106-091 Writing for Performance

It is recommended that students wishing to continue with a major in creative writing also complete a first year subject in English literary studies as well as meeting the first year creative writing prerequisite (see below).

Usually 12.5 points of first year creative writing of either 106-186 Creative Writing: Autofictions or 760-101 Creative Writing: Ideas and Practice. This subject is available at second year level to Bachelor of Creative Arts students who have completed all first year BCA creative writing requirements.

This subject is designed to give writing students, from all generic specialisations, the chance to reflect upon, experiment with, and enhance the performative potential of their writing. Through lectures on performance studies, aspects of performance writing and practice, and in workshops, students will explore the range of skills involved in writing for performance and in developing effective performance practice in terms of their own work. On completion of the subject students should have encountered aspects of performance theory; demonstrated a heightened sense of the performative potential of writing; exhibited, in the writing and performance of their own texts, a range of skills and strategies for making writing an event in a performance space; gained an appreciation of contemporary performance practices. Students will be required to publicly perform/read the 8-10-minute piece that they have written during the semester.

• be able to access their own creativity generally and how to apply/focus it towards a particular objective (writing an original theatre/film script) and to better understand their own creative process/processes;

• be able to use theoretical/research material to develop and challenge themselves intellectually and creatively and to develop and heighten self-awareness;

• acquire interpersonal skills of communication, collaboration and co-operation through attention to active listening, giving and receiving feedback etc. and how to reconceptualise and rewrite from feedback;

• learn to be open to new ideas and possibilities;

• acquire teamwork and public speaking skills through extensive presentation of work-in-progress during workshops.

An 8-10 minute performance script equivalent to 4000 words 70%, performance/public reading of this script 20% (due at the end of semester) and class participation 10%. Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% of workshops in order to qualify to have their written work assessed.

A subject reader will be available from the University Bookshop.