Applied Drama

Level 5 2011-2012

In all its many guises, practice in applied drama is undertaken

by those who want to touch the lives of others, who hope that

participants and audiences will extend their perception of how

life is, and imagine how it might be different.

(Helen Nicholson, Applied Drama, p.166)

Content

Course Aims and Content

Course Specification Course Schedule Reading List Assessment Breakdown

Detailed Assessment Guidance:

Devised Performance Assessment Checklist Devised Performance Assessment Criteria Workshop Assessment Checklist Workshop Assessment Criteria Careers Services Checklist Additional Assessment Criteria for Applied Drama:

Continuous Assessment

Detailed Study/Practice Guidance:

Presenting Written Work Booking and Using a Rehearsal Room Theatre Technical Manager Details The Challenge of Drama Group Work Equality and Diversity Statement

Course Reading

Extracts to be read for each week in advance of the lecture/workshop

Course Aims and ContentThis course asks you to consider what and who drama is for and to critically explore the potential for using theatre as a vehicle for social change.

By studying a range of applied drama practices and engaging with the work of local and national companies you will gain an in depth knowledge of the field. In lectures you will consider the ethical, ideological and practical debates surrounding applied drama and develop your understanding of key terms such as ‘community’, ‘identity’ and ‘transformation’ and ‘transportation’. In workshops you will experiment with many creative approaches, learn to facilitate workshops and also devise performance work for specific target audiences.

The course will introduce you to a wide range of pedagogical approaches to teaching and creating drama and increase your understanding of the needs and abilities of specific sectors of the community.

As this field offers Drama graduates a range of potential employment opportunities the course also provides guidance with professional development. You will be invited to a series of employability sessions with invited guest speakers covering subjects such as ‘how to be a freelance practitioner’, ‘postgraduate studies’ and ‘careers in acting’. The University GET team will also provide practical sessions on how to write CVs and succeed in interviews.

Course Coordinator: Dr. Heather LilleyH.L.Lilley@gre.ac.ukOld Baths Level 2 and King William 336

Course Specification

School Humanities and Social SciencesDepartment Creative Arts and CommunicationCode DRAM-1127Course Title Applied DramaCourse Coordinator Heather LilleyLevel (please tick) 4 5 6 7Credit 30Pre-requisites none

Aims To introduce students to the theories and practices of Applied Drama as a potential area of employment; and to enable them to form meaningful links with local arts practitioners and community groups. The course will allow students to explore Applied Drama through independent research, practical workshops and the critique of case studies within the field. The course content and teaching and learning methods will prepare students for independent practical work in the Level 6 Project and Drama Production, which may include work in the community.

Learning Outcomes

On completing this course successfully you will be able to/have:

Developed your knowledge of contemporary theatre environments, practices, trends and debates in relation to pedagogy and community engagement. (DDP Benchmark 4.2e, 4.2h, 4.3j and 4.5*)

Increased your awareness ethics of performance practices, particularly in regard to community engagement, workshop facilitation and pedagogical approaches (DDP Benchmark 4.3i , 4.3j and 4.5*)

Engaged in processes of theatre making, including rehearsal, writing, devising, improvisation, directing, workshop leading and scenography (DDP Benchmark 4.5*)

Conducting research, both independent, group and performance-based (DDP Benchmark 5.1m)

Considered theories of spectatorship and developed an awareness of the audience or client group for performance and developed your an ability to respond and adapt to it through flexible means (DDP Benchmark 5.1j)

Learnt to engage with widely differing forms of knowledge and understanding, and developed your awareness of interdisciplinary approaches to study and the capacity to engage with different theories or paradigms of knowledge (DDP Benchmark 5.2h and 5.2j)

Indicative ContentStudents will study the development of Applied Drama as a wide ranging set off practices involving both theatre making and facilitating workshops. Classes in Term 1 will focus

specifically on devising methodologies and in Term 2 on exploring pedagogy and facilitation. Students will engage with a number of pedagogical approaches to using drama for social change, such as the methods of Augusto Boal and Paulo Frier. They will also consider the ethical and practical issues that must be addressed when working in the community and will develop their own models of good practice. Alongside this they will identify the key creative skills required of the Applied Drama practitioner and will practice planning and leading workshops. Students will build on their knowledge and practical experience through the study of Applied Drama in specific contexts, such as Youth Theatre, the education sector, work with the elderly, verbatim and documentary theatre and intercultural performance work. Students will be asked to research specific companies and to engage with local practitioners to deepen their knowledge of the field and to create a short performance for a specific target audience.

Learning and Teaching ActivitiesThe course will be taught through lectures and practical workshops. Each workshop will have set reading and must be documented in a reflective log. Students will thus be required to read theoretical extracts, to research key practitioners and performances; to enter into discussion and exploration of their findings; to participate in exploratory workshops; to work in groups to create exercises and performance pieces; and to write independent analyses of their practical work.

Learning Time (1 credit = 10 hours)Contact Hours lectures 10

seminars 5practical sessions 30tutorialsOther - rehearsals 30

Private Study 117Assignments: course work and other forms of assessment coursework 100

laboratory workexaminationsOther – assessed performance

8

Assessment Details:

Methods of Assessment

1 performance Continuous Assessment of participation in

workshops

1 Essay 1 Group Workshop Exercise

Grading Mode controlled conditions Controlled conditions coursework controlled conditions

Weighting % 20 20 40 20

Pass Mark 40 40 40 40

Word Length 2,500 words 2,000 words

Outline Details To create a devised piece for a chosen target audience

Assessment of participation in workshop exercises, preparation for class work and contribution to discussion/practice

Reflective essay evaluating practical sessions and drawing on course reading to critique contemporary practice and pedagogy.

Students will prepare and deliver a short workshop for their peers and submit their workshop plan

Assessment

20% Continuous assessment of participation in practical workshops – You will be expected to come to every workshop fully prepared to participate in discussion and workshop exercises. You will be assessed on whether you have completed the assigned reading and conducted preliminary research as required; on how well you can articulate your learning in group discussion and tasks; and on how well you respond to practical exercises in class. Enthusiasm, excellent attendance and regular preparation will all be rewarded in this assessment.

***Failure to attend, without prior arrangement or extenuating circumstances, will damage your continuous assessment grade***

20% In-class performance of a devised piece – during term 1 you will participate in a number of workshops exploring devising methods in the context of applied drama. In small groups you will create small pieces of devised theatre across the term and choose one of these pieces to develop for your assessment. You must specify the target audience for your piece, show evidence of research and consider how your work relates to the theories/practices studied in term 1.

20% Group preparation and delivery of a workshop exercise – In term 2 you will participate in a number of workshops that explore the uses of drama with rather than for target groups. In small groups you will design your own applied drama workshop for a specific target group. You will then choose one or two exercises from your workshop plan to deliver for the rest of the group. You must show an understanding of the target participants, be able to describe where the workshop might fit into a scheme of work, and be able to identify both the risk issues involved and the theoretical ideas that support your work.

40% 2,500 Word Essay - You will have a choice of essay questions asking you to reflect on our practical sessions and on course reading in order to critique contemporary practices and pedagogy.

TERM 11 Induction Meeting Level 5

GROUP A 10-12pm

GROUP B 1-3 Reading and Tasks

2 Introductory lecture and Workshop

Introductory lecture and Workshop

Prendergast & Saxton, Applied Theatre extract 1

3 5/10 Reminiscence Theatre Reminiscence Theatre Nicholson, Applied Drama extract

4 12/10

Devising – ReminiscenceGuest Pam Schweitzer

Devising – Reminiscence Guest Pam Schweitzer

Schweitzer, Reminiscence Theatre

5 19/10

Theatre for SENGuest Joey Robinson

Theatre for SENGuest Joey Robinson

Prendergast & Saxton, Applied Theatre extract 2

6 26/10

Devising – SENGuest Joey Robinson

Devising – SENGuest Joey Robinson

72/11

Devised Piece ProposalComplete ‘Target Audience & Research Aims’ Sheet

Devised Piece ProposalComplete ‘Target Audience & Research Aims’ Sheet

89/11

Group DivisionReminiscence

Group DivisionSEN

In groups you will decide on a target audience, a process and a subject for your devised performance. Each group must complete a ‘Target Audience & Research Aims’ Sheet

916/11

Rehearsal Rehearsal

1023/11

Rehearsal Rehearsal

1130/11

Rehearsal Rehearsal

127/12

Dress/Tech &final supervision

Dress/Tech &final supervision

Assessment Criteria and checklist

1314/12

Assessed Performances Exam ConditionsApply

1421/12

Freire’s Pedagogical Approach &Evaluation, Marks and Self - Assessment

Freire’s PedagogicalApproach & Evaluation, Marks and Self - Assessment

Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

TERM 2GROUP A 10-12pm

GROUP B 1-3pm Reading and Tasks

118/01

GLYPT Performance/ WorkshopOff-site performance event

(ticket prices, time and location details tbc)

Weltsek-Medina, ‘Process Drama in Education’

225/01

GLYPT Performance/ WorkshopOff-site performance event

(ticket prices, time and location details tbc)31/02

Boal’s TO and Forum Theatre

Boal’s TO and Forum Theatre

Sullivan et al, ‘Theatre of the Oppresed’ & Boal, Theatre of the Oppressed

48/02

Theatre in the Criminal Justice System & TIPP Workshop

Theatre in the Criminal Justice System & TIPP

Workshop

Fraden, Imagining Medea

515/02

Geese Theatre – Mask WorkshopGuest Joey Robinson

Geese Theatre – Mask WorkshopGuest Joey Robinson

Jackson, ‘Geese Theatre’ & Baim et al, Geese Theatre Handbook

622/02

Museum Theatre Guest Kate Hart

Museum Theatre Guest Kate Hart

Prendergast & Saxton, extract 3 ‘Museum Theatre’

71/03

Workshop Proposal development

Workshop Proposal development

In groups you will decide on a target group and a set of aims for your workshop. Each group must complete a ‘Workshop Aims’ Sheet

88/03

How to plan and run a workshop

How to plan and run a workshop

Johnston, Drama Games for those who like to say no

915/03

Workshop Practice Workshop Practice Assessment Criteria and Checklist

1022/03

Workshop Assessment Exam Conditions Apply

TERM 3Your Future and Professional Profile

(dates may change due to speaker availability)19/04Morning

Afternoon

CV WritingGET team session

Setting up a Theatre Company – guest speakers

Bring along your CV

26/04Morning

Afternoon

Mock Drama School Audition – Professional Panal

Careers in Stage Management – guest speaker

Prepare an audition piece for the panel of a classic or contemporary piece. (voluntary)

03/05 Course Evaluations and feedback GROUP A

Course Evaluations and feedback GROUP B

TERM 1 Devised Performance Assessment Checklist – use these pointers to help you create your piece and to help you evaluate the piece in your log

book

Have you read the assessment description and criteria?

Have you chosen one of your workshop pieces as

a starting point for devising?

Why did you choose this starting point?

What is your chosen target audience?

In what ways is your piece suitable for this audience?

What research have you undertaken and is their evidence of this research in the

piece?

How does your piece relate to the theories/practices we have studied this term?

What rehearsal/devising techniques did you employ and why?

How successful were these techniques?

How successful was the performance?

Applied Drama

Marking Criteria for Performance

(Refer to these and to the Performance Assessment Checklist)

1. Appropriate consideration of and interaction with target audience:

Choice of target audience is appropriate and thoughtfulSubject matter and treatment of it is suitable for that audienceTheatrical conventions employed will stimulate and challenge that audience

2. Creative or interpretive response to the task:

Process and performance outcome respond creatively to classwork/researchThe performance is stimulating and originalThe staging is thoughtful and successfully conveys meaningTechnical resources support the work appropriately and enhance the audience’s experience in a suitable way

3. Evidence of research applied in practice:

Research into target groupResearch into subject matterResearch to support creation of resources/technical aspectsResearch of practices/companies who work with chosen target audience

4. Process and rehearsal:

Contribution of ideas and willingness to develop workAbility to communicate with others and work as a teamCreative and well organised approach to rehearsals

5. Focus and control on the day:

Ability to perform the piece as rehearsedAbility to employ an appropriate acting styleVocal and physical skills Preparation of resources and spaceAbility to engage the audience and to convey meaning of the pieceAbility to answer questions and articulate aims and processes

TERM 2 Workshop Assessment Checklist – use these pointers to help you

plan your workshop and to help you evaluate it in your log book

Have you read the assessment description and criteria?

Have you chosen a specific target group for your workshop and considered their

needs?

What research have you undertaken to increase your knowledge?

Have you written a plan of exercises for a half day workshop?

Have you considered how this workshop might fit into a larger scheme of work with

the target group?

How/why have you selected the exercises that you will deliver to the class?

Have you rehearsed these exercises and checked the instructions and timing of them

carefully?

Have you considered risks/health and safety?

Have you provided necessary and interesting resources?

Did the participants respond as you expected?

What were the successes of the exercises?

What might you change about your workshop plan if you were to deliver it again?

Applied Drama

Marking Criteria for Workshop Preparation and Delivery

(Refer to these and to the Workshop Assessment Checklist)

1. Appropriate consideration of and interaction with target audience:

Choice of target group/participants is appropriateSubject matter/area of exploration is suitable for groupSpecific assessment of group needs/ability incl. Health and Safety

2. Creative or interpretive response to the task:

Choice of target group and exercises is thoughtfulClear aims and objectives for the workshop are stimulating/originalIdeas for exercises are innovative and inspiringResources enhance the participants’ experience

3. Evidence of research applied in practice:

Research into target groupResearch into workshop exercisesResearch to support creation of resourcesResearch of practices/companies within chosen area

4. Process and rehearsal:

Contribution of ideas and willingness to develop workAbility to communicate with others and work as a teamCreative approach to workshop planning and preparation

5. Focus and control on the day:

Ability to facilitate participants’ involvement and create a pleasant working atmosphereTime managementPreparation of resources and spaceAbility to deliver clear instructions, to control/expand/wrap up exercisesAbility to engage all participants and offer guidance/encouragement

TERM 3 Careers Services Checklist – use this term to think about your

future!

In addition to the employability workshops you should also tick off the following checklist as you complete each task.

Visit the Guidance and Employability Team’s website: www.gre.ac.uk/get to

familiarise yourself with the services provided

Complete the online learning module on writing a winning CV:

www.gre.ac.uk/students/get

Consider how to enhance your CV with work experience, for example by

volunteering: www.gre.ac.uk/students/get/volunteering

Bring your CV to the GET CV writing session for feedback

Reading List

Babbage, Francis, Augusto Boal (London and New York: Routledge, 2004)

Baim, Brooks and Mountford, The Geese Theatre Handbook: (Hampshire: Waterside Press, 2002)

Balfour, Theatre in Prison (Bristol: Intellect Books, 2004)

Boal, Augusto, Games for Actors and Non-Actors (2nd ed, Routledge, 2002)Theatre of The Oppressed (Worcester: Pluto Press, 1974)The Rainbow of Desire (Routledge, 1994)

Blatner, Adam, Ed., Interactive and Improvisational Drama: Varieties of Applied Theatre and Performance (New York, Lincoln and Shanghai: iUniverse, 2007)

Blythe, Alecky, The Girlfriend Experience, (London, Nick Hern Books, 2008)

Calvino, Italo, Trans by George Martin, Italian Folktales (Penguin Classics, 2000)

Fleming, The Art of Drama Teaching (David Fulton Publichers, 1997)

Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Penguin, 1993)

Govan et al., Making a Performance: Devising Histories and Contemporary Practice (Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2007)

Hammond ad Steward, Eds. Verbatim Verbatim: Contemporary Documentary Theatre (London: Oberon Books, 2008)

Hare, David, The Power of Yes (London: Faber and Faber. 2009)

Jackson, Anthony, Theatre, Education and the Making of Meanings: Art or instrument? (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2007)

Kupers and Robertson, The Community Performance Reader (Routledge, 2007)

McAvinchey, Caoimhe, Theatre and Prison, (Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011)

Norton-Taylor, Ed., The Colour of Justice (London: Oberon Books, 1999)

Nicholson , Helen, Applied Drama: the gift of theatre (Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005)

Nicholson , Helen, Theatre, Education and Performance (Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011)

Oddey, Alison Devising Theatre (London: Routledge, 1996)

Prentki and Preston, The Applied Theatre Reader, (Routledge, 2007)

Ridout, Nicholas, Theatre and Ethics (Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009)Schweitzer, Pam, Reminiscence Theatre: Making Theatre from Memories (London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsly, 2007)

Thompson, James, Drama Workshops for Anger Management and Offending Behaviour (London: Jessica Kingsley, 1999)

Thompson, James, Performance Affects: Applied Theatre and the End of Effect (Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011)

ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR APPLIED DRAMA

Continuous Assessment

First Class 70+%Classwork is excellent. Learning outcomes are fully achieved and there is evidence of significant extended learning. Very productive connections are made with other work. Re-application of learning is highly imaginative and effective, showing significant sensitivity and depth. Skills are successfully and confidently adapted to meet the demands of varying contexts and challenges. Attendance, punctuality, focus, engagement, commitment, relevant preparation and ownership of the work are outstanding.

Second Class: Upper Second 60-69%Classwork is very good. Learning outcomes are achieved and there is evidence of good extended learning. Productive connections are made with other work. Learning is re- applied with a very good degree of imagination and sensitivity. Skills are well adapted to meet the demands of varying contexts and challenges. Attendance, punctuality, focus, engagement, commitment, relevant preparation and ownership of the work are very good.

Second Class: Lower Second 50-59%Classwork is good. Learning outcomes are achieved and there is some evidence of extended learning. Some connections are made with other work. Learning is applied with some appropriately. Skills are adapted to meet the demands of varying contexts and challenges, although this may be inconsistent. Attendance, punctuality, focus, engagement, commitment, relevant preparation and ownership of the work are good.

Third Class 40-49%Classwork is fair. Learning outcomes are achieved although there is no evidence of extension of learning. Some learning is applied with limited imagination and sensitivity. Connections may be made with other work, but at a superficial level. There is little evidence that skills have been adapted to meet the demands of varying contexts and challenges. Attendance, punctuality, focus, engagement, commitment, relevant preparation and ownership of the work are acceptable.

Fail 0-39%Classwork is poor. Learning outcomes are not fully achieved and there is no evidence of extension of learning. Learning is not appropriately applied. Connections are not made with other work. Skills are not successfully adapted to meet the demands of varying contexts and challenges. Attendance, punctuality, focus, engagement, commitment, relevant preparation and ownership of the work are unsatisfactory.

Presenting Written Work

All written work must be word-processed in size 12 font (Times New Roman) with double spacing. Beginnings of paragraphs should be indented. Leave no more than one blank line between paragraphs. The pages of the essay should be numbered.

Titles of works cited.

Whenever you refer to a book, play, film, journal, or long poem, always italicise the title. Give the first date of publication in brackets after the first mention of any primary literary text, e.g. Heart of Darkness (1902). Titles of short poems, essays, or chapters should be put in single quotation marks without italicising: this distinguishes them from book titles that may otherwise be the same, e.g. the poem ‘North’ in Seamus Heaney’s collection North.

Presenting quotations and references in your essay

When referring to (or quoting) passages in the primary literary texts you are discussing give a line reference (from a poem or verse play), or author’s name and page reference (for prose), in brackets after your quotation. Short quotations (one line or less of verse, thirty words or less of prose) should be run on as part of your own text, within single quotation marks.

Longer quotations (over thirty words), from either primary or secondary texts, should be placed after a colon, indented, single-spaced, and left without quotation marks:

It is sometimes said that the aim of the historian is to explain the past by ‘finding’, ‘identifying’, or ‘uncovering’ the ‘stories’ that lie buried in chronicles: and that the difference between ‘history’ and ‘fiction’ resides in the fact that the historian ‘finds’ his stories, whereas the fiction writer ‘invents’ his. This conception of the historian’s task, however, obscures the extent to which ‘invention’ also plays a part in the historian’s operations (White, p.342).

Verse, including from verse plays, must always be quoted in lines, not re-arranged as prose. Quotations from verse plays should include Act, Scene and Line number(s) in brackets as in this example from an essay on Shakespeare.

In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Caliban shows his understanding of the relationship between power and knowledge when he tells Stephano and Trinculo to take possession of Prospero’s books:

First to posses his books; for without themHe’s but a sot, as I am, nor hath not

One spirit to command: they all do hate himAs rootedly as I. Burn but his books. (III. ii. 90-93)

An example of how to quote dialogue from other plays is provided below from an essay on Strindberg’s Miss Julie.

Jean is less and less convinced that a romance between Julie and himself is a good idea. When Julie asks him to kiss her for a second time he is reluctant:

JEAN (hesitates): I’d like to – but I daren’t. Not in this house – not again. Of course I love you – can you doubt it, Miss Julie?MISS JULIE (shy, feminine): Miss! Call me Julie! There are no barriers between us now (Strindberg, p.123).

If you want to quote lines of dialogue from a film, use the same technique you would use when quoting from a play.

When you quote from, or refer to, an internet source in your essay give the author and year in brackets afterwards, e.g. (Brown, 2006)

The Bibliography

At the end of your essay you must give a list of all works you have consulted. The entries should be listed alphabetically by author’s surname, with surnames appearing first. After the name of the author, the translator (if there is one) appears, then the city of publication, the publisher and the date. Take care with punctuation: the commas, colons and so forth are an important part of academic referencing; do not use bullet points or ‘centre’ your Bibliography. You should take your information from the title page of a publication and not from the front cover. The examples provided below show you how to list various kinds of book, a journal article, a chapter in a book, a film and a web source.

Example Bibliography

Belsey, Catherine, ‘Love in Venice’, Shakespeare Survey 44 (1992): 43-56.Conrad, Joseph, Heart of Darkness, London: Penguin, 1995.Fuchs, Barbara, ‘Conquering Islands: Contextualising The Tempest’, in Peter Hulme and

William Sherman (eds.), The Tempest, New York: Norton, 2004, pp.265-285.Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock, 1960.Shakespeare, William, The Tempest, New York: Norton, 2004.Strindberg, August, Miss Julie, trans. Gwynne Edwards, London: Methuen, 1997.White, Hayden, ‘Introduction to Metahistory’, in Dennis Walder (ed), Literature in the

Modern World. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1990, pp.341-346.Wood, Robin, ‘Psycho: An extract from Hitchcock Revisited’ (1989), at

http://web.tiscali.it/andrebalza/essay.html (accessed 9/10/10).

For more detailed guidance on study skills and referencing consult the student support pages on the portal.

Booking and Using a Rehearsal Room

Each week, sign-up sheets will appear on the central notice board at the Bathways Drama Facility (Woolwich) so that you and/or your group may reserve a room for rehearsals. Each group will be limited to 3 hours of room use at a time and weekly limits may be imposed depending on demand. If your group is more than 15minutes late to arrive at the designated room, you will forfeit the booking which means that students who take possession of that room while you are arriving are entitled to remain in there. Furthermore, staff who need to use a room, even if you have booked it, should always be regarded as automatically entitled and treated with respect about their need to occupy that room. This is because they are under contract to the University to deliver teaching and student support – any move by a student to interfere with this right, runs the risk of misconduct and disciplinary action. Given the pressure of Third Year assessments, just be mindful of finding assertive ways (and negotiation tactics) of dealing with other students over room clashes. It is unacceptable to bully junior students out of a space simply because you are “in the Third Year”. If there are issues of misconduct involved, do not hesitate to contact a staff member (including security). Some of the behaviours that risk being regarded as misconduct include:

Locking rehearsal room doors to keep people out Persistently leaving food scraps / wrappers and other food-contaminated rubbish

and empty drink containers in teaching rooms

Theatre Technical Manager Details

Remember that any theatrical performance is something that you manage. Although you may enjoy testing your work in front of an audience, you really should plan to test your final version of work a NUMBER OF TIMES in the tutor-supervised rehearsals. Similarly, you will know by this stage of your education, Technical Design and Support does not just magically ‘happen’. It is up to YOU to plan and prepare all the technical requirements, multimedia, costuming, music and scenography and prepare a Risk Assessment well in advance of your Dress/Tech rehearsal.

This approach will also anticipate any requests for help from our Drama Technician, Thom Cornall, who has created a Technical Information Sheet which he will distribute throughout the Semester. You should fill this in at least ONE WEEK before your assessment. Thom also encourages students to drop-in to his office for Technical advice.

Technical advice.As a general rule, be mindful of limiting the number of Lighting and Sound cues – as there should be a design rationale behind what you plan and reasonably expect us to deliver. When consulting with Thom you will be expected to have thought through the

main technical requirements of your project – and arrive at agreed solutions as to their realisation. Try to be proactive and professional in suggesting solutions to problems

rather than expecting design problems to be resolved by staff. You will be expected to furnish an accurate cue sheet for your performance and to have arranged (on a quid pro quo basis) for a student from another group to act as your Lighting and Sound Operator for cue prompts.

Cleaning up is not only necessary for health and safety reasons, but it also is evidence of your conscientious commitment to your course. As such, Tutors will note positive contributions to keeping areas spotless as they may invoke penalties for any infringements.

Access to costumes. You will need to access our costumes store to create a show ‘rail’ of clothing/hats/shoes, etc to be kept in the Workshop area. Thom would like to make access to the Costume Room at two central times in the day, ideally 8:30am-9am and 1-1:30pm, so that he can structure his day.

Building sets. Students need to check issues of structural safety and fire-proofing with Thom well in advance of the dress/tech rehearsal.

Filming of your work is for external examination purposes only. If you wish to make a professional film of any of your assessment work, you need to organise the filming yourself and gain written permission from your group members.

Phone: _______________________ (make a note of the number here).

The Challenge of Drama Group Work

Whether you notice it or not your University Drama tutors continuously monitor and are aware of the ‘conscientious engagement’ of participants in Drama Group Work. At Greenwich, we award individual grades for performance in order to reflect this. Some students might find that they relish in their courses and love to rehearse while others find such work a challenge or are going through a tough time (about which they need to have a confidential chat to the tutor).

Such issues have been taken into account in the design of this course (the written work is worth 40% of the course): Semester One deals with radical groupings of diverse and experimental artists and so groupings are best not made with people of the same ability in one area. The reasons behind this will be revealed in lectures. Semester Two is based on your own interests by choosing an Investigation, so you could choose to work with one or even six other people!

Whether you like it or not, Drama Group Work at this level has career implications. So you need to have very good reasons for requesting a solo performance. When tutors are called upon to provide references for students, it is easier to recommend a person on the basis of the mature handling of a group dynamic than an essay mark (although the latter is important too!). Outstanding behaviour in this respect can win you

favourable regard with prospective employers and postgraduate course recruiters. Where necessary, however, you may request a problematic ‘non-contributor’ or absent group member to withdraw from a group performance. Such a decision can be awkward and even painful, so I will leave you with this story:

In the 1920s, a group of artists met regularly to discuss ideas about the radical power of the human subconscious in art and how that may revolutionise society and culture throughout Europe. One of their group members was stranger in his thinking than the others; in turn he felt they were selling out on their ideas. So they kicked him out. The group were the Surrealists, the ‘sell-out’ was Salvador Dali and the evicted ‘misfit’ was Antonin Artaud.......

The following is an extract from the Equality and Diversity Policy Statement, downloaded from the University’s website www.gre.ac.uk at the 21st June, 2011.

The University of Greenwich aims to create an environment in which students and staff are selected and treated solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential, regardless of sex, colour, ethnic or national origin, race, gender, trans-gender, disability, mental health, HIV status, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, religious or political beliefs, trade union membership, marital status or family circumstances. The University has responsibility for protecting and adhering to this Equality and Diversity Policy statement and the University equality policies which support it. The whole University community has a responsibility to apply the principles of this statement in their dealings with others both internal and external to the University.

All students have the following responsibilities: • Treat all members of the University community with dignity and respect their rights and beliefs (including within the virtual learning environment) • Challenge or report incidents of discrimination, harassment and bullying • Respond positively and inclusively to individual differences All staff have the above responsibilities and the following additional responsibilities: • Anticipate and respond positively to different needs and circumstances of members of the University community • Apply equality and diversity principles through everyday work activities • Keep knowledge of University equality and diversity policy up to date

University of Greenwich Christine Rose, Office of Student Affairs, February 2011