THE ACTOR AND THE ENSEMBLE - 2023/4

Module Overview

The Actor and the Ensemble enables students to explore different methods of enabling and telling stories and is the start of study of ensemble practice on the programme. In the first teaching block you will be working as an ensemble exploring collaborative practices, as well as encountering text and choral work through use of Ancient Greek text. In the second teaching block students consider how the actor accesses the dynamic possibilities of a physical and analytical approach to text encouraging the student to explore the performance opportunities presented in Shakespeare’s work, and modern and/or contemporary text. The third teaching block looks in depth at collaborative devised practice through the lens of site specific practice, increasing students’ abilities as reflective practitioners. Work is shared with peers as work in progress in a safe practical performance setting. This course promotes enterprise and entrepreneurship as well as collaborative thinking. These values help students to imagine their own models for social sustainability within the performing arts industry.

Module provider

Guildford School of Acting

Module Leader

CHOUDRIE Ameer (GSA)

Number of Credits: 60

ECTS Credits: 30

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

n/a

Module content

In teaching blocks 1 and 2, students will undertake weekly practical studio based workshops. In teaching block 3, students will undertake weekly site specific workshops, as follows:

• Storytelling – first half of Teaching Block 1

• The Greeks –  second half of Teaching Block 1

• Shakespeare – first half of Teaching Block 2

• Modern Text - second half of Teaching Block 2

• Site Specific – Teaching Block 3

The final week of each project will include a group tutorial, to enable student and tutor joint reflection and action planning.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate a practical evidence of a developing methodology as a creative practitioner.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Continuous assessment of collaborative classwork across four units of work: Storytelling, The Greeks, Shakespeare and Site Specific

Formative assessment

Continuous formative assessment occurs in every class and students will be guided to understand and recognise formative verbal feedback in addition to formal written feedback as essential to their development and learning journey.

Feedback

These are practical assessments that provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate and receive feedback continually, verbally, from teachers, from peers and of self as directed. Students receive informal and formal verbal and written feedback and also benefit from personal tutorials/feedback panels where this feedback can be discussed after reflection and grading has taken place. Formal feedback will be published via SurreyLearn by a published date within three teaching weeks.

Module aims

• This module aims to provide the student with an opportunity to apply the core technical performance techniques encountered on the programme through themed project work that develops practical understanding of the ways in which we enable and tell stories, as well as work with others and engage with character, and to work to the following programme aims:
  To provide an ensemble training context for the development of professional skills based on practical understanding and self-reflection within creative contexts
• To facilitate the acquisition and development of vocal and physical techniques, skills and universal vocabularies inherent within the creative industries
• To enable experiential understanding of theatre and drama, adding to it a level of critical awareness and analytical ability which will enrich practice and extend potential, as interpreters, facilitators and creators

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Enable collaborative practical engagement with core practical technical performance skills through group activity • Enable the collaborative, articulate, reflective practitioner

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.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: APP1002

Other information

GSA delivers its provision across three teaching blocks, within the University of Surrey’s existing semester structure.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2023/4 academic year.