TH248-30 Inter-performance
Introductory description
n/a.
Module aims
The module explores how performance relates to many fields of contemporary social, cultural and technological activity, and foregrounds the profoundly interdisciplinary nature of contemporary performance. It draws on the excellent environment at Warwick for interdisciplinary engagement. It activates the inquisitive and acquisitive characteristics of Performance Studies through a series of lectures and seminars in term one that are followed by a practical realisation of a specific issue/enquiry in which performance intersects with a non-arts discipline in the second term. The module aims to occupy theoretical spaces akin to that propounded by Richard Schechner in Between Theatre and Anthropology (1985) in four disciplinary fields, spaces variously populated by analogy, shared practices and interdependencies. The mapping of unfamiliar territory continues in the practical exploration in the second half of the module in which students pursue an interdisciplinary enquiry through practical work culminating in a performance and subsequent critical review.
Practice is woven into the sessions in Term 1 with Term 2 exposing students to the supporting competencies required to sustain creative practice, specifically writing a proposal, generating publicity material and documenting the work.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
TERM 1
*Week 1: Everything is Interesting
On the desirability, difficulty and dialogues of interdisciplinarity [Tim/Silvija]
*Week 2: Law I (Nadine)
*Week 3: Law II (Nadine)
Indicative texts/practitioners: The Colour of Justice (Norton-Taylor), The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare), The Crucible (Miller)
*Week 4: Politics I (Silvija)
*Week 5: Politics II (Silvija)
Indicative texts/practitioners: Ausländer raus! (Schlingensief), State Britain (Wallinger), Battle of Orgreave (Deller)
Week 6 – Reading Week
*Week 7: Philosophy I (Milija)
*Week 8: Philosophy II (Milija)
Indicative texts/practitioners: Homebody/Kabul (Kushner), No Exit (Sartre), Happy Days (Beckett)
*Week 9: Computer Science I (Tim)
Indicative texts/practitioners: Stelarc, Eduardo Kac
*Week 10: Individual tutorial sessions on Portfolio Preparation will be scheduled in Week 10
At the end of term 1 students would be required to identify one of the disciplines covered as the basis of their practice, working up their proposal with group members. Term 2 is concerned with devising the practical work, the mark for which includes the proposal, publicity, performance and documentation.
TERM 2
*Week 1 – Proposal writing workshop
Week 2 – work on proposal and hand in end of week (no formal class – convenor available for support)
*Week 3 – feedback on proposal – tutor sessions for each group
*Week 4 – Devising Strategies workshop
*Week 5 – Documentation and publicity workshop
Week 6 reading week
Week 7 – Tech and rehearsal slots
*Week 8 – showings
*Week 9 – Writing a Critical review
Week 10 – work on crit review and hand in (no formal class – convenor available for support)
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Draw on frameworks, methodologies and concerns from other disciplines to interrogate theatre and performance
- Demonstrate competence in the different elements of theatre production (writing, directing, acting, design, the role of the audience)
- Produce critical responses to one’s own artistic practice
- Reflect on the collaborative process
- Understand the purpose of and audience for, and be able to generate, suitable documentation of creative practice
- Produce publicity material in support of creative practice
Indicative reading list
Texts for specific encounters are to be determined by the staff involved. Those below are more general introductions to interdisciplinarity
Aldrich, John H. 2014. Interdisciplinarity (Oxford University Press: New York).
Byron, E (ed.) 2018. Performing Interdisciplinarity (Routledge: London).
Callard, Felicity and Fitzgerald, Des. 2015. 'Introduction: Not Another Book about Interdisciplinarity.' in, Rethinking Interdisciplinarity across the Social Sciences and Neurosciences (Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke).
Darbellay, Frederic, Moody,Zoe, Lubart,Todd (eds.). 2017. Creativity, Design Thinking and Interdisciplinarity (Springer: Singapore).
Gelfert, Axel. 2017. 'The Unreasonable Attractiveness of Mathematics to Artists and Scientists.' in Kristóf Fenyvesi and Tuuli Lähdesmäki (eds.), Aesthetics of Interdisciplinarity: Art and Mathematics (Springer International Publishing: Singapore).
Graff, Harvey J. 2015. 'The Problem of Interdisciplinarity in Theory and Practice over Time.' in, Undisciplining Knowledge : Interdisciplinarity in the Twentieth Century (John Hopkins University Press: Maryland).
Lyotard, Jean-Francois. 1984. The postmodern condition: a report on knowledge (Manchester University Press: Manchester).
Klein Julie Thompson. 2017. "Typologies of Interdisciplinarity: The Boundary Work of Definition." In. Robert, Frodeman (ed.) ,The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity (2nd Ed) (Oxford University Press: Oxford)
Schaffer, Simon. 2013. 'How disciplines look.' in Andrew Born Barry, Georgina (eds.), Interdisciplinarity: Reconfigurations of the Social and Natural Sciences (Routledge: London).
Schechner, Richard. 2017. Performance Studies : An Introduction (Routledge: London).
Research element
Students are required to interrogate the methods and forms of other disciplines and the ways in which these engage with Performance
Interdisciplinary
The module is predicated on interdisciplinary working
Subject specific skills
Interdisciplinary working
Transferable skills
Critical thinking
Problem solving
Active lifelong learning
Communication (verbal and written)
Teamwork and working effectively with others
Information literacy (research skills)
Citizenship (local and global)
Ethical values
Professionalism
Organisational awareness
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 9 sessions of 2 hours (6%) |
| Tutorials | 1 session of 2 hours (1%) |
| Practical classes | 9 sessions of 2 hours (6%) |
| Private study | 262 hours (87%) |
| Total | 300 hours |
Private study description
Session preparation and reflection
Preparation toward realisation of practical work
Preparation of critical review
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.
Assessment group A2
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 50% | Yes (extension) | |
|
3000 word portfolio |
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| Practical Examination | 50% | No | |
|
30 minute practical examination (group) |
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Feedback on assessment
Feedback form (all 3 assessment points)\r\nTutorial (Portfolio)\r\nDebrief (Practical)\r\n
Courses
This module is Core for:
- Year 2 of UTHA-W422 Undergraduate Theatre and Performance Studies (with Intercalated Year)
This module is Optional for:
- Year 2 of UTHA-QW34 Undergraduate English and Theatre Studies
- Year 2 of UTHA-W421 Undergraduate Theatre and Performance Studies