CO L L A BORATIVE
PRO J E C T
STUDENT INFORMATION SHEET
IB DP THEATRE
FIRST TEACHING 2022
FIRST ASSESSMENT 2024
KIERAN BURGESS
K PBU RGESS .CO M
COVER PHOTO BY HAMISH KALE ON UNSPLASH
ALL IMAGES WITHIN USED UNDER TERMS OF UNSPLASH LICENCE,
E X C E P T W H E R E O T H E R W I S E S TAT E D
Contents
2
3
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
4
5
THE TASK IN A NUTSHELL
Forming Your Ensemble
6
GET UP, GET GOING
7
Selecting Your Starting Point
8
Creating Your Intentions
9
CRITERION A
10
CRITERION B
11
CRITERION C
12
STRUCTURING SECTION ONE
13
Collaborative Creation
13
Final Performance
14
15
15
STRUCTURING SECTION TWO
Individual Contribution as a Performer
Individual Contribution as a Non-Performer
16
ASSESSMENT TASK GENERAL RULES
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
T H I S R E S O U R C E WA S C R E AT E D B Y K I E R A N B U R G E S S T O A I D
T E A C H E R S A N D S T U D E N T S O F D P T H E AT R E W I T H T H E I R C O U R S E .
This resource is available for free download on kpburgess.com. Feel free to share
within your school, but please do not remove the author's credit. This resource is
not endorsed by IB, but comes from a DP Theatre practitioner.
Kieran is an experienced school head, senior leader and teacher, with experience of
teaching three iterations of the DP Theatre course. He was part of the curriculum
review team for the 2022 version of the guide, and has been teaching this guide as
a pilot teacher since 2018. He is a senior examiner and workshop leader for IB DP
Theatre, and also leads IB workshops in senior leadership, pedagogy and curriculum.
He is a school evaluation visitor and programme leader for IB accreditation and
evaluation, and an experienced coach and mentor for teaching and learning,
leadership, and curriculum development.
Kieran enjoys consulting and coaching schools and teachers, and can be engaged
via kieran@kpburgess.com or http://kpburgess.com. He is also available for ISTA
member organisations to engage him through the member benefits package.
3
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
HL: 25%
SL: 40%
The task in a nutshell
You will work in a group of 2-6 people to devise an original piece of
theatre at "touring scale". You will:
• Choose and explore a starting point that is not an exisiting piece of
theatre.
• Formulate your own Theatre-Maker Intentions (TMIs) as a group.
• Work together to create, direct and design all aspects of the final
piece and present to an audience.
• Individually contribute to multiple moments of Tension, Emotion,
Atmosphere and/or Meaning (TEAM) both as performer and as
creator, director and/or designer.
The performance must be between 7 and 10 minutes long, filmed in
one unedited take, and everyone must perform. Only students from the
assessed cohort may form the group of 2-6 performers, but if you are
the only IB2 student then your teacher must allow only non-assessed
students to join you (e.g. up to 5 IB1 students). There is a maximum of
10 pages allowed in the report, excluding the list of sources. A further,
‘backup’ limit of 4,000 words is placed by the IB, though it is not expected
that you will get anywhere near! It is there to ensure you don’t write
10 page essays! Use relevant images, with citations, captions and/or
annotations. All text within images, diagrams and tables are included in
the page limit and maximum word count.
YOU SHOULD KEEP THINGS TOURING-SCALE AND
FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE - KEEP YOUR TECH LIMITED
T O W H AT I S R E Q U I R E D T O F U L F I L YO U R T H E AT R E MAKER INTENTIONS. EVERYBODY MUST PERFORM,
A N D S H O U L D H A V E R O U G H LY E Q U A L C O N T R I B U T I O N
O N S TA G E T O S C O R E W E L L .
4
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
PHOTO BY MARCO BIANCHETTI ON UNSPLASH
Forming Your Ensemble
If you are the only student in your theatre class, you may invite 1-5 other
students to join you in order to complete this task. Your teacher must
approve who else becomes involved, and you may need to be flexible
with time outside of lessons to be able to devise with them. If you are not
the only student, you must work only with your DP Theatre classmates.
Consider your skills and strengths, then consider those of your classmates.
Where could you complement each other? Where do your interests
and passions align? Who can you work professionally with, without
distraction? It is important that you consider your ensemble carefully, as
the creation process can be intense, putting strain on friendships if there
are strong disagreements. On the other hand, you can't afford to waste
time with people who you will clash with in an obstructive way, or who
will dominate or willingly be dominated.
YOU CAN ASK FOR HELP FROM PEOPLE OUTSIDE YOUR
G R O U P T O O P E R AT E A N Y T E C H N I C A L P R O D U C T I O N
ELEMENTS, BUT YOUR ENSEMBLE MUST SPECIFY HOW
T H E S E A R E D E S I G N E D A N D O P E R AT E D
5
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
GET UP & GET
G O I N G
"Be passionate about your source material. It might be a story you love, an injustice that enrages you
or a question you can’t stop asking – just make sure you’ve chosen a starting point that fascinates
you. This curiosity will keep you alive to new possibilities, make you fearless when things get tough,
and ensure you’re always digging deeper. If you don’t care, why should an audience? Do your
research. The more you know about your starting material, the freer your imagination will be within it.
Research nourishes rehearsals, provides a huge wealth of material from which to devise, and gives
authenticity to your final production. Set aside some time early on to explore everyone’s personal
objectives for making the piece. Then, as an ensemble, write a unified mission statement for the
show (TMIs). It will provide an essential framework against which you can judge every decision you
make and ensures that everyone is travelling in the same direction. Keep an open mind. Few things
will choke creativity more than your brainy ideas about what you think will work. Admit that you
know nothing, keep an open mind and listen attentively to the people with whom you’re working.
The smallest comments can spark Eureka moments, and there really is no such thing as a bad idea."
Adapted from Guardian, 2014
PHOTO BY MARCO BIANCHETTI ON UNSPLASH
6
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
Selecting Your Starting Point
You must use a stimulus from the list in the subject guide.
Essentially, anything that is not an existing piece of theatre or film can
be used. What topics or events provoke your strongest reactions? What
stories have you seen that give you lots to say? Choose a stimulus that
you are passionate about.
Once you have agreed on a starting point, you should explore it
by creating a range of responses to it. For example, if the starting
point were an image, the ensemble could individually create a list of
adjectives, source a piece of music, and identify a location that speaks
to your interpretation of the stimulus. Physical responses work well
too, including still images, gestures (or gestus) or simple movements.
Creative writing exercises can be an insightful way of imaginitively
creating character, backstory or setting, but be careful as you don't want
to be drawn into writing a script at this stage. Scripts in devised pieces
usually come at the end, as a way of confirming and recording what has
been decided through a process of trial and error.
The importance of research cannot be underestimated. Ad Infinitum
theatre company allow around 6 months for ensemble members to
collect and analyse research before the first meeting, to have a rich bag
of ideas from which to draw.
W H AT I S YO U R I N S P I R AT I O N F O R
YO U R T H E AT R E P I E C E ? T H I S I S YO U R
S TA R T I N G P O I N T, A N D W I L L H E L P YO U
F O C U S YO U R C R E AT I O N P R O C E S S .
PHOTO BY TRAIL ON UNSPLASH
7
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
Creating your Intentions
As you explore your starting point you will begin to get a
clearer sense of what themes, content or style you are most
drawn to. Step by step you will narrow down your intentions
for your piece, and will need to agree on the following areas.
The theme or topic your piece will address or explore (the 'Key
Ideas'). What is the main area and why is this relevant today?
It could be a global issue such as poverty, income disparity,
migration or the climate emergency. Or it could be something
more specific like an individual's case taken from a news story,
or a topic affecting your school or local community.
The target audience. This doesn't have to be a school
audience, and it's OK if your target audience can't make it to
the final performance.
The Intended Impact on the target audience. Is your piece
highlighting an important issue? Provoking an important
question? Giving an opinion on a relevant matter? What do
you want your audience to think, feel or do?
The performance space. As you will actually perform this
piece, this needs to be a space you can access and use. But
it doesn't have to be your Theatre classroom or your school's
regular performance space. Think about the impact you want
to have on your audience and choose a space that helps
you achieve this. Where will your audience be positioned in
relation to the performance? End-on? In The Round? Why?
Responding to all of these points as an ensemble will lead
you to your Theatre-Maker Intentions (TMIs). Phrase these in
200 words maximum, and complete the Collaborative Project
Cover Sheet, which is an official IB form provided by your
teacher. Everyone in your ensemble should use these exact
same words. The only time you can copy and paste between
you!
8
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
A
Evaluate Your Process
Your journal will become crucial during this task, and particularly helpful in this criterion. But only if you use it
routinely during your creation process. Every time you rehearse, discuss or experiment you should give yourselves
10-15 minutes at the end to capture some key information, including:
W H AT " A H A ! " M O M E N T S D I D YO U H AV E T O D AY ?
W H AT D I F F I C U LT M O M E N T S D I D Y O U E N C O U N T E R ? W H Y ?
W H AT N E W M AT E R I A L D I D YO U G E N E R AT E ? C O U L D I T B E U S E F U L ? H O W ?
H OW D I D YO U L E AV E I T A N D W H E R E D O YO U N E E D TO P I C K U P N E X T T I M E ?
Answers that connect with your TMIs or show the collaborative nature of your process are especially valuable, and
you may discover other topics to reflect upon beyond these questions. The important thing is to capture these
significant moments and to reflect through time travel. By this, we mean to ask yourself, "What was the impact of
the moment at the time?" "What is the significance of the moment now?" and "What are the implications on what
you will do, think or feel in the future?"
Each session, video record any workshop activities and run-throughs, and take photos of any significant moments
or 'looks' that you feel might become useful. Having a variety of evidence formats available when writing your
report will be so helpful for you jumping straight into the detail required for top band.
These significant instances and your reflection upon how they came to be and the impact, significance and
implications form the core of the first half of section 1. They will be awarded up to 4 marks in criterion Ai.
Evaluate Your Performance
Before your final performance you all need to consider how to measure the actual impact you've had on your
audience, and compare it to the intended impact you wrote in your TMIs. A question and answer session, or
talkback, is one way of gaining this insight. A questionnaire or even asking your audience to draw an image, state
a colour or give an analogy are other ways, but you might think of something even more creative and appropriate.
You want your audience to experience your piece as human beings, not as theatre experts, so making it clear that
there are no right and wrong answers can help to encourage them to share their authentic thoughts and feelings
about your piece. You don't need them to comment on the theatre expertise you've demonstrated, rather the
response they had. Please remember too that you don't need your audience to agree with your intended impact:
a range of opinions and feelings makes your job of evaluating your performance as a whole even easier. Getting
unexpected answers gives you more to write about, and sometimes an audience member sees something in your
piece that you prefer to your own intention!
Your evaluation for the second half of this section will be awarded up to 4 more marks for criterion Aii. You are
required to:
E VA L U AT E T H E P I E C E A S A W H O L E .
S P L I T YO U R I N T E N T I O N S I N T O C O N S T I T U E N T PA R T S : T O W H AT E X T E N T D I D
YOU MEET OR NOT MEET EACH? HOW DO YOU KNOW?
9
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
B
PHOTO BY LUIS MORERA ON UNSPLASH
Making an individual contribution
On the cover sheet you have described your intentions (TMIs) for your
collaboratively created piece. In criterion A you explained how significant
instances helped in your creation process, and used audience feedback
to help you evaluate your piece as a whole. Now, for criterion B you
will zoom in and explain how your own individual contributions in two
different moments helped meet your group's intentions.
Choosing two different moments of TEAM of up to 2 minutes each from
the video recording of your final performance, you will explain your own
contributions as a performer (Bi) and as a non-performing contributor
(Bii). Make sure you are clear about which elements of TEAM you refer to.
ENSURE
T H AT
EVERY
INDIVIDUAL
CAN
EVIDENCE
BOTH
THEIR
PERFORMANCE
SKILLS AND SPECIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS MADE
DURING THE PROCESS
This means that you must prepare for two important things: you must
perform; and you must contribute to at least one sustained moment
of TEAM as a designer, director and/or creator - for example through
choreographing a movement sequence, devising the dialogue or creating
a soundscape for at least one sustained moment. Given that many ideas
and pieces of material don't make it to final performance, it's crucial that
you contribute to many moments to ensure at least one makes it to the
video. Contributing to the development of the piece means helping it
take shape during the process. Contributing to the staging means to
contribute something towards how it looks or sounds for the final piece.
Your Bii moment must be one or both of these.
10
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
P H O T O B Y H U L K I O K A N TA B A K O N
UNSPLASH
C
P H O T O B Y M E I TA L A N L E N O N U N S P L A S H
The video
The final criterion is assessed only via the video. There is nothing you can
write to add to the marks you may be awarded here, though the examiner
will be looking specifically at the moments you wrote about in section 2
(criterion B).
In Ci, the examiner is looking at the moment of TEAM you wrote about in
Bi and is making a judgement on how effectively you used performance
elements to contribute to the tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or
meaning you explained. The clearer you are about how you used specific
performance elements, and why you did this (linking to TEAM) in section
2, the easier it is for the examiner to confirm this for criterion C. With a
maximum of 2 minutes in your chosen moment, make sure you select a
clip that shows your best side. You should be prominent in the moment
as a performer, and using performance skills such as voice, body, gesture,
use of space or props, or movement in a way that clearly works towards
meeting the TEAM you wrote about. A moment of less than 30 seconds
may be difficult to show your best work.
P H OTO BY FA B I A N F R I E D R I C H O N U N S P L A S H
C H O O S E M O M E N T S T H AT C L E A R LY
PROGRESS YOUR INTENTIONS AND
TEAM.
In Cii, the examiner is judging the effectiveness of the contribution you
explained in Bii, and is looking at how well that moment works towards
meeting your TMIs. Remember, this moment is where you contributed
to the development or staging of the piece as a creator, director or
designer. So you should choose a moment that meets two criteria: it has
clear purpose in meeting at least one part of your TMIs; and you played
a significant part in the creation and/or implementation of that moment
as a non-performer. If it misses one of these criteria, choose another
moment to write about in section 2.
Finally, the time codes must be entered on the official IB cover sheet.
Although the examiner will watch the whole performance to understand
the context, they can only consider your time-specific moments in criterion
C. Ensure these times encompass the greatest impact of your moments.
11
PHOTO BY WEI-CHENG WU ON UNSPLASH
PHOTO BY KIERAN BURGESS
Moments with other ensemble members in are
OK, but your individual contribution must be
clearly visible, in conjunction with reading B.
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
STRU CT U R ING
SECTIO N
ON E
The nature of this task means you have a lot of work to do before you even plan this section.
You will form your ensemble, possibly with some direction from your teacher, and choose
and explore your starting point. Writing your TMIs and completing the cover sheet will have
taken place before this section takes over, as it is designed to begin with an evaluation after
the fact. Of course, you will also have created, structured and presented your piece to an
audience before you can launch into the report.
Page limits for individual sections are guidelines only, and the only limit that really matters
is the overall 10 page limit. This section should be around 5 pages, split roughly the same
between Ai (evaluating the process) and Aii (evaluating the final piece).
You really, really should use the headings provided in the guide and have clear separation
between these segments. You can go further and use subheadings for each half of each
criterion too. If you do have a good reason for deviating from the suggested structure, make
sure you are super clear about which requirement you are addressing, and keep a balance
overall.
PHOTO BY CHARLESDELUVIO ON UNSPLASH
12
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
Collaborative Creation
You must refer to significant instances in the process, such as breakthroughs or especially productive
sessions. Look back over your journal entries, and consider how you would rank or categorise each
rehearsal, meeting and activity according to how significant each were in the process of creation.
Remember that an 'instance' could be a challenge or difficult moment as well as a breakthrough. Those
instances that feature highly in your ranking are probably more useful for this section.
Reflect on the successes and challenges you faced as an ensemble during the development of the
piece. What workshops were most enlightening? Why? Which activity generated the best content?
Why? When did you find the group enthusiastically agreeing? Why? When did you struggle to generate
content? How did you feel when this happened? Which activities led to nothing useful? When did you
argue? Why? How did you overcome these challenges - this could be a success story, but even dead
ends influence the piece by way of what you didn't do. Explain how these impacted your piece, and
what conditions led to them happening.
W H AT D E S I G N O R T E C H N I C A L C O N T R I B U T I O N S D I D YO U M A K E T O
T H E P R O C E S S ? W H AT W O R K S H O P S O R M O M E N T S O F D I R E C T I N G D I D
Y O U L E A D , D I R E C T LY C O N T R I B U T I N G T O T H E F U R T H E R I N G O F Y O U R
I N T E N T I O N S ? A R E T H E S E C L E A R LY V I S I B L E I N T H E F I N A L P E R F O R M A N C E
VIDEO?
Final Performance
Here, you will evaluate the whole piece: how you met your intentions, or didn’t, in the final videorecorded performance. What elements of Drama did the group choose to use? Why? What was
successful? What wasn't? Why? What was challenging during performance, and how did you overcome
those challenges? The IB's definition of an evaluation demands both,
S T R E N G T H S A N D L I M I TAT I O N S
are addressed. So it is crucially important that you consider both the good and the not-so-good
from your performance. The examiner doesn't want to see that everything was perfect and exactly
as you intended, because in life there's always something that could be better. Use clear reference
to feedback received from your audience at the final performance to back up your opinions and
statements. What did your target audience think or feel? How do you know? A What → How → Why
model might be useful here. Say what you did (moment); how you did it (combination of elements)
and why (intended impact). Then add another How (effective) and a third How (do you know?). Break
down your TMIs into the component parts and for each, answer the question, "How effectively did
we meet this?". Some may be fully met, some partially, and some not at all. You are awarded marks for
explaining, not for being perfect at meeting intentions!
13
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
STRU CT U R ING
SECTIO N
T WO
Aim for around 5 pages on this section. You'll be focusing on two different moments
from your final piece, each a maximum of 2 minutes, and so you'll want to afford
approximately 2.5 pages to each moment.
How do your individual contributions help your piece achieve a moment of TEAM
(Bi) and meet your intentions (Bii)? This is all about linking intentions to process to
performance and back to intentions.
14
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
Individual Contribution as a Performer
After your final performance to an audience, take the time to watch the video recording. You'll already
have evaluated the piece as a whole, considering the performance as an ensemble in relation to your
intentions in section 1. Now, you need to zoom in on yourself. Look for moments where you use
your body, voice and/or movement to effectively enhance a moment of TEAM. Make a note of these
moments, and where they appear in the video (time from and time to). Which moment do you feel is
your best work? Why? Which moment clearly makes the T.E.A and/or M better? Look at the length
of time you are prominently visible during this moment. Can you extract less than 2 minutes as a clip,
and still show your best work clearly enhancing TEAM? Are you prominently visible for at least 15
seconds? Less than this and you will really struggle to reach the higher bands. Less than 30 seconds
is also not advised.
Once you've chosen your moment, you will need to indicate the time code on the official cover
sheet. Now explain why you chose this moment. Which component(s) of TEAM does it satisfy? Is this
moment important in meeting your overall TMIs? If so, how? You might want to use the What → How
→ Why model. Say what you did (moment); how you did it (combination of performance elements)
and why (intended impact). Then add another 'how' to explain how effective this combination of
elements was at transmitting TEAM. Bi is all about your performance skill, so don't focus on any
technical elements used here. Although of course they may have been present, you won't pick up
marks for this yet, and so it's the way you interact with any technical elements that could be included.
T H E E X A M I N E R I S LO O K I N G AT YO U R E X P L A N AT I O N S
AND CHOSEN MOMENTS IN THIS SECTION, AND
JUDGING THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN THE VIDEO FOR
CRITERION C. CHOOSE VISIBLE CHOICES.
Individual Contribution as a Non-Performer
Now, re-watch the video and, using a similar approach to Bi above, look for a moment where you
can see your fingerprints on the piece as a creator, director and/or designer. This could be a string of
movement that you choreographed, a moment based on research you contributed, prominent use of
set and lights that you designed, or any other input you had to either the development of the piece,
the staging of it, or both.
Once you have identified a key moment, using the same criteria as above, that shows how your
individual contribution has helped the ensemble and the piece meet some or all of its intentions,
you will need to explain. Why did you choose this moment? What is its significance in terms of
transmitting your intentions or creating the intended impact? If your moment shows a part of the
piece that you led the development of, describe this phase of the process. Was there a workshop or
activity you led to get to this moment? Was there a stimulus you added to the process to drive ideas?
Were there plans or images that you presented to the group to show your vision for this moment?
DIalogue you created? Elements of set, sound, costume or light that you created? Whatever your
individual input, to move into top band you must add reasons or causes to these descriptions. Why
did you provide this input? How did the group respond to it? What was your intention behind the
actions you took? How does this intention relate to the overall TMIs? How does this moment make
the TMIs more effective?
15
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T
ASSESSMENT TASK GENERAL RULES
Your teacher is permitted to offer feedback on only one draft. Verbal and written feedback
both count to this one instance of feedback. Make sure you know when your draft is due,
and make sure you have the best and most complete version to submit. This way, you get
the best possible feedback.
Your teacher must be confident that all the work is your own, except where you have
cited otherwise. So, at the beginning of the task, set up a live document (Google Doc or
OneDrive doc) and share it with your teacher. Make sure that everything goes in here,
starting with your rough planning, and becoming more and more refined as you go. Your
teacher can see your ideas take shape, can ask you about them as you go, and can be sure
your submission is your own.
You must cite every image, diagram, quote and idea that isn't yours, and images that are
yours should be clearly marked as such. Cite at the point of use, and add a full reference at
the end. Forgetting to cite, or not knowing you have to, will not change the consequence
you get when it is discovered (it can mean losing the whole IB Diploma).
The next file you submit after your draft must be the one that goes to the IB. No further
edits are allowed, so make sure you are completely happy with it before the deadline! I
advise you to export your written reports/proposals/slides as a PDF to ensure the layout
is as you wish.
PDFs and Word files have a maximum size of 50MB. Video files have a maximum of
500MB, and must be one single .mp4 or .mov file, unedited (except for the 3 sections of
the RP bolted together).
G O O D LUC K !
Good luck!
KIERAN BURGESS
KPBURGESS.COM
16
C O L L A B O R AT I V E P R OJ E C T S T U D E N T I N F O B O O K L E T