FT2CCPSA-Community and Collaborative Practice

Module Provider: Film, Theatre and TV
Number of credits: 30 [15 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites: FT1DP Devising Performance: Politics and Citizenship
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded: FT2EL Exploring Location or FT2CSP Creative Screen Practice or FT2EE Extended Essay or FT2CCP Community and Collaborative Practice or FT2ACR Academic Research Skills (20 Credits)
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Prof Teresa Murjas
Email: t.s.murjas@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

In this module, you will have the opportunity to develop your professional practice by collaboratively making a creative project for a non-traditional theatre context for and/or with, a particular community setting. You will work with professional community partners to make creative work that may include theatre in education, theatre for young audiences, drama workshops in community centres or nursing homes, museums, educational theatre resources, performances in parks, playgrounds, other site-specific locations or work in disability arts or LGBTQIA+ contexts. In this applied theatre project you will develop areas of specialism such as workshop facilitation, performing, writing, devising, producing, technical management, design and marketing.

Aims:

The module aims: to develop students' performance making competencies through the collaborative realisation of a short practical project for and/or in a specific community setting;  in ensembles or small theatre companies to collaboratively research, plan, devise, and execute a relevant practical project that is clearly informed by your understanding of existing applied performance practices, and is in line with the needs of the community you are working with; to extend skills of analysis and evaluation by relating critical and theoretical issues to decision making in practice; through independent research and supervised studio time to develop student’s production specialisms; to enhance the students' professionalism and range of professional skills in the field of theatre, establishing community connections.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module students will be expected to:

• demonstrate the critical, technical and organisational expertise required to organise a short theatre or performance project or series of workshops;


• demonstrate systematic and coherent decision making in the production of a piece of theatre, performance or series of workshops;


• relate practical decisions in theatre to theoretical, critical and cultural ideas developed in earlier or concurrent critical modules;


• set out the critical and practical intentions for an applied theatre project in the light of identified theoretical concepts and contexts, and taking account of defined project constraints and community needs;


• document processes of performance development and/or production;


• evaluate and analyse the outcome of a practical project critically, taking account of audience reception, the collaboration processes involved, the impact on the community, the relationship of initial intentions to the final project, levels of critical and creative success, and the professional learning and skills developed.

Additional outcomes:

This module develops in students skills of collaboration and leadership, particularly managerial and organisational skills. Decision-making and its consequences are central to the course. The module extends skills and competencies which are central to the degree: team work; oral communication and group co-operation; project management; citizenship and awareness of social and community contexts; library usage to assist in independent work; appropriate deployment of research using printed and electronic resources: critical analysis of visual and written material and coherent argument; presentation of written work using IT.

Outline content:

Students taking this module pursue practical work in theatre or performance in many different forms. Students specialising in practical theatre collaboratively create, under supervision, a practical project for or in a particular community setting. The work is documented and evaluated throughout the process. Early parts of the module consist of a range of preparatory exercises and workshops designed to develop particular skills relating to different elements of applied theatre making and a critical understanding of key concepts like collaboration and community. This process will enable students to work responsively on a diverse range of performance tasks and hone their planning and communication skills. The second part of the module will focus on developing the practical project in collaboration with the community setting/group. Students may be responding to briefs created by project partners, developing their professional skills and networks.  Students will creatively and critically engage with aims and themes that you have identified in collaboration with that specific community group/setting. Building on practical modules at Part 1, the module includes an emphasis on professionalism and frequently incorporates professional practitioner visits. Some preparatory workshops may take place in the summer term before the beginning of this module.

Global context:

Working on this module involves researching theatre and performance as well as the development of the students' own work, and specific projects may conduct this research in relation to performance forms and communities from a range of national and international theatre and performance contexts.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Teaching styles will be flexibly used and may vary week by week. Collaborative practical projects are developed partly through group workshops and partly by tutorials with the supervising tutor. The first term of the module focuses on development and is comprised of workshops, short exercises and tutorials aiming towards developing skills, critical thinking and underpinning research for the project, which will be complemented by theatre and performance trips to see a diversity of work. The se cond term involves undertaking the practical work in/for a non-traditional theatre setting and in collaboration with a specific community context. Practical work is allocated a nominal hourage but schedules and access to facilities are overseen by the module convenor or supervising tutor.

Note: This module includes workshops and site visits, with associated formative assessment tasks, in the Summer Term of Part 1.