Theatre & Performance offers you a unique opportunity to grow intellectually and creatively. Over the three-year degree programme, you will encounter ideas and practices that will both radically enhance and significantly challenge your current understanding of the subject. If you are interested in street theatre, live art, physical theatre, site specific performance, musical theatre, or dance and movement, then you can develop your curiosity into professional level engagement. Similarly, if you feel that theatre-in-education, collaborative exploration, performer training, festival performance and performance in everyday life make for intriguing avenues of exploration, then experts in the field will guide you on that journey of professional and artistic discovery.

The curriculum covers three key areas of practice:

• Performance Technique – this explores processes of the performer, and includes voice and movement, physical theatre, devising methods, ensemble practices and performance
• Text and Performance – this includes directing, writing for performance, script work and adaptation
• Applied Performance – this addresses theatre and drama in educational contexts, performance for social change (intervention, theatre for health and development), community performance
  
  

It might be that you work broadly across all three of these strands. Alternatively, you may wish to specialise in one area. Whichever route you opt for, you will have many opportunities to work collaboratively with students on the School’s other degree programmes.  At all levels, you will interrogate the concepts of theatre and performance in both practical and theoretical terms. This means you will perform in many arenas – schools, prisons, streets, studios, theatres, galleries, museums, to name just a few. It also means you will analyse not only your own work, but that of ground-breaking specialists.

• You will explore the work of practitioners such as Augusto Boal, Michael Chekhov and Vsevolod Meyerhold.
• You will examine the theories of Judith Butler, Richard Schechner and Baz Kershaw
• You will study the work of artists and companies such Forced Entertainment, Marina Abramovic and Orlan
  
  
  

In addition to subject-specific knowledge, you will gain invaluable transferable skills in research, written and verbal communication, creativity, team working and problem solving. Working in a dynamic interdisciplinary school you will find exciting new areas to research and new methods with which to experiment. You will be able to get involved with postgraduate performances, staff research projects and a host of co-curricular shows and workshops organised by Union societies and visiting companies who utilise our state of the art facilities at stage@leeds.

During your degree you will be taught through a combination of studio work-shops, performances, lectures, seminars and tutorials. You will be assessed in a number of different ways too. This will include essays, group presentations, written exams, studio work and practical performances. In your second year you will collaborate with external partner organisations and get real world experience at making performance work and delivering workshops for particular contexts.  We currently collaborate with a range of schools and colleges, art galleries, national museums, regional theatres, dance companies, media centres, touring companies as well as Pupil Referral Units, bail hostels and prisons.  Again, the choice is yours and it is extremely varied. Students often find these experiences to be the most rewarding and challenging part of their degree. Through these and similar professional partnerships with local, national and international organisations and institutions, you will develop extensive networks. You may wish to take advantage of the Study Abroad or Industry Year options that are offered in Year Three. Crucially, by the time you graduate, you will be eminently employable in the arts and cultural industries sectors. 


For the Programme Catalogue link through here

Students at work at the Leeds City Art Gallery



LEVEL 1 Study


Performance Perspectives (20 credits) and Cultures of Performance (20 credits)
Together, these two modules form a common spine of learning for all PCI students throughout the first year. The aim of the modules is to introduce all of our students to a range of perspectives on contemporary performance (e.g. space, time, technology, the body, organisation, interactivity) and key theories and concepts in culture and performance (e.g. popular culture, performance and everyday life, semiotics, phenomenology, gender and identity, creativity and control).
These modules are taught through lectures and programme-specific seminar groups enabling students to see how overarching ideas about performance and culture can be useful in understanding their specific area of study. These modules help students to develop core research skills in reading, analysis and academic writing.


Process of Performance 1: Foundations (20 credits)
Studio based module, with weekly practical workshops. Students are able to choose two Units from three areas of practical and theoretical focus: Performance Technique, Text & Performance or Applied Performance. This forms the foundation of creative practice to be developed during subsequent modules in the core series, provides starting points for collaborative projects with staff and students from across the School

Collaborative Process (20 credits)
This module brings students from all three PCI undergraduate programmes to work together in interdisciplinary groups through the medium of performance. The aim is to use workshops and seminars to explore creative, collaborative processes and concepts and allow students from different disciplines to share and exchange ideas. Students learn how to develop ideas in collaboration and reflect on their individual contributions to the group. Theories of creativity, team working and contemporary practice in devised and collaborative performance provide a frame of reference for this module.

Processes of Performance 2: Methodologies (20 credits)
Studio based module, with weekly practical workshops. Students are able to choose a further two Units from three areas of practical and theoretical focus: Performance Technique; Text & Performance; Applied Performance. Explores how varied techniques, processes and methods of working may be applied to the different contexts of performance encountered on the programme as a whole
+ 20 credits of Elective options in Semester Two – wide range of modules from departments across the University
Level 1 electives in the School include: Exploring the Musical, Stage Management, Performing Arts in Context.

'Processes of Performance' students on the Leeds Campus

LEVEL 2 Study

Strategies for Research (20 credits)
How can we know what impact performance and the cultural industries have on society? How can we investigate aspects such as creativity and collaboration? Building on core skills introduced at Level 1, this module looks at the range of ways in which new knowledge in performance and the cultural industries can be developed. Students are introduced to the way different methods can be applied to real-life examples and they explore ways in which they would go about pursuing their own research project. The aim of this module is to support students in developing their capacity as researchers and as critical thinkers. It supports students in developing their understanding of current research in their subject area and also helps develop valuable and transferable academic skills.


Processes of Performance 3: Applications (20 credits)
Studio based module with weekly practical workshops. Students focus intensively on one area of theory and practice: Performance Technique, Text & Performance or Applied Performance materials introduced in taught sessions are applied to self-directed projects or creative tasks, presented in informal performances or presentations


Collaborative Performance Project (20 credits)
This module allows students to evaluate the role of performance in culture and society through a live project. It builds on the collaborative processes developed at Level 1. Working in interdisciplinary groups, students bring their specialist skills to a collaborative performance project with a partner organisation from outside the University which will emerge through a negotiated brief. Students investigate the needs of particular audiences (or client groups) and undertake research. Under the supervision of tutors, students define and develop a range of skills through a collaborative process which culminates in a performance event. This might take the form of a community performance and/or workshop activity for the client or partner organisation. Students will develop evaluation methodologies in order to assess the project’s effectiveness. Recent partners have included Opera North, West Yorkshire Fire Service, New Hall Prison, West Yorkshire Playhouse, The National Mining Museum and Leeds City Art Gallery.


Processes of Performance 4: Contexts (20 credits)
studio based module, with weekly practical workshops
students focus intensively on one area of theory and practice: Performance Technique, Text & Performance or Applied Performance addresses different genres, contexts or modes of creative practice through practical and critical enquiry, individual research and reading as well as self-directed group work and/or rehearsals

Semester One or Semester Two Option - Independent Industry Study (20 credits)
This module aims to provide individual insight into a specific area of work within the cultural and creative industries. It requires you to undertake a placement within a relevant professional context and then to evaluate both the placement and your own learning arising from it. With guidance and support from tutors and the University careers staff, students will identify personal learning objectives for a placement of approximately 70 hours. This can take place over a short intense working period or spread out over a number of weeks depending on what is appropriate and practical. Examples include arts organisations, theatres, broadcast media, design agencies, advertising agencies, schools, colleges, companies working within communities. This module provides an opportunity to meet cultural industries professionals, understand their working practices, and reflect upon opportunities and implications for future employment .


Semester One Option - Dance in Context (20 Credits)
This module studies the application of dance in a variety of contexts. The module will focus on agendas such as inclusion, empowerment, ownership, and self-expression and will explore how these ideas impact on dance as artistic practice. Students will be asked to consider how practitioners retain artistic integrity when dance is being used as a means to facilitate cross-disciplinary research, to make political statements, to educate and to provoke social change. Students will be introduced to a range of different contexts across the module. These might include dance for mental health, dance as dementia treatment, inclusive practice, dance as a means to self-knowledge, the place of dance in the education system, dance and politics, dance and philosophy, dance and contemporary culture. The module is delivered through lectures, practice-led workshops, seminars, group and solo work as well as group discussion and uses theory and practice in combination to develop an understanding of applied dance practice and choreographic outcomes.


Semester One Option - Arts Marketing (20 credits)
This module is for those students looking to gain knowledge and understanding of current practices within arts marketing. It explores key marketing concepts and frameworks and examines how those are applied to specific cultural organisations. Students will review current debates about how marketing should be applied to cultural activities and the impact cultural policy has on the marketing function in the UK. Emphasis will be placed on reviewing research and theories on consumer behaviour. Students will reflect on the implications of these factors and how they affect price, product and promotions for cultural organisations. The module is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and informal group work. In these sessions students will examine generic marketing principles and the particular problems facing those engaged in marketing the arts. A range of marketing tools for overcoming these issues will be explored.


Semester One Option - Modernism and Postmodernism in Performance (20 credits)
This module explores intersections between the arts and theatre, ranging from the late nineteenth century to the present. Weekly sessions will examine innovations in performance, theatre, design, dance and live art, including the influences of philosophical, social and technological developments during this period. A programme of readings, lectures and seminars will highlight the work of selected practitioners acknowledged for their contribution to the radical reinterpretations of the 20th and 21st centuries. Delivered through group seminar and some practical exploration, teaching will be structured to allow for close study of particular reactions to and departures from early Naturalism and Realism, and the key artistic movements within which these reactions were given expression, e.g. Symbolism, Expressionism, Dada, Surrealism, Absurdism, Epic Theatre. This will be followed by investigation of the concept of the ‘postmodern’ in performance, including key practitioners and works that belong within the historical and cultural period of ‘postmodernity’.


Semester Two Degree Specific Option - Performer Training in the C20th and C21st (20 credits)
This module is aimed at promoting an in-depth understanding of various performer training systems and methodologies. It concentrates on the 20th and 21st centuries as this is the key period during which acting and performing became theorised and systematised. The module is interested in examining how training is passed on and what factors play a part in this transmission. It will outline in detail how training systems work and will debate the extent to which they adapt to specific cultural contexts and pressures. During the module students will examine the mechanics of tradition-making in performance, explore the political contexts surrounding training and transmission and gain a wider understanding of the genesis and development of actor training methodologies. Through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical work students will study the work of a range of practitioners including Stanislavski, Chekhov, Meyerhold, Littlewood and Strasberg.


Semester Two Option - Practice-led Research (20 credits)
This module reflects contemporary approaches to practice-led research in performance and therefore introduces you to the intersection of academic and professional practice. It allows you to develop a deeper understanding of what practice through research might be within the field of performance and you will discover how cutting edge knowledge is produced in this way. The module encourages collaborative, interdisciplinary working. With advice and guidance from module staff you will develop a research proposal and pursue this through practical work either on your own or in small groups if your research interests can be seen to be mutually beneficial. Projects might focus on techniques for devising, the investigation of audience experience, site-specific performance or any other related subject where conducting practical research is the best way to pursue your research questions. The module is delivered through lectures, seminars and tutorials and requires students to work independently on their own project.


Semester Two Option - Staging Histories (20 credits)
This module is dedicated to an exploration of the varied relationships between performance and history: the history in performance as well as the history of performance. It focuses on pre-20th century theatre, design, dance and performance, and concerns itself with historical texts that include scripts, photographs, drawings, models, designs, diaries, descriptions and criticisms. The investigation will necessarily draw on the related concepts of the past, time and memory, as well as their expressions in such diverse notions as heritage, nostalgia, retrospectives, tradition, reminiscence, convention, reconstruction, revival, archaeology and so on. In other words, the module is designed to range widely over the broad territory that connects ‘performance’ and ‘history’, and is not simply concerned with ‘performance history’ as such. Delivered through group seminar students will be asked to consider how a performance’s original conditions of production influenced its form and content, and how subsequent generations interpreted that text in accordance with their own conditions. The aim is not to study historical texts as museum pieces, but to understand the use of these texts as sites of negotiation between different historical periods, including the contemporary.

Semester Two Option - Cultural Flashpoints in the Performing Arts (20 credits)
This module examines case studies from across the performing arts disciplines; theatre, dance, music theatre, film, popular music taking specific examples that may be seen to originate from creative and cultural flashpoints in the 20th Century. The module explores how certain periods of time generated particular cultural shifts and examines how this relates to the social and political landscape from which they emerge. Case studies for close analysis might include the performing arts and the rise of Fascism in the 1930s, new British Theatre in the 1950s, British New Wave Film in the 1960s, punk rock during the 1970s. Delivered through a series of lectures students will be encouraged to evaluate the impact of cultural artefacts on British and European culture and to demonstrate cultural knowledge through a detailed study of an agreed and focussed performance area of their own choosing.

Students may choose to study 20 credits of elective modules instead of optional module in the opposite semester - wide range of modules from departments across the University.

 

 

 

 

 

Year in Industry

What is the Year in Industry?

Year in Industry is a year long placement taken between the second and third year and adds an extra year to the course. Students must work in a professional environment, be treated as an employee and receive an appropriate level of salary.

The benefits from a placement year?

A Year in Industry or placement year is a fantastic opportunity to apply the skills you have gained through the first two years of your Theatre and Performance Degree and see theories put to the test in a practical environment.

• Investigating career pathways and employment opportunities, both specific and general
• Applying knowledge in a real life situation
• Exploring different career paths without long term commitment
• Meeting people and exchanging experiences
• Putting your academic work in context
• Developing additional job specific training
  

Click here for the Year in Industry module information

Study Abroad

"New research presented today by the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) found that international businesses are increasingly seeking graduates who have a global awareness, particularly those who have the initiative to study overseas as part of their learning. Graduates who have studied abroad tend to be more culturally aware, able to work in multicultural teams and move around the world as part of their career."

The Guardian 16/10/2008

As part of their studies, all PCI undergraduate students can opt to spend a year studying abroad in a partner institution.

Click here for more information on Study Abroad.

In summary, BA (Hons) Theatre and Performance students will develop:

• Abilities in the theoretical interrogation and the practical realization of the practice of performance
• An analytical and reflective approach to their work
• Capability in working collaboratively with others
• An appreciation of the role of theatre and performance within contemporary society and culture
• Understanding of the structure, organisation and opportunities within the performance industries
• Capability in personal development planning and planning their own career options

Graduate opportunities

Further academic study, Writing, Performing, Directing, Education, Events organisation , Arts administration, Community arts work
The high-level generic and transferable skills our students develop also mean that they are suited to professional training in areas beyond the arts including finance, law and business.