PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT - 2024/5

Module Overview

This year long module introduces students to the context of Musical Theatre within the Creative Industries and enables students to engage with and create work for personal professional engagement.

In a series of seminars, reflective tutorials, showcase rehearsals and performances the groundwork is laid for a sustainable and robust approach to entering Musical Theatre and the wider Creative Industries.

The module also contains the major summer term written project which draws on critical and reflective skills to look back upon the training and reach conclusions about Musical Theatre and the wider Creative Industries. A Digital Portfolio Reel is also submitted, ensuring that students complete the course of study with an industry facing ¿calling card¿ that can be used beyond graduation.

Module provider

Guildford School of Acting

Module Leader

WILLIAMS Frances (GSA)

Number of Credits: 60

ECTS Credits: 30

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

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

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

Students will be expected to have enrolled on Dance Technique, Vocal Technique, Rehearsal & Performance and Acting Technique on the MA or MFA Musical Theatre programme(s)

Module content

The module takes place across one year of study, encompassing all four terms of the MA Course. The module falls into specific sections that enable students to demonstrate a robust approach to their industry engagement.

Industry Seminar ¿ Teaching Block 1 & 2


In teaching block one a sequence of seminars introduces students to the UK Creative Industries and the processes that Musical Theatre students will encounter as they enter industry. At the start of the course students will combine with others from across GSA to look at The Healthy Performer lecture series where nutrition, mental health and personal practice and care are discussed in a sequence of lectures. These form part of our ongoing commitment to establishing an open and inclusive curriculum where student experience lies at the heart of training and enabling students to focus on their wellbeing and understand best practice in the sector is key to starting this study and practical series of Professional Engagement work.

In the second half of the term the seminar focuses on the Level 7 students as a group and targets some key themes.

1. Industry Preparation ¿ In which students look at what materials they need and what services are available to them to develop their professional profile.
2. Agents & Casting Directors 1 ¿ This serves as an introduction to how Artists Agents work I the UK Creative Industries and also introduces the role of the Casting Director and what typically students can expect as they enter the industry.
3. Agents & Casting Directors 2 ¿ A seminar with an agent and an opportunity for students to gather advice and understanding from them.
4. Digital Media Engagement ¿ A seminar looking at social media and also content creation for students ¿ an opportunity to look at what works and what creates a valuable tool for the self-employed actor.
5. Finding Material ¿ A deeper look at where to look for material for self-tapes and auditions. How formats often work for requested self-tapes ¿ sides etc.
6. Creating Material ¿ A workshop seminar which introduces equipment and software than students can use autonomously in the creation of material.

In teaching block two the seminar begins to move to more academic areas to discuss how critical reflection and analysis can be applied to a student¿s own work. These seminars draw on the Journal of practice that students have created throughout term 1 and are continuing in term 2.
Alongside this discussion of trends and theories around Musical Theatre is encouraged in this bi-weekly seminar format.

SHOWCASE ¿ REHEARSAL & PERFORMANCE

The Showcase rehearsal period includes discussion and selection of performance materials, followed by an intensive rehearsal period, culminating in the performance of an Industry Showcase. Materials will be reflective of the continually developing global perspective within the musical theatre industry and students are encouraged to pick material that is close to their lived experience. The Showcase will be fully realized by creatives and GSA staff and delivered to Industry contacts by the support teams here at GSA. Students will also benefit from having their material in a digital form for personal use beyond the completion of their studies.

DIGITAL PERFORMANCE REEL
Students are encouraged across the course to actively record a range of songs, performances, acting pieces and any person specific skills to create a digital portfolio of work that includes at minimum¿

A personal introduction.
2 Contrasting Songs
1 Dance/Movement Sequence
1 Monologue ¿ Contemporary (TV and Film)
1 Scene ¿ Contemporary (Any genre)

This should be no longer than 10 minutes in duration and fully edited and delivered in the summer term.

CRITICAL & ANALYTICAL EVALUATION
The critical evaluation should be based on analysis and reflection of what it means to be a contemporary Musical Theatre performer. The evaluation can look at industry trends, in terms of style, socio-political trends, economic trends and media trends and/or can be a very personal look at an aspect of training that the student feels could benefit from a rigorous analysis. It is expected that this will not only be from a personal perspective but utilize a range of sources, practitioners and respected opinion so that the piece becomes the kind of robust and academically sound analysis that one would expect at Level 7.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Should a student miss an assessment point a re-sit opportunity will be decided at the Board of Study. Students will be given a new brief and in liaison with the tutor agree on a date and format for the assessment to ensure that missed learning outcomes are met.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate practically their comprehension and progression in

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

Summative Assessment & Feedback

Showcase Performance & Process
Students will be guided by staff in terms of their choices of material and the piece itself is directed and delivered by staff. The Assessment is based in part on engagement with the process and the final performance ¿ in terms of technical and performative skill displayed.

Digital Performance Reel
The digital performance reel is submitted by the conclusion of the summer term and should demonstrate a range of different vocal and acting styles, students should work autonomously in developing the reel across the year of study and then working toward the ¿final version¿ in the summer term. The module should be clearly labelled and have transferable use and quality appropriate for industry facing media channels. Editing and media facilities are available at GSA and the UoS for help in achieving the final cut of the work. Tutorials are also offered here in terms of staff watching and advising on technical and artistic content.

Critical and Reflective Evaluation [7000 Words]
Students will submit a project based on reflective and critical thought around the role of the contemporary musical theatre performer. Tutorials are provided with members of GSA staff to work toward the final draft of the evaluation. It is expected that the work be connected to personal practice and look forward as well as include elements of reflection on their course here at GSA. The work should be fully referenced and submitted with the guidelines of all UoS written work.


The Feedback is made available to students on Surrey Learn and is due no later than three working weeks after the assessment has taken place.

Module aims

• Thoroughly prepare the student for engagement in the professional Musical Theatre industry.
• Provide an opportunity for successful presentation to the professional Musical Theatre Industry in an industry-attended showcase.
• Enable the student to plan and take responsibility in the pursuit of artistic, creative and commercial opportunities
  
• Stimulate constructive and critical reflection upon process and outcomes.
  
• Engage with digital capabilities and formats for engagement.
  

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Enable the student to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of a career in Musical Theatre and to demonstrate a considerable degree of autonomy, reflection and analysis in the pursuit of that goal.
The learning and teaching methods include:
Industry Seminars.
These are led by GSA Staff and visiting Industry professionals ¿ enabling a wide range of opinion and experience to inform the classes.

Rehearsal and Performance for Showcase.
Led by a team of Creatives and Professionally produced this enables the student to work on their performance in an eternally facing digital format ¿ with the assistance of GSA in reaching out to industry to begin the journey toward employment.
Group and Individual Tutorials
These Tutorials enable students to engage and seek advice on the academic skills and practical skills needed for both the Critical & Analytical Evaluation and the Digital Portfolio.
The module is delivered over 600 hours study across seminars, tutorials, rehearsals and self-study.

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: MUTM054

Other information

Digital Capability Students are encouraged to use current media such as email, virtual meeting and communications software, for appropriate use in communication, recording and team working. Students will utiliseutilize the University¿s VLE (SurreyLearnSurrey Learn), and a range of Digital media platforms for appropriate use in communication, administration, scheduling, and reporting. Students will also engage within creating Digital Content as part of digital performance reel and classes and guidance on how to work with equipment and software is built in to the seminar and tutorial phases of the module. The Showcase is also recorded and sent digitally to industry partners and stakeholders. . Employability Employability is at the core of this Progrmodule. amme . Employability is embedded in teaching, learning and assessment. The skill base embedded in the module enables students to acquire the technical skills needed to gain employment as a Musical Theatre performer as dance forms a key skill for the contemporary Musical Theatre performer. Showcase directly engages with industry contacts and employers, enabling an entrée for the student. The digital performance reel encourages autonomy and gives students the capability to engage on a personal level, developing a range of personal contacts. . Global & Cultural Capabilities Students are expected to commence the programme with an open mind and a willingness to learn, engage in discussion, and to broaden their understanding of the lived experiences of the varying characters and communities they will be portraying as a professional actors-in-training. All modules benefit from an inclusivity ethos and students across their course of study benefit from the oversight of the Director of Equality and Diversity at GSA. Every effort is made to make a range of performances accessible, and students are also encouraged to reach out to the Disability and Neuro-Diversity service within the University of Surrey if they are experiencing barriers to individual learning. Resourcefulness & Resilience Classes, rehearsalsrehearsals, and performances adopt independent and collaborative learning, peer support, problem-solving, communication, independence, perseverance, stamina self-value and critical thinking, all of which promote resilience and resourcefulness. The classes and the structure of the verbal and written feedback enable students to build a rounded holistic view of their individual process. Students are supported throughout, and beyond, their training by expert staff with practitioner backgrounds, and a majority ofmost full-time staff are Mental Health First Aid trained and can give advice and guidance on where to seek further help ¿ again, enabling students to take control of their learning and any barriers to learning. Professional Engagement seeks to encourage students to work in an increasingly autonomous way, ensuring that the ¿safety net¿ is there at first and that guidance is in place ¿ but by the summer term enabling students to make autonomous and key decisions based on their acquired knowledge base. Sustainability Students are encouraged to contextualisecontextualize their learning and reflect on their current and future social, cultural, ethical, political, economic, and environmental impact from a personal, professional and global perspective, and to recogniserecognize a sense of shared responsibility. Students are encouraged to reflect on the values, perceptions, and actions of their own, of others and of characters they are portraying in rehearsal and performance, and the impact this has on audiences. Sustainability is a key direction of travel in the Creative Industries and this module leans heavily on digital formats in terms of its performance and delivery to industry.

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 2024/5 academic year.