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Australian Theatre and Performance (ENGL40020)
HonoursPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Please refer to the return to campus page for more information on these delivery modes and students who can enrol in each mode based on their location in first half year 2021.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Please refer to the specific study period for contact information.
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject is a study of the Australian performing arts from 1960 to the present with a special focus on the shift from national drama to diversity, and from the sole-authored play to devised and collaborative theatre. The study is framed by the changing landscape of Australian culture and the key insights of postcolonialism, feminism and gender theory, Indigenous Studies, and cultural studies. We read selected plays in relation to context, genre, and performance history; view DVDs of live performance; engage in online and library-based archival research; undertake detailed textual and performance analysis; and investigate the role of performance as a medium of cultural life. The subject is arranged in sections including a single-author study of Patrick White; the New Wave of the 1970s; Indigenous Dramatists such as Jack Davis, Jane Harrison; and the 21st Century stage. There will be scope to develop specialist studies of dramatists, theatre companies, and the performing arts industry.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- To understand Australian theatre as a communal and material encounter among embodied performers, audience and place;
- Apply interdisciplinary methodologies to understand the aesthetic, cultural, social and economic perspectives that intersect in the creation of dramatic literature and performance;
- Articulate how Australian theatre makes the case for itself as an expression of and contribution to culture and society;
- Discuss how theatre functions in relation to storytelling, history and community.
Generic skills
At the completion of this subejct, students will gain the following generic skills:
- the ability to prepare and present their ideas in both verbal and written mode to an advanced level and in conformity to conventions of academic presentation;
- the ability to participate in discussion and group activities and be sensitive to the participation of others;
- the ability to apply creative and critical thinking in the analysis of artistic works;
- the ability to manage time effectively in the completion of assessment tasks; and
- able to access a broad range of resource material, including traditional text, art works and electronic media.
Last updated: 11 February 2021