Master of Theatre Practice (by Coursework)
Overview
The one-year Master of Theatre Practice is an extension of the one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Performance Creation currently in operation at VCA Drama. It will allow high achieving students to develop an increased level of specificity in the development of their arts practice. The course will also include sufficient theoretical and research subjects to provide a stepping-stone to a Professional Doctorate programme. The course will have two concurrent parallel streams (in Directing and in Performance Creation), which will share some subjects but will diverge in the focus each stream gives to the nature of the main practical project. The Master of Theatre Practice provides an alternative pathway to the Master of Dramatic Art (Direction)by Research or Master of Animateuring (by Research) currently offered at VCA Drama, by combining advanced courses in specific disciplines with opportunities to work across disciplines in order to widen the horizons of individual practice.
Objectives
On completion of the course, students should:
- Have developed and refined individual leadership abilities and capacities for initiating and realising projects in theatre practice;
- Have significantly advanced their skills and expertise in aspects fundamental to their primary arts practice – namely directing or performance creation - such that they would be ready to work at a professional level;
- Have developed the capacity to evaluate, discriminate and make informed choices as part of theatre practice within aesthetic domains;
- Be able to conceptualise, realise and present original theatre and/or theatrically aligned projects;
- Demonstrate highly developed problem solving abilities and flexibility of approach;
- Have developed the skills of articulating the ideas and processes inherent in their creative work within the context of relevant artistic discourse and research;
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of quantitative and qualitative Research processes;
- Have developed their skills in collaborating with other theatre artists (actors, designers, technical personnel) in the realisation of a theatre project, such that they would be ready to work at a professional level.
Prerequisites
1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue successfully the course using the following criteria-
- Successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma in Performance Creation from the VCA with at least H2B grades across the course and an H1 in Applied Project B.
- Applicants with an equivalent qualification from another institution must have equivalent grades across the course and a high honours in the main practical subject.
2. The Selection Committee may conduct interviews for short-listed applicants or may call for referee reports and employer references to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.
Generic Skills
On completion of this course, students should:
- Be able to work collaboratively with fellow artists in the realisation of a creative project;
- Exhibit leadership capacity, including a willingness and ability to engage in constructive peer discourse and contribute by acting as a mentor to the development of others;
- Demonstrate an understanding of their arts practice within the context of wider aesthetic and social domains;
- Demonstrate knowledge of research paradigms, sufficient to allow them to advance to higher levels of academic research in praxis and theory;
- Exhibit a profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity and for the ethics of professional creative practice;
- Be able to contribute through leadership, research, performance development and/or pedagogy to Australian culture in the arts, in particular those aspects of culture and society that lie outside the dominant paradigms.
Course Progression Guidelines
The maximum time permitted for completion of the course is two years full time.
The progress of a student shall be deemed to be unsatisfactory if the student:
(a) fails to pass 50% of the total credit points in any semester;
or
(b) obtains two successive fails in any one subject.
Qualification for Award
The award of Master of Theatre Practice requires the successful completion of the prescribed subjects and the gaining of a total score of 100 points.
Subjects by Year
Year 1
- 757806 - Performance Theory and Research Skills
- 757811 - Professional Experience Elective
- 757813 - Cross Disciplinary Studies 2
- 757853 - Discipline Skills 2
- 757863 - Applied Project 2B (Performance Creation)
- 757864 - Applied Project 2A (Directors)
Subjects
Year 1
| Credit Points: | 12.5 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Richard Murphet |
| Contact hours: | 2 hours per week |
| Semester: | Year Long |
Subject description:
This subject consists of two knowledge areas:
Performance Theory: understanding ways of analysing and discussing performances in terms of current and classical descriptive and interpretative perspectives.
Research Skills: learning to discriminate qualitative and quantitative research methods and to apply them to explore selected issues within creative practice.
There will be regular classes in both areas but they will be organised so as to optimise the possibilities for interface between them and to allow for periods of concentrated focus to support various phases of the student’s research project.
Objectives:
The objectives of this subject are to enable the student to:
- Demonstrate an ability to interpret and analyse theoretical practice in the context of professional practice within both a broader cultural field and a body of contemporary and classical ideas;
- Demonstrate the capacity to develop and design research processes appropriate to specific processes.
Assessment:
Oral presentation (40%);
2 Papers each of 2000 words one at end of Semester One, one at end of Semester Two (30% each).
Time Commitment:
120 hours
Generic Skills:
On completion of this subject the student should:
- Demonstrate the capacity to evaluate and synthesise data and other information;
- Demonstrate an ability to access data and other information from a range of sources;
- Demonstrate an advanced ability to discourse on artistic practice in the context of wider aesthetic, social and historical domains;
- Demonstrate an ability to apply relevant research processes to specific cultural practice.
| Credit Points: | 12.5 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Richard Murphet |
| Contact hours: | 1 hour per week tutorial with Drama supervisor. Other hours as arranged with theatre company. |
| Semester: | Year Long |
Subject description:
The purpose of this subject is to provide the opportunity for the student to experience a work of professional theatre in all its stages of development.
In consultation with the course coordinator, the student will make arrangements with a professional theatre company or professional individual theatre practitioner to witness the production of the creative work through the stages of planning, realisation, organisation, technical coordination, publicity and presentation. A contract will be agreed upon between the student, the company and the VCA, which outlines the terms of the secondment: the nature of the student involvement, the responsibilities of each party involved and the shared objectives of the secondment project. The student will meet regularly with the course coordinator to discuss the progress of the secondment.
The student will be expected to keep a log of the process being witnessed.
Note: While the student is involved in the secondment they will not be expected to attend any other course work units.
Objectives:
The objectives of this subject are:
- To provide an opprotunity for the advanced student of theatre practice to witness the creative work of a professional company or individual;
- To introduce the aspiring theatre practitioner to the profession of theatre and to the network of their peers;
- To enable the student to place their own creative work within the context of professional theatre practice;
- To gain the skills of witnessing creative work and supporting the production of professional work;
- To gain skills in the documentation of theatre practice.
Assessment:
Quality of involvement in the project – assessed by company representative in consultation with course coordinator (60%);
Production log of 4000 words (due at end of secondment) (40%).
Time Commitment:
120 hours
Generic Skills:
At the completion of this subject the student should:
- Be able to constructively support the creative practice of other artists;
- Demonstrate experiential knowledge in the workings of an arts organisation;
- Demonstrate a capacity for documentation of arts practice;
- Demonstrate skills in communication and feedback;
- Have a wider understanding of the cultural field.
| Credit Points: | 12.5 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Richard Murphet |
| Contact hours: | 2 hours per week |
| Semester: | Year Long |
Subject description:
This subject extends and deepens the field of enquiry initiated in Cross Disciplinary Studies A and B of the Postgraduate Diploma in Performance Creation, or equivalent. It focuses upon the potential for interplay and dynamic dialogue between the various disciplines involved in the processes of performance creation. Seminars and practical/studio-based classes provide interaction with other discipline streams to develop communication and collaborative abilities with processes of artistic composition. The focus in this advanced subject will be on the place within performance of areas such as musical composition, visual art, sound design, filmic media and digital technology. The capacity of the student to work autonomously will be augmented through introduction to IT programs of basic sound and film editing processes.
Objectives:
The objectives of this subject are to enable the student to:
- Demonstrate a working understanding of the creative processes of artists working in other disciplines;
- Demonstrate a capacity to conceptualise the organic inclusion of other media and art forms within the medium of theatre;
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of IT programs in sound and film editing;
- Work with an awareness and practical skills in communication technologies and receptiveness to the expanding opportunities of the digital age;
- Demonstrate a capacity to collaborate with others to conceptualise and realise a performance design.
Assessment:
Individual and collaborative problem solving tasks (70%);
2 Papers each of 1500 words, one at end of Semester One, one at end of Semester Two (15% each) (30%).
Time Commitment:
120 hours
Generic Skills:
On completion of this subject the student should be able to demonstrate:
- The ability to work across modalities and to appreciate their potential;
- The ability to work collaboratively in the creation and organisation of aesthetic material;
- The capacity to solve problems;
- The capacity to identify and use the principles of another modality in the creation of one’s own work;
- The capacity to identify and use relevant communication technologies in the creation of one’s own work.
| Credit Points: | 12.5 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Richard Murphet |
| Contact hours: | 2.5 hours per week |
| Semester: | Year Long |
Subject description:
The student will be given the opportunity to extend and deepen their knowledge of methodologies of practice that are pertinent to their field of enquiry.
In all, four units must be completed. Two of these are common to all students: a seminar course in the languages of theatre and a series of practical workshops in aspects of kinaesthetic creativity. Students will also be able to choose, from a range of offerings, two units that are more specifically relevant to their own practice.
Objectives:
The objectives of this subject are to enable the student to:
- Achieve a strong personal philosophy of directing either original or interpretative dramatic material;
- Achieve a sophisticated understanding of the expressive and communicative tools of the theatre medium;
- Demonstrate an advanced working knowledge of the principles of mise en scene;
- Demonstrate a productive working method for the process of creative collaboration;
- Develop processes for mentoring the work of fellow artists.
Assessment:
Individual and collaborative problem solving tasks (70%);
2 Papers each of 1500 words, one at end of Semester One, one at end of Semester Two (15% each) (30%).
Time Commitment:
120 hours
Generic Skills:
At the completion of this subject a student should be able to:
- Demonstrate a capacity to interpret and analyse the work of others;
- Demonstrate a capacity to communicate both orally and in writing the intentions of one’s own work;
- Demonstrate the ability to solve problems autonomously and to take responsibility for one’s choices;
- Achieve an advanced understanding of how to create and organise aesthetic material.
| Credit Points: | 50 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Richard Murphet |
| Contact hours: | 2 hours per week |
| Semester: | Year Long |
Subject description:
The student will work throughout the year on the preparation, realisation and presentation of a major research project. This project consists of:
- A production of an original theatre work or suite of works of approximately 60 minutes duration
- A research paper of 8,000 words (max.), which acts as an exegesis of the practical project.
The production will receive a small budget and some production support. The organisation of the project will however be the responsibility of the student. It will be shown in a public performance season.
The theatre work will have a set of research objectives laid out by the student at the outset. The paper will outline the research paradigm being used.
The student will receive regular tutorials with a supervisor. There will be seminars in which students present the progress of their work to their fellows, in order to elicit informed critical discussion. There will be a major presentation on the progress of the Project to a panel at the end of the Semester One. Students must satisfy the panel of their progress before they can proceed.
Objectives:
The objectives of this subject are:
- To extend the student’s skills and expertise in the creation of original theatre work and the presentation of a theatrical work to the public;
- To provide an opportunity for candidates of proven ability to undertake advanced work and a leadership role in the role of the initiator and director of new theatre work;
- To develop appropriate skills in the documentation description and analysis of creative processes and performance;
- To make a significant contribution to theatre practice and research in Australia.
Assessment:
Theatre Project (60%);
Research Paper of 8000 words (40%) (end of the year).
Assessment will be by two examiners external to the Discipline of Drama, VCA. At least one examiner will have academic experience. The research paper must be completed within 6 weeks of completion of the performance and no less than 4 weeks before the conclusion of the academic year.
Time Commitment:
480 hours
| Credit Points: | 50 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Richard Murphet |
| Contact hours: | 2 hours per week |
| Semester: | Year Long |
Subject description:
The student will work throughout the year on the preparation, realisation and presentation of a major research project. This project consists of:
• A production of a theatrical text of approximately 60 minutes duration;
• A research paper of 8,000 words (max.), which acts as an exegesis of the practical project.
The production will receive a small budget and some production support. The organisation of the project will however be the responsibility of the student. It will be shown in a public performance season.
The theatre work will have a set of research objectives laid out by the student at the outset. The paper will outline the research paradigm being used.
The student will receive regular tutorials with a supervisor. There will be seminars in which students present the progress of their work to their fellows, in order to elicit informed critical discussion. There will be a major presentation on the progress of the Project to a panel at the end of the Semester One. Students must satisfy the panel of their progress before they can proceed.
Objectives:
The objectives of this subject are:
- To extend the student’s skills and expertise in the direction of theatrical text and the presentation of a theatrical work to the public;
- To provide an opportunity for candidates of proven ability to undertake advanced work and a leadership role as a director;
- To develop appropriate skills in the documentation, description and analysis of creative processes and performance;
- To make a significant contribution to theatre practice and research in Australia.
Assessment:
Theatre Project (60%);
Research Paper of 8,000 words (40%) (end of year):
Assessment will be by two examiners external to the discipline of Drama, VCA. At least one examiner will have academic experience. The research paper must be completed within 6 weeks of the completion of the performance and no less than 4 weeks before the conclusion of the academic year.
Time Commitment:
480 hours
Generic Skills:
At the completion of the subject students should be able to:
- exhibit extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of their discipline including relevant professional knowledge, skills, discipline and ethics as they relate to a practising performing artist;
- demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretation;
- demonstrate practical skills in critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;
- demonstrate a flexible and innovative approach to the national and international challenges for the professional visual/performing artist in the 21st century;
- work at various levels, both as an individual and as a team member, in a wide variety of performing artistic environments;
- contribute to a range of performing arts environments as artistic collaborators and leaders.