Theatre Directing (10434.1)

Please note these are the 2022 details for this unit
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Theatre Directing
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
 South Bank, QLD
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Arts And Design
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
School Of Arts And Communications Level 3 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit Band 2 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 2 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
The unit provides an overview of the history and development of the director's role in modern and contemporary theatre practice. Students will study key directors and their innovations and methodologies. Students will engage with the conceptual and practical processes of bringing texts to the stage, identifying the key areas of knowledge and technique associated with working in theatrical contexts. Students will be able to conceptualise and respond creatively to a text in the form of a directorial proposal. Students will formulate an individual approach and aesthetic within a theatrical context. This subject will also focus on developing communication skills in academic and creative contexts.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Evaluate and summarise the contribution of key directors to the history and development of theatrical expression;
2. Recognise and implement relevant techniques, approaches and methods of directing in relation to texts;
3. Devise and justify creative concepts in the context of directing performance; and
4. Apply communication skills in an academic/creative context.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development


Prerequisites

Must have passed 36 credit points.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 South Bank, QLD Semester 1 03 February 2025 On-campus Mr Anatoly Frusin
2026 South Bank, QLD Semester 1 16 February 2026 On-campus Mr Anatoly Frusin
Not available

Required texts

Required/recommended Texts:

Bogart, A. (2001). A director prepares: Seven essays on art and theatre. Routledge.

Innes, C., & Shevstova, M. (2015). The Cambridge introduction to theatre directing. Cambridge University Press.

Marty, P. (2019). Contemporary women stage directors: Conversations on craft. Methuen drama.

Mitchell, K. (2009). The director's craft: A handbook for the theatre. Routledge.

Other readings:

Clurman, H. (1972). On directing. Simon & Schuster.

Drain, R. (Ed.) (1995). Twentieth-Century theatre. Routledge.

Gregory, A., & London, T. (2020). This is not my memoir. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

McAuley, G. (2012). Not magic but work: An ethnographic account of a rehearsal process. Manchester University Press.

Mark, T. (2019) The art of directing in African traditional theatre.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338188442_The_Art_of_Directing_in_African_Traditional_Theatre

Marker, L-L., & Marker, F. J. (1992). Ingmar Bergman: A life in the theater. Cambridge University Press.

Mitter, S., & Shevtsova, M. (Eds.). (2005). Fifty key theatre directors. Routledge.

Other texts:

Barba, E, & Savarese, N. (1991). A dictionary of theatre anthropology: The secret art of the performer. Routledge.

Braun, E. (1979). The theatre of Meyerhold: Revolution on the modern stage. Drama Book Specialists.

Deeney, J. F., & Gale, M. B. (2016). The Routledge drama anthology: modernism to contemporary performance (Second edition.). Routledge.

Hauser, F., & Reich, R. (2003). Notes on directing: 130 lessons in leadership from the director's chair. Walker Publishing Company, Inc.

Homan, S. (Ed.). (2020). Why the theatre: In personal essays,college teachers, actors, directors, and playwrights tell why the theatre is so vital to them. Routledge.

Salesses, M. (2021). Craft in the real world: Rethinking fiction writing and workshopping. Catapult.

Tannahill, J. (2015). Theatre of the unimpressed: In search of vital drama. Coach House Books.

Usher, S. (2014). Directing: A miscellany. Oberon Books.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Artificial intelligence
Students are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in assessments for this unit.
GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment when:
1. the Unit Convener has authorised GenAI use for that assessment
2. the student uses GenAI in the way that the assessment instructions allow
3. the student fully acknowledges their use of GenAI, with proper citations, references and a GenAI Acknowledgement Statement in line with the assessment instructions.
Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not permitted for that assessment. Students must still provide the required GenAI Acknowledgement Statement to indicate whether GenAI has or has not been used in the preparation of the assessment. If unsure, students should seek advice from the Unit Convener.
The GenAI for StudentsLinks to an external site. Library Guide provides further information, including how to reference GenAI.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

Where possibble, physical attandence is required at all classes due to the practical and collaborative nature of the unit.

Required IT skills

Students will be requred to access learning materials and submit assessments through the student management system Canvas.

Work placement, internships or practicums

N/A