Module Descriptors
NOTHING NATURAL: 20TH CENTURY THEATRICAL EXPLORATIONS
DRAM50090
Key Facts
Faculty of Arts and Creative Technologies
Level 5
15 credits
Contact
Leader: Derrick Cameron
Email: D.F.I.Cameron@staffs.ac.uk
Hours of Study
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities: 24
Independent Study Hours: 126
Total Learning Hours: 150
Assessment
- GROUP PRESENTATION weighted at 30%
- PORTFOLIO weighted at 70%
Module Details
Module Indicative Content
This module aims to introduce you to the key developments in modern (twentieth-century) drama, after the advent of Naturalism. The module will cover significant developments, theories, practitioners, genres and playwrights, who have shaped our modern understanding of drama, theatre and theatrical performance. Examples may include:
Practitioners: Stanislavski, Brecht, Artaud, Grotowski, Boal, Brook
Playwrights: Buchner, Chekhov, Jarry, Pirandello, Lorca, Pinter, Beckett, Ionesco
Genres: Dadaism, Surrealism, Absurd Drama, the 'avant garde'
The period will be studied through a range of texts which may include plays, theoretical writings, manifestos and primary and secondary source material. The writing of an essay will engage you in critical analysis of texts and/or your understanding of the theoretical work of drama practitioners.
Practitioners: Stanislavski, Brecht, Artaud, Grotowski, Boal, Brook
Playwrights: Buchner, Chekhov, Jarry, Pirandello, Lorca, Pinter, Beckett, Ionesco
Genres: Dadaism, Surrealism, Absurd Drama, the 'avant garde'
The period will be studied through a range of texts which may include plays, theoretical writings, manifestos and primary and secondary source material. The writing of an essay will engage you in critical analysis of texts and/or your understanding of the theoretical work of drama practitioners.
Module Additional Assessment Details
Group seminar presentation [Learning Outcomes 1-4]
Portfolio 2000 words [Learning Outcomes 1-4]
Portfolio 2000 words [Learning Outcomes 1-4]
Module Learning Strategies
Lectures will introduce the relevant periods, practitioners, movements or genres, or provide historical and contextual information. Staff-led and student-led seminars will enable you to apply knowledge to particular texts or practitioners' theories. Student-led seminars will enable you to communicate your understanding of the texts or theories under discussion. The writing of a portfolio will further develop your understanding of the content of the module, and develop your abilities in academic argument and the use of the appropriate reference and bibliographical conventions.
Module Resources
Slide projection, video screen, audio and IT equipment (CALL packages, WP or PowerPoint software), internet access
Module Texts
Artaud, Antonin. The Theatre and its Double (London, Calder and Boyars, 1970)
Brandt, George W. (ed) Modern Theories of Drama (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1998)
Brecht, Bertolt. Brecht on Theatre, Trans, Willett (London, Methuen, 2nd ed. 1984)
Esslin, Martin. Theatre of the Absurd (London, Pelican 1968)
Grotowski, Jerzy. Towards a Poor Theatre (London, Methuen, 1991)
Stanislavski, Constantin. An Actor Prepares (London, Methuen, 1988)
Zarrilli, Philip (ed.) Acting (Re) Considered, Routledge, 1998
Brandt, George W. (ed) Modern Theories of Drama (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1998)
Brecht, Bertolt. Brecht on Theatre, Trans, Willett (London, Methuen, 2nd ed. 1984)
Esslin, Martin. Theatre of the Absurd (London, Pelican 1968)
Grotowski, Jerzy. Towards a Poor Theatre (London, Methuen, 1991)
Stanislavski, Constantin. An Actor Prepares (London, Methuen, 1988)
Zarrilli, Philip (ed.) Acting (Re) Considered, Routledge, 1998