Teaching Responsibility
LJMU Schools involved in Delivery:
LJMU Partner Taught
Learning Methods
Lecture
Seminar
Workshop
Module Offerings
4601ATCD-SEP-PAR
Aims
This module aims to provide students with a practical and theoretical grounding in the key facilitation skills required to work within the broad spectrum of Applied Theatre and Community Drama. At this level the focus will be given to genealogies of contemporary practice, the anatomy of drama games and exercises, and the development of presence, intention, and adaptability in personal facilitation style.
Learning Outcomes
1.
Identify and define specific forms of Applied Theatre and Community Drama and utilise appropriate vocabulary / frames of reference when describing professional participatory work.
2.
Define and discuss the role of 'exercises', ‘games’ and ‘playing’ in different social contexts and how this links to drama practice.
3.
Utilise a process of structured reflection to analyse and improve facilitation practice with a specific focus on presence, intention and adaptation to prevailing circumstance.
4.
Demonstrate understanding of / and an ability to apply critical thinking skills to the appraisal of practical work.
Module Content
Outline Syllabus:
Unit 1: Facilitation
The unit will begin with an interrogation of the range of practices that constitute Applied Theatre and Community Drama and the notion of ‘workshop’ that is central to many of them. This will be followed by a detailed exploration and analysis of the constituent elements common to games and exercises and how these might be adapted to suit different participant groups. This first phase will conclude with the writing of an essay exploring the role of ‘games’ and ‘playing’ in human culture and how this links to drama practice. In the second phase of the unit focus will shift to the role of the facilitator and students will undergo a series of diagnostic exercises to explore their own facilitation style. Class based facilitation practice in groups will lead to individual work.
Unit 2: Pathways in Applied Theatre
In this part of the module students will be introduced to a selection of case studies exemplifying a range of Applied Theatre and Community Drama practice and explore methods of categorising them utilising appropriate vocabulary and frames of reference.
Placement:
Throughout the module each student will undertake a 20-hour placement with a community group (that does not currently undertake a drama based activity). The student’s role in the placement will be largely observational and they should not at this level be expected to lead sessions alone. At the end of the module each student will present an analysis of the needs of the community group and propose a hypothetical series of workshops and the appropriate facilitation approach they would use in working with this group.
Students will be required to keep a reflective journal of their development as facilitator throughout the module.
Unit 1: Facilitation
The unit will begin with an interrogation of the range of practices that constitute Applied Theatre and Community Drama and the notion of ‘workshop’ that is central to many of them. This will be followed by a detailed exploration and analysis of the constituent elements common to games and exercises and how these might be adapted to suit different participant groups. This first phase will conclude with the writing of an essay exploring the role of ‘games’ and ‘playing’ in human culture and how this links to drama practice. In the second phase of the unit focus will shift to the role of the facilitator and students will undergo a series of diagnostic exercises to explore their own facilitation style. Class based facilitation practice in groups will lead to individual work.
Unit 2: Pathways in Applied Theatre
In this part of the module students will be introduced to a selection of case studies exemplifying a range of Applied Theatre and Community Drama practice and explore methods of categorising them utilising appropriate vocabulary and frames of reference.
Placement:
Throughout the module each student will undertake a 20-hour placement with a community group (that does not currently undertake a drama based activity). The student’s role in the placement will be largely observational and they should not at this level be expected to lead sessions alone. At the end of the module each student will present an analysis of the needs of the community group and propose a hypothetical series of workshops and the appropriate facilitation approach they would use in working with this group.
Students will be required to keep a reflective journal of their development as facilitator throughout the module.
Module Overview:
This module focuses on the fundamentals of drama facilitation. Students explore the constituent parts of the drama workshop and develop individual practical skills in designing and leading games and exercises.
This module focuses on the fundamentals of drama facilitation. Students explore the constituent parts of the drama workshop and develop individual practical skills in designing and leading games and exercises.