Contemporary Performance Analysis

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2014:

120

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.
The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This module acts as an introduction to performance analysis for spectators who are not necessarily theatre specialists. It will look at contemporary live performance, engaging with various theatres and performance spaces in Melbourne, and introduce the languages, methods and theories we can use to discuss the performances we see. This adds depth to the experience of theatre-going and raises questions of how we become active theatre-goers and participants in an arts culture. It will engage with how theatre sits in relation to wider culture and society.

• To introduce students to theatre as a particular form of live performance event;
• To develop an understanding of the theoretical and cultural analysis of performance.

• Seminar in-class exercises (discussion, presentation of ideas, short written tasks).- Continuous assessment 40%
• Essay (2000 words) - End of semester 60%

Aston, E., and Savona, G. (1991) The Theatre as Sign System. London: Routledge.
Barry, P. (1995) Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Fortier, M. (2002) Theory/Theater. 2nd edn. London: Routledge.

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

• In both written and verbal forms, be able to critically and theoretically analyse, evaluate and interpret performance texts and performance events from a range of critical perspectives;
• Be able to identify and interpret the cultural frameworks that surround performance events;
• Be aware of the ways in which performance may be related to the representational politics of race, gender, class, sexuality, and culture, etc.;
• Be able to produce written work adhering to the standards of academic practice in terms of referencing;
• To introduce students to theatre as a particular form of live performance event;
• To develop an understanding of the theoretical and cultural analysis of performance and presentation.