In VCE Theatre Studies, students interpret scripts from historic periods to the present day and produce theatre for audiences. Through practical and theoretical engagement with scripts, they gain an insight into the origins and development of theatre, the influences of theatre on cultures and societies, and the influences of culture and society on theatre. Students apply dramaturgy and work in the production roles of actor, director and designer, developing an understanding and appreciation of the role of theatre practitioners.
Throughout the study, students work individually and collaboratively in production roles to interpret scripts and to plan, develop and present productions. Students study the contexts of scripts (time and place, including the historical, cultural, political and social contexts) and the languages of scripts, as well as theatre movements. They experiment with different possibilities for interpreting scripts and apply ideas and concepts for presentation to audiences. They examine ways in which meaning can be constructed and conveyed through theatre performance. Students consider their audiences and, in their interpretations, incorporate knowledge and understanding of audience culture and demographics.
Students learn about innovations in theatre production across different times, cultures and places and apply this knowledge to their work. Through the study of scripts, theatre styles and contemporary theatre movements, and by working in production roles to interpret scripts, students develop knowledge and understanding of theatre, its conventions and elements of theatre composition. Students analyse and evaluate the production of professional theatre performances and consider the relationship to their own theatre production work. They consider their dual roles as artist and as audience. Students learn about and demonstrate an understanding of safe, ethical, inclusive, sustainable (where possible, environmentally sustainable) and responsible personal and interpersonal work practices in theatre production.
In this unit, students develop an interpretation of a script through the 3 stages of the theatre production process: planning, development and presentation. Students specialise in 2 production roles, working collaboratively to interpret and realise the production of a script. They apply the knowledge developed during this process to analyse and evaluate how production roles can be used to interpret script excerpts previously unstudied. Students develop knowledge of elements of theatre composition and safe, ethical, inclusive and sustainable (where possible, environmentally sustainable) working practices in the theatre.
Students attend a performance selected from the prescribed VCE Theatre Studies Playlist and analyse and evaluate the interpretation of the script of the performance. The playlist is published annually on the VCAA website.
Area of Study 1- Staging theatre
In this area of study, students focus on developing skills that can be applied to the interpretation of a script for performance to an audience. They work collaboratively to contribute to the development of a production of a selected script. As members of the production team, students undertake exercises and tasks throughout the 3 stages of the production process, leading to a performance of the selected script to an audience.
Students apply dramaturgy and consider how the script’s context, styles and intended meaning can be used to inform their interpretation and any possible recontextualisations of a script for an audience, and they consider audience culture. Students experiment and apply elements of theatre composition in order to manipulate meaning for an audience.
Students develop an understanding of, and enhance their skills in, working in 2 production roles across all stages of the production process. They apply dramaturgy in the work they undertake in the 2 production roles. They develop skills that contribute to theatre production processes, including working collaboratively, time management, planning, scheduling, evaluating and reflecting.
Throughout the production process, students develop their oral skills through discussions with others in the production team or through explaining how their work in production roles contributes to realising the production aims. They further develop knowledge of and apply safe, ethical, inclusive and sustainable (where possible, environmentally sustainable) working practices in theatre production.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to interpret a script across the stages of the production process through collaborative work undertaken in 2 production roles.
Area of Study 2 - Interpreting a Script
In this area of study, students interpret the theatrical possibilities of excerpts from a script. In doing so, they demonstrate their understanding of working in 2 production roles across the 3 stages of the production process. Students respond to and interpret script excerpts and stimulus material, formulating and justifying interpretative possibilities, including recontextualisation, and they document their interpretation. The documentation should include written material, annotated script excerpts and illustrations, as appropriate, to support interpretive choices.
Students revisit their learning about the stages of the production process, their learning about dramaturgy, and ways in which their work in production roles can contribute to interpretations of scripts for performance to audiences. They develop their understanding of audiences and audience culture.
They further develop their understanding of safe, ethical, inclusive and sustainable (where possible, environmentally sustainable) theatre work practices.
The script excerpts used for teaching and learning and assessment in this area of study must be different to scripts studied for Areas of Study 1 and 3.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to outline concepts and ideas for an interpretation of excerpts from a script and explain how these could be realised in a theatre production.
Area of Study 3 - Analysing and Evaluating Theatre
In this area of study, students attend, analyse and evaluate an interpretation of a script in a production from the prescribed VCE Theatre Studies Playlist. Students analyse and evaluate the relationship between the written script and its interpretation on stage. In doing so, students study ways in which the interpretation on stage draws on and interprets the contexts in the script as well as any recontextualisation choices. This includes the decisions that have been made when interpreting the script, for example decisions about acting, direction and design, and the use of theatre technologies and elements of theatre composition.
Students evaluate the ways in which theatre practitioners (such as the director, actors, designers) and dramaturgical processes have contributed to the interpretation on stage. Students study how the theatre styles and contexts implied in the written script are interpreted when the play is performed to an audience. Students attend the theatre production and develop skills in applying relevant theatre terminology to analyse and evaluate how the script has been interpreted. Their analysis and evaluation of the production is informed by work undertaken in Areas of Study 1 and 2.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to analyse and evaluate the interpretation of a written script from the prescribed VCE Theatre Studies Playlist in production to an audience.
In this unit, students study a scene and an associated monologue from a script. They initially develop an interpretation of the prescribed scene. This work includes exploring theatrical possibilities and using dramaturgy across the 3 stages of the production process. Students then develop an interpretation of the monologue that is embedded in the specified scene. To realise their interpretation, students work in production roles as an actor and director, or as a designer.
Students’ work for Areas of Study 1 and 2 is supported through the analysis and evaluation of a production they attend for their work in Area of Study 3. The production must be selected from the prescribed VCE Theatre Studies Playlist and must be different from the production they analyse in Unit 3. The playlist is published annually on the VCAA website. Students analyse and evaluate acting, direction and design in the selected production and consider the application of theatre technologies.
In conducting their work in Areas of Study 1 and 2, students further develop their knowledge and application of inclusive and sustainable (where possible, environmentally sustainable) theatre practices.
Area of Study 1 - Dramaturgical research and presenting theatrical possibilities
In this area of study, students document and report on dramaturgical decisions that could inform an interpretation of a monologue and its prescribed scene.
Students conduct dramaturgy as the basis for decisions that will inform their interpretation. This includes research into the contexts of the script, influences on the playwright(s), the world of the audience, and possible recontextualisations.
Students then outline an interpretation of the scene, focusing on the ways in which the scene could be approached as a piece of theatre, including its place within the script, its specific structure, its characters, its themes, its images and ideas, its theatrical possibilities and its theatre style(s).
Students consider how elements of theatre composition and theatre technologies could be applied to realise their proposed interpretative concepts and aims. They identify issues relating to safe, ethical, inclusive and sustainable (where possible, environmentally sustainable) theatre practices that they will need to apply in their work to realise their proposed interpretation.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to describe and justify an interpretation of a monologue and its prescribed scene within the world of the play.
Area of Study 2 - Interpreting a Monologue
In this area of study, students focus on the interpretation of a monologue from a scene contained within a script selected from the VCE Theatre Studies monologue examination published annually in Term 2 on the VCAA website.
Students select a monologue from the current examination and study the text of the monologue, the prescribed scene in which it is embedded and the complete script from which the scene is derived. Students apply selected production roles and develop an interpretation of the monologue that is informed by their study of the prescribed scene and the complete script. Their interpretation is informed by dramaturgy they conduct, including the contexts of the play and its intended meanings. Students make decisions about how the contexts, theatrical possibilities, elements of theatre composition and theatre styles will inform their interpretation of the monologue. Students work in their selected production roles to realise and present their interpretation of the monologue. They consider the interrelationships between acting, direction and design areas. They consider safe, ethical and sustainable (where possible, environmentally sustainable) theatre practices.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to interpret and present a monologue through the application of 2 production roles and orally justify and explain their interpretative decisions.
Area of Study 3 - Analysing and Evaluating a Performance
In this area of study, students focus on the analysis and evaluation of the acting, direction and design in a performance of a production selected from the prescribed VCE Theatre Studies Playlist.
Students attend a production selected from the playlist. They study the theatrical style(s) evident in the performance and analyse and evaluate how actor(s), director(s) and designer(s) interpret the script for an audience. They consider the interrelationships between acting, direction and design in the performance. In doing so, students consider character(s) in the play, how the actor(s) interpreted them on stage and the contribution of the director(s) and designer(s) to the interpretation and intended meaning(s). They study acting skills used by the actor(s) to portray character(s) to convey the intended meanings of the play and the establishment, maintenance and/or manipulation of the actor–audience relationship.
Students’ understanding of the techniques being used by the actor(s), director(s) and designer(s) is informed by techniques they used to interpret the monologue they selected for Area of Study 1. They refine their understanding of the terminology associated with analysing and evaluating theatre performances.
On completion of this unit, students should be able to analyse and evaluate acting, direction and design in a performance of a production from the prescribed VCE Theatre Studies Playlist.
Unit 3
Unit 4
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