 Issue 4, p62-75. Web. 27 June 2017.

Mac, Taylor. Hir. In American TheaterDecember 2014, Vol. 31, Issue 10. P61-79. Web. 27 June 2017.

Washburn, Annie. 2014. Mr. Burns: a Post Electric Play. London: Oberon Books. Print.

DT3104 Musical Theatre: History and Performance, Semester 1, 2017/2018

Instructor: Dr Ian R. Walsh

Time: 2-4pm Venue: Studio 2

Course Outline

This module will explore the history and staging of musicals from the Oklahoma to Hamilton. The development, diversity of styles and value of the musical as an art form is the focus of this module. Students will develop their analytical skills engaging with a wide range of musicals where issues of popular culture, entertainment, representation and queer politics will be investigated. The module also places an emphasis on students engaging creatively by exploring the staging of musical theatre with students participating in weekly practical exercises in class from the viewpoint of a director of musical theatre. For assessment the students will produce and present a Director’s Notebook for an imaginary production.

An ability to sing or dance is not required for this module.

Learning Outcomes

Students will

be introduced to a wide range of different styles of musical.
learn to analyse the dramaturgy of the musical and identify different styles and approaches of the genre.
further develop performance analysis skills
introduced to cultural theories related to Musical Theatre
situate their analysis in relation to cultural theories.
will develop transferable skills from working with a group
will learn through creative engagement and process work.

Features of Teaching

The module will consist of two hour workshops that will explore the dramaturgy of the musical, and analyse the musical in terms of issues of representation and politics. The different performance methodologies required by the diverse forms of musical theatre covered will be explored through practical exercises, discussion and group work. Some of the class will involve active viewing of clips from recorded productions and films of the musicals. Students will have to prepare readings in advance of classes (some of these will be provided) and are expected to come prepared to the workshops.

Assessment

The students will be assessed on their engagement in and attendance of classes via the completion and submission of weekly worksheets; their final class ‘pitch’ presentation and on their Director’s Notebook. Further details on how to structure the ‘pitch’ presentation and the Director’s Notebook are on separate documents.

Percentage Breakdown

Worksheets: 20% ( 4 x Short Exercises worth 5% each)

Pitch Presentation: 20%

Director’s Notebook: 60%

Schedule

Workshop 1: Only Entertainment? Analytical and Dramaturgical Approaches

Workshop 2: The Integrated Musical Model: Oklahoma (1943)

Workshop 3: Sex, the Single Girl and the Concept Musical: Cabaret (1966)

Workshop 4: Consumption and Fragmentation in the Musical: Sweeney Todd (1979)

Workshop 5: Class and the British Musical: Blood Brothers (1983)

Workshop 6: Globalisation and The Mega Musical: Miss Saigon (1989)

Workshop 7: Queering the Musical: Wicked (2003)

Workshop 8: Representation of National Identities in the Musical: Once (2011)

Workshop 9: Memory, Empathy and the Musical: Fun Home (2015)

Workshop 10: The Politics of the Musical: Hamilton (2015)

Workshop 11: In-class Presentation: Production Pitch

READING

NOTE: Weekly readings for each class will be posted on Blackboard; further reading on particular topics will be mentioned in class.

Blood Brothers and Once are both on Drama Online

Video Links will be provided on Blackboard

DT3108 Writing for Theatre

Wednesday 4-6pm, CR1

Module Conveners: Chris McCormack & Ciara Murphy

Contact: ,

Module Description

Co-taught by Ciara Murphy (The Reviews Hub, Sunday Business Post) and Chris McCormack (Exeunt Magazine, Irish Independent), this module equips students to write for theatre, both in journalistic and academic publications. It will introduce the tenets of theatre criticism and trace their varied historical roots. Participants will be provided with theoretical underpinnings and practical knowledge with which to contribute boldly as theatre critics.

Throughout the semester students will be expected to file a review of a performance they’ve seen (tickets will be arranged by the Centre for Drama and Theatre). These will be read aloud in group discussion, to encourage writers to share with confidence their criticism and discuss facets of the form. The second hour is dedicated to discussion of key texts on theatre criticism.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, a successful student will:

Produce knowledge of the dominant processes involved in analysing performance in both academic and journalistic writing styles.
Possess knowledge of the dominant style(s) and tone(s) of contemporary performance analysis and theatre reviewing.
Produce a portfolio of diverse writing on performance across a wide range of styles.
Produce a final essay outlining their knowledge, and displaying their engagement with the current theatre and performance ecology.
Research the key methods and critical contexts informing theatre criticism and performance analysis, and apply that practical and theoretical knowledge through their written assignments.

Required Texts

Fisher, Mark. How to Write about Theatre. 2016

Assessment

10% - Attendance and Contribution

40% - Portfolio of Theatre Reviews (2,000)

A large part of this course is the submission of regular theatre reviews for peer-reviewing by your classmates.

At the end of the semester you may submit a portfolio of review material, not totaling more than 2,000 words, for assessment.

These reviews can be the same reviews presented in class or can be new material should you like.

50% - Final Essay (2,500 words)

Performances

There will be four theatre visits scheduled throughout the semester, and the details of these will be confirmed closer to the time.

Course Outline

September 6

Week 1:Introduction to Writing for Theatre (CMcC, CM)

Readings:

Chapter 1 ‘Introduction’ & Chapter 2 ‘How to Learn from Critics of the Past’ in Fisher, Mark. How to Write about Theatre. 2016

September 13

Week 2: Reviewing Shakespeare (CM)

Every critic and theatre scholar will have to tackle Shakespeare at some point in their career. How can we analyse Shakespearean performance without getting overwhelmed by the canon? What do we as critics and scholars need to be aware of when analysing Shakespeare?

Readings:

Collins, Eleanor. ‘Theatre Reviewing in Post-Consensus Society: Performance, Print and the Blogosphere’. Shakespeare, vol. 6, no. 3, Sept. 2010, pp. 330-336.

Lopez, Jeremy. ‘Academic Theatre Reviewing and the Imperfect Present.’ Shakespeare, vol. 6, no. 3, Sept. 2010, pp. 350-356

September 20

Week 3:The Death of the Critic? (CMcC)

In his 2007 book The Death of the Critic, Ronan McDonald argues that the theatre critic will perish along with print media. What is the best way to harness online criticism? What new models of criticism can be created? How can these models offer possibility for dissensus?

Readings:

Brown, Mark. “Between Journalism and Art: The Location of Criticism in the Twenty- First Century”, Theatre Criticism: Changing Landscapes. DuškaRadosavljević (ed). London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016.

Martin, Diana Damian. “Criticism as a Political Event”, Theatre Criticism: Changing Landscapes. DuškaRadosavljević (ed). London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016.

September 27

Week 4: Performance Analysis (I) (CM)

This week’s class will take you through the various methods of analysing performance, and will focus on critiquing the live event, rather than the text. This week will focus on the more journalistic approach to performance analysis.

Readings:

Chapter 2 ‘The Tools of Analysis’ in Pavis, Patrice. Analyzing Performance: Theater, Dance, and Film. University of Michigan Press, 2003. pp. 31-52

Chapter 3 ‘How to Take on Different Critical Styles’ in Fisher, Mark. How to Write about Theatre. 2016.

October 4

Week 5: The Critic as Humorist (CMcC)

What’s the difference between wisecracking and wit? Humour is one of the most coveted forms of theatre criticism. Why should we work on our wordplays and clever turns of phrase? How do we avoid them distracting from the truth? How do they bring the reader closer to it?

Readings:

Parker, Dorothy. “Just Around Pooh Corner”, The Portable Dorothy Parker. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc, 2006; 484-487.

Parker, Dorothy. “Henrik Ibsen: HeddaGabler”, The Portable Dorothy Parker. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc, 2006; 484-487.

October 11

Week 6: Performance Analysis (II) (CM)

This week we will explore the more academic approach to performance analysis, looking at how we, as scholars and practitioners, can utilise performance analysis to enhance the arguments in our own work.

Readings:

Lonergan, Patrick. ‘Reviewing’. Contemporary Theatre Review, vol. 25, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 72-76

Chapter 4 ‘How to Write for Your Readers’ in Fisher, Mark. How to Write about Theatre. 2016.

Haughton, Miriam. ‘From Laundries to Labour Camps: Staging Ireland’s “Rule of Silence” in AnuProductions’ Laundry’. Modern Drama, vol. 57, no. 1, Mar. 2014, pp. 65-93.

October 18

Week 7: The Critic as Visionary (CMcC)

A theatre critic needs to be able to get the lay of the land. How do get the measure of an entire theatre ecology? By summoning the passion to articulate what it needs.

Readings:

Tynan, Kenneth. “West End Apathy”, The Observer (31/10/54).

Tynan, Kenneth. “Review: Look Back in Anger”, A View of the English Stage. Hertfordshire: Paladin, 1975.

October 25

Week 8: Knowing Your Audiences – Print Media and the Blogosphere

This week we will analyse the different styles of theatre criticism currently prominent in print and online medium. We will discuss the different tools and methods appropriate for analysing performance across a wealth of journalistic forms.

Readings:

Irish Times and Guardian Reviews (TBC)

A Selection of Theatre Blogs (TBC)

Chapter 8 ‘A Brief History of Online Theatre Criticism in England’ in Radosavljević, Duška. Theatre Criticism: Changing Landscapes. Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016.

November 1

Week 9: Feminist Theatre Criticism (I) (CMcC)

Viewing performance through a feminist lens has become increasingly more important in Irish and international contexts. With productions promoting feminist aesthetics, and recent studies into the gender breakdown of theatre and performance, it is important to be able to situate performance in this frame. Over the course of the next two weeks this will be explored.

Readings:

Chapter 1 ‘The Discourse of Feminisms, The Spectator and Representations’ in Dolan, Jill. The Feminist Spectator as Critic. The University of Michigan Press, 1988.

Tripney, Natasha. “Ivo Van Hove’s Hedda Gabbler review at National Theatre, London - ‘a sting in its tail’”, The Stage (13/12/16).

November 8

Week 10: Feminist Theatre Criticism (II) (CM)

Readings:

Chapter 11 ‘Code-Switching and Constellations: On Feminist Theatre Criticism’ in Radosavljević, Duška. Theatre Criticism: Changing Landscapes. Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016.

Chapter 3 ‘Ideology in Performance: Looking Through the Male Gaze’ in Dolan, Jill. The Feminist Spectator as Critic. The University of Michigan Press, 1988.

Selection of Theatre Reviews TBC

November 15

Week 11:The Critic as an Artist (CMcC)

The critic challenges consensus. The critic manipulates form and matter. The critic is an artist.

Reading:

Govedić, Nataša. “Articism (Art + Criticism) and the Live Birds of Passionate Response”, Theatre Criticism: Changing Landscapes. DuškaRadosavljević (ed). London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2016.

Ross, Alex. “The Fate of the Critic in the Clickbait Age”, The New Yorker, (13/03/17).

November 22

Week 12: Conclusion (CMcC, CM)

This week the course instructors will provide advice on the final essay.

1718_DT3107: Theatre for Children and Young Audiences

Course Leader: Marianne Kennedy

Time: Fridays 11am-2pm

Location: Studio 1

Office Hours: Tuesday 2.30 to 3.30 & Wednesday 10.30 – 11.30 (By appointment only)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This module provides a broad introduction to the rapidly developing and vibrant field of Theatre for Children and Young People in Ireland. The course will examine the field in terms of three main areas: theatre (form), young people (children) and audience. This course will be delivered through lecture, reflection and discussion, group work, and theatre-making.

Each week there will be a short assignment and discussion of reading given the previous week, a one hour lecture, and a one and a half hour workshop.

This module will also require the devising and performing of new work which will take the form of a ‘Tiny Show’ (Branar) by the students themselves and will be performed and receive feedback. The performance work will be experimental in nature and will be framed by this year's Babóró International Arts Festival for Children from 16-22 October, and by the students’ engagement with particular performances and theatre artists presenting at this festival.

In essence, this module will enable students to engage fully with the distinctiveness and creative purposes of Theatre for Children, and provide them with a practical and theoretical understanding to allow them to interrogate the field.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course aims to provide students with the opportunity to:

develop a knowledge of Children’s Theatre and its genealogy.
develop a critical understanding and vocabulary around the area of theatre for children and young people.
develop an understanding of a range of theatre techniques and processes and their application in a children’s theatre context.
develop and create work for children and young people.
Critically Engage with the Drama Curriculum in the Irish educational system and Arts education in Ireland.
Learn how to engage aesthetically with and understand children’s theatre through engagement with theatre artists and Babóró.
Locate and contextualise theatre for young audiences within a wider socio-cultural, artistic and educational context.
Understand the policies and funding structures relating to Drama and Theatre for Children and young people at a national and international level

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

A. Attendance Participation 10%

As the format of this class is a collaborative one it is essential that every student takes full responsibility for his or her own engagement with the module. The students will be required to rehearse as well as read outside of class times and when it comes to presenting work it is essential that all participants are in attendance to benefit from the experiential learning as well as from the critical engagement with the work of others. The reading must be completed in advance of the class. It is also essential that during the week 16-22 October that you make yourself available during the day and also evenings as you will be attending approximately 3 shows. (Details will follow on the first week of term).

B. Short Assignments10%

There will be 5 short assignments in the form of homework and a 2 minute presentation that will be completed during the semester. They will interrogate themes being explored in class.