Bachelor of Theatre

Acting Major

The Acting major introduces students to the established processes of interpretative performance for live and digital modes of delivery. This major then guides students through the skills and knowledge in generating original performance material and outcomes. While traditional avenues of live performance are reduced in the arts sector, the explosion of social media and online product-share has led to myriad opportunities for innovation in online promotion, delivery and audience reach. Furthermore, it is widely recognized that this major is a particularly participatory practice-led processes of generating and sharing story, which are fundamental to the growth of healthy communities.

Duration

3-years Full Time

6-years Part Time

Campus

Toowoomba

Online

QTAC Code

909981

909985

ATAR

60

Credit Points

24

What You Study!

You will be thrown into a rigorous exploration of generating original work, by adapting theatre skills and processes to identify, design and deliver sustainable community-participatory creative arts projects. If you have a flair for collaboration, problem-solving, and project management, you will create real world community-engaged theatre projects.

Foundation Skills of the Working Actor

Acting and Interpretation

Acting for the Digital Medium

Theatre in Communities

The Creative Actor

Making Theatre History 1: Classic Plays in Context

Performance Project Stage and Screen

Making Theatre History 2

Independent Theatre Project

Professional Acting Portfolio

Body as Story

Professional Acting Project

THT1004 Acting and Interpretation

Working in a television studio requires the mastery of key concepts and awareness of the production and technical skills required to work in the industry. This course builds upon  foundational skills developed in TVR 1001, allowing students to  take on more senior roles. Students will be working on a television production that will be seen on a network television channel.  Working on a program means that you build skills, confidence and awareness of audience, scripting, producing, directing and a range of other roles.

This course engages students with the language and terminology used in the industry. It will build further competencies utilised in other courses in the degree.  Students will continue to build skills in a single camera, location environment, developed sophisticated production elements and be made aware of the value of media management. You will be producing a program under industry standards and practice.  Other skills will be developed including critical thinking, effective communication skills and team work, vital for employment in the industry.

THT2002 Performance Project: Stage and Screen

Professional theatre workers need to develop the capability for independent practice. Independent practice involves the design, planning and implementation of creative projects that achieve established goals within defined timeframes, dedicated resources and paradigms of practice. Theatre workers engaged in independent practice apply high levels of autonomous capability. This involves the organisation and strategic planning and application of appropriate skills pertinent to interpretation, rehearsal and developmental work processes articulating into performance. This course engages students in authentic learning projects, which enable them to progress learned skills in creative and interpretive practice in both live and digital mediums. Assigned to projects in both supervised and unsupervised contexts, students negotiate ongoing iterative processes of project development and skills/knowledge advancement towards a capability for autonomous independent practice.

THT3001 Independent Theatre Project

Theatre students acquiring an industry entry-level standard of skills and knowledge must apply those developing capabilities in authentic project work approximating professional work practices and environments to achieve autonomous proficiency in engaged responsibilities aligned with their chosen career path. Conceiving, designing, planning and actualising an independent creative project or a significant engagement within a collaborative creative project (in a relevant community of practice) presents as a challenging learning environment wherein the application of skills integrated with agile processes of reflective practice and problem-solving propagates the maturation of professional creative capabilities. At the completion of this course, students should be beginning to build an identity as an entry-level working professional in their chosen career path

THT2001 The Creative Actor

Contemporary theatre workers need the knowledge and skills to apply the principles of story generation, structure, development and production as a foundation to wide ranging professional practice. Concomitant to that capability are the organisational, communication, problem-solving, reflective practice and collaborative skills fundamental to independent models of practice. This course introduces students to the principles of screenplay story structure, and the broad precepts of comedy. Through weekly cumulative workshops, students acquire and apply the principles of story and comedy to the generation of original and adapted work. Weekly supervised workshop processes enable students to acquire and apply skills and knowledge for evaluating and developing work-in-progress towards final performance outcomes. Students negotiating this course gain a formative understanding of the architecture of story and story construction and the processes involved in developing professional performance product. In the performance of work generated, students further their understanding and application of interpretive and performance skills in the live and digital mediums.

THT3002 Professional Acting Portfolio

A  professional theatre worker must develop the capacity for self-initiated and diagnosed body/vocal skills maintenance; for self-initiated research and learning in the field of practice and for the design and presentation of a portfolio of material representative of their professional identity. Professional actors additionally need to have efficient means of interpreting and performing in audition and self-casting processes to maximise opportunities for employment in the wider entertainment industry. This course enables students to learn to apply the knowledge and negotiate the processes for audition fulfilment and professional representation in industry appropriate forms and platforms.

THT3004 The Body as Story

The body is central to the lived experience of all human beings , both actual and fictional. The interrogation of race and gender representation are essential to knowing how the body is interpreted and perceived in Western cultural dramatic artefacts reveals how it may be constructed, exploited, exonerated or erased. Theatre-makers will be introduced to theoretical contexts that explore the ethical and critical considerations around how a body might be consumed by a paying public audience. The plays and films considered in the course are designed to challenge the readers’ assumptions about the body throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

THT3006 Professional Acting Project

Graduand students of theatre must demonstrate their professional level capabilities in appropriate job roles within a professional project context. Students of acting, facilitation or a variety of inter-related creative roles need to assess the parameters of responsibility required for their professional contribution to an established project. They need to evaluate the skills, knowledge and processes required to fulfil their responsibilities, appropriately organise their time and individual circumstances and apply recognized professional techniques and processes to fulfil their obligations to the standard and in the manner established in project planning and subsequent processes of review. Through engaging in a professional standard project, students need to be proficient in self-initiated autonomous practice, and for applying collaborative skills and sensibilities at an industry entry-level within a context of sustainable wellbeing.

Why Choose Acting?

The acting major is for those who want to perform. Every student gets individual attention, rigorous voice and movement classes and hands-on experience working on film sets and several theatre productions. We employ a diverse range of teaching staff, often drawing from teachers who are working at the highest levels of industry. Our graduates are on screen and stages across Australia and the world.

Your Career

Depending on your areas of specialisation and choice of electives, your career options could include roles in mainstream theatre, film and television, the education sector, international arts events and more including:

Independent, musical and mainstream theatre

Television and film

Radio, audiobook and podcast performance

Comedy performance

Your Career

Depending on your areas of specialisation and choice of electives, your career options could include roles in mainstream theatre, film and television, the education sector, international arts events and more including:

Independent, musical and mainstream theatre

Television and film

Radio, audiobook and podcast performance

Comedy performance

Your Career

Depending on your areas of specialisation and choice of electives, your career options could include roles in mainstream theatre, film and television, the education sector, international arts events and more including:

Independent, musical and mainstream theatre

Television and film

Radio, audiobook and podcast performance

Comedy performance

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