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Theatre Practice & Production (MA)

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Course Overview

This full-time MA programme aims to prepare students for professional-level work in the theatre and/or other creative industries—or to deepen the knowledge of people who are already working in those fields. Students take modules in many different aspects of theatre practice, including ensemble performance, direction, acting, and so on. An optional internship with an Irish theatre company forms part of the course. During hte summer months, students complete a practice-based project, involving the staging of their own plays and/or performances, which they write about in the form of a final dissertation.

The course is suited to anyone with an interest in Drama and Theatre, especially theatre practitioners who wish to gain a formal qualification for their work, and amateur/student performers who wish to enhance and develop their skills. Candidates who do not hold a primary degree may apply on the basis of relevant experience.

Central to the programme is the work of the Druid Academy. It allows students to benefit from NUI Galway’s partnership with Druid Theatre—recently described by the New York Times as “one of the world’s great theatre companies”. Students work directly with the Druid Director-in-Residence and participate in master classes and workshops with members of the company, including artistic director Garry Hynes, the first woman to win a Tony Award for directing.

There are some scholarship opportunities available for this programme. Please visit the MA (Humanities) Scholarships website for more information.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

  • Professor Patrick Lonergan
  • Dr Charlotte McIvor
  • Dr Miriam Haughton
  • Garry Hynes, Artistic Director of Druid and Associate Professor
  • Thomas Conway, Druid Director-in-Residence
  • Max Hafler

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

The programme is intended for graduates with at least a Second Class Honours Grade 2 (H2.2 or GPA 3.0) degree, a writing sample (5–6 pages)—academic essay, theatre reviews, excerpt from play, director’s notebook, etc.—a personal statement outlining suitability for and interest in the programme, and names and contact details of two references.

Entry for candidates with significant relevant experience may be possible. Applicants who do not meet the minimum entry requirements may be admitted via a qualifying exam if they have relevant professional experience, or be admitted to the PDip. Students who do not meet the honours degree requirement but have a Level 7 (Merit 2) degree may be admitted to the PDip course, with the possibility of progressing to the MA if they receive a minimum of 60% in their course work during the year.

Additional Requirements

Duration

1 year, full-time

Next start date

September 2019

A Level Grades ()

Average intake

15

Closing Date

Offer round dates

NFQ level

Mode of study

Taught

ECTS weighting

90

Award

CAO

Course code

1MTP1

Course Outline

Students choose six modules (three in each semester) from the following list:

  • Ensemble Acting and Devising
  • Writing about Theatre and Performance
  • Irish Theatre in Practice
  • Theatre Theory
  • Theatre for Children and Yound People
  • New Approaches to Performance
  • Performance Lab
  • Directing for Stage
  • Fieldwork and Theatre Business (includes intership)

Each module is worth 10 ECTs, giving a total of 60 ECTs.

In addition, students complete a dissertation, worth 30 ECTs. The dissertation involves the staging of a theatre production or performance, which students then write about reflectively.

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year.

Year 1 (90 Credits)

Required DT6122: Performance Lab


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This course explores the relationship between theory and practice in a laboratory format that combines making and staging work with critical investigation. The purpose of this course is to provide students with a critical vocabulary for approaching practice as research that will result in the creation of new devised or staged work guided by student's shared intellectual and artistic interests. The first part of the semester will be focused on a survey of divergent approaches to the creative process in contemporary performance practice by way of artist accounts, film viewings and performance outings, and engagement with critical theory focused in theatre and performance studies. In the second half of the semester, students will work in groups with instructor supervision to create or stage a collective work that engages a research problem or question resulting in public performance of these works. Students will also complete a final research paper locating their performance project and its desired interventions in genealogies of theatre and performance practice. Assessment: Weekly written assignments, practical classroom exercises, group performance project and final research paper.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Compare and contrast varying methods of contemporary theatre making
  2. Experiment actively with contemporary physical theatre and devising techniques in a collaborative workshop format
  3. Create an original performance or stage an original interpretation of a piece for performance
  4. Demonstrate advanced skills of group collaboration
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre" by Frantic Assembly
    ISBN: 978-113877701.
  2. "A Director Prepares" by Anne Bogart
    ISBN: 978-041523832.
  3. "Postdramatic theatre" by Hans-Thies Lehmann; translated and with an introduction by Karen J?urs-Munby
    ISBN: 0415268133.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2006.
The above information outlines module DT6122: "Performance Lab" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DT6120: Ensemble Acting and Devising


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

A practical and theoretical introduction to twentieth-century acting and performance techniques with special emphasis on Artaud, Grotowski, and Peter Brook.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Engage in practical ensemble-based activities for devising theatre practice.
  2. Describe and put into practice modern and contemporary theories of ensemble
  3. Describe and put into practice the ideas of key practitioners, such as Boal, Brook and Chekhov.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The Empty Space" by Peter Brook
  2. "Towards a Poor Theatre" by Jerzy Grotowski
The above information outlines module DT6120: "Ensemble Acting and Devising" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DT6121: Fieldwork And Theatre Business


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module is focussed on professionalisation strategies and processes in the field of drama and theatre at large. Topics including long-range professional career planning in a variety of theatre and performance disciplines, producing, project preparation, grant writing, tax law for artists and more will be covered through interactive workshops.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify a range of roles and professional areas in the field of theatre and performing arts.
  2. Exhibit knowledge of the scope and interrelationship of major organisations in the field of theatre and performing arts in Ireland.
  3. Create and implement a plan for individual professional development in the field of theatre and performing arts.
  4. Critically reflect on a work experience with an organisation in the field of theatre and performing arts.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "So You Want To Be A Theatre Producer?" by James Seabright
    ISBN: 978185459537.
  2. "How To Start Your Own Theatre Company" by Reginald Nelson
    ISBN: 978155652813.
The above information outlines module DT6121: "Fieldwork And Theatre Business" and is valid from 2017 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DT6100: Dissertation


15 months long | Credits: 30

Students carry out a research project, through theatre practice and/or conventional library or archive-based research. They will produce a work of original research on any aspect of Drama, Theatre and/or live performance.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Carry out an independent research project on a topic in the area of drama, theatre, performance
  2. Access and analyse relevant research materials in print and digital format in libraries, public institutions, digital resources, and/or archives
  3. Make use of research conventions in relation to citation and bibliography, in line with best international practice.
  4. write an extended work of up to 15,000 words on an original topic.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
The above information outlines module DT6100: "Dissertation" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6102: Irish Drama and Theatre from Wilde to O'Casey


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This course explores the history of Irish drama and theatre from 1890 to 1930
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify, describe and analyse key moments in Irish theatre history from 1890 to 1930, with special focus on the Irish literary revival.
  2. produce a substantial research paper that deploys the skills of archival research, textual analysis and performance analysis.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Modern and contemporary Irish drama" by edited by John P. Harrington
    ISBN: 0393932435.
    Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.
  2. "The Irish Dramatic Revival: 1899-1939" by n/a
    ISBN: 978-140817528.
The above information outlines module DT6102: "Irish Drama and Theatre from Wilde to O'Casey" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6123: Playwright's Workshop I


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

A weekly writer’s workshop in which Students will explore fundamental dramaturgical playwriting strategies and structures through analysis of plays from different genres and in-class writing tasks.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Analyse and identify dramaturgical structures as well as particular genre specific theatrical devises
  2. Develop prompts for starting and completing written work
  3. Plan, structure and complete original short play
  4. Critically reflect on writing and situate it within established genres
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The Secret Life of Plays" by Steve Waters
    Publisher: Nick Hern Books
  2. "How Plays Work" by David Edgar
    Publisher: Nick Hern
  3. "Playwriting a Practical guide" by Noel Greig
    Publisher: Routledge
The above information outlines module DT6123: "Playwright's Workshop I" and is valid from 2017 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6126: Writing about Theatre and Performance


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This module explores the theory and practice of writing about and for theatre. It focusses on reviewing, blogging, memoir, biography, and other forms of writing about theatre. Classes feature practice-based workshops.

Learning Outcomes
  1. review live performance for publication in print or online.
  2. work on reconstructing performance through the use of archival resources
  3. Understand the distinction between writing for specialist and non-specialist audiences, and apply that distinction in the composition of reviews and other forms of writing.
  4. Apply the skills of giving editorial feedback to peers both in person and in writing.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "How Plays Work" by David Edgard
  2. "Writing for Theatre." by Mark Fisher
The above information outlines module DT6126: "Writing about Theatre and Performance" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6118: Digital Literature, Arts, and Creative Practice


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

Postgraduate introduction to digital creative practice in literature and other arts. The course will explore the ways in which new technologies have been used in the creation of born-digital works of literature and other arts, and the wider cultural impact of these developments.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Describe how new media technologies have been used in the processes of literary and other creative practices.
  2. Articulate a comprehensive picture of the expanding field of born-digital creative work
  3. Analyse and critique a range of aesthetic practices associated with digital arts and literature.
  4. Describe the theoretical and methodological implications of digital creative practice.
  5. Employ a selection of digital tools and platforms as a form of creative and critical inquiry.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Reading List
  1. "Cybertext" by Espen J. Aarseth
    ISBN: 0801855799.
    Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
  2. "Writing space" by Jay David Bolter
    ISBN: 0805829199.
    Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
  3. "Prehistoric digital poetry" by C. T. Funkhouser
    ISBN: 0817354220.
    Publisher: University of Alabama Press
  4. "Digital Art and Meaning: Reading Kinetic Poetry, Text Machines, Mapping Art, and Interactive Installations" by Roberto Simanowski
    ISBN: 0816667381.
    Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press
The above information outlines module EN6118: "Digital Literature, Arts, and Creative Practice" and is valid from 2017 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional MG529: Introduction To Business


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
The above information outlines module MG529: "Introduction To Business" and is valid from 2014 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6116: Critical Theory for Film and Theatre (S1)


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This course introduces students to key critical theorists in the fields of film studies and drama, theatre and performance studies. We will explore the critical intersections and divergences between these interrelated and interdisciplinary fields, as well as their divergences, through taking an approach that identifies keywords and concepts that frame and organise trends in critical theory.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify key theorists and methodologies in the fields of film studies, and drama, theatre and performance studies
  2. Articulate the differences between key theoretical movements including Marxism, poststructuralism, feminist theory and LGBT studies as they impact on the research agends of these fields
  3. Analyse the stakes and outcomes of key debates in these theoretical and methodological areas
  4. Develop and sustain original theoretical arguments using case studies particular to the student's unique area of research
  5. Propose and execute an original research essay
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture" by Phillip Auslander
  2. "How to Do Things with Words" by J.L. Austin
  3. "Writing and Difference" by Jacques Derrida
  4. "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life" by Erving Goffman
  5. "Unmarked: The Politics of Performance" by Peggy Phelan
  6. "Cities of the Dead: Circum-Atlantic Performance" by Joseph Roach
  7. "Performing Remains: Art and War in A Time of Theatrical Reenactment" by Rebecca Schneider
  8. "Discipline and Punish: The Birth of The Prison" by Michel Foucault
The above information outlines module DT6116: "Critical Theory for Film and Theatre (S1)" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6113: Applied Dramaturgy


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This module introduces students to dramaturgy as a discipline with varied historical roots and as a practice that is diverse, sophisticated, and vital to contemporary theatre. It aims to equip students with the theoretical underpinnings and the intellectual tools with which to contribute confidently and effectively as dramaturgs in a rehearsal process (whether it be on a classic or modernist play, or in a devised production). Students complete the module by partnering with students mounting live performance projects for the module "Performance Lab."
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Investigate the range of roles and functions required of a dramaturge in both historical and contemporary contexts.
  2. Analyse the role and function of a dramaturge on a range of theatre and performance projects arising out of a variety of institutional contexts and aesthetic approaches.
  3. Articulate the difference between structural, production and institutional dramaturgy.
  4. Evaluate the practice of dramaturgy as applicable to other roles in the theatre including director, playwright, designer and actor among others.
  5. Execute a variety of dramaturgical roles and functions through class exercises, assignments and projects (including engagement with student projects from the module 'Performance Lab').
  6. Negotiate the risks and demands of collaborative work through the execution of dramaturgical work on assigned student peer performance projects.
  7. Critically assess your personal practice as a dramaturge in terms of historical and theoretical fluency, skills at collaborating with other artists and your use and manipulation of supporting resources in engaging with your assigned student peer performance project.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The Routledge Companion to Dramaturgy" by Magda Romanska, ed.
  2. "New dramaturgy" by edited by Katalin Trencsényi and Bernadette Cochrane.
    ISBN: 1408177080.
    Publisher: London; Bloomsbury
  3. "Dramaturgy and Performance" by Cathy Turner, Synne Behrndt
    ISBN: 1403996563.
    Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
  4. "Dramaturgy: A Revolution in Theatre" by Mary Luckhurst
    ISBN: 0521081882.
    Publisher: Cambridge University Press
  5. "Process of Dramaturgy" by Scott R. Irelan, Anne Fletcher, Julie Felise Dubiner
    ISBN: 1585103322.
    Publisher: Focus Publishing/R. Pullins Co.
The above information outlines module DT6113: "Applied Dramaturgy" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6108: Exploring Michael Chekhov Technique


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This is a course for actors and directors exploring Chekhov technique through practice, journal and essay. Following a thorough practical introduction to certain key concepts of Qualities, Psychological Gesture, Centres and Atmosphere, the student will move on to working on scenes and speeches. The experiential component will be backed up by discussion of various chapters of ‘To The Actor’ by Michael Chekhov, and analysis of the training DVDs of the Michael Chekhov Association.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate theoretical knowledge of the theory of Chekhov's work academically and its placement in the the history of actor training.
  2. Have some ability in the practise of the technique, in particular, but not exclusively, Qualities, Radiating and Receiving, Centres, General and Personal Atmosphere, Psychological Gesture and Composition.
  3. Select and apply at least two of Chekhov's concepts to a scene from a given play.
  4. Execute written self assessment response of the practical work.
  5. Practically apply the techniques to directing theatre.
  6. Assess the technique by comparing it to at least one other practical performance technique they know about or of which they have experience.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (55%)
  • Department-based Assessment (45%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "To the Actor" by Michael Chekhov
  2. "On the Technique of Acting" by Michael Chekhov
  3. "Lessons for the Professional Actor" by Michael Chekhov
  4. "Three Sisters" by Anton Chekhov (trans. Michael Frayn)
The above information outlines module DT6108: "Exploring Michael Chekhov Technique" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6106: Thinking about Theatre


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

'Thinking about Theatre' introduced students to a selection of key thinkers on Western theatre and performance. Texts to be considered include extracts from Plato's 'The Republic,' Aristotle's 'The Poetics,' Sidney's 'Defense of Poesy,' Diderot's 'The Paradox of the Actor,' and Schiller's 'On the Tragic Art.' A range of contemporary thinkers--including Alain Badiou and Jacques Rancière--will also be considered.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify key features of western theatrical theory from the Greeks to the present day
  2. Analyse and relate strands of debates in critical discourse regarding theatre and performance over time
  3. Apply theoretical knowledge to the completion of an original research essay
  4. Situate theories of theatre in their historical contexts
  5. Formulate a coherent idea of the social and functions of theatre
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Republic, The" by Plato, Melissa Lane (Introduction), Desmond Lee (Translator)
    ISBN: 9780140455113.
    Publisher: Penguin Classics
  2. "Mimesis" by Matthew Potolsky
    ISBN: 9780415700290.
    Publisher: New York ; Routledge, 2006.
  3. "The aesthetics of mimesis" by Stephen Halliwell
    ISBN: 0691092583.
    Publisher: Princeton University Press
  4. "Art in theory, 1900-2000" by edited by Charles Harrison and Paul Wood
    ISBN: 9780631227083.
    Publisher: Malden, Mass. ; Blackwell Publishing, 2003.
  5. "Modern theories of drama" by edited and annotated by George W. Brandt
    ISBN: 0198711395.
    Publisher: Clarendon Press ; 1998.
  6. "Passionate amateurs" by Nicholas Ridout.
    ISBN: 9780472119073.
    Publisher: Ann Arbor; The University of Michigan Press
  7. "An Actress Prepares" by Rosemary Malague
    ISBN: 9780415681575.
    Publisher: Routledge
The above information outlines module DT6106: "Thinking about Theatre" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6109: Applied Theatre


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This course introduces students to core concepts and practices in the field of applied theatre techniques which includes but is not limited to educational theatre, Theatre for Social Change, community arts/theatre,Theatre of the Oppressed and other Boalian techniques, theatre for development, and prison theatre.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify key working methods and genres in the practice of applied theatre.
  2. Distinguish between different working methodologies and genres within the larger field of applied theatre.
  3. Analyse key debates over ethics and collaboration in this field of practice.
  4. Building on our practical classroom exercises, lead basic exercises from each major genre of applied theatre discussed in class.
  5. Interrogate the role of the faciliator in applied theatre work.
  6. Propose a framework for their own independent applied theatre project.
  7. Demonstrate knowledge of a more advanced repertoire of activities and techinques from one targeted area of specialisation in applied theatre.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The Applied Theatre Reader" by Sheila Preston and Tim Prentki
  2. "Theatre of Good Intentions: Challenges and Hopes for Theatre and Social Change" by Dani Snyder-Young
  3. "Games for Actors and Non-Actors" by Augusto Boal
  4. "Community Performance: An Introduction" by Petra Kuppers
  5. "Local Acts: Community-Based Performance in the United States" by Jan Cohen-Cruz
The above information outlines module DT6109: "Applied Theatre" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6101: Irish Drama and Theatre from Beckett to the Present


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This course explores the history of Irish theatre from 1950 to the present, placing emphasis on the importance of Beckett for an understanding of Irish drama.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify key moments in Irish theatre history since 1950
  2. Describe and analyse the importance of social, cultural and economic factors in the development of Irish theatre history since 1950
  3. Produce a written research essay that deploys the skills of archival research, textual analysis, and performance analysis.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Modern and Contemporary Irish Drama" by John Harrington
  2. "Contemporary Irish Plays." by Patrick Lonergan
The above information outlines module DT6101: "Irish Drama and Theatre from Beckett to the Present" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6124: Playwrights' Workshop II: Adaptation


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This workshop based module not only explores dramatic adaptation across different media but also uses the concept of adaptation to explore a range of playwriting strategies and dramaturgical approaches. Through the examination of play texts and writing tasks students will learn ways to adapt fiction and documentary materials for the stage and for radio. Similarly, in two hour sessions, they will also examine the adaptation of established dramaturgical models such as the hero’s journey and the fairytale along with the more radical adaptation strategies of contemporary theatre. Students should be prepared to read work aloud in class and will learn to critique each other’s work.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Chart and adapt dramaturgical structures across a range of different styles of theatre
  2. Complete a short play( 20 minutes in duration) and a longer play (at least 40 minutes in duration).
  3. Adapt a novel or short story to the stage
  4. Adapt literature and drama for radio
  5. Write a piece of documentary theatre
  6. Critically reflect on their playwriting practice
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The Secret Life of Plays" by Steve Waters
  2. "How do Plays Work" by David Edgar
  3. "The Writers Journey" by Christopher Volger
The above information outlines module DT6124: "Playwrights' Workshop II: Adaptation" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6109: From Globe to Globe: Contextualising Shakespeare on stage and on screen


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module focuses on reading Shakespeare’s plays, and their adaptations, contextually. Students will be encouraged to locate their readings of the plays amid early modern discussions of a variety of religious-political topics before moving to consider the shaping influence of historical and cultural contexts on recent filmic and theatrical translations of Shakespeare’s plays from across the globe. In this regard, the module will investigate the malleability of Shakespeare as a cultural icon across a variety of languages and cultures, and focus particularly on adaptions in languages other than English. * Seminar discussion of the adaptations will attend to political and linguistic context and cultural tradition, and confront issues of location, translation, representation and generic difference. Across the course, students will be invited to consider the complex speaking positions that reside within these intercultural exchanges and investigate Shakespeare’s status as a global signifier of cultural capital.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. read texts in their historical contexts
  2. understand recent developments in the digital and global interpretation of Shakespeare’s work
  3. demonstrate awareness of how Shakespeare is performed across nations and cultures.
  4. critically assess the plays of Shakespeare and the processes through which they have been appropriated
  5. offer intelligent analysis of literary texts and visual samples
  6. engage with post-colonial criticism and performance and film criticism
  7. demonstrate research skills appropriate to postgraduate study
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The Norton Shakespeare" by Stephen Greenblatt
  2. "Shakespeare in China" by Murray Levith
    Publisher: Continuum
  3. "Post-Colonial Shakespeares" by Loomba and Orkin
    Publisher: Routledge
The above information outlines module EN6109: "From Globe to Globe: Contextualising Shakespeare on stage and on screen" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6112: Advanced Theatre Production Practicum


12 months long | Credits: 10

This module integrates MA students into key theatrical production roles on productions staged with BA students in collaboration with staff or guest artist directors. Students contribute centrally to performance responsibilities related to acting, direction, dramaturgy, design and/or management that necessitate peer management and the creation of original content (including material for performance or performance/rehearsal management plans).
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Execute key responsibilities involved in specialized theatre roles such as stage manager, actor, designer.
  2. Administer one or more defined leadership roles within a live theatrical production from rehearsal through public performance as measured by key factors including management of peers, size of role, and independence of design process and execution as possible.
  3. Lead and organise innovative solutions to production problems.
  4. Supervise the delegation of responsibility for solving production problems to peers in consultation with team members and staff in artistic roles.
  5. Analyse theatre techniques and design materials including light, sound and costume in relationship to a complex and developed understanding of theatre history through engagement with independent research relevant to the production in final research essay.
  6. Articulate and probe the relationship between practical experience learned from previous production experiences with challenges and successes experienced during this process.
  7. Track and analyse the evolution of their individual and independently developed production concept such as original design, staging of a scene or movement sequence, or execution of a large acting role with demonstrable originality over the course of the entire process.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The director's craft" by Katie Mitchell
    ISBN: 0415404398.
    Publisher: Routledge
  2. "The Empty Space" by Peter Brook
    ISBN: 0141189223.
    Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd (UK)
  3. "Stage management" by Gail Pallin
    ISBN: 1848420145.
    Publisher: Nick Hern
  4. "The Cambridge introduction to scenography" by Joslin McKinney, Philip Butterworth
    ISBN: 0521612322.
    Publisher: Cambridge, UK ; Cambridge University Press, 2009.
  5. "The Routledge companion to theatre and performance" by Paul Allain and Jen Harvie
    ISBN: 0415257212.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2006.
The above information outlines module DT6112: "Advanced Theatre Production Practicum" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6117: Critical Theory for Film and Theatre (S2)


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module will introduce students to the conceptual and methodological considerations generated by a practice-based approach to research. Practice-based research is an original investigation undertaken to gain new knowledge partly by means of practice and the outcomes of that practice.Through a combination of seminars, guest-lectures and case studies, students will explore and assess the diversity of approaches which constitute practice-based research in the fields of film and theatre.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Articulate the possible relationships between the practice and written components of a practice-based research project
  2. Articulate the history of practice-based research and the range of approaches which have constituted practice-based research projects
  3. Write a practice-based research proposal
  4. Present an argument for including a practice-element within a proposed research project
  5. Display an awareness of the challenges involved in undertaking practice-based research
  6. Construct a realistic timeline for undertaking a practice-based research project
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Practice-as-Research: In Performance and Screen" by Ludivine Allegue
  2. "Research Methods in Theatre and Performance" by Baz Kershaw and Helen Nicholson, eds.
  3. "Practice as Research in the Arts: Principles, Pedagogies, Resistances" by Robin Nelson
  4. "What A Body Can Do: Technique as Knowledge, Practice as Research" by Ben Spatzs
  5. "Practice-Led Research: Research-Led Practice in the Creative Arts" by Hazel Smith and Roger Dean
The above information outlines module DT6117: "Critical Theory for Film and Theatre (S2)" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6119: Directing for Stage


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This course provides students an introduction to modern and contemporary directing practice, using case studies and engaging in practical exercises.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify and describe key examples of contemporary directing practices, nationally and internationally
  2. Put into practice key directing strategies from the modern, postmodern, and post-dramatic traditions
  3. direct a small or large ensemble, using techniques worked on in class
  4. Identify and describe the distinctions between devised and text-based directing.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The Actor and the Target" by Declan Donnellan
  2. "On Directing" by Katie Mitchell
The above information outlines module DT6119: "Directing for Stage" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

The course is geared towards people who wish to work in the theatre, arts, or creative industries. It is also relevant to people who wish to develop their skills while working in such fields as amateur theatre or education.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

 

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€6,200 p.a. 2018/19

Fees: Tuition

€5,976 p.a. 2018/19

Fees: Student levy

€224 p.a. 2018/19

Fees: Non EU

€14,250 p.a. 2018/19

Postgraduate students in receipt of a SUSI grant—please note an F4 grant is where SUSI will pay €2,000 towards your tuition.  You will be liable for the remainder of the total fee.  An F5 grant is where SUSI will pay TUITION up to a maximum of €6,270.  SUSI will not cover the student levy of €224.

Postgraduate fee breakdown = tuition (EU or NON EU) + student levy as outlined above.

Find out More

Dr Miriam Haughton
T: +353 91 494 485
E: miriam.haughton@nuigalway.ie
www.nuigalway.ie/drama

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