STAGE ACTING - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module is designed to inculcate in the student advanced knowledge and skills in acting techniques for the stage. Through class exercises, students engage with principles of stagecraft and the creation of a dramatic character in the theatre. A range of perspectives and approaches is employed over the module to ground students in acting as a cultural practice with an evolving history of styles and genres. Students will develop a coherent personal approach to their acting out of the practical classroom exercises.

Module provider

Guildford School of Acting

Module Leader

TUNSTALL Darren (GSA)

Number of Credits: 30

ECTS Credits: 15

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

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

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Over two teaching blocks, in four phases students will engage with acting techniques as they have evolved over time and in relation to different genres and styles, through practical classroom exercises and in-class projects.

Indicative content may include: Fundamentals of stagecraft

• Classical Greek theatre


• Shakespeare


• 18th century comedy


• Ibsen, Chekhov


• Stanislavski


• 20th century actor training (e.g. Meyerhold, Michael Chekhov, Vakhtangov)


• Contemporary theatre.

Students will work on scenes from plays to develop practical acting skills including character development, alongside which will be given classroom exercises designed to engage students with fundamental principles of professional stage technique.

Etudes and scene presentations will form part of classroom strategy for formatively assessing students' progress.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

• A coherent and sophisticated personal set of performance techniques for stage acting


• Active commitment to working with a disciplined self-awareness relevant to a professional context


• Collaborative team-playing skills


• A reflective, critical and embodied understanding of context, genre and style in relation to acting technique for the stage

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Continuous assessment of classroom exercises and tasks (addressing learning outcomes 1,2,3,4 and 5)

Formative assessment

Students will receive formative assessment at the close of each of the first three phases of the module: half way through Teaching Block 1, at the end of Teaching Block 1, and half way through Teaching Block 2. This will coincide with in-class presentations of work, which will be in the form of scenes or etudes.

Feedback

Written or audio feedback will be provided after each formative assessment and at the close of the module as part of the summative assessment; in addition, verbal feedback from the tutor in each class session will be given as appropriate.

Module aims

• Enable students to develop an advanced knowledge of context, style and genre in the practice of acting for the stage
• To challenge students to build a coherent personal approach to the techniques of acting a character on stage
• To provide an ensemble training for the development of performance, communication and team skills relevant to the acting profession

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Instill in students a sense of professional discipline within the context of stage performance; help students to acquire contextual and practical, embodied knowledge of influential theatre artists and teachers, genres and styles;


• Encourage the student to develop a personal toolkit for stage acting.

The methods of learning and teaching include:

• Practical workshops and classes in acting for the stage


• Presentation of in-class theatre projects


• Independent research and study including student journaling

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: ACTM053

Other information

Global and Cultural Capabilities

This module affords students the opportunity to enhance their cultural knowledge and awareness through its focus on context, genre and style. This is further enhanced by the stress upon collaborative work in which international students are invited to pool knowledge and experiences.

Resourcefulness and Resilience

The training focus in the module challenges students to manage uncertainty and risk as they work towards achieving professional standards.

Employability

Team-playing skills are embedded within the teaching and learning on the module, as are creative problem-solving by student groups. As with all modules on the programme, the aims of the module are tightly bound to a vocational mission in the focus on the development of a professional mindset in the actor.

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 2025/6 academic year.