EA154-4-FY-SO:
Performance Skills I
2024/25
East 15 Acting School
Southend Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 27 June 2025
30
31 March 2021
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA W412 Acting and Fight Performance
These units will look at the more traditional approach to actor training, grounded in the theories and methodologies taught at East 15 Acting School. The units will deal with relaxation, concentration and acting truthfully under imaginary circumstances.
Term One will focus on widely applied principles, such as the understanding of self and habitual traits; improvisation; the creation of a dramatic character; focus and concentration; communication; script analysis; intentions and given circumstances. You will be pushed towards finding a truthful approach to text, circumstances and your fellow actors – through both body and voice. You will be developing tools and skills that you will be able to apply in rehearsals and projects.
The module aims to:
Acting
1. Create a safe and comfortable ensemble nature among the year
2. Begin to identify, and work to overcome, personal stumbling blocks
3. Encourage a connection between physical, emotional, and thoughtful aspects of acting
4. Introduce modern acting methodology and terminology
5. Foster creativity and improvisational skills
6. Draw a connection between circumstances, text and imagination
Voice
1. Become familiar with the anatomy of voice and speech in relation to your own body
2. Understand the need for warming-up the voice and other forms of vocal preparation
3. Develop ability to make specific vocal choices
4. Develop a flexible and expressive use of volume and resonance
On successful completion of the module, students should be able to:
Acting
1. Understand a range of key principles that underpin modern acting theory
2. Commit truthfully to a script or improvisation
3. Work comfortably on one’s own or within a group
4. Construct a physical and imaginative warm-up
5. Create a believable, on-stage relationship with a fellow performer
6. Create and sustain improvisation with discipline, spontaneity and creative imagination
7. Take directions and apply this to scene work
8. Objectively analyse your own work
Voice
1. Explore the voice freely in rehearsals and performance
2. Connect to an audience through voice, language and sound
3. Distinguish between the habitual voice and the potential voice
4. Use vocal expression in performance
5. Explore the application of different kinds of muscular support to the production of sound and speech
6. Recognise voice and write phonetically the consonants and monophthongs of RP
7. Demonstrate knowledge of the anatomy of articulation and the placement of consonants within the mouth
No additional information available.
Practical classes, workshops, independent study, rehearsals.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Practical |
Acting |
|
60% |
| Practical |
Practical Voice |
|
20% |
| Practical |
Articulation |
|
20% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Mr Gordon Kemp, email: gkemp@essex.ac.uk.
Gordon Kemp, Acting and Voice Tutors
East 15 Acting School
Gateway Building
Elmer Approach
Southend-on-Sea
SS1 1LW
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
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