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VICTheatre Studies← Theatre Studies syllabus

Unit 3: Producing theatre

16 dot points, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

What is dramaturgy, and how does dramaturgical research shape the way a company interprets and stages a script?

dramaturgy and dramaturgical research, and how they influence production work and the interpretation a company develops

Dramaturgy: what dramaturgical research investigates, including the playwright, context and world of the play, and how that research grounds and shapes a defensible interpretation in production work.

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What are theatre technologies, and how does their use in lighting, sound, projection and staging shape an interpretation for an audience?

the theatre technologies available in staging a script and how their use serves the production's interpretation

Theatre technologies: the lighting, sound, projection, automation and rigging technologies used to stage a script, and how technology choices are made to serve an interpretation and shape audience response.

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What happens in the development stage of the production process, and how are planned ideas tested, refined and integrated in rehearsal?

the work of the development stage of the production process, including rehearsal, building and trialling designs, and refining decisions

Development stage of the production process: rehearsing and blocking, building and trialling designs, technical rehearsal, problem solving, and refining planned decisions toward a coherent interpretation.

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What happens in the planning stage of the production process, and how are early decisions made and recorded?

the work of the planning stage of the production process, including analysis, research, concept and documentation across the production roles

Planning stage of the production process: script analysis, research, forming an interpretation and concept, and the documentation each production role produces before development begins.

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What happens in the presentation stage of the production process, and how is a consistent interpretation delivered to an audience across a run?

the work of the presentation stage of the production process, including running performances and sustaining a consistent interpretation

Presentation stage of the production process: running performances, calling the show, sustaining a consistent interpretation across a season, and the post-performance work of evaluation and dismantling.

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How does a theatre production move from a written script through the stages of the production process to a staged performance?

the stages of the production process used to interpret and stage a script, from planning through development to presentation

Production process: the planning, development and presentation stages used to interpret a script and bring it from page to stage through collaborative production work.

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How do the conventions of symbol and of transformation of character, time and place let a company stage meaning beyond the literal?

the conventions of symbol and of transformation of character, time and place, and how they communicate meaning to an audience

Conventions of symbol and transformation: how objects, actions and staging carry symbolic meaning, and how performers transform character, time and place to communicate meaning beyond the literal.

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How do theatrical styles and conventions shape the way a script is staged and read by an audience?

the use of theatrical styles and conventions in staging a script, and how style shapes the audience's experience

Theatrical styles and conventions: naturalism, non-naturalism and key conventions, and how the chosen style shapes staging decisions and the audience's experience of a production.

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How does stage management organise a production, and how do production meetings and documentation keep the whole team working to one interpretation?

the responsibilities of stage management and the systems of documentation and communication that coordinate the production team

Stage management and team collaboration: the prompt copy, blocking and cue records, scheduling, production meetings and cue calling that coordinate the production roles and deliver a consistent interpretation each performance.

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What are the expressive skills of the actor, and how do voice and movement communicate character and meaning to an audience?

the expressive skills of acting, including voice and movement, and how they communicate character, intention and meaning

Expressive skills of acting: the vocal skills of pitch, pace, pause and volume and the physical skills of movement, gesture and stillness, and how they communicate character, intention and meaning to an audience.

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What do the different production roles contribute to staging a script, and how do they collaborate to realise one interpretation?

the responsibilities of the production roles, including direction, acting, design and stage management, and how they collaborate

Production roles: the responsibilities of direction, acting, design and stage management, and how these roles collaborate across the production process to realise a single interpretation.

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How do the individual design areas, set, costume, lighting, sound, makeup and props, each contribute to staging an interpretation?

the distinct contributions of the design areas, including set, costume, lighting, sound, makeup and props, to realising an interpretation

Design areas in detail: the specific responsibilities and expressive tools of set, costume, lighting, sound, makeup and props design, and how each communicates meaning in service of one interpretation.

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How do the historical, social and cultural context of a script and the playwright's intentions shape the way it is interpreted and staged?

the historical, social and cultural context of the script and the playwright's intentions, and their influence on interpretation

Context and the playwright: how the historical, social and cultural context of a script and the playwright's intentions inform a defensible interpretation, and how a production may honour or deliberately depart from that context.

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What does the director actually do, and how does a directorial vision hold every production role to a single interpretation?

the responsibilities of direction and how a directorial vision unifies the production roles around one interpretation

Role of the director: forming a directorial vision, communicating it to the company, shaping actors and blocking, coordinating design, and holding every production role to a single coherent interpretation.

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How do theatre makers read and interpret a script to develop a coherent interpretation for the stage?

the ways theatre makers analyse and interpret a script, including its context, themes, characters and dramatic action, to develop an interpretation

Script interpretation: analysing context, themes, characters and dramatic action, and using dramaturgical research to develop a coherent interpretation for staging.

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How do you analyse and evaluate the staging of a production to judge how effectively it realised its interpretation?

the analysis and evaluation of how a production was staged, including the effectiveness of production roles in realising an interpretation

Analysing and evaluating theatre: how to describe staging, analyse the contribution of production roles, and evaluate how effectively a production realised its interpretation for an audience.

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