TP4001 - Big Ideas in Theatre and Performance

This module taught through the format of lecture/seminar. In each session, the lecturer will share with your key ideas and concepts relating to different kinds of theatre and performance practice. The sessions will be delivered in varied ways; you won't only be listening to lecturers but also asked to try out ideas, to watch pieces of film and respond to a range of questions and provocations. It is an environment that encourages dialogue and debate, informed by your engagement with materials covered on the course. There will also be smaller group discussions with a tutor, where there is even more emphasis on contributions to discussions by individual students. The use of the e-learning portal (Blackboard) will be a key feature of the module; here you will find regularly updated course materials and readings which will be updated regularly throughout the year. Where appropriate and/or necessary lectures or seminars may be delivered online (for example via Blackboard Collaborate)

Your learning is supported in a number of ways throughout the module. The sessions themselves are structured in a way which is responsive to your needs; lecturers will explore ideas with you and ask you to affirm your understanding of them, and you will be given tasks in classes to which lecturers will provide feedback, helping you to measure for yourself your own progress on the module. A series of texts will be selected for you to read which will help you to navigate your way through the module, and these texts will be directly spoken to in classes so that your reading is supported. The module's assessments (oral presentation and essay) will be talked through with you in detail in classes, and there will be ample opportunity to speak with lecturers outside of these classes.

Beyond this, the module will make use of an e-Reading List, linking you to core readings, websites and online video material which can help you develop appropriate knowledge and understanding. Using the virtual learning environment, Blackboard, you will have access to module information and resources 24/7. Where appropriate sessions may be recorded and uploaded to Blackboard for future consultation. Written assessment feedback will be provided within 20 working days of summative assignment submission. Access to library facilities is available 24-7 all year round.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
? Understand the strengths and limits of select ‘big ideas’ that drive the study and practice of theatre & performance

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
? Demonstrate an ability to engage in critical reflection on theatre and performance practices using a range of sources.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
? Evidence a curiosity in considering differing social and cultural perspectives in the development of an argument.

Formative
500-word tutorial
You will have a 1-to-1 tutorial with your tutor to share a draft 500 words for your essay. This will act as feedforward and is designed to offer you the chance to get informal feedback on your technical writing skills.

Summative (100%)
Essay (2000 words). Based on set questions provided by the module convenor, this essay asks you to engage with a ‘big idea’ and relate it to an example of theatre and performance.

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What are the signature concepts that theatre and performance makers draw upon when making performance? What are the big ideas and questions that practitioners and scholars are confronting in the 21st century? This module is concerned with the ‘big ideas’ that form the basis for theatre and performance practices and that help to articulate the social, cultural and political importance of those practices. Through a series of lectures and seminars we will be working with you to research a range of theatre topics, key practitioners and performance makers. You will have the opportunity to develop and contribute ideas of your own, and test these ideas out through discussion, presentation and writing. We will be investigating some of the most significant developments in current theatre and performance practice, and looking more generally at the ways in which these practices shape, and are shaped by, different cultures.