BA Drama and English Literature / Course details

How and why do theatre and performance artists work in public spaces? How does their work—and the critical debate surrounding it—engage with the politics and ethics of public space? How might publics and their spaces be performed?  

Starting from the premise that public space is neither neutral nor universal but rather constituted by debates over ownership and access, we will explore how performance intervenes in the imagination and construction of publics and their spaces. We will take up public-space performance’s invitation to interrogate the relationships between performers and spectators, art and everyday life, and aesthetic and political forms of participation. We will conclude by considering ongoing efforts by theatres to turn their buildings into public spaces (or to incorporate public-space work into their programming) and to participate in the wider public sphere. The module will include two writing workshops to help students develop their skills in critical and persuasive writing for both academic and non-academic audiences and make their own contributions to public discourse.

The unit aims to:

• Engage students in the analysis of contemporary performance in public space in its social, cultural, political, and spatial contexts
   
• Encourage critical thinking and stimulate respectful debate about the role of theatre and performance in public spaces and public life
   
• Introduce students to key theories of public space and the public sphere as they relate to theatre and performance 

The intended learning outcomes support the programme and University goals of fostering critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and the clear expression of ideas. The formative and summative assessments are designed to empower students to participate in the theatrical public sphere through well-written criticism and argument based on debates currently shaping the professional sector. Graduates entering the cultural and creative industries must be able to clearly articulate the value of these fields to public life. 

Students on this module will gain experience navigating and working with digital archives containing documentation of performance in public space. In seminar discussions (and, if they so choose, in their position papers) they will also have the opportunity to critically explore the relationship between digital space and public space and critically evaluate the possibilities and limitations of a digital public sphere. 

Syllabus (indicative curriculum content):

The module is structured into three main units:

• Performances in Public Space
   
• Performances of Public Space
   
• Performance Spaces as Public Spaces

The module will include two writing workshops: the first on performance analysis and critical writing, the second on persuasive writing. 

200 notional hours of learning, including:

• 36 in-person contact hours (12 weeks of 3-hour seminars/workshops)
   
• 72 hours of independent seminar/workshop preparation (6 hours/week of required readings and viewings, across 12 weeks)
• 92 hours of independent assessment preparation and further study

Students will access required readings and viewings via the VLE.

The final 3-hour workshop will involve either a guest speaker or a field trip to a public space in Manchester. 

Knowledge and understanding

KU1  Explain and engage with the methods and ideas informing the creation of contemporary performance in public space (Performance analysis)

KU2  Understand and engage with key theories of public space and the public sphere and apply them in analysis of performances (Performance analysis)

KU3  Understand how theatres are re-imagining their role in public life and critically  evaluate different approaches (Position paper)

Intellectual skills

IS1 Critically analyse public-space performances in their social, cultural, political, and spatial contexts based on independent research (Performance analysis)

IS2  Make and support an argument based on careful evaluation of evidence and critical engagement with possible counter-arguments (Position paper)

IS3  Refine analyses and arguments based on peer and staff feedback (Formative writing workshops)
 

Practical skills

PS1 Use digital performance archives to develop performance analyses based on available evidence (Performance analysis)

PS2 Constructively peer review others’ written work (Formative writing workshops)

PS3 Write a persuasive and well-reasoned argument for an informed public of both academics and non-academics 
(Position paper) 
 

Transferable skills and personal qualities

TS1  Critically evaluate arguments and critically engage with current debates in the field of performance and public space (Position paper)

TS2  Independently gather, synthesise, and organise different forms of performance documentation and critically evaluate their use significance (Performance analysis)

TS3  Formulate constructive feedback for peers and clearly communicate it verbally (Formative writing workshops)

Balme, Christopher. The Theatrical Public Sphere. Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Butler, Judith. Notes toward a performative theory of assembly. Harvard University Press, 2015.

Ferdman, Bertie. Off Sites: Contemporary Performance Beyond Site-Specific. Southern Illinois University Press, 2018.  

Groot Nibbelink, Liesbeth. Nomadic Theatre: Mobilizing Theory and Practice on the European Stage. Bloomsbury Methuen, 2020.

Levin, Laura. Performing Ground: Space, Camouflage, and the Art of Blending In. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Wilkie, Fiona. Performance, Transport, and Mobility: Making Passage. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.