This module furthers skills, practices and competencies in one or more areas of production and enables students to explore and demonstrate these in a studio/workshop context. Where THE1013 Production: An Introduction focuses on production technologies, THE1016 Production: Professional Competencies focuses on stage management in the first instance, before offering a suite of specialist masterclasses. Taken together, these sessions will then enable students to apply learning across the two modules by taking on one or more production roles assigned to specific performances, putting their learning into practice. The module will prepare students to work in theatre spaces, to work safely with technical equipment and to be aware of the work that is required in planning for and implementing production processes.
Guildford School of Acting
DUGGAN Patrick (GSA)
Number of Credits: 15
ECTS Credits: 7.5
Framework: FHEQ Level 4
JACs code: W430
Module cap (Maximum number of students): 55
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
THE1013 Production: An Introduction
Indicative content includes:
The emphasis is on the importance of embodying fundamental principles to provide a secure technical foundation for work in your degree. The module develops skills, practices and competencies in production. These may include:
Health and Safety
Lighting rigging, focusing and operation
Sound rigging and operation
Audio visual operation
Analysis of scripts for production needs/ground plan, props
Elements, stages and responsibilities of a production process
|Assessment type||Unit of assessment||Weighting|
|Coursework||REFLECTIVE PORTFOLIO (INDIVIDUAL)||70|
|Coursework||ROLE DEVELOPMENT PLAN||30|
Where extenuating circumstances have been agreed for Practice, students may be alternatively assessed in the following way. The Student is required to write a 1500 word reflective essay, about production and what they have discovered this year in THE1013 and THE1016. This essay should form three parts: A reflective discussion addressing preconceptions and previous knowledge about production and backstage work covering stage management, technical and creative areas. A summary of specific skills and knowledge learnt and enhanced over the year covering stage management, technical and creative areas, and highlighting particular aspects that were surprising or unexpected. A brief discussion about how this knowledge of production will benefit and add value in the future. This might indicatively include plans for placement year, future modules and/or work within the creative industries.
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity:
To provide an experience of a specific theatre production technique (one or more may be offered) (P: C2) (K: A3) (T: D3, D4)
Students will be given the opportunity to work on a production technique within the formative assessment period. This will usually take place within the first 7 weeks of the module.
To allow students the opportunity to reflect on production practices(C: B1) (T: D2)
A period of time will be given to allow students to reflect on the production practices. This should include some class time
To educate students in the technical and performance principles of one or more technique(s) with the ability to demonstrate this understanding through a reflective development plan (C: B1) (K: A1)
Once an evaluation of the practical process has been completed, students are expected to write a reflective development plan, identifying areas in which they need to improves, and set out how they can do this
Formative assessment and feedback
The module tutor will be engaging with students through tutorials throughout the semester during the process to ensure students are adequately supported and are reflecting upon their production practice.
Consider the tutorials as a way to:
Demonstrate excellence in the production competencies in relation to your ongoing work
Present your updated portfolio of work
Raise concerns and get further guidance and support - all of this information will be discussed with production supervisors to action .
Honestly discuss what you are struggling with and how you can better yourself
Honestly discuss your production team’s progress and what you have achieved
Discuss how you are using your Role Development Plan
There will also be a series of mini online tests available on SurreyLearn for each session and masterclass. These can be used to refresh and consolidate knowledge after sessions.
Role development plan
According to your assigned production role, students will create a development plan to assist them in preparing and progressing in their role.
This plan should include:
A discussion of the skills and qualities required for your production role in line with the six production competency areas; Teamwork, Organisation, Communication, Knowledge & Pratical skills, Creativity and Personal Values, qualities and behaviours.
A disucssion about the different types of show you will each be undertaking. This should discuss how the following factors may affect and alter the actvities you undertake on your production role; the size of cast and crew, type of performance, location, complexity and length of performance.
A summary of relevant reading material from the THE1013 and THE1016 reading lists and more widely texts from the university library and online to assist in preparing you for your production role
A list of useful actions that can be undertaken over the Easter holidays to assist you in preparing for your role. This list should ensure it targets and progresses the six production competency areas; Teamwork, Organisation, Communication, Knowledge & Pratical skills, Creativity and Personal Values, qualities and behaviours.
You will be assessed on a portfolio evidencing your production work over the production period. This should evidence and make reference to production competencies.
Your portfolio might indicatively include the following:
Reflective diary entries
Photos / videos of production tasks
Documentation you have created or adapted, such as: Production lists, schedules, excerpts of prompt copies / annotated scripts, call lists, cast lists, risk assessments, lighting / set plans, sketches, meeting notes, created media, prop plans and research, costume sketches / plans, relevant emails.
- To further an experience of a specific theatre production technique (one or more may be offered)
- To educate students in a practical understanding of the skills, practices and competencies of the technique
- To educate students in the technical and performance principles of one or more techniques and the ability to demonstrate or embody this understanding in a studio context
|1||Demonstrate informed practical understanding of one or more specific theatre techniques||KC|
|2||Recognise the context of individual skills in wider production processes||C|
|3||Demonstrate techniques and awareness associated with recognised technical processes in the creation and realisation of performance||P|
|4||Work to deadlines and produce clear, coherent responses to task briefs||T|
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Overall student workload
Workshop Hours: 3
Independent Study Hours: 40
Lecture Hours: 12
Tutorial Hours: 15
Methods of Teaching / Learning
The learning and teaching strategy is designed to: enable students to further a production activity in a professional environment, and learn practically how to apply these skills within a studio context. The formative assessment provides opportunities for students to work with industry professionals and tutors who will provide tailored feedback though conversation and instruction.
The opportunity to reflect on this will occur during and outside of class time and provide the basis for their assessment through a formative portfolio of work.It should be noted that the focus here is on the transferable skills involved within production and it is these skills that are being reflected on. It is the hope that by focussing on soft skills, rather than marking product, students will be engaging in critical thinking, problem solving and self-development which can then be applied across their study within Theatre & Performance and beyond.
This module introduces the ideas of practice as a method of understanding theatre and becomes the introduction to using production as a way of interrogating theatre (both in theory, design and in practice)
Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.