Theatre & Performance Studies - THSTA13403
Stream Summary
Faculty: ARTSC - Faculty of Arts&Social Science
School: School of the Arts and Media
Contact: School of the Arts and Media
Program: 3403 - Arts
Award(s):
Bachelor of Arts (Major)
View stream information for previous years
Stream Outline
This stream structure is for students commencing prior to 2016.
Students commencing from 2016 should refer to the relevant stream version for their program. Please click here for a complete list of programs in which Theatre and Performance Studies can be studied.
The major stream in Theatre and Performance Studies (TPS) covers the theoretical and historical study of a wide range of human performance in the arts with a focus on contemporary forms of theatre and dance in Europe and Australasia. It is distinguished by an emphasis on engaging with disparate modes of performance – theatrical and cultural, European and Asian, contemporary and historical, text and non-text based, low and high culture – through a combination of both concept-driven and experiential learning.
While the primary objects of study in the major stream are theatre and dance, they are regarded in terms of their production of meanings, subjects, and social relations. Practical work is therefore undertaken in the BA program not to train students as professional practitioners, but in order that they may develop an informed critical language for the discussion and analysis of theatre and dance as areas of performance and reach a fuller appreciation of the production process and construction of meaning in the respective media.
The subject-specific aims of the BA major stream in TPS are:
Students commencing from 2016 should refer to the relevant stream version for their program. Please click here for a complete list of programs in which Theatre and Performance Studies can be studied.
The major stream in Theatre and Performance Studies (TPS) covers the theoretical and historical study of a wide range of human performance in the arts with a focus on contemporary forms of theatre and dance in Europe and Australasia. It is distinguished by an emphasis on engaging with disparate modes of performance – theatrical and cultural, European and Asian, contemporary and historical, text and non-text based, low and high culture – through a combination of both concept-driven and experiential learning.
While the primary objects of study in the major stream are theatre and dance, they are regarded in terms of their production of meanings, subjects, and social relations. Practical work is therefore undertaken in the BA program not to train students as professional practitioners, but in order that they may develop an informed critical language for the discussion and analysis of theatre and dance as areas of performance and reach a fuller appreciation of the production process and construction of meaning in the respective media.
The subject-specific aims of the BA major stream in TPS are:
- to foster the ability to describe, interpret and evaluate performance as events producing social meanings, subjects and relations;
- to develop the ability to theorise diverse performance from a range of critical perspectives;
- to generate analytical and embodied understanding of historical and contemporary performance making processes and skills:
- to develop competence in reading and realising the performance possibilities implied by a script, score and other textual or documentary source;
- to develop skills in group-based learning and ethical engagement with collaborators and receivers;
- to foster an understanding of the cultural and historical specificity of theatre and performance as well as an appreciation of the global nature of performance knowledges and practices;
- to encourage reflection on the nature and functions of live art in the contemporary world
Stream Structure
A student who wishes to gain a major stream in Theatre and Performance Studies must complete 54 units of credit including 12 uoc at Level 1, at least 18 uoc at Level 2 including the core course ARTS2121 Theatre and Current Events, and at least 18 uoc at Level 3 including the capstone course.
BA/BEd Students: In order to meet the criteria set by the NSW Institute of Teachers, BA/BEd students undertaking the Theatre and Performance Studies major must follow the stream rules specific to their program here.
BA/BEd Students: In order to meet the criteria set by the NSW Institute of Teachers, BA/BEd students undertaking the Theatre and Performance Studies major must follow the stream rules specific to their program here.
Level 1
- ARTS1120 Experiencing Theatre (6 UOC)
- ARTS1121 The Life of Performance (6 UOC)
Level 2
Students must complete the core course:
AND at least two of the following courses:
- ARTS2120 Writing for Performance (6 UOC)
- ARTS2122 Performance Production (6 UOC)
- ARTS2123 Musicals, Dance & Pop Culture (6 UOC)
- ARTS2125 Acting and Performing (6 UOC)
- ARTS2126 Reviewing the Arts (6 UOC)
- ARTS2127 Great Plays (6 UOC)
- ARTS2128 Art, Activism, Publics (6 UOC)
The following course is highly recommended as a Free Elective or UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Elective for Theatre and Performance students wishing to gain additional production skills:
- ARTS2009 - Technical Production
Level 3
Theatre and Performance Studies Courses:
- ARTS3123 Solo Performance (6 UOC)
- ARTS3124 Collaborative Making (6 UOC)
- ARTS3125 Multimedia Performance (6 UOC)
- ARTS3130 Choreography and the Arts (6 UOC)
- ARTS3131 Playing Australia (6 UOC)
- ARTS3132 Based on a True Story (6 UOC)
The following courses from other subject areas can also be counted towards the Theatre and Performance Studies major stream:
Theatre and Performance Studies Capstone course (Compulsory)
- ARTS3122 Program and Repertoire (6 UOC)
