Overview
In this unit you will develop fundamental acting skills of stagecraft, voice, mime, movement, mask and improvisation. This unit is a broad introduction to these skill sets that will underpin all of your practical acting work in the course ahead.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2019
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from TSV Student
Request for more clarity on assessment criteria for Performance Assessment 3.
Revise Assessment Rubric to improve clarity of assessment criteria. Further in studio discussion of assessment task and explanation of assessment criteria.
- Develop dialogue and action in improvisations
- Demonstrate correct use of basic theatre terminology
- Apply mime techniques in a variety of theatrical contexts.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment - 40% | |||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 60% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 60% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
Additional Textbook Information
Students do not need to purchase textbooks for this unit. Recommended readings will be provided as online course resources via the Moodle page for the unit.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
r.doran@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
The first five weeks of the course will be an introduction into key fundamental skills for acting that will include the areas of:
- Improvisation
- Mime
- Movement
- Voice
- Mask, and
- Stagecraft
Chapter
There are no assigned texts for this unit. Your lecturer will provide readings as appropriate to training throughout the term. Readings may be either hard copies or attached to the Moodle site for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
No events or submissions required.
Module/Topic
Vacation Week: Unsupervised rehearsal
Chapter
There are no assigned texts for this unit. Your lecturer will provide readings as appropriate to training throughout the term. Readings may be either hard copies or attached to the Moodle site for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
No events or submissions required.
Module/Topic
This week will focus on recapping skills and undertaking Assessment 1 for the unit.
Chapter
There are no assigned texts for this unit. Your lecturer will provide readings as appropriate to training throughout the term. Readings may be either hard copies or attached to the Moodle site for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 1: Apply mime, movement and improvisation techniques
Apply mime, movement and improvisation techniques. Due: Week 6 Friday (26 Apr 2019) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Building on the skills established so far, the following 5 weeks will involve further development and application of skills in conceiving, developing, rehearsing and presenting a self devised group presentation for Assessment 2.
Chapter
There are no assigned texts for this unit. Your lecturer will provide readings as appropriate to training throughout the term. Readings may be either hard copies or attached to the Moodle site for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
No events or submissions required.
Module/Topic
This week will be focused on the final rehearsal and production requirements to undertake Assessment 2: Self devised group presentation.
Chapter
There are no assigned texts for this unit. Your lecturer will provide readings as appropriate to training throughout the term. Readings may be either hard copies or attached to the Moodle site for this unit.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2: Self devised group presentation
Self Devised Group Presentation Due: Review/Exam Week Friday (14 June 2019) 7:00 pm AEST
Throughout the duration of this Unit, students can contact the Unit Coordinator Rob Doran on r.doran@cqu.edu.au for any questions they have outside of face to face contact in studio classes. Cairns students are also able to contact their lecturer Karen Crone on k.crone@cqu.edu.au.
1 Practical Assessment
Having trained in fundamental skills of acting over the first half of the term, this assessment is to validate that you have understood and retained a demonstrated capacity to apply these skills in a workshop situation. In small groups of 2 to 5 players, you will undertake a series of exercises and studio tasks, under the direction of your lecturer, to demonstrate applied skills in this area. The focus of these exercises will be on the skill areas of mime, movement and improvisation. You will also need to demonstrate applied use of basic voice and stagecraft knowledge as developed through the course so far. Although you are working with partners, you will be assessed individually on your own contribution and responses to exercises and tasks, as observed by your tutor. Performance of other students will not impact on your individual assessment. The exercises and tasks will be modeled on the program of learning delivered through the course. For this reason your attendance at all classes leading up to this assessment is required. If you do not meet a 90% attendance rate of scheduled studio classes you will be required to provide formal evidence for your absence as per university policies, or you may be graded as AF (Absent Fail) to avoid disadvantaging your peers in assessment.
Week 6 Friday (26 Apr 2019) 5:00 pm AEST
Assessment Tasks will be undertaken in scheduled studio time in Week Six, with all tasks to be completed by 5:00PM Friday 26th April 2019.
Week 7 Friday (3 May 2019)
Feedback on assessment to be returned to students via Moodle site within one week of assessment.
- Demonstrated skills in narrative mime and movement
- Demonstrated skills in applied improvisation
- Demonstrated knowledge of basic stagecraft, including participation as scheduled
- Demonstrated use of voice skills, including warm up practices
- Demonstrated ability to follow direction
- Develop dialogue and action in improvisations
- Demonstrate correct use of basic theatre terminology
- Apply mime techniques in a variety of theatrical contexts.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Team Work
2 Practical Assessment
In small groups of 2 to 5 students you will develop, under the direction of your tutor, an original work for theatrical presentation of at least 10 minutes duration. You are required to demonstrate applied improvisation skills in the conception and development of the work. The work should include use of mime and movement skills, along with suitable use of stagecraft knowledge and applied use of voice appropriate to the piece. This is a work of collaboration between yourself, other students and the lecturer as an ensemble group. Although you are working with partners, you will be assessed individually on your own contribution to the development, work shopping, rehearsal and presentation of the work, as observed by your tutor in scheduled classes and rehearsals. Performance of other students will not impact on your individual assessment. For this reason your attendance at all classes leading up to this assessment is required. If you do not meet a 90% attendance rate of scheduled studio classes you will be required to provide formal evidence for your absence as per university policies, or you may be graded as AF (Absent Fail).
Review/Exam Week Friday (14 June 2019) 7:00 pm AEST
Assessment will be presented live as performance and recorded for assessment records.
Exam Week Friday (21 June 2019)
Results will be graded on Moodle and released to students within a week of the assessment.
- Attendance of at least 90% of all scheduled classes and rehearsals leading up to the presentation of the original work.
- Ability to follow direction.
- Demonstrated use of improvisation skills in the conception and development of the work.
- Demonstrated use of movement and mime skills within the presentation of the work.
- Demonstrated use of applied stagecraft and voice skills as appropriate to the rehearsal and presentation of the work.
- Develop dialogue and action in improvisations
- Demonstrate correct use of basic theatre terminology
- Apply mime techniques in a variety of theatrical contexts.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Team Work
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
