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Master of Theatre (Directing) (MC-THTRDIR)
Masters (Coursework)Year: 2020 Delivered: On Campus (Southbank)
About this course
Coordinator
Chris Kohn
Contact
Students currently admitted in this course:
Future students:
Overview
Award title | Master of Theatre (Directing) |
---|---|
Year & campus | 2020 — Southbank |
CRICOS code | 085432F |
Fees information | Subject EFTSL, level, discipline and census date |
Study level & type | Graduate Coursework |
AQF level | 9 |
Credit points | 200 credit points |
Duration | 24 months full-time |
The Master of Theatre (Directing) focuses on developing the collaborative creative skills, reflective processes, leadership attributes and industry knowhow of directors for performance in the broadest sense of the term, including text-based theatre, new writing, devised work, live art and community and cultural development. Students will develop their potential as artistic leaders, attaining in-depth knowledge of their practice as a director, artist, performance-maker, collaborator and researcher.
The course is built upon core principles of: intellectual rigour, commitment to craft, artistic inquiry and self-reflection, ethical practices, interdisciplinarity and artform innovation.
During the course, students will experience a wide range of collaboration and leadership roles with students from disciplines within the VCA such as design, acting, production, playwriting, dramaturgy, musical composition, film and dance, as well as a range of creative encounters with local, national and international artists, organisations and communities.
The course offers a balance of theory and practice organised to allow for a progression from the intensively-taught, skills-based, first year to a more independent, project-orientated second year which culminates in an independent, practice-led research performance project or written dissertation. The course facilitates international training and research experiences through industry placements in the second year of the course.
Entry requirements
1. In order to be considered for entry, applications must have completed either:
• an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (such as the performing arts, music, visual arts, film, dance and digital arts), or equivalent; or
• an undergraduate degree in a cognate discipline (such as social sciences, architecture, landscape, computer science, cultural studies, applied sciences or international development fields), or equivalent; or
• an honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant discipline, with a weighted average mark of at least H2B (70%) across the honours year; or
• at least six years of documented professional practice in the creative arts industry.
Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.
2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:
• prior academic performance or professional experience; and
• an artistic statement which may include written and visual elements; and
• an interview/observing practice (for short-listed applicants only).
3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.
4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for graduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.
Note. Applicants with the following may be awarded up to 100 points of credit:
• an Honours degree in a relevant discipline, with a weighted average mark of at least H2B (70%) across the Honours year, or equivalent.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
Participants should possess and/or display potential to develop:
- Skills in the creative arts: performing arts, circus, graphic design, digital media arts, music, painting, sculpture, etc.
- Competencies in applying tools & techniques in imaginative play, lateral thinking, interpersonal & intrapersonal skills, social creativity, emotional & multiple intelligence methods
- Commitment to an intense praxis study model that encompasses research and practice
Behavioural and Social Attributes:
- Students must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment.
- Students must take full responsibility for their own participation and learning.
- Students also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative environments and must therefore demonstrate a wide range of interpersonal skills, which consider the needs of other students. Assessment will include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.
Disability:
- Students who have a disability which may prevent them from participating in tasks involving these inherent academic requirements are encouraged to contact the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/ Adjustments can be provided to minimise the impact of a disability; however, students will need to participate in the course in an independent manner.
Intended learning outcomes
Through laboratory-based workshops, seminars, lectures, self-directed exercises, tutorials, practical master classes and national and international internships the key learning outcomes will be:
- Specialist skills in directing for performance, such as processes of rehearsal, dramaturgy, devising, composition, performance-making;
- Advanced ability to engage creatively and imaginatively with textual, visual and performed sources and artworks;
- Ability to work across disciplines and multiple contexts of performance practice;
- Understanding of the interplay between theory and practice, and their mutual enrichment through praxis;
- The knowledge, practice and critical approaches required to build the Australian performance culture of the future;
- The skills to be flexible practitioners who can operate as leaders in multiple contexts;
- Embedded research skills and knowledge;
- Advanced critical, artistic and conceptual skills;
- Ability to comprehend, interpret and intelligently engage with the work of significant practitioners and theorists in the field;
- Advanced dramaturgical awareness, providing the skills to understand one’s own and others’ work within its socio-cultural environment;
- An awareness of intercultural and international differences, with a focus on Asia;
- Collaborative networks from within the cohort and the VCA, and the knowledge and skills to build future collaborative networks nationally and internationally through industry placements and internships.
Generic skills
On completion of this course the students should demonstrate the ability to:
- work across disciplines, create and organise a range of aesthetic material
- work as a leader showing initiative and openness
- communicate verbally and orally
- collaborate and be flexible
- use a range of research tools and methodologies
- lead others in the skills of problem solving
- interpret and analyse with a capacity for critical thinking
- reflect and evaluate to employ innovation methodologies
- network, broker and mentor
Graduate attributes
- Advanced skills and techniques applicable to the discipline
- A capacity to engage where appropriate with issues in contemporary society
- The capacity to value and participate in projects which require team work
- An appreciation of the design, conduct and reporting of original research
- An ability to evaluate and synthesise the research and professional literature in the discipline
- A capacity to articulate knowledge and understanding in oral and written presentations
- An advanced understanding of the changing knowledge base in the specialist area
- Well developed problem-solving abilities in the discipline area characterised by flexibility of approach
- An understanding of the significance and value of knowledge to the wider community (including business and industry
Course structure
200-point program of compulsory subjects
YEAR 1
Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
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DRAM90020 | Directing Methodologies | Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank) |
12.5 |
DRAM90010 | Performing Arts Research Methodologies | Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank) |
12.5 |
DRAM90019 | Dramaturgy, Text and Performance | Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank) |
12.5 |
DRAM90022 | Collaboration in Action | Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank) |
12.5 |
DRAM90012 | Collaborative Dramaturgies Project 1 | Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank) |
12.5 |
DRAM90021 | Director, Actor and Text | Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank) |
25 |
THTR90009 | Performance and Community Engagement | Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank) |
12.5 |
YEAR 2
Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
DRAM90016 | Industry Internships and Placements | Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Southbank) |
37.5 |
DRAM90018 | Creating a Project Vision | March (On Campus - Southbank) |
12.5 |
DRAM90017 | Independent Directing Project | Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank) |
50 |
Last updated: 18 December 2020