DRAMA 2014/15 Resit Essay Titles
YEAR 1
Module
Thinking Through Theatre
Code
Q3255
Resit Mode
ESS 3000 words
Essay Title
Please write a 3,000 word essay on one of the following titles.
Title 1: Acting and Not-Acting
Writing about the performance ‘continuum’, theatre director and scholar Richard
Schechner has observed ‘There are no clear boundaries separating everyday life
from family and social roles from job roles, church ritual from trance, acting onstage
and acting offstage’ (Performance Studies: An introduction, 2002, p. 143). In your
essay, discuss your understanding of what it means to act or perform on stage and
how these activities, and our thinking about them, have been challenged by
contemporary theatre makers and the work they have created. You are encouraged
to use practical examples to support your argument.
Title 2: Challenging Established Traditions
Discussing the juxtaposition of a trained ballet body with those of the untrained
performers’ bodies in the Nature Theatre of Oklahoma’s Poetics: A Ballet Brut,
Rachel Anderson-Rabern writes: ‘Nature Theatre does not judge or deny the
ballerina’s body as a symbol of training and capacity. Rather, they display and
celebrate her ability, and then dismantle “ability” as a hierarchy-inducing standard’
(2013, p. 161). In your essay, consider the ways in which virtuosity and ‘ability’, as
established standards of aesthetic value, have been exploited or challenged by one
or more of the theatre companies we have looked at this term. Be sure to ground
your essay in practical examples from work developed by the companies you
explore.
Your essay will be assessed on the following criteria:
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Clear and appropriate structure
Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
Contextualised and substantiated argument
Critical analysis
Appropriate use of examples and evidence
Evidence of appropriate reading and research
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YEAR 1
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Theories and Contexts of
Drama
Q3256
ESS 2500 words
Full bibliography of all materials consulted
Accurate referencing according to your chosen form
Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
Appropriate original ideas and insights
Clear, lucid expression
Write a 2500-word essay in response to one of the following questions.
The word count includes the footnotes but not the bibliography.
1.
Essay Questions.
‘[E]very theatrical performance (every single theatrical occurrence) constitutes an
unrepeatable, unique event’ (Marco de Marinis, ‘The Performance Text’, p. 235).
Consider this statement and examine its implications for our understanding of the
role of a fixed written theory in conceptualising ephemeral theatre.
2.
‘I maintain the stage is a tangible, physical place that needs to be filled and it ought
to be allowed to speak its own language’ (Antonin Artaud, ‘Production and
Metaphysics’, p. 27). Consider this statement in relation to the role given by theatre
theory to any one or more of the following: text, space, physicality or the body.
3.
How would you differentiate ‘acting’ and ‘performance’ as they appear in theatre
theory and what role does the concept of ‘character’ play in making this distinction?
4.
‘Individualism – the concept that the individual is the starting point of all knowledge
and action’ (Peter Hamilton, Formations of Modernity, p. 22). Analyse the ways in
which theatre theory might be said to challenge this claim.
Specific assessment criteria
When asked to explore ‘theatre theory’, you should explore TWO or more separate
theoretical texts which you have studied on the module.
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The essay should consist of:
1.
A clear opening paragraph introducing outlining your essay’s central argument
2.
Linked paragraphs that cover one main issue each, making close reference to the
points raised by the essay question
3.
A critical conclusion that explains what you have demonstrated in the essay
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General assessment criteria
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Consultation of, quotation from and footnoted acknowledgement of AT
LEAST THREE secondary sources (books, academic articles etc – consult
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YEAR 1
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Reading and Staging
Theatre Texts
Q3258
ESS 3000 words
the Module Outline’s bibliography AND carry out your own research using
the electronic resources listed in the Guide to Using the Electronic Library)
Clear and appropriate structure
Contextualized and substantiated argument
Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
Critical analysis
Appropriate original ideas and insights
Appropriate use of examples and evidence
Evidence of appropriate reading and research
Accurate referencing according to standard form and bibliography (consult
Drama Studies Handbook at bottom of http://www.sussex.ac.uk/english/ for
guidance)
Clear, lucid expression
Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
Please write a 3,000 word essay addressing one of the following topics in relation
to one of the texts you’ve studied on the module:
Representations of violence
The constructions of masculinity and femininity
The relationship between the human and the non-human
The relationship between the individual and the group
The role and representation of work and labour
Your analysis should take into account two of the following features:
·
Dialogue / language
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The use of space
·
The role of the body in performance
·
Structure
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YEAR 1
Assessment Criteria
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Theatre and Performance
Analysis
Q3259
ESS 2000 words
Clear and appropriate structure
Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
Contextualised and substantiated argument
Critical analysis
Appropriate use of examples and evidence
Evidence of appropriate reading and research
Full bibliography of all materials consulted
Accurate referencing according to standard form
Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
Appropriate original ideas and insights
Clear, lucid expression
Please choose one of the following titles (word limit: 2000 words):
1. Consider why reviewers should even attempt to capture something as complex as
a theatrical performance in a review.
2. Explore the relationship between the reviewer's position geographically, historically
and socially to the way s/he responds to live performance.
Assessment criteria for Essays
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Clear and appropriate structure
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Contextualized and substantiated argument
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Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
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Critical analysis
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Appropriate original ideas and insights
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Appropriate use of examples and evidence
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Evidence of appropriate reading and research related to the course
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Accurate referencing according to standard form
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Clear, lucid expression
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Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
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Accurate and appropriate bibliography
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YEAR 2
Approaches to Contemporary
Performance
Q3107
RES 3000 words
(Reflective Essay)
Please choose one of the following titles (word limit: 3000 words):
(1) “The postmodern performance we are currently making, watching and writing
about is nothing if it is not the conflation of old and new modes, where realism as a
style brushes up against the new real of autobiographical delivery, where the
physical and the verbal, the spatial and the temporal are (con)fused into work that
functions as a subversive interstice, critiquing the very representational modes it
creates” (John Freeman). Discuss Freeman’s assertion and the specific points it
makes by comparing/contrasting the work of two of the groups/artists we have
considered. Refer to specific methods/moments in performance to tease out your
argument.
(2) Discuss the ways that “character” and the role of the performer on stage (acting,
non-acting, use of the autobiographical self/self as text, adopting a performance
persona, etc.) have been altered by contemporary performance practices. Consider
the uses of different kinds of material on stage (ie. is it autobiographical, historical,
“found,” documentary, task-led, etc.) in order to develop your argument. Refer to at
least two groups or performances in order to focus your discussion.
Assessment Criteria
Clear and appropriate structure
Contextualized and substantiated argument
Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
Critical analysis
Appropriate original ideas and insights
Appropriate use of examples and evidence
Clear, lucid expression
Evidence of appropriate reading and research
Full bibliography of all materials consulted
Accurate referencing according to standard form
Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
Additional notes:
Please focus upon analyzing the material you choose to develop your own thoughts
and ideas. It is essential that you develop an argument in which you demonstrate
your ability to think through what we have studied together rather than regurgitate
the thoughts and ideas of others.
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Please refer to at least two texts/productions in whichever essay you choose, and
support your argument with detailed evidence (it’s helpful if you have seen one of
these live). If you are writing about a performance we have a copy of in the library,
then make sure you watch it in its entirety and have detailed notes you can refer to,
just as you would if you were considering a written text such as a poem or a novel,
or a film. The same applies to any production you have seen “live.”
You should include discussion of the production’s relationship to a broader context,
to readings, and to relevant issues or topics discussed in the course of this class.
Modern and Postmodern
Drama
Q3004
ESS 3000 words
(Essay)
A full bibliography demonstrating evidence of readings consulted and cited
throughout your essay (relevant to this module) is required. This should relate to the
bibliography handed out with the module outline.
Please choose one of the following titles (word limit: 3000 words):
1.
Analyse the difference between naturalistic and non-naturalistic theatre by
comparing and contrasting any two plays on the module.
2.
Analyse how Chekhov’s The Seagull can be said to anticipate later
innovations in playwriting by comparing it to any other text on the module.
3.
In what ways does postmodern theatre such as Complicite’s Mnemonic or
Caryl Churchill’s Blue Heart differ from a modernist text like Six Characters
or an Absurdist text like The Chairs or Waiting for Godot?
Assessment criteria
 Clear and appropriate structure
 Contextualized and substantiated argument
 Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
 Critical analysis of texts
 Appropriate original ideas and insights
 Appropriate use of examples and evidence
 Evidence of appropriate reading and research
 Accurate referencing according to standard form
 Clear, lucid expression
 Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
 Accurate bibliography
Early Modern Drama and
Contemporary Theatre
Q3091
ESS 3000 words
(Essay)
Please choose one of the following titles (word limit: 3000 words):
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1. What is gained and what is lost in editing an early modern playtext?
2. What is gained and what is lost in a contemporary production of an early
modern play?
Assessment criteria
 Clear and appropriate structure
 Contextualized and substantiated argument
 Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
 Critical analysis of texts
 Appropriate original ideas and insights
 Appropriate use of examples and evidence
 Evidence of appropriate reading and research
 Accurate referencing according to standard form
 Clear, lucid expression
 Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
 Accurate bibliography
Writing for Theatre
Q3026
ESS 3000 words
(Essay)
Please choose one of the following titles (word limit: 3000 words):
1. With reference both to materials studied on the module and your own
creative process, analyse how autobiographical material can be used in
writing for theatre and discuss some of the challenges of this approach.
2. Using critical materials, texts studied on the module, and your own
reflections on your writing process, discuss the importance of thinking about
writing for theatre in relation to its future existence as a performance.
3. What are the pros and cons of writing exercises and workshop exercises
when it comes to producing effective writing for theatre? You should frame
your analysis critically by defining and explaining key terms, techniques and
concepts in detail.
Assessment Criteria
 Close reference to at least two written or audiovisual extracts studied on the
module
 Analysis of structure, form, word choice, setting and relevant dramatic
context of the extracts
 Clear and appropriate structure
 Contextualized, substantiated and clearly expressed argument
 Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
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Appropriate original ideas and insights
Appropriate use of examples and evidence
Evidence of appropriate reading and research
Accurate referencing according to standard form, as outlined in the Drama
Studies Handbook
Accurate bibliography
Clear, lucid expression
Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
YEAR 3
Performing the Body
Q3027
ESS 2500 words
(Essay)
Choose one of the following two essays:
1) Building on Foucault’s ideas, Judith Butler states that the category of “sex” is a
regulatory ideal that works to produce the bodies it governs (in Gender Trouble and
Bodies that Matter). It is the reiteration and materialization of such bodies that
constantly reinforces normative ideals. Performance, however, provides the
opportunity to challenge rather than affirm such norms, “rematerializing” the body in
potentially radical performative ways. Comparing/contrasting the performance work
of two of the artists we have considered, discuss the implications of this statement
with reference to Butler, Foucault and others who are relevant.
2) In an introduction to Live Art, Lois Keidan refers to this arena of practice as a
“cultural strategy” rather than simply a genre of performance, emphasising its ability
to effect difference and engender social change. Demonstrate your understanding
of this statement in relation to the work of two performers whose practice and
performance works illuminate Keidan’s statement. Refer specifically to at least one
of the theorists we have studied to tease out your discussion.
Assessment Criteria
Clear and appropriate structure
Contextualized and substantiated argument
Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
Critical analysis
Appropriate original ideas and insights
Appropriate use of examples and evidence
Clear, lucid expression
Evidence of appropriate reading and research
Full bibliography of all materials consulted
Accurate referencing according to standard form (Harvard system)
Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
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Postdramatic Theatre
Q3110
ESS 3000 words
(Essay)
Pick ONE of the following titles:
1. The processes leading to a postdramatic theatre ‘can be described as a
series of stages of self-reflection, decomposition and separation of the
elements of dramatic theatre’ (Lehmann 48). Discuss the validity of this
statement with reference to TWO plays or directors studied on this course.
2. Consider the proposition that postdramatic theatre is more concerned with
‘inducing the audience to watch themselves as subjects which perceive,
acquire knowledge and partly create the objects of their cognition’ (Sugiera
26). To what extent may it apply to the performance of TWO plays or directors
studied on this course?
3. ‘“Post” here is to be understood neither as an epochal category, nor simply
as a chronological “after” drama, a “forgetting” of the dramatic “past”, but
rather as a rupture and a beyond that continue to entertain relationships with
drama and are in many ways an analysis and “anamnesis” of drama’ (JürsMunby, in Lehmann 2). How does this understanding of the prefix ‘post’ in
‘postdramatic’ pertain to any TWO plays or directors studied on the course?
4. ‘The dream constitutes the model par excellence of a non-hierarchical theatre
aesthetic’ (Lehmann 84). In what ways may any TWO plays or directors
studied on this course be considered ‘dreamlike’ and how might these
‘dreamlike’ qualities affect the experience of an audience?
Word limit: 3,000 words. Infringements of the limit will lead to a lower mark.
Points to Remember
You will not be able to cover all the material in 3,000 words so be careful to justify
your choice of arguments in the introduction.
A working definition or understanding of the term ‘postdramatic’ will be necessary to
clarify your position.
Treat the plays sensitively: the postdramatic is not something that offers a ‘check
list’ of features – consider the ways in which representation is called into
question on the basis of the play itself.
Do not merely stop after identifying postdramatic elements; consider what they
might suggest, too.
Make sure that you read around the subject of your essay: use the bibliography
circulated at the beginning of term as a starting point for further reading. You
will be penalized for not referring to secondary material.
As in all comparative essays, it is usually better to organize your work around a set
of arguments or ideas which will ‘attract’ material from both plays. A
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conclusion would end each section, so that you final concluding paragraphs
would present a dynamic ‘conclusion of the conclusions’, that is, what you
have learned by considering all the shorter conclusions together.
Assessment Criteria
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Making Theatre Politically
Q3098
RES 3000 words
(Reflective Essay)
Clear and appropriate structure
Contextualized and substantiated argument
Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
Critical analysis
Appropriate original ideas and insights
Appropriate use of examples and evidence
Clear, lucid expression
Evidence of appropriate reading and research
Full bibliography of all materials consulted
Accurate referencing according to standard form
Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
13/14 (did not run in 14/15)
Please choose one of the following titles (word limit: 3,000 words):
(1) Auslander notes in his essay ‘Towards a Concept of the Political in Postmodern
Theatre’ (1987) that ‘In theatre, presence is the matrix of power; the postmodern
theatre of resistance must therefore both expose the collusion of presence with
authority and resist such collusion by refusing to establish itself as charismatic
Other” (p. 26). In your essay, discuss your understanding of this statement, focusing
on some of the ways that some postmodern approaches have engendered a
‘theatre of resistance’.
(2) “Often when the radical voice speaks about domination we are speaking to those
who dominate. Their presence changes the nature and direction of our words.
Language is also a place of struggle […] This is the oppressor’s language, yet I
need it to talk to you’’, writes bell hooks in ‘Choosing the Margin as a Space of
Radical Openness’ (2009). Your essay will consider the implications of hooks’ words
as they pertain to theatre, focusing particularly on the challenges faced when a
practitioner or playwright seeks to work with or represent ‘Others’.
Additional Notes
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You will not be able to cover all your ideas in 3,000 words so be careful to
justify your choice of material in the introduction. Please note infringements
on the world limit will be penalized.
Use your introduction to explore the title and its terms as well.
Carefully consider what is meant by ‘political’ as it pertains to your selected
essay title.
Avoid digression.
Beware of spending all your time describing but never reflecting on and
analysing your points: make sure that you support every suggestion with
argument and evidence.
You should draw on at least two performances to develop your arguments.
You may use material from practical workshops or any theatre pieces you
have seen as evidence in your arguments.
Be specific: move from particular points to more generalized conclusions.
Do not generalize without evidence to support such a position.
Assessment Criteria
 Clear and appropriate structure
 Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
 Contextualised and substantiated argument
 Critical analysis
 Appropriate use of examples and evidence
 Evidence of appropriate reading and research
 Full bibliography of all materials consulted
 Accurate referencing according to standard form
 Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
 Appropriate original ideas and insights
 Clear, lucid expression
Theatre, Performance and
Ethics
Q3115
ESS 2500 words
(Essay)
Please choose one of the following titles (word limit:2500 words):
1.
Discuss the idea that theatre complicates our ethical understanding of right
and wrong rather than clarifying it. You should refer in detail to two or more
texts studied on the module.
2.
Analyse the representation and ethical consequences of revenge in any two
texts studied on the module.
Assessment criteria
 Clear and appropriate structure
 Contextualized and substantiated argument
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Use of appropriate conceptual frameworks
Critical analysis of texts
Appropriate original ideas and insights
Appropriate use of examples and evidence
Evidence of appropriate reading and research
Accurate referencing according to standard form
Clear, lucid expression
Accurate spelling, punctuation and syntax
Accurate bibliography
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