Drama and Theatre | BA (Hons) | University of Lincoln

An Introduction to Your Modules

† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.

Devising and Making 2022-23DRA1046MLevel 42022-23A practice-based introduction to the foundational elements of performance technique and performance making, in this module students may undertake instruction in vocal and physical technique, learning the fundamentals of movement for theatre, spatial and ensemble awareness and the operation of the voice. Alongside these, weekly workshops investigate the theories and methodologies that underpin performance making. As they develop an applied understanding of technique and the ability to engage in critical reflection, students can form groups and work towards devising original performances which are showcased at the end of the semester.CoreEnsemble Show 2022-23DRA1047MLevel 42022-23This module is the practical culmination of Level One, in which the skills and techniques of performance and devising learned in Devising & Making are implemented in a larger group ensemble context. Here students may devise, produce, and perform a piece of original theatre based on their exploration of a particular theme, idea, or concept, with the performances taking place in the main auditorium at Lincoln Performing Arts Centre.CoreThinking Theatre 1 2022-23DRA1049MLevel 42022-23This core module introduces students to some of the most significant plays, playwrights, practitioners, traditions and movements throughout the history of theatre as they relate to guiding thematic concepts such as Place, Justice, Money, War, Marriage/Love, amongst others. Theatrical conventions studied might include Naturalism, Brechts Epic Theatre, the Theatre of the Absurd, international theatre practice and may cover a chronological range running from the theatre of the Ancient Greeks all the way to contemporary performance. Both practical and theoretical, students will critically engage with the material in lectures and seminars, and participate in workshops and script-work, working in a group towards the final performance of a scene from a piece they have encountered on the module.CoreThinking Theatre 2 2022-23DRA1050MLevel 42022-23This core module introduces students to some of the most significant plays, playwrights, practitioners, traditions and movements throughout the history of theatre as they relate to guiding thematic concepts such as Place, Justice, Money, War, Marriage/Love, amongst others. Theatrical conventions studied might include Naturalism, Brechts Epic Theatre, the Theatre of the Absurd, international theatre practice and may cover a chronological range running from the theatre of the Ancient Greeks all the way to contemporary performance. Both practical and theoretical, students will critically engage with the material in lectures and seminars, and participate in workshops and script-work, working in a group towards the final performance of a scene from a piece they have encountered on the module.CoreTheatre, Theory and Society 2023-24DRA2049MLevel 52023-24This module builds on - and moves beyond - the theoretical and cultural perspectives covered in first year to explore their real world relationships with a range of contemporary theatrical forms. You'll examine such ideas as body, space, time and audience within different national and international contexts. In doing so, you'll have the chance to develop a holistic understanding of theatre, considering its components and incarnations through analysis of case studies that may be drawn from live performance, scripts, as well as visual and video documentation. We encourage you to interrogate face-value assumptions and to unpack the various power relations in which contemporary theatre engages. In order to achieve this, the module promotes consideration of the social, cultural, and political positioning of diverse audiences, artists and performances. You'll have the opportunity to reach further towards sophisticated synthesis, to develop your skills in critical analysis, and to enhance your knowledge of how theatre, theory, and society intersect in todays world.CoreCollaborative Elective 2023-24DRA2043MLevel 52023-24This module enables groups of students from mixed disciplines to work together on a large-scale, interdisciplinary project. The module takes as its starting point a project brief from either an internal or external partner commissioning the student group to undertake and complete a collaborative project exploring pertinent cultural issues.OptionalContemporary Political Playwriting 2023-24DRA2045MLevel 52023-24In this module students have the opportunity to study a range of contemporary dramatic texts and performances grouped thematically into three key areas of contemporary cultural context: Neoliberalism; Borders and Nations; and Climate Change and the Environment. Applying the skills of close critical analysis developed throughout the course, students are expected to consider how contemporary theatre is engaging with the social, political and environmental fallout of 'the end of history' and examine the various dramaturgical strategies employed by contemporary theatre-makers to address these challenges. The module runs as a series of practical sessions in which the plays are workshopped as well as discussion-based seminars.OptionalDesigning Stages 2023-24DRA2046MLevel 52023-24How have the practices of lighting, spatial, sound and costume design developed over time? In what ways can ideas developed by pioneers of modern scenography be tested and put into practice today? How do spaces, bodies, materials and technologies interact in the production of meaning in theatre and performance? This 30-credit, Level 2 module introduces key aspects of the histories, theories and practices of scenography and performance design. In this module students can navigate these subjects historically, theoretically, and practically, exploring how different elements of design can work in tandem. As such, they may be exposed to ideas of how we might understand and apply a range of visual, spatial, material, sonic and other practices in live performance contexts.OptionalDrama Study Abroad 2023-24DRA2039MLevel 52023-24This module offers the opportunity for students to spend the second Semester of Level 2 living and studying at one of our international partner institutions. During the period abroad, students will share classes and modules of study with local students. Not only will students be living and socialising in another culture - providing opportunities to study their respective countries, they will also have an opportunity to examine international theatre practice through attending performances as part of modules and participating in extra-curricular activities.OptionalMusic Theatre 2023-24MUS2012MLevel 52023-24Musical theatre is an interdisciplinary form. Those that perform it require a triple threat skill set (acting, singing, and dancing), and similarly those that produce it need to have an understanding of directing, choreography and composition/arrangement. In this module students will have the opportunity to develop and integrate their skills across these disciplines. While, there will be the option to incorporate both performance and production roles, students will be required to participate in and contribute to the development of material that encompasses acting, dancing, singing/music making. This work will take place in the context of a preparing a piece of Music Theatre (60-90 minutes in length) for public performance. The production itself may take various forms. For instance, it could be a production of an existing Musical, or it could be devised and developed by the group. Similarly, an existing libretto could be set to new Music or vice versa. These decisions will be made by the member of staff directing the production at the beginning of the module.OptionalPlacements (LSFPA) 2023-24DRA2051MLevel 52023-24The Placement module encourages students to engage with the creative industries beyond the University through an 80-hour placement with a business or organisation of their choosing. Through direct workplace experience, students may develop new skills, strengthen existing ones, establish valuable professional networks, and target future employment opportunities. Following the placement students are assessed via presentations where they reflect upon their professional development and the impact of their work with the partner organisation.OptionalSpecialist Elective 2 2023-24DRA2054MLevel 52023-24This module offers students the opportunity to work alongside established academics conducting research into a specialist area of drama, theatre and/or performance studies. Specific module content will be informed by the research expertise of the tutor, who will aim to connect students with the contexts, practices, theories and debates associated with this field of research, developing skills of textual and critical analysis alongside creative and critical practices. Examples of level two Specialist Elective modules offered in past years include The Musical and Reactionary Politics and Modern Drama.OptionalSpecialist Elective B 2023-24DRA2053MLevel 52023-24OptionalStage Combat 2023-24DRA2037MLevel 52023-24This module aims to teach students the basics of engaging in stage combat and gives them the option of progressing to the Academy of Performance Combat Basic Three Weapon exam.OptionalStaging Shakespeare & Co 2023-24DRA2044MLevel 52023-24This practically-based module engages with selected plays of the Early Modern period and uses them as texts for performance on the contemporary stage. Working both as dramaturgs and performers, students can form a production ensemble and stage an Early Modern classic presented on the main auditorium of the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre. Students may connect their interpretation and re-interpretation the text and its performance history with their own ideas and experiences to situate the Early Modern text within our contemporary cultural moment. Recently staged performances on this module include versions of John Websters The Duchess of Malfi and Christopher Marlowes Dr Faustus.OptionalTeaching Drama 2023-24DRA2052MLevel 52023-24This module introduces students to the theory and practice of teaching drama within a variety of professional and academic contexts. It aims to provide students with a basic repertoire of skills, knowledge and experience for those considering teaching as a career, allowing them to develop and apply a range of teaching methods oriented around the way that the subject of drama is learned and taught. Key to the teaching and learning strategy on the module is engaging directly in schools or other appropriate learning environments.OptionalTechnical Theatre 2023-24DRA2048MLevel 52023-24How does a theatre performance work? What happens behind the scenes for a performance to operate effectively? The Technical Theatre module provides students with the opportunity to improve their understanding of creating and operating a theatrical performance through both theoretical and practical based workshops, demonstrating common principles and practices within the subject of technical theatre and Stage Management.OptionalTheatre Practice 2023-24DRA2050MLevel 52023-24This module on the Contemporary Theatre Practice pathway will introduce students to practical strategies for the making of performance in the real-world contemporary theatre industry. The focus is on approaching performance through the lens of a professional practitioner. While we take existing models from contemporary theatre companies and theatre makers, we are also interested in developing a professional skill-set and attitude at this level and enabling students to consider themselves on their professional trajectory as makers. Students can explore the associated practices of improvising, devising and dramaturgy. Companies and theatre makers covered on the module include Massive Owl, Forced Entertainment, Goat Island, Gob Squad, Action Hero, The Wooster Group, Reckless Sleepers, Lone Twin, Uninvited Guests, Proto-type. The teaching team includes staff who have worked with these companies and have direct experience of making theatre today.OptionalTheatres of Experiment: the Avant-Garde 2023-24DRA2042MLevel 52023-24This module explores the genealogies, practices, politics, cultural legacy and impact of the European Avant-garde circa 1880-1930 and can turn to more recent developments in the course of the module. Students may study the theories, manifestoes, interventions and artworks from key movements including: Symbolism, Futurism, German Expressionism, DaDa, Surrealism, Absurdism and Russian Constructivism, before turning to contemporary expressions of avant-garde practice such as 1960s Happenings and the Fluxus Group. The module asks: What can the theatre and other practices of these avant-garde movements and landmark practitioners teach us in our approach to making theatre today? Where can vestiges of avant-gardism be seen in diverse contemporary performances and artworks? And how do avant-garde artists attempt to create radical fusions of art, life and politics?OptionalDegree Show Festival 2024-25DRA3059MLevel 62024-25Final Project allows students the opportunity to work collaboratively to produce their Degree Show performance. Students will work together to propose and deliver an ambitious, large-scale performance that builds on their three years of experience on the Theatre programme. Embracing a broad spectrum of theatrical modes and genres, work may include (but not limited to) site-based pieces, restagings and adaptations, devised performance, intermedial, physical theatre and live art. All performances will have the opportunity to be shown in the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre as part of its professional programme.CoreArts and Cultural Industries 2024-25DRA3056MLevel 62024-25This module offers you the opportunity to develop a detailed understanding of the arts as an ecosystem in relation to the wider world. You'll be introduced to the organisational infrastructure of the creative sector to equip you for a career in the arts and enhance your core employability skills for life after graduation. Acknowledging that what happens offstage is as important, if not more important than what happens onstage, this module provides you with real-world guidance for working in creative and cultural industries though lectures, discussion, group and individual working, research, and a series of talks and presentations from industry professionals working in a variety of creative contexts. You'll also be encouraged to keep abreast of government policy and issues such as audience accessibility and diversity within the arts, and ask how the current political climate shapes this generation of arts organisations, makers and companies.OptionalCabaret, Satire & Song 2024-25DRA3062MLevel 62024-25What does it mean to be popular? Why are popular performance modes such as clowning, cabaret, the musical and stand-up comedy so often overlooked within the serious study of theatre? In this module, students can engage with the historical, theoretical and practical contexts of a range of popular performance forms.OptionalDirecting 2024-25DRA3077MLevel 62024-25What is the role of the director? What is the difference between directing an existing text and directing a piece 'from scratch'? What are the artistic and aesthetic concerns of the director, and what does it mean to direct theatre in the twenty-first century? This module introduces students to the practical process of classical and contemporary methodologies for directing theatre, from researching the script, through casting and rehearsals to auteurship, guided improvisation, and material development.OptionalDissertation (15c) 2024-25DRA3057MLevel 62024-25The Dissertation module provides the opportunity for a student to investigate and pursue a theatre and performance arts topic of his or her own choosing over an extended piece of academic writing. Each student is allocated a supervisor that will help them to select and refine a topic appropriate for extended study, evaluate progress and read and offer feedback on draft work. Students will be expected to work on their own initiative to undertake research and synthesise it into a logical and original argument in the form of a 4,500 piece of scholarly writing.OptionalDissertation (30c) 2024-25DRA3058MLevel 62024-25The Dissertation module provides the opportunity for a student to investigate and pursue a theatre and performance arts topic of his or her own choosing over an extended piece of academic writing. Each student is allocated a supervisor that will help them to select and refine a topic appropriate for extended study, evaluate progress and read and offer feedback on draft work. Students will be expected to work on their own initiative to undertake research and synthesise it into a logical and original argument in the form of a 9,000 word piece of scholarly writing.OptionalPerformance, Media & New Technologies 2024-25DRA3061MLevel 62024-25What happens when performance meets new technology? How can digital technologies reshape and reconfigure the possibilities for performative and aesthetic experience? In this module students can practically engage with a range of new and broadcast technologies to develop a piece of performance practice that explores the relationships between technology and the experience of performance.OptionalPhysical Theatre 2024-25DRA3048MLevel 62024-25In this module you'll explore a range of approaches to the constantly evolving field of Physical Theatre. Through a series of workshops, you will investigate different techniques, styles, methodologies ranging from classical traditions to contemporary performance. You'll have the opportunity to gain a practical and analytical insight into the countless possibilities of the body in performance - in relation to other bodies, to the space, to the audience. You will work to develop skills that will equip you to use the body expressively, imaginatively, communicatively, collaboratively. You will engage with and draw inspiration from a variety of stimuli - words, images, sounds, scents, objects, culture and society - in order to devise original performances, using the body as the primary vehicle to generate, express and communicate meaning.OptionalPostdramatic Theatre 2024-25DRA3063MLevel 62024-25Emerging in the twentieth century, postdramatic theatre calls into question such fundamentals of dramatic theatre such character, plot and dialogue, inviting us to conceive of a theatre beyond representation. This module asks why? and how?, in both practical and theoretical contexts.OptionalProfessional Production 2024-25DRA3078MLevel 62024-25OptionalSolo Performance 2024-25DRA3065MLevel 62024-25This module enables students to explore and analyse the various techniques of producing material which will eventually lead to the production of a Solo Performance. During the course of the module, students are expected to analyse and engage with the work of a variety of contemporary solo artists which will influence and guide their work. Engagement with a wide variety of Solo artists is important and the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre will provide a rich vein of resources in the form of incoming artists. These opportunities for students on this module are designed to enable them to discover a personal voice and a unique voice as a solo performance artist.OptionalSpecialist Elective II Semester A 2024-25DRA3064MLevel 62024-25This module offers students the opportunity to work alongside established academics conducting research into a specialist area of drama, theatre and/or performance studies. Specific module content will be informed by the research expertise of the tutor, who will connect students with the contexts, practices, theories and debates associated with this field of research, developing skills of textual and critical analysis alongside creative and critical practices.OptionalSpecialist Elective II Semester B 2024-25DRA3075MLevel 62024-25This module offers students the opportunity to work alongside established academics conducting research into a specialist area of drama, theatre and/or performance studies. Specific module content will be informed by the research expertise of the tutor, who will connect students with the contexts, practices, theories and debates associated with this field of research, developing skills of textual and critical analysis alongside creative and critical practices.OptionalTheatre for Young Audiences 2024-25DRA3066MLevel 62024-25What part does theatre play in the lives of children today? How do we make such theatre relevant, accessible and alive in a world dominated by screen-based interaction? What is the most appropriate setting and subject matter to engage children in a theatrical experience? Students can form small groups and devise short performances designed to tour to Primary Schools in the City of Lincoln. The tour will usually play in a different Primary School every day for one working week, with audience sizes ranging from 80 - 300 children. The tour will replicate a professional touring model, accompanied by a dedicated Technician with a full complement of audio, visual and lighting equipment. The audience will usually comprise of 4 - 7 year old children, their teachers and teaching or learning assistants. Students will require DBS Checks to tour, and these will be provided by the School of Fine and Performing Arts.OptionalWriting for the Stage 2024-25DRA3060MLevel 62024-25This 30-credit Level 3 module will investigate different modes of writing for, through and in performance. The module introduces radical new dramaturgies and the potentiality of text as material, site and set. Students can develop approaches, strategies and techniques for writing for performance, inclusive of the notion of writing-as-performance, and a critical understanding of their application in theatre today.Optional

Key Information

BA (Hons) Drama and Theatre

Key Information

Welcome to BA (Hons) Drama and Theatre

How You Study

What You Need to Know

An Introduction to Your Modules

How you are assessed

Fees and Scholarships

Course-Specific Additional Costs

Entry Requirements 2022-23

United Kingdom

International

Facilities

Performance Opportunities

Study Abroad

Student Experience

Interviews

Career Opportunities

Visit Us in Person

Related Courses

Drama and English

English

Musical Theatre

Prioritising Face-to-Face Teaching