BA (Hons) Acting (Contemporary Performance)

This module introduces a variety of global practitioner approaches to develop the necessary supportive technical skills to understand and realise the fundamentals of contemporary practice. You will be introduced to movement and voice skills to provide a framework for material analysis and the application of technique in interdisciplinary and interpretative storytelling.

This module develops on the integration of acting, movement and voice skills through inventive performance approaches to advance your technical interdisciplinary knowledge and application when working with challenging source material from international works and via decolonised perspectives. You will deconstruct material to find bold and ambitious ideas, using your interdisciplinary skills and introductions to the integration of technological/digital engagement within performance to enhance storytelling.

For this module, you will expand on your understanding of the application of technical acting, movement and voice skills when applied to inventive multidisciplinary performance creation, inspired by an influential ground-breaking company or artist, practitioner or performance specialist. You will interpret stimuli using performance devices to achieve an aesthetic, stylised and interdisciplinary presentation to an audience of peers and staff.

In this module, you will develop the necessary skills to create original live work and extend your ability to work as part of a creative ensemble. Furthermore, you will undertake research and development, understanding fresh and relevant cultural perspectives to give your work meaning as well as acknowledging the role an audience plays in the reception of your work. This module introduces notions of business and enterprise, criticality and creation, as part of the artists ongoing practice.

These projects provide you with the opportunity to explore experimental performance approaches, combining technology and live creation to analyse advanced approaches to contemporary practice. By adapting your technical knowledge, you will expand your interdisciplinary abilities and consolidate practitioner methodologies, vocal and physical choices. You will explore environmental impacts, examining the semiotics of location and space in immersive performance, as well as achieving an experiential performance event.

This module allows you to test your developing contemporary and experimental processes across two distinct, alternative projects. One project focuses on a highly physical reimagining of classic or heightened text works, such as Shakespeare, through an experimental and contemporary lens. A second project introduces ideas of oral poetic performance (spoken word) and can be realised as a live, digital or integrated project, as well as an independent solo or company creation. Movement supports your ability to find physical expansion and play, with vocal approaches that allow you to adapt for verse, metre, rhyme and rhythm, as well as differing performance spaces.

This research and development project provides an opportunity to collaborate with innovative performance makers in the creation of an original boundary-breaking work. Beginning now to mirror professional practice, you will receive structured direction and supervision in the creation and execution of a fully realised workshop presentation. You will undertake independent research in the development of a unique and pioneering contemporary work to an invited audience across several performances.

This module delivers the opportunity to research, create, and present a project such as a script submission, play reading, short film, screening or performance. You will investigate cultural perspectives, unearthing objective debates around studied materials and the creation of your own, bringing together research, theory, and practice. Also, you will enhance your business knowledge and industry skills, including project planning, target audiences and audition technique to contribute to both your actors process and personal practice.

In this module you will work with professional performance-makers, including students from other courses, to realise an original live public production. You will reach professional standards and expectations, working independently to research and prepare for the rehearsal process and meet the vision of your director and creative team. You will exercise your ability to demonstrate imaginative contemporary performance invention, professionalism, organisation and time management skills, and the repetition and recreation of work via performance technique.

In this module you build on previous performance experience, assuming full responsibility for your own preparation, process and production of work that meets professional standards. You will work in simulated industry scenarios and are presented with challenging expectations which are representative of the real world. The module follows a similar structure to Contemporary Production I, culminating in a production of work for a public audience. Your interpersonal skills, independent methodology and professionalism is further tested through self-governed responsibility and engagement with collaborators.

For this module, you will collate a promotional portfolio, containing work that best demonstrates your individual creative output, ambitions and potential. You will assemble live/digital/audio materials as a part of your portfolio. This portfolio will be utilised to contact industry and employers, following your research and evaluation of appropriate industry networks to engage with in preparation for your future career. You will take part in a portfolio presentation, generating unique content and promotional material according to your career plans and employment aspirations. Work produced on this module is public-facing and can be utilised to present yourself to future employers.

This module builds on previous Artistic Practice projects, advancing your development and creation of original new material. You will receive mentored supervision in your chosen area, leading to a live/recorded showcasing of work at our annual festival. Additionally, you will use practical and research skills to develop a solo project, improving your independent entrepreneurial and project management skills.