FT3ATMP-Advanced Theatre Making Project

Module Provider: Film, Theatre and TV
Number of credits: 40 [20 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring / Summer module
Pre-requisites: FT2CCP Community and Collaborative Practice or FT2CCPSA Community and Collaborative Practice
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded: FT3DISS Dissertation: Film and Theatre or FT3AFP Advanced Filmmaking Project or FT3CRP Creative Research Project
Current from: 2022/3

Module Convenor: Dr Matt McFrederick
Email: m.mcfrederick@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

The Advanced Theatre Making Project represents the culmination of your creative practice theatre and performance. This major project is an opportunity to achieve your practical ambitions, to engage with key critical debates and to develop your own theatre making specialism within a group. Forming an ensemble, you will research, prepare, plan and deliver the performance work alongside supervision, culminating in showings at the end of year festival. 

Aims:

The module aims to test students’ ability to apply accumulated skills and knowledge to a major research-based practical project with accompanying documentation, which is initiated and developed under supervision. 

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module it is expected that students will be able to: 

• demonstrate the ability to plan on paper a coherent practical project in theatre which draws convincingly on critical and theoretical debates and practices encountered elsewhere on the course; 


• articulate a clear set of aims, expressed both in terms of creative and critical objectives; 


• demonstrate levels of technical skill and achievement appropriate to their project; 


• realise a practical project that is internally coherent, systematic and imaginative in its decision making and that is informed by an appropriate critical and conceptual agenda; 


• evaluate their project self-critically, analysing both local and systemic levels of decision making, in the light both of independent reading and research and selected examples of theatre and performance practice. 


• establish how their project is guided by professional and industry contexts through the realisation of their project and its overall delivery as an event (in terms of organisation skills related to programming, marketing, technical co-ordination and box-office) within a student-led festival.  

Additional outcomes:

Assessment is based on the outcomes of a Practical Project and Development Blogs. The processes of the Practical Project and Developments Blogs will encourage a range of other outcomes.  

 

Development Blogs: 

 

Appropriate deployment of research using printed and electronic resources; critical analysis and coherent argument; presentation of written work with appropriate visual, audio and audio-visual aids from the practical process and further research; exploring and engaging with relevant professional practices and industry contexts; identifying and addressing problems in theatre and performance practice; self-evaluation and self-critical analysis. 

 

Practical Project: 

 

Practical planning and time management; the realisation of a major piece of creative work; successful management of the resources involved in production/creative work, including the management of a production team, within the constraints and policies of the Department; the development of IT and technical skills (e.g. video projection design, lighting design using computerised control boards; computer aided design for theatre). 

Outline content:

Each student must combine a creative and critical decision-making role with research. Written documentation in the form of development blogs will always be completed individually. 

During the Autumn Term students will meet regularly with their supervisors, identify the nature of their intended project and under supervision will develop detailed plans for a project which is appropriate in scale, can be achieved within available resources and is informed by a clear andexplicit critical agenda. Satisfactory completion of this phase of work will lead to approval of a production schedule. Students will give a short presentation on their research-in-progress during Autumn term. Auditions will be held during the Autumn or Spring terms for performers and production crews and personnel will be allocated through co-operative discussion under the supervision of the production co-ordinator for each area. During the Spring Term students will develop their productions on a schedule agreed by the co-ordinator and completed productions will be presented/submitted by specified dates towards the end of term. Supervisors will attend rehearsals/view creative project plans during this period. 

Global context:

Working on this module can involve researching theatre and performance from across the globe, in order to inform the development of students’ own creative work. 

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Teaching is by tutorial with group meetings held to co-ordinate schedules and allocate practical resources. 

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Seminars	3	8
Tutorials	4	3
Project Supervision	2	8	1
Practicals classes and workshops	2	3
Supervised time in studio/workshop		30
Fieldwork	5
Guided independent study:
Wider reading (independent)	30	5	2
Wider reading (directed)	30	5	2
Preparation for performance	100	70
Preparation of practical report		30	32
Completion of formative assessment tasks	5	5
Reflection	7	6	2
Total hours by term	188	173	39
Total hours for module	400

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Report	40
Project output other than dissertation	60

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

1. Theatre-based Practical Project (presented as part of the Year 3 Festival at the end of the Spring term). Festival participation and professionalisation will form part of the assessment mark. 


2. Written documentation in the form of Developmental Blogs submitted at different points (final submission at the beginning of Summer term). 

Formative assessment methods:

Selected entries of the Developmental Blog will receive formative feedback from your project supervisor. 

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

A mark of 40%.

Reassessment arrangements:

Submission of additional coursework. 

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: 

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: £30

Last updated: 22 November 2022