DM120
INTRODUCTION TO DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE
This sample unit outline is provided by CHC for prospective and current
students to assist with unit selection.
Elements of this outline which may change with subsequent offerings of
the unit include Content, Required Texts, Recommended Readings and
details of the Assessment Tasks.
Students who are currently enrolled in this unit should obtain the outline
for the relevant semester from the unit lecturer.
Unit Name
Introduction to Dramatic Performance
Unit Code
DM120
Awards
Bachelor of Education (Middle Years) - Drama minor
Bachelor of Education (Secondary) - Drama teaching area
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education (Secondary) - Drama major/minor
This unit is able to be undertaken towards other CHC awards according to course
rules and the meeting of prerequisite requirements, as applicable.
Core/Elective
Elective
Pre/co-requisites
Nil
Modes
Internal
Unit Rationale
33 hours
44 hours
63 hours
140 hours
PL
E
Delivery/Contact hrs Class contact
Engagement with unit materials
Assignment preparation
Total
For many drama students, gaining experience and expertise in staging dramatic
performances is one of the most important aims of their studies. Nowhere are the
excitement and the challenge of the dramatic enterprise more direct than in
performing before a live audience.
SA
M
Performing in dramatic presentations provides students with the opportunity not
only to test their own gifts as performers but also to become familiar with the
discipline and expectations involved in working in the drama industry. Many
students also require experience in the process and skills of staging dramatic
performance for future involvement in dramatic productions. Finally, involvement
in dramatic performance provides an unparalleled opportunity for students to
develop a personal understanding and appreciation of live theatre.
This unit involves an ensemble production presented in a theatre or alternative
performance space, under the careful direction of a CHC lecturer and/or an invited
director. Students will be taken through each stage in the process of dramatic
presentation, from workshopping to blocking and rehearsals, and ultimately to the
performance itself. Students will be encouraged to reflect on the relationship
between text and performance, and to evaluate their own development and the
performance as a whole. In this way, students will not only gain practical
experience, but will also be developing important analytical skills.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit, students will have provided evidence that they have:
1. Displayed foundational knowledge of the major stages and processes involved in dramatic production
and performance.
2. Appreciated the possibilities, processes and constraints of staging a dramatic performance.
3. Identified and discussed elements of drama and dramatic design in relation to a selected performance
text.
4. Developed and sustained a role under the guidance of a director.
5. Reflected upon their personal talents and skills in relation to dramatic performance.
6. Contributed in a positive, collaborative manner to a variety of tasks and responsibilities associated with
dramatic performance.
7. Written at an appropriate tertiary standard (with special attention to correct grammar, punctuation,
spelling, vocabulary, usage, sentence structure, logical relations, style, referencing and presentation).
Content:
Because of the particular demands of dramatic production, there will need to be considerable flexibility in
the way this unit is offered. Rather than weekly class contact spread across a whole semester, the form of
class contact will be tailored to suit the needs of the production. Workshops relating to specific aspects of
theatrical production will be offered as a supplement to the hours spent developing and rehearsing the
production itself, which will dominate the student workload. The number of hours of class content will vary
in different weeks, and will need to increase significantly in the period immediately before and during the
production.
Aspects covered will include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Roles and responsibilities of a stage production;
The production process;
Appreciation of elements of design (sound, lighting, set, props, costume);
Stagecraft;
Acting techniques;
Administration of the production.
PL
E
Set Text Requirements:
Roland, D 1997, The Confident Performer, Currency, Sydney.
Recommended Readings:
Campbell, D 2004, Technical Theater for Nontechnical People, 2
nd
edn, Allworth Press, New York.
Cassin-Scott, J 1998, The Stage Costume Sourcebook, Cassell, London.
M
Gillette, JM 2004, Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scene Design and Construction,
th
Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup, 5 edn, McGraw-Hill, Boston.
SA
Griffiths, TR 1999, Stagecraft: The Complete Guide to Theatrical Practice, Phaidon, Oxford, UK.
Kidd, MT 1996, Stage Costume Step-by-Step: The Complete Guide to Designing and Making Stage
Costumes, Whitehall, VA.
Shelley, S 1999, A Practical Guide for Stage Lighting, Focal Press, London.
Swinfield, R 1995, Stage Makeup Step-by-Step: The Complete Guide to Basic Makeup, Betterway,
Whitehall, VA.
Walters, G 1997, Stage Lighting Step-by-Step: The Complete Guide on Setting the Stage with Light to Get
Dramatic Results, Betterway, Whitehall, VA.
Assessment:
Assessment Item
Topic/s
Journal/Work in Progress
Report
(2500 words)
Performance and Critique
(1500 words)
Quality of contribution to
performance, including critical
review of personal and class
performance
Learning Outcomes
assessed
Week Due
Weighting
2, 5
Week 9
30%
1-6
Week 11
70%
Unit Overview:
Practical experience in performing before a live audience is the ultimate aim of this unit. Students will be
involved in the full dramatic experience from the processes and skills of dramatic production, to the
experience of working under a Director, workshopping, blocking and rehearsals.