Module: COM5002-20 Comedy Skills 3

Level: 5

Credit Value: 20

Module Tutor: Pat Welsh

Module Tutor Contact Details: P.Welsh@bathspa.ac.uk

1. Brief description and aims of module:

This module advances and integrates the skills established at level 4 and you learn to apply them in a range of comedic performance related challenges.

The module aims are:

• To expand your performance skills set as pertinent to a professional comedy career at an intermediate level.

• To enhance your ability to integrate and apply learned skills in comedic performance and related challenges.

• To evolve your approach to reflective learning and personal skills development as an individual and ensemble member.

2.Outline syllabus

This module provides you with the opportunity to extend your comedy performance skill set. Focused tuition in individual skills areas continues but there is an increased emphasis on integration and synthesis and the development of a holistic view. The module provides you with the opportunity to evaluate your skills in a range of increasingly complex comedy performance challenges. You learn how to apply your practical knowledge of vocal and movement self-care, observation, warm-up strategies to different qualitative performance processes at intermediate level.

Movement: These practical training sessions aim to further coordination, flexibility, body awareness, stamina and expressive range as developed in level 4. You work with complex movement processes such as Contact Improvisation or Acrobatics to develop intermediate level of partnering skills. You engage with improvisation and movement devising processes to prepare for the study of movement in the Performance Skills 4 module, level 5. You are also introduced to the fundamental principles of slapstick comedy,

Comedy: These classes extend your practical understanding of the comedic principles and structures introduced at level 4. You will continue your comedic exploration through games and exercises and theories and practices associated with practitioners such as Jacques Lecoq and Phillippe Gaulier with a particular emphasis on ‘simple clown’. You will incorporate the principles of slapstick introduced in movement classes.

Voice: within these classes you continue to build on the foundation of your vocal technique acquired in Performance Skills 1 and 2. Vocal technique is enhanced with the addition of learning accents and dialects, the introduction of the structure of language within text, as well as supporting the integration of the technique within your acting modules.

3.Teaching and learning activities

This module uses a combination of tutor-led workshops, student-led practice, lectures, and research assignments to underpin contextual inquiry.

Staff assess your movement, voice and comedy skills across a range of short performance exercises and/or your acting performances that give you a clear indication of your skills acquisition. Self-directed study will be expected to help you to prepare for assessments.

It is important to keep a journal or blog recording your development and to use this to evidence any required research along with annotated texts, character profiles, etc. This is not an assessed item, but you are expected to refer to this in class discussion and the PDP assignment.

The Bath Spa VLE, Minerva, provides information to help develop an appreciation of the broader technical and artistic aspects, which underpin this subject area, and develop skills in independent learning.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: Course Work

• Description: Skills Profile

• % Weighting: 75%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: Course Work

• Description: Reflective Essay (1,500 words)

• % Weighting: 25%