Acting for Opera Performance 1

This subject is not offered in 2016.

120 hours.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject explores the holistic performance elements required by professional opera singers. Combining text analysis and movement principles, this subject is designed to build skills of dramatic interpretation and individual expression required for professional opera performance opera performance.

Students are encouraged to integrate imagination and physical skills with their vocal skills to develop characters and interpret text.

On completion of the subject, student will have expanded and built upon specific skills necessary for high calibre, theatrical characterization in operatic performance through:

• Developing an appreciation of the significance of text in the operatic art-form
• Application of kinesthetic awareness exercises and movement skills (as opposed to vocal) to produce honest, theatrical characterization
• Embarking upon analysis and discussion of scenes using selected existing play-scripts
• Developing the capacity for autonomous analysis and interpretation of dramatic context, character and text/script, and to apply this knowledge to operatic performance
• Developing collaborative skills necessary for the ensemble nature of the art-form

30%: 1-2 hour performance assessment of movement, character, text and scene analysis.

30%: 20 minute performance and oral analysis of self prepared work.

40%: Ongoing assessment of the processes required for characterization and performance development.

100% attendance and active collaboration is expected. Less than 80% attendance will result in a fail.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this course, students will be:

• skilled in applying movement with the specific skills of character, text and scene analysis to produce excellent theatrical characterization and performance
• able to demonstrate a high level of autonomy and resourcefulness in evaluation of dramatic context, character deconstruction and analysis, and interpretation of text/script in operatic performance by orally explaining their methodology.
• creative in the application of self-directed learning generating high quality performance
• able to demonstrate knowledge of the ethics and expectations of theatrical characterization in collaborative operatic performance