Teaching Theatre History On Location

Aims

The aim of the course is to give students an in-depth understanding of the relation between social history, architectural history, theatrical history, technical history and scenographic history, and places in the city.

The course is divided into different parts, taught by theorists in history as well as specialists from theatre practice. This ensures a strong theoretical background, that is applicable in daily practice.

Key Information

Number of learners	12 – 18 (depending on the spaces visited)
Number of staff	One teacher acquainted with technical and scenographic practice. Specialist guides/professionals from visited spaces.
ECTS Credits (if applicable)	3 credits

Learning process

X	Lecture/seminar	Lecture, presentation, discussion (face-to-face or online)
	Making project	Making a model, mock-up, plan or design (physical or digital)
X	Performance project	Making a performance or demonstration (live or mediated)
	Records and Archives	Interviews, photographs and videos of artefacts, annotating archives, creating learning materials (physical or digital)
	Independent study	Reading, researching, analysing and evaluating learning materials (physical or digital) in groups or alone

Type of learner

X	Student of technical theatre
X	Student of theatre design, architecture
X	Student of theatre arts
X	Professional
	Researcher
	General public

What You Will Need

Duration and schedule

Preparation (Teacher – 8 hours)

Introductory lecture (4 hours)

Visits to theatres or other venues (4 x 4 hours)

Tutorials for the presentation assignment (Teacher – 4 hours)

Developing the presentations (Students – 60 hours)

Presentations (4 hours, depending on the number and type)

Room or type of space

A classroom for the introductory lecture

Different theatre spaces and related venues to visit

A workshop or studio for the student presentations, depending on the format.

Equipment

Depends on presentation choices

Materials (consumables)

Depending on presentation choices

Learning resources (books, websites)

Websites, books, plans, photographs, videos, drawings and other material related to the chosen venues.

Process

Preparation

Prepare the introductory lecture: the history of space, theatre and scenography, giving the evolution and principles of different theatre concepts. This creates a framework to situate the concrete examples in the visited spaces.

Select spaces connected to the content of the course. For example, a black box (contemporary theatre), a traditional horseshoe proscenium theatre (illusion theatre), multifunctional contemporary large theatre, found space location. Plan with local specialised guides/professionals from the visited spaces what needs to be covered.

When planning the visits, think about:

Travel:

• Do the students know how to reach the venues – are they familiar with the area and transport systems?
• Will the visit involve late travel, or travelling in higher-risk areas?
• Will potentially vulnerable students be travelling alone?

Access:

• Do any students or staff have access requirements or support needs? If so, has the host venue been informed?

On site:

• Does the venue have any safety rules or requirements you need to follow?
• Do you need personal protective equipment such as hard hats, high visibility jackets or steel toe-capped boots?
• What first aid arrangements are in place?

General:

• Do students have an emergency contact number for a member of staff?

The learning activity

The course is in several stages.

The first stage is an introductory lecture, with the following content:

• A chronological overview, giving the evolution and principles of different theatre concepts.
• Architectural evolutions: the history of space
• Dramaturgical evolutions: the history of theatre and the dramaturgical motivation of performance
• Scenographic evolutions: the history of scenic space and performance design
• Social evolutions: the history of the audience and the relation with evolving society

The aim is to show that the social history, architectural history, theatrical history and scenographic history, and the places in the city, interconnect. This creates a framework to situate the concrete examples of the visited spaces.

In the next stage, teachers and students visit different theatre buildings and stages, workshops/ateliers, rehearsal rooms, and other related spaces. Teaching on location to show and illustrate the content makes it more alive, more understandable, more vivid. It sticks more in students’ memory, and for teachers, it is more enjoyable and motivating to have real examples, with the enthusiasm that the spaces gives us.

Working in actual spaces shows the history is still present in different venues, but also shows concretely how and why it is adapted and used in different time periods.

In the next stage of the course, students work together in small groups. They choose a topic from the course, research it and make a personal work, performance or presentation, demonstrating their knowledge of the topic and their ability to translate this understanding of history into their own artistic work and interests. This makes history no longer an independent 'box of facts' but rather a useful and essential base for the student’s work as a theatre maker. This process should be co-tutored by teachers from a dramaturgical and scenographic as well as a technical background.

At the end of the course, the students present their work to each other and to the staff. The work is evaluated and discussed by the group, to ensure the insights from the different outcomes are shared.

Assessment and feedback

Assessment is based on the presentations, with the focus on:

• Understanding of historic information
• Quality of research
• Creativity and originality
• Ability to transfer ideas into contemporary theatre

Feedback is given by peers and teachers after the presentation.

Our Experience

Tips

During the whole course, questioning is an important tool. “Why” is the keyword. This strengthens the active and critical thinking of the students, which is essential for an active attitude towards the use of the content of a theoretical course in daily practice.

During the visits, help the students make connections between the original or past use of the venue, and the current use. For example, how have lighting, sound and video systems been fitted into venues built for different technologies? What traces of different ways of working have survived, such as blocked up or newly added doors and openings, or old equipment no longer in use?

Invite students to imagine themselves as audience members, actors, technicians, designers, managers from a past era. What did they want, and how did they achieve it? How is that the same or different to now?

When they are planning their presentations, ask students to think carefully about how the format of their presentation relates to its content. Why chose to make a performance, an object or an installation, and what does the choice tell us about the topic?

Additional information and resources

• 

  Students on stage at the Confidencen Theatre, Stockholm

Credits

This learning method was made by:	Saskia Louwaard, Chris Van Goethem, Karel Vanhaesebrouck
Institution:	RITCS (EhB)