LT977-7-SP-CO:
Applied Theatre Making: Writing in the Community
2024/25
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Monday 13 January 2025
Friday 21 March 2025
20
04 September 2024
Requisites for this module
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Applied Theatre Making: Writing in the Community is a 10 week (20 hour) module which introduces postgraduate students to a range of practical research methodologies and ways of making and writing for community groups, or in applied settings. The module will explore four distinct community contexts; writing for young people, for vulnerable groups, writing reminiscence theatre and writing site specific plays.
Students will engage with the work of key practitioners in the field of applied drama and with key play texts relevant to each context. The module will engage students with critical theory in applied theatre, models of good practice (ethical guidelines) and creative strategies for working in each community context. It will examine the way community theatre and professional theatre worlds can intersect and combine to create new theatre aesthetics, connect with new audiences and find new ways to envision social change.
The module aims to enable students to plan and implement community projects for groups of young people, vulnerable groups, senior citizens, and in response to places and sites of special interest to the community. Students will learn how to write plays in creative response to community concerns and problems while beginning to develop their own unique aesthetic, ethic and sensibility as 'applied drama practitioners' and playwrights. The module also aims to offer students understanding of applied drama and their ethical responsibilities as practitioners and playwrights working with community groups.
By the end of this module, students will be able to engage creatively and responsibly with different communities, they will be able to demonstrate an understanding of theories of applied drama. The students will have acquired in-depth understanding of a range of seminal plays developed in community contexts and alternative settings. They will be able to analyse and apply theoretical concepts and creative ideas in the planning of community projects. Students will gain knowledge of the work of key practitioners and theatre companies working in the field of community and alternative theatre. They will become familiar with processes, techniques and practices for engaging with communities in the creation of plays of a professional standard.
Anticipated Coursework Assessment for 2018/19:
The assessment consists of a workshop plan and accompanying theoretical essay – 5,000 words in total
Primary Texts
Plays
Rebecca Prichard, Essex Girls and Yard Gal (1994 and 1998)
Roy Williams, Lift Off and Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads (1999 and 2002)
Fin Kennedy, Mehndi Night and The Urban Girls Guide To Camping (2007 and 2010)
Chloe Moss, This Wide Night (2009)
Lucy Kirkwood, 'It Felt Empty When The Heart Went At First But It's Alright Now' (2010)
Samuel Beckett, Krapp's Last Tapes (1958)
Theories of Applied Drama
Playing With Fire-Creative Conflict Resolution for Young Adults by Fiona Macbeth and Nic Fine
Applied Drama; The Gift of Theatre by Helen Nicholson
The Politics of Performance: Radical Theatre as Cultural Intervention by Baz Kershaw
Prison Theatre: Perspectives and Practices by James Thompson
This module does not appear to have any essential texts. To see non - essential items, please refer to the module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Script plus accompanying production portfolio |
28/03/2025 |
100% |
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
Prof Elizabeth Kuti, email: ejkuti@essex.ac.uk.
Natasha Richards-Crisp
LiFTS General Office - email liftstt@essex.ac.uk.
Telephone 01206 872626
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 30 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
30 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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