History of Drama and Performance 2 (DRAH2606)
This module forms part of the history leg within the Drama and Theatre Arts curriculum, an essential aspect of the degree, and aligns with practical training where applicable. The module's focus is on the development of drama and theatre practices in Modern Theatre, as well as the history of Southern African performing arts, and the Birth of Cinema. Students are exposed to the main role-players of the periods. The knowledge obtained during the course of this module will be continuously assessed.
Unit 1: Modern Theatre
Beginning in the early nineteenth century, Realism was an artistic movement that moved away from the unrealistic situations and characters that had been the basis of Romantic theatre. Students will explore Realism playwrights like Henrik Ibsen, Bernard Shaw, Anton Chekov and American Realism practitioners. Naturalism is a form of Realism that mainly focuses on how technology and science affect society as a whole and how society and genetics affect individuals.
Unit 2: Anti-Realism
In this module unit, students will explore art movements such as Symbolism, Futurism, Dadaism, Impressionism, Expressionism, Constructivism and Surrealism and how they influenced theatre. Students will also explore practitioners like August Strindberg and Vsevolod Meyerhold’s influences on theatre and theatre design.
The focus will also fall on the different movements that influenced modern theatre. Modernists changed some of the performances; emphasises fell on textuality over performance, the performance aspects of drama and its textuality (script) were embraced, modernist’s work are usually collaborative, the focus will also fall on the modernists’ reaction against Realism/Naturalism. Bertolt Brecht, Albert Camus and Theatre of the Absurd will be explored.
Unit 3: Early Cinema History
This unit examines historical and theoretical development [pre-cinema] that gave rise to the Birth of Cinema (pre-cinema) in 1895 and the years 1895-1903 where early film pioneers created and film theoreticians (historical and contemporary) theorised on the first moving pictures. It also explores the period 1903-1918 and the early years of silent, classical Hollywood narrative film. Lastly, the unit examines the period 1918 – 1927, alternatives to classical Hollywood narrative films, and the final years of the silent film and the coming of sound and the “talkies” in 1927.
Unit 4: Southern African theatre
This unit provides an overview of theatre in Southern Africa pre-1994. The unit gives insight into the motivations, practices, themes, influences and development of theatre and drama in South Africa. Although this history must be seen as part of the total history of theatre in South Africa, this module will concentrate on the development of Western theatre as seen in conjuncture with African theatre.