The IB DP World Theatre Research Presentation is a 15-minute maximum research presentation which includes:

• your research of a world theatre tradition chosen from the IB list (below), including:

  • the cultural and/or theoretical context of the selected theatre tradition

  • your practical exploration of a CONVENTION of this world theatre tradition

• a DEMONSTRATION of the CONVENTION you explored as APPLIED TO AN APPROPRIATE MOMENT OF THEATRE (see below for more detail)

• your reflection on the impact studying this world theatre form has had on you as a performer, including explaining how this study compares and connects to another performance practice that you have studied before

• you must cite your sources in your presentation

• you will upload the full unedited presentation and a list of sources, as well as any additional resources that you use in your presentation that are not clearly seen or understood within the video. "Additional resources" may be visual aids, power point slides, video or other support material that you use in your presentation that may not be completely clear in the video.

• ***THERE IS NO PAPER****

These are the major steps of the WORLD THEATRE RESEARCH PRESENTATION:

1. KEEP A JOUNAL THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. YOU WILL HAVE JOURNAL ASSIGNMENTS, BUT, ALSO, MAKE A DAILY PRACTICE OF WRITING.

2. Choose a form of world theater from this list to research and present on:

1. Research your theatre form:

   1. Identify the unique performance conventions required by a performer in this theatre tradition

   2. Choose a CONVENTION of the form to DEMONSTRATE. Do practical explorations of the convention that you choose. These explorations should be centered in the use of your body and can relate to one or more of the following:

      1. Gesture

      2. Face

      3. Body

      4. Movement

      5. Voice

2. Apply research to a moment of theatre:

• 1. Your presentation will include a demonstration of an appropriate moment of theatre that demonstartes and explains the performance convention that you have practically and physically explored.

     1. For example, a student selecting the theatre tradition of Kathakali might identify the specific performance convention of the hand gesture language called mudras. To demonstrate and explain a range of these richand complex hand poses a student might select a moment from The Ramanyana. Alternatively, they may choose to use a moment from a story they have written themselves which they think best demonstratesand explains the mudras to others.

     2. The moment of theatre should be presented as a “work in progress” and is not be expected to be a polished performance. The “work in progress” should show the student grappling with the world theatretradition and the performance convention explored and students are required to reflect on the skills and knowledge required to be a performer in this tradition.

Structuring the presentation

The presentation may be up to 15 minutes in length. It should demonstrate the research findings of:

• the world theatre tradition;

• the cultural and/or theoretical context through which the world theatre tradition and the selected convention developed and the impact this has had on how and why it is performed;

• the student’s physical and practical explorations into the performance convention from that theatre tradition;

• the student’s exploration and analysis of the application of their learning to the staging of a moment of a moment of theatre;

• the student’s reflection on their learning and their development as a performer, a comparison and connection between the performance convention examined and one other performance practice.

The student may refer to notes, slides or other prompts during the presentation, but to ensure the presentation engages their audience the student should avoid simply reading from a pre-prepared script.

Any illustrations, charts, mind maps, visuals, diagrams or designs used within the presentation must be clearly annotated and appropriately referenced to acknowledge the source, following the referencing style chosen by the school. When students include any of their own photographs or images in the presentation, these must also be identified and acknowledged in the same way. There is no lower limit on the length of the presentation and teachers are encouraged to remind students that their work will be assessed on how it best fulfills the assessment criteria for the task and not judged on how many minutes they present for.

Students may wish to adapt and adopt the following structure for their presentation. This guidance, which outlines a possible structure for presenting the work rather than a process through which to approach the task, is neither prescriptive nor restrictive, as students should feel free to cover each section in an order preferable to their needs and requirements.

• The world theatre tradition and its cultural and/or theoretical context

• The performance convention and the process of the physical and practical explorations

• The performance convention and the process of applying this to a moment of theatre

• Demonstration and explanation of the convention applied to a moment of theatre

• The impact of this study on me as a learner and connections and comparisons between performance practice

Formal requirements of this task

Each student submits for assessment:

• a continuous, unedited video recording of the live presentation (15 minutes maximum) which presents:

  • the student’s research of the selected world theatre tradition and its cultural and/or theoretical context

  • the student’s practical and physical explorations of one performance convention selected from the world theatre tradition

  • the student’s explanation and physical demonstration of how they might apply their research to the staging of a moment of theatre

  • the student’s analysis of the impact of this study on them as a learner and performer

  • an explanation of how the selected performance convention compares and connects to one other performance practice

  • a list of all sources cited and any additional resources used by the student during the presentation which are not clearly seen within the video recording.

The procedure for submitting the assessment materials can be found in the Handbook of procedures for the Diploma Programme. Students are required to indicate the length of the video recording when the materials are submitted. Where the video recording of the presentation exceeds the prescribed limit examiners are instructed to base their assessment solely on the first 15 minutes.

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Assessing this task

Students then undertake the following process for assessment.

Theatre in context

• Each student chooses and researches a world theatre tradition they have not previously studied in depth from the prescribed list below. They research the cultural and/or theoretical context of the selected world theatretradition.

• Each student identifies the performance conventions required by a performer in the world theatre tradition and selects one of these performance conventions to physically and practically explore for this task. Each studentresearches and examines the one performance convention within the context of the world theatre tradition from which it originates.

• Each student documents this in mtheir theatre journal.

Theatre processes

• Each student physically and practically explores the one performance convention they have selected and records the processes they undertake for this exploration.

• Each student begins to practically examine how the selected performance convention could be physically applied to a moment of theatre. The moment they select may be from the world theatre tradition itself, fromanother theatre practice or may be material generated by the student. It should be selected in order to demonstrate the particular performance convention selected and should be appropriate to the theatre tradition and theselected convention.

• Each student documents this in their theatre journal as they reflect on the development of their skills and knowledge and the process of exploring what is necessary to be a performer in this world theatre tradition.

Presenting theatre

• Each student presents the world theatre tradition, its contexts and the selected performance convention.

• Each student presents the processes they have undertaken to practically and physically examine this convention.

• Each student demonstrates and explains how they have applied this convention to a moment of theatre. This is presented as a “work in progress” and is not polished or fully produced.

• Each student presents their reflection on the impact this learning has had on them, how this links to their work as a performer and how the performance convention explored compares to ONE other performance practice. Theentire presentation (maximum 15 minutes) is delivered to the teacher and to peers and is filmed as a continuous unedited shot.

Criteria

A. Theatre in context: The tradition

Evidence: video recording and list of sources and resources

A1: To what extent does the student explain a world theatre tradition (chosen from the prescribed list) demonstrating an understanding of the tradition and its cultural and/or theoretical context(s), effectively supporting their work with a range of appropriate sources?

A2: To what extent does the student effectively and clearly explain a specific performance convention selected from the researched theatre tradition, effectively supporting their work with a range of appropriate sources?

• Candidates who do not select a world theatre tradition from the prescribed list will not be awarded a mark higher than 2 in this criterion.

B. Theatre processes: Practical research and approaches to application

Evidence: video recording

B1: To what extent does the student explain how and why they have practically and physically explored the performance convention selected from the world theatre tradition in the prescribed list?

B2: To what extent does the student explain how and why they have approached the application of the performance convention to an appropriate moment of theatre?

• Candidates who do not select a world theatre tradition from the prescribed list will not be awarded a mark higher than 2 in this criterion.

C. Presenting theatre: The presentation of the moment of theatre

Evidence: video recording

C1: To what extent does the student practically communicate an understanding of the selected performance convention from the world theatre tradition (chosen from the prescribed list) through the demonstration of their specific moment of theatre?

C2: To what extent does the student use their body and/or voice effectively and confidently?

• Candidates who do not select a world theatre tradition from the prescribed list will not be awarded a mark higher than 2 in this criterion.

D. Theatre in context: The learner

Evidence: video recording

D1: To what extent does the student explain the impact the investigation has had on them as a learner and as a performer?

D2: To what extent does the student explain how the selected performance convention compares to ONE other performance practice?