Key facts
UNE unit code: THEA210
*You are viewing the 2025 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.
- Trimester 1 - On Campus
- Trimester 1 - Online
- Armidale Campus
- Yes
- No
- No
- 6
Unit information
The theatre is a place where society’s values are reflected; and from an understanding of the past, we can track the future. This unit investigates theatre and performance from its origins in ritual and the ancient Greek theatre to the emergence of realism.
In this unit you will explore seminal play texts and their socio-cultural/political/historical perspectives, with a focus on the role of the actor. The ability to identify inherited theatre tradition, the key junctures in the progress of content and form, and the advancement of theatre as an art-form, is foundational to the contemporary practitioner.
This unit is both practical and analytical; you will explore the body and the voice in performance, demonstrating an understanding of the contribution of the actor to the theatre event. You will also learn to read and write about theatre as a performance.
You can take this unit as part of your theatre studies or as a stand-alone subject.
Offerings
For further information about UNE's teaching periods, please go to Principal Dates.
Teaching period | Mode/location |
---|---|
Trimester 1 | On Campus, Armidale Campus |
Trimester 1 | Online |
*Offering is subject to availability
Intensive schools
There are no intensive schools required for this unit.
Enrolment rules
Notes
Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.
Unit coordinator(s)
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- analyse and apply a detailed understanding of elements of theatre in historical contexts;
- identify and evaluate the contribution of the actor to the theatre event;
- use performance skills to interpret the different presentational styles within historical genres of theatre; and
- communicate specialised concepts effectively in written, oral and performance forms.
Assessment information
Assessments are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
Title | Must Complete | Weight | Offerings | Assessment Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Assessment 1 | Yes | 45% | All offerings | Reading Diary No. Words: 2500 |
Assessment 2 | Yes | 45% | All offerings | Performance Tasks and Essay No. Words: 2500 (equivalent) |
Assessment 3 | Yes | 10% | All offerings | Lecture Quizzes No. Words: 500 |
Learning resources
Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
'Oedipus the King' by Sophocles
Text refers to: All offerings
A Midsummer Night's Dream
ISBN: 9780199535866
Shakespeare, W., Oxford University Press 2008
Text refers to: All offerings
'The Harrowing of Hell' by Anonymous
Text refers to: All offerings
Hamlet
ISBN: 9780141195186
Shakespeare, W., Penguin 2010
Text refers to: All offerings
Hedda Gabler and Other Plays
ISBN: 9780141195216
Ibsen, H., Penguin 2010
Text refers to: All offerings
Note: Recommended material is held in the University Library — purchase is optional.
The Drama, Theatre and Performance Companion
ISBN: 9780230551657
Mangan, M., Palgrave MacMillan 2013
Text refers to: All offerings
Theatre Histories: An Introduction
ISBN: 9780415837965
McConachie, B., Nellhaus, T., Sorgenfrei, C.F. and Underiner, T., Routledge 3rd ed. 2016
Text refers to: All offerings
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