BA Music and Drama

Students begin their practical element of their programme with a wide range of skills and experience. This course is designed to give all students a clear point of entry into practical skills in drama and theatre. It focuses on student’s skills in creating their own work with an emphasis on creating original pieces of performance through writing, devising and physical theatre.    

• To provide students with the opportunity to specialise in a range of key theatre/performance practices
• To introduce students to key readings in theatre/performance practice
• To prepare students for the practical work and theatre-making they will engage with during the rest of their programme
• To introduce students to ideas and concepts around critical and reflective practices in relation theatre making

A series of practical workshops with visiting performance practitioners.

The course will be taught via:  

• Practical workshops and master classes  
• Discussion  
• Small group work and performances  
• Demonstrations  

The course unit will be complemented by a Blackboard site that conforms to minimum requirements including a course handbook, weekly course breakdown, provision of reading material, reading lists. Supplementary material from workshops will be added as appropriate. The blackboard site will be prepared and available to students at least one week prior to the beginning of the first teaching week each semester. 

• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of reflection and analysis in developing practical work, and understand the role of practice in creating original work for performance
• Understand the role of co-operation and collaboration in developing practical work for performance
• Demonstrate knowledge about appropriate skills to use in specific settings

• Reflect on their own practical skills in a critical and analytical way
• Demonstrate a knowledge of their own skills in relation to professional practice
• Demonstrate that they can apply an analysis of their experience to the completion of an assessment exercise

• Demonstrate that they have acquired skills to a level of specialisation in specific areas of theatre/performance practice
• Evaluate different approaches to theatre/performance making and execute a collaborative piece of live performance
• Develop a style of journaling and record keeping and understand the importance of this in creating work for performance

• Basic interpersonal communication and team-working skills and working to deadlines and under pressure, independently and as part of a group
• Develop an awareness of effective leadership and group-work skills and  develop an ability to solve problems creatively and critically
• Performing with confidence and precision for an audience

Bogart, A. and T. Landau (2005) The Viewpoints Book, Theatre Communication group, NY  

Callery, D, (2001) Through the Body, Nick Hern Books, London  

Graham, S and S. Hoggett (2014) The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising, Routledge, London  

Heddon, D. and J. Milling Devising Performance, Palgrave Macmillan, London  

Jeefe, J. and S. Murray (2007) Physical Theatre. A Critical Introduction, Routledge, London  
 

Tomlin, L. (2015) British theatre Companies 1995-2014, Bloomsbury Methuen, London  

http://www.talawa.com/   

http://www.tamasha.org.uk/home/   

https://www.blacktheatrelive.co.uk/   

https://www.tara-arts.com/   

https://eclipsetheatre.org.uk/