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theatre studies
Present Yourself
YOUR PLACE IN THE WORLD
Theatre represents and explores human experience and
imagination in a dynamic, immediate way. The study of
theatre is a key to unlocking such skills as self-confidence,
team work, communication and creative expression, as
well as the chance to explore and reflect on worlds as
diverse as those of Shakespeare,Tennessee Williams, Anton
Chekhov and Briar Grace-Smith.
Drawing on the rich diversity of theatrical expression
across time and cultures, Theatre Studies at Otago offers
an exciting, stimulating combination of practical skills and
academic training, preparing you to PRESENT YOURSELF
across a wide variety of careers both within and far beyond
theatre and the performing arts.
“Theatre Studies expanded my horizons – academically, creatively, personally. I loved how organically my studies wove together theoretical ideas and creative practice. The relationships I formed with other students and theatre-makers were among the richest of my time at Otago, and my experiences in the programme continue to influence my own creative work and my postgraduate studies.”
Poppy Haynes BA (Hons) (Theatre Studies and English)
UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO
DIVISION OF HUMANITIES
www.otago.ac.nz/humanities
0800 80 80 98 | www.otago.ac.nz
txt 866 | [email protected]
Why study Theatre Studies at
Otago?
Theatre Studies is a subject that is easy to
become passionate about. It provides keys
that unlock your understanding about the
nature of performance, allowing you access
to the tools of a creative performer, as well
as the critical and analytical skills to apply
to what you see performed. You’ll study
different times and cultures from a theatre
perspective, ranging from the Greeks to
Shakespeare to the contemporary theatre
of Aotearoa/New Zealand and all points
between. You can take a scholarly approach,
and you can learn by doing, but primarily
you will find that practice and analytical
investigation inform and support one another.
You will learn with staff who maintain their
own passion and enthusiasm for theatre
via a strong association with professional
theatre, working in the fields of acting,
directing, criticism, stage design, lighting and
sound design, playwriting and translation.
And then there is our Lunchtime Theatre
programme at Allen Hall, which is your
testing ground as a performer or director
or playwright, and in all aspects of stagecraft.
It’s a weekly performance fixture unique to
Theatre Studies at Otago (and something to
celebrate).
Otago offers a wide-ranging selection of
papers in Theatre Studies, drawn from the
following areas:
• Performance skills: improvisation;
Stanislavsky and principles of actor training;
voice; Shakespeare
• Analysis and interpretation of plays
• Bicultural theatre; drama and theatre of
Aotearoa/New Zealand, the Pacific and
Australia
• Directing
• Modern drama and performance
• Theatre history
• Performance analysis and theory
• Theatre technology and design, especially
lighting and sound
• Playwriting and the creation of new
theatre works
Background required
All students are welcome to study Theatre
Studies at Otago.
Major or Minor in Theatre Studies
Theatre Studies is available as both a major
and a minor subject of the Bachelor of
Arts (BA) programme. BA Honours is also
available, and usually requires an extra year
of study. Theatre Studies may be combined
with another BA major or form part of a
double degree.
Major or Minor in Theatre Studies (continued)
As a first-year student, you can take the papers
Drama on Stage and Screen, Improvisation,
Theatre Technology, and Voice and Movement,
which will provide an excellent grounding
for a major in the subject. The long-running
Improvisation paper is consistently highly placed
by Otago students surveyed for satisfaction
with their learning experience.
Honours and Postgraduate Diploma
Theatre Studies offers a fourth year Honours
programme and a postgraduate diploma.
Students who do well in the early stages of
their degree may apply to enter the Honours
programme in their second or third year of
study. Students who have completed their BA
may choose a postgraduate diploma as a fourth
year of study. With either option, you receive
advanced training in aspects of the subject and
the opportunity to pursue your own research
and practical projects. An Honours degree
makes you more employable in the workforce,
but it may also be a stepping stone to a higher
degree such as a Master of Arts (MA), or the
new Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Theatre
Studies, or a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Teaching Style
Different teaching styles apply to different
types of papers. Some are conducted through
practical workshops and tutorials, others are
given as a mixture of lectures, tutorials and
seminars. Most class sizes are relatively small,
which supports our emphasis on reflective
learning. Students have many opportunities
to pursue independent projects in groups and
individually.
Career opportunities
Theatre Studies graduates can be found
working as teachers, publicists, directors, actors,
script-writers, TV/radio journalists, film-makers,
comedians, designers, musicians and theatre
technicians. Others take up careers in arts
administration, advertising and marketing, or
undertake further training in theatre-related
fields. Some choose to combine Theatre Studies
with another major (for example: English, Music,
Dance, Anthropology, Performing Arts Studies,
Film & Media, Visual Culture, Mäori Studies and
many more) or with another degree, such as
Law or Marketing or Education. The options are
endless!
Our papers teach personal and professional
skills which are widely applicable across a
range of careers and disciplines. They include
critical analysis, research, creativity, confidence,
team-building techniques and the ability to
communicate in diverse ways. These attributes
are highly valued in many professions, as are
cultural sensitivity and the ability to think
laterally and independently. They are skills for a
career, and skills for life-long learning.
The major comprises 10 papers from within
Theatre Studies, plus an additional 10 papers
either from within the programme and/
or from other departments. The minor
comprises a total of 5 papers from Theatre
Studies.
theatre studies
June 2011
Present Yourself
For questions about Theatre Studies
Tel 0800 80 80 98
Email [email protected]
www.otago.ac.nz/theatrestudies
profile
BEN TRUMAN
Drama Teacher at Burnside High School
BA (Theatre Studies), BTheol, Postgrad
Diploma in Arts (Theatre Studies - distinction),
Grad Dip in Teaching (Secondary)
“It’s important to do what you love.” - That’s
the advice that finally persuaded me to enrol
in a BA majoring in Theatre Studies at the
University of Otago. I began not knowing where
it would lead, or what I would gain from it, but
knowing that I would forever regret not taking
the opportunity to follow my passion. I started
studying because I loved it, I stayed studying
because it challenged and changed me.
Theatre Studies as an academic discipline offers
a unique combination of the academic and
the practical; the cerebral and the heuristic.
This combination is a particular strength at
Otago with an incredible staff of academics
and performers with a wealth of experience
who support you as both a student and as a
performer.
Importantly, the lectures don’t simply stay on
the page. Allen Hall’s iconic Lunchtime Theatre
programme gives you the space to put that
learning into practice. After seven years in
Dunedin Allen Hall became something of a
second home to me.
There is no one set job at the end of a
Theatre Studies degree. Rather, the skills you
acquire make you better in whatever career
you undertake. Teamwork, communication,
confidence and creativity are just a few of the
qualities that a degree in Theatre Studies will
boost.
My passions led me to teaching. George
Bernard Shaw wrote that, “He who can, does.
He who cannot, teaches.” However, I think the
following quote is closer to the mark, “Those
that know, do. Those that understand, teach.”