Theatre an Drama in intercultural context (MGL0083)

Content

Are you interested in creating art and culture that includes and engages children and youth? Do you wish to explore, perform, and apply theatre in diverse community settings through international program?

If so, our one-year program in Theatre and Drama in Intercultural Contexts is a great place to start.

The course provides an introduction to theatre in various contexts, such as Preforming Arts, Drama and Theatre Pedagogy and Applied Theatre Practices. It also explores how these areas can be relevant in today’s multicultural society within the fields of art and culture, as well as various forms of educational and social work.

Throughout the program, you will gain knowledge of acting, directing, dramaturgy, stagecraft, and working methods across various forms of theatre. You will also gain experience in creating your own theatre projects, where you develop your own artistic language within collective artistic processes in an international context.

This one-year course will prepare you to plan, create, and lead theatre productions, artistic projects, and other creative processes in schools, cultural settings, and community activities.

• The subject is open to both national and international students where the language of instruction is English.
• We collaborate closely with local arts, culture, and educational institutions, and have established connections with national and international professionals as part of the teaching process
• Study trip to international theatre festival.
• Various placement opportunities at children's and youth theatre, cultural, and educational institutions.

Content:

The course is structured around three themes. The main theme is: Acting and Theatre Production, which is further developed in the subtopics Theatre and Drama Pedagogy, and Applied Theatre. The curriculum and methods are based on the distinctive nature of theatre in various societal contexts, such as the arts and culture sector, and different forms of educational and social work.

Acting and Theatre Production

This theme provides an introduction to the basic elements and fundamentals of performing arts, with a focus on acting, directing, and dramaturgical tools in theatre.

Students will work with acting techniques and methods based on the traditions of Stanislavski and Brecht, as well as physical approaches to stage presence in theatre, drawing on the work of Lecoq and Grotowski. Improvisation, character work, and scenic text development, both individually and collectively, are central and form the foundation of the artistic process.

Students will gain experience in creating their own theatre projects, where they develop their own artistic language within collective artistic processes. The course uses theatre production as a learning model, where directing, dramaturgy, concept development, working methods, and stagecraft in theatre are key elements. Additionally, the relationship between the theatre’s form and content will be further developed.

This work will provide students with a practical understanding of the various aspects of theatrical production. Teaching and guidance are based on the connection between practical work and theoretical reflection, where students develop the knowledge and skills needed to plan and carry out collective artistic processes.

Theatre and Drama Pedagogy

The topic emphasises theatre and drama as methodological and pedagogical tools, focusing on play, practical activities, intercultural work, and aesthetic learning processes in educational centres, learning centres, and non-formal education organisation projects.

The students will gain experience in how drama and theatre pedagogy can be applied in intercultural work in the classroom promoting democracy and active citizenship. The students will acquire knowledge and skills in how drama and theatre pedagogy can be applied in practical and creative learning, where intellect, emotions, and the body are activated in a collective exploration of various school subjects and topics. These aesthetic learning processes, through sensing, reflection, and practical creative work, are based on a holistic approach to learning that provides deep learning and is a prerequisite for pupils' development and identity construction.

The students will gain experience in planning and implementing theatre and drama education in subjects, topics, and interdisciplinary projects in schools, which develop intercultural competence, engagement, joy of creation, and autonomy among the students.

Applied Theatre

In this subject, students will apply their experience from the aforementioned topics: Acting and Theatre Production and Drama and Theatre Pedagogy, to explore community related issues and promote social development through applied theatre as a tool for intercultural communication and relationship-building. The teaching will take place in close collaboration with professional from the arts and culture field, as well as various arenas for educational and social work, such as children's and youth theatres, learning centres, and leisure clubs.

The work aims to provide students with a practical understanding of various aspects of applied theatre, where teaching and guidance are based on the connection between practical work and theoretical reflection. The approach is rooted in critical and humanistic pedagogy, with an emphasis on Freire, Boal, and Barba. Students will gain experience in planning workshops and various interdisciplinary arts and culture projects. They will also gain experience developing applied theatre practices for leisure clubs, learning and immigration centres, as well as experiencing different forms of collaboration and partnership within different organisations, promoting intercultural competence, democracy, and active citizenship

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

A candidate who has successfully completed the course will have knowledge of:

• Key movements and forms of expression in theatre, drama, theatre pedagogy, and applied theatre in the arts and cultural field, in schools, and in social life
• Various acting techniques, working methods, dramaturgy, and directing methodologies as a foundation for creative stage work with a focus on Epic and Postmodern theatre.
• Key trends in intercultural work within the arts and cultural sector, in schools, and in social life
• Artistic work that includes children and young people in an intercultural context
• The ability to function effectively across cultures, to think and act appropriately, and to communicate and collaborate with people from different cultural backgrounds—whether domestically or abroad
• Aesthetic learning processes through drama and theatre as a prerequisite for learning in schools, with a focus on different subjects and the interdisciplinary topics health and life skills, democracy and citizenship and sustainable development.
• Key features in the development of theatre as an art form, various approaches within drama and theatre as art tools in schools, and applied theatre in different social contexts.
• Interdisciplinary work and methods in artistic practice
• Communication, collaboration, and innovation
• Relevant research methods in the field
• Technological tools and new media in creative work within theatre, drama, theatre pedagogy, and applied theatre.

Skills

A candidate who has completed and passed the course will be able to:

• Master basic skills in acting techniques, directing, and dramaturgy, with a focus on creating original theatre productions across diverse contexts, particularly emphasizing on Epic and Post-dramatic methods
• Master fundamental knowledge of concept development, composition, and scenic means and design in directing work
• Master basic skills in different working methods in theatre, such as the method of active analysis and various conceptual devising processes
• Be able to describe, interpret, and evaluate artistic and creative work and apply this knowledge critically and constructively in feedback situations.
• Master basic skills in drama and theatre pedagogy and, as well as applied theatre, through hands-on practice.
• Be able to critically reflect on ethical dilemmas that arise in applied theatre work
• develop a reflective and experiance-based approch to drama and theatre, as well as theatre pedagogy in education in an intercultural context.
• Master basic skills in acting and theatre production, drama and theatre pedagogy, and applied theatre in an intercultural context
• Facilitate deep learning and aesthetic learning processes through drama and theatre pedagogy in an intercultural context
• Plan, execute, and evaluate theatre productions, drama and theatre teaching plans, and applied theatre in interdisciplinary settings within the arts and culture, schools, and community life
• Master and actively use digital tools in theatre productions, drama and theatre pedagogy, and applied theatre, as well as in theoretical, practical, and artistic presentations.
• Be able to apply relevant research methods related to the research and development assignment

General competence

A candidate who has completed and passed the course:

• Should be able to plan, develop, and create theatre productions through collective artistic processes within the arts and cultural field
• Be able to apply theatre’s expressive forms in developing performances for, by, and with children, youth, and various communities
• Be closely engaged with societal challenges and its diversity by creating art and culture that includes and engages children and young people.
• Should be able to plan, develop, and lead drama and theatre pedagogical work in an intercultural context within schools and educational institutions with an emphasis on the schools interdisciplinary topics Health and life skills, Democracy and citizenship and Sustainable development
• Should stimulate engagement, creativity, problem-solving, and curiosity in students through the use of drama and theatre as an aesthetic learning process in schools
• Should be able to explore socially relevant issues and promote social development through applied theatre as a tool, with a focus on democracy and citizenship
• Have competence in an intercultural approach to work, being able to combine the cognitive, physical, and emotional/motivational aspects as crucial factors in understanding not only external behaviour but also the unwritten norms that shape different cultures.
• Have competence development processes

Required prerequisite knowledge

Exam

Coursework requirements

Theatre and Drama in Intercultural Contexts is a practical and theoretical course, and all teaching and supervision are madatory. There is an 80% attendance requierment, though an extention to 70% can be applied for with documented and approved reasosns.

The following must be approved in order to be eligble to take the exam:

• Study Trip: Students are encouraged to participate in a study trip where they will watch at least five professional performances for children and young people. These performances will be analyzed and discussed in group conversations during the trip. The trip usually takes place early in the semester and lasts 3-4 days. Alternatively, students can watch five theatre performances for children/youth on their own and submit individual performance analyses.
• Attending Theatre Performances: The student must attend at least 5 professional theatre performances during the course of their studies.
• Theatre Production: Students must work in groups to complete a theatre project that culminates in six public performances.
• Practical Project in Drama and Theatre Pedagogy and/or Applied Theatre: Develop and carry out a group project in creating a drama and theatre pedagogy teaching plan and/or a project in applied theatre. This must be implemented at least six times in elementary schools, at a children's or youth theatre, and/or at another community or cultural institution. It should then be analyzed in a written, individual reflection paper of 1500 words (+/- 10%).
• Portfolio Assignment: Students must complete a written individual or group assignment on a self-selected topic in one of the following areas: Acting, Theatre Production, Drama and Theatre Pedagogy, or Applied Theatre. The assignment should be 2,500 words (+/- 10%).

Students who have one or more of their coursework requirements assessed as not approved on the first submission will be given the opportunity to resubmit the revised assignment(s) one more time.

Course teacher(s)

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Method of work

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