Queen’s University Centre for Educational Development
Case Study: Active and Interactive Learning at Stage 1
Title “Rough Cuts”
Context A showcase of short scenes from a range of plays performed, directed and
crewed by Level 1 students.
School/Subject School of Creative Arts; Drama Studies
Degree Programme BA in Drama
Module ‘DRA1003: Introduction to Theatre Practice 1’
Learning environment (e.g. lecture, tutorial, lab., field work)
Weekly workshop/rehearsals, supported by weekly lecture programme
Preferred room type Rehearsal Room and Brian Friel Theatre, Drama & Film Centre
Timetabling of session One weekly hour-long lecture, five weekly two-hour drama
workshops, six two-hour supervised rehearsals, 6 weekly one-hour unsupervised
rehearsals
Activity
What do you do? (content, assessment etc.)
Students are introduced to theoretical approaches to acting, directing and theatre
production (stage management, lights, sound etc.) in lectures and skills oriented
workshops. Potential student directors are interviewed and scene groups are
negotiated by matching directorial preferences with those of other participants (using
a matrix on Excel). Each scene has between 3-5 actors and two production team
members.
Four evenings are set aside in Week 12 for Technical Rehearsals and Performances,
and in the final two weeks production team members are assigned specific roles in
relation to the overall ‘Rough Cuts’ performance package (e.g. overall DSM, lights,
design etc). Students are encouraged to see the event as a unified performance and
we discuss the best order for the programme, e.g. thematic and stylistic relationships
and contrasts, in order to maintain audience interest.
Students are assessed on the commitment and input throughout and each student
has an individual interview at the end of the process. There is also a written
contextual assignment and a summative reflective essay around an agreed ‘research
question’ in the form: ‘How can participating as ???? in a scene from [play] extend
my understanding of …’. The core text (Hodge) provides an excellent balance of
theoretical and practical perspectives on key approaches to acting which can be
worked through in class.
How do you do it? (method including tips)
The biggest challenge is to deliver effective performances within the class time
available. Skills-based workshops allow specific links to be made between individual
short scenes and different theoretical and historical concepts, and different plays are
used as the basis for these introductory classes.
Students (usually c. 50) are organised in four workshop classes, with two scene
groups in each. Classes take place on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 9-11
and 11-1, and these map onto each quarter of the final showcase so that dress
rehearsals can take place during class times in Week 12, with technical work being
done on the preceding Monday and Tuesday evenings, respectively. Performances
are then on Wednesday and Thursday evening.
Students are encouraged to place special emphasis on the learning inherent in the
each performance and their experience of different audiences. Four scenes are
performed before an interval and four after it. Sometimes the halves are reversed for
the second night to allow students to understand the impact of programming.
Students in the second half of each showcase are also then able to assist with Box
Office and Front of House arrangements.
Why do you do it that way?
The ‘Rough Cuts’ concept allows students to experience every aspect of the
production experience, but on a small scale with low demands on production
resources. Students prove to be very imaginative when resources and time are
strictly limited (scenes average 8 minutes in length) – creativity being defined as ‘the
space between the fixed and the free’. The range of play choice (often led by the
student directors, though A Level texts are banned!) allows students to experience a
diverse spread of acting styles.
Technology (if any) used to support activity (brief description)
Students have full access to the Brian Friel Theatre’s computerised sound and
lighting equipment and our state-of-the-art Stage Management desk (£20K’s worth!).
Evaluation/Reflection/Outcomes
How do you know it works? (measures you adopted, student feedback
outcomes, staff feedback)
Production support staff have noted that students constantly refer back to the ‘Rough
Cuts’ experience throughout their undergraduate career as a formative experience in
which they created strong creative bonds with their peer group. The module allows
students to test their aptitude in different aspects of stagecraft and they often pursue
these throughout the following two years. The experience of working in the Brian Friel
Theatre is consistently cited in evaluation forms as a major incentive for student
engagement.
Challenges/Issues/Problems
Variable commitment, which frustrates good engagers and can make it difficult to
assess poor engagers. Directors often have to adjust casting during rehearsals.
Students sometimes struggle to connect theory and practice, but supervised
rehearsals allow tutors to help them make the necessary links. Less committed
students can sometimes be assigned to less crucial roles (e.g. programme design).
Advice and Tips
Take special care in the formation of groups. Be aware of cliquery and mix and
match accordingly. The choice of directors with leadership potential is an essential
step. Personality profiling such as Meyers Briggs can be used as part of this process,
but the matrix approach to matching directors with willing actors and crew works well
in 90% of cases.
Looking forward
Not all drama educators are comfortable with such a product-oriented approach,
preferring a lower focus, process-oriented approach at Level 1. But I firmly believe
that the higher the stakes the more fully most students will engage and that this gives
them a great boost in confidence and a headstart in to Level 2.
Support Material (please upload/attach or give URL)
Module Outline
References (if available)
Alison Hodge, Actor Training, (London: Routledge, 2010),
Contact Details
David Grant, School of Creative Arts, Queen’s University, Belfast
d.grant@qub.ac.uk
ext. 3329