Theatre Studies is essentially about creatively interpreting scripts written by others, for a performance. This subject is about acting, directing, designing costumes, sets, lighting, sound, props and other Theatre technologies to make Theatre and perform in front of an audience. One of the three outcomes is reading a script and then seeing the play performed by a professional Theatre company, to inspire and inform your own ideas and passion about making Theatre.
The focus of Unit 1 is three periods of Theatre history before 1920. You will research and learn about the history of Western and Non-Western Theatre and focus on Classical Greek tragedy, Elizabethan Theatre including Shakespeare and Commedia dell'Arte. You will then collaborate with other students to create three performances using scripts or other texts, and perform two group and one solo performance. You will explore and then focus on specific production roles such as acting or direction and designing - sets, costumes, props, lighting and/or sound. You can choose to focus on acting and direction or theatre design.
Unit 2 is an extension of unit 1 but the focus is on Theatre made after 1920. You will study major Theatre practitioners such as Stanislavsky, Brecht, Artaud and Grotowski and Theatre styles such as Naturalism, Non Naturalism and Eclecticism. You will work on one or two script excerpts (parts of scripts) and one full play script from the 20th - 21st century. You will also develop and perform a monologue either focusing on acting and directing or in applying design (set, props, costumes lights and sound). Your assessment is based on two performances either group or whole class and one solo. You can focus on acting and direction or design costumes, sets, lighting, or sound -or both acting and design.
Classes are a combination of Practical, Theoretical, research and rehearsal work depending on which outcome you are working on. You will read scripts, apply dramaturgy (research),collaborate, discuss, design, rehearse and explore how to creatively interpret scripts for an audience as well as explore the text you are performing or going to see. There will be some lectures introducing new topics, class discussions, group work, rehearsals in class and outside class times, production meetings and you will also create one class presentation each semester.
You will have three set homework tasks per unit as well as preparing notes for production meetings with research and ideas for performances you are working on. You will also prepare responses to the performance that you go to see.
To satisfactorily complete the subject you will need to research, collaborate, rehearse, perform and evaluate three performances per unit. In each Unit you will also have one written SAC on the performance you see outside class and an end of unit exam.
PHSC Theatre Studies 1&2 Wiki Page