Plays, Politics and Power: The Working Playwright

ENGL72412 Plays, Politics and Power: The Working Playwright 30 Semester 2 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Carmen Nasr Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 15.0 <div><div>This module will explore power on and off stage. Onstage, one of the best motors that drives a scene and a story is a (frequently unequal) power dynamic. What does each character want from the other, and how is that affected by the power they have over one another? But there’s also the bigger picture—how much of each character’s status, beliefs and life opportunities derives from the world around them, from unspoken assumptions about power, money, gender, race and sexuality? We will interrogate bigger questions around politics, finance and the environment in order to expand your understanding of the macro-frames within which drama takes place, and sharpen your ability to write driving, meaningful plays. We will also learn how to discuss, debate and most importantly disagree with one another in a mutually respectful but also fruitful manner.</div>The module will also investigate the power dynamics of the theatre industry—giving you the skills and capacities to sustain a career in playwriting and an awareness of the range of issues currently shaping opportunities for new playwrights in the UK. You will learn about pitching, working with a dramaturg/producer, working to a commission, working with issues of access and diversity, professional identity and voice, publicity and promotion, developing resilience, freelancing (basics of self employment, tax returns and accounting, rates of pay, rights and working conditions), publishing, legal issues (copyright, performance rights etc.), writing and ethics (representation, confidentiality, risk).</div>  <div> This module will explore power on and off stage. Onstage, one of the best motors that drives a scene and a story is a (frequently unequal) power dynamic. What does each character want from the other, and how is that affected by the power they have over one another? But there’s also the bigger picture—how much of each character’s status, beliefs and life opportunities derives from the world around them, from unspoken assumptions about power, money, gender, race and sexuality? We will interrogate bigger questions around politics, finance and the environment in order to expand your understanding of the macro-frames within which drama takes place, and sharpen your ability to write driving, meaningful plays. We will also learn how to discuss, debate and most importantly disagree with one another in a mutually respectful but also fruitful manner.The module will also investigate the power dynamics of the theatre industry—giving you the skills and capacities to sustain a career in playwriting and an awareness of the range of issues currently shaping opportunities for new playwrights in the UK. You will learn about pitching, working with a dramaturg/producer, working to a commission, working with issues of access and diversity, professional identity and voice, publicity and promotion, developing resilience, freelancing (basics of self employment, tax returns and accounting, rates of pay, rights and working conditions), publishing, legal issues (copyright, performance rights etc.), writing and ethics (representation, confidentiality, risk).</div>  <div> The unit aims to: <ul> <li> Develop your ability to frame social and political questions in dramatic terms, to give meaning and power to stories on stages in theatres and in a range of settings beyond theatre buildings</li> <li> Develop your understanding of the challenges of, and your skills in, adapting work for the stage. In particular, your understanding of the role and function of power in driving the dramatic potential in a source text, and your use of that understanding to adapt source texts for the stage</li> <li> Develop a systematic knowledge of a range of work opportunities open to new playwrights and to the contrasting career paths taken by contemporary playwrights in the UK</li> </ul></div>  Demonstrate, through discussion, a comprehensive understanding of the career paths of a selected range of established playwrights currently working in UK theatreDemonstrate, through discussion, a systematic understanding of the issues affecting the production of new writing in the UK theatreEvidence their awareness of basic and advanced approaches to collaborative writing, writing for contexts beyond the theatre stage and writing with groupsEvidence their awareness of the ethical issues involved in collaborative writing projects Respond imaginatively, creatively and with originality to a project briefEffectively give and receive feedback Demonstrate an ability to design and complete a new drama in response to a project brief set in advanceDemonstrate an ability to complete work to a challenging brief on timeArticulate in a way that is clear and authentic as well as understandable to other professionals their values, identity, ethos and work as a writerConsider and implement range of approaches to fostering resilience as a writer Facilitate creative writing in a range of settingsWork to deliver a brief on timeAdapt skills and interests to diverse contextsCommunicate effectively their unique identity and voice as working artist <div>  </div>   0 Other 100% Adaptation of a play 100%   Adaptation:Verbal and written formative feedback provided via individual tutorials x 2 during the module.Reflective essay:Pitch for collaborative writing project to be presented in week 4, for formative feedback.Written summative feedback. <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width:203px;"> Pre-requisite units</td> <td style="width:417px;"> Playwriting: Forms; Playwriting: Structure</td> </tr> </tbody></table>  N Plays explored on this module may include:Harold Pinter, One For The RoadCaryl Churchill, Far AwayStefano Massini, The Lehman TrilogyBrandon Jacobs-Jenkins, An OctoroonKieran Hurley, BeatsYolanda Mercy, Quarter Life CrisisCharlotte Josephine, Bitch BoxerCaryl Churchill, The SkrikerAnders Lustgarten, The Seven Acts of MercyHannah Khalil: Scenes From 68* YearsLucy Kirkwood, ChimericaBola Agbaje, BelongArthur Miller, Enemy of the PeopleGary Owen, Violence and SonLola Arias - MinefieldClean Break – Inside BitchRebecca Pritchard/Clean Break – Yard GalAli Taylor/Cardboard Citizens – CathyChris Thorpe – The MysteriesAbi Horsfield/Collective Encounters – CrackedQuarantine/Kevin Fegan – White TrashCommon Wealth – No Guts, No Heart, No GloryCardboard Citizens – Home Truths Other reading materials may include:Mark Fisher, Capitalist RealismJohn Berger, Ways of SeeingRebecca Solnit, A Paradise Built in HellRobert Macfarlane, The Wild Places Lectures 33 Tutorials 2 0 265