| CODE | THS2201 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Theatre Skills: Writing for the theatre | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Theatre Studies | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will introduce students to the skills required to write for the theatre. Learning will happen mainly through participation in workshops, seminars and writing tasks. Students will be working on a practical level with concepts such as story, plot, character and relating them to space and spectators. They will also be introduced to the requirements of writing for different media (namely stage, film and television, and radio). Practical examples and writing exercises will also help students understand the different writing conventions pertaining to various dramatic genres, such as comedy, crime, pantomime, verbatim and children’s theatre. Another part of the study-unit will involve training in writing reviews of performances, whether in long-form or short-form. This will be conducted mainly through observation of successful practice, writing exercises, as well as peer and tutor-led feedback. Study-Unit Aims: - The study-unit aims to train students in the specific skills of writing for the theatre. Through formal classroom situations, observation, coaching and hands-on experience in workshops they will be introduced to the requirements of dramatic writing and theatre criticism. Although these skills are dependent on a knowledge of theatre that is taught in other parts of the programme, they also require knowledge that is particular to the tasks, and that can best be learned through practical participation in pedagogical activities. - The study unit will therefore enable the students to become familiar with working with the building blocks of dramatic writing (story, plot, character, dialogue, mood, rhythm etc.) as well as the requirements of different genres. - The study-unit will also train students to write about performances they have watched, by taking part in writing workshops. - Students will be allowed to use a language or languages that they are comfortable with if they are understood by the tutor/s. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - understand the conventions of different genres in theatre; - create stories, plots and characters that respond to the demands of theatre; - research for useable material for dramatic writing; - experiment with styles of writing and maintain a consistent style of writing; - critique theatrical performance. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - work with the main elements of dramatic writing; - write for different types of readers in appropriate language; - work with others to give form to shared ideas; - distinguish between the different demands of academic and popular writing and use appropriate terminology; - write about theatrical performance in informed, respectful but critically sound ways. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: Yankee, Luke. 2022. The Art of Writing for the Theatre (London: Bloomsbury) Kramer, Sherry. 2023. Writing for Stage and Screen (London: Bloomsbury) Fisher, Mark. 2015. How to Write About Theatre: A Manual for Critics, Students and Bloggers (London: Methuen) Supplementary Readings: Edgar, David. 2021. How Plays Work (London: Nick Hern Books) Ferguson, Marcia. 2008. A Short Guide to Writing about Theatre (New York: Pearson Longman) |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Seminar, Tutorial and Workshop | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Marco Galea |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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