Acting and Not Acting: The Dialectics of Performance (DRA1004)

30 credits

This module is focused on the practical and theoretical exploration of play as the basis for developing key skills for creators of performance. The word ‘play’, in the context of drama, often refers to a script or a production, but theatrical playing is much broader than this: we will examine play and playing in a more expansive sense in this module, investigating topics such as children’s games, sensory exercises, improvisation, theatre games, sound and/or movement compositions, visual scripts, image-based pieces, interactive and ‘invisible’ performances. This practical exploration will expand your understanding of what it means to ‘act’ and to ‘perform’, revealing a continuum of possibilities, complications, and potential contradictions that can enhance your creativity and knowledge basis as theatre artists.