Theatre Arts

Advice on choosing a topic in Theatre Arts

1. Choose a topic you are very curious about; you will be living with and exploring this area for a while and the motivation needs to come from you.

2. Remember that this is a critical investigation. Make sure that your topic area is not so obscure that there is little written or visual references at your disposal.

3. Choose a theorist/ tradition/ practice that you can connect to in some way or form in real time. Have you seen this work in performance? How have you experienced it?

4. There is a strong relationship between theory and practice. You can choose to base your EE entirely on your reading and explore a topic at a purely theoretical level. However, their EE must connect this theory with practical application. The research outcome should always include a practical dimension.

5. Some EE research questions include:

- To what extent can social discrimination be discussed through the body in physical theatre? An analysis of DV8’s The Cost of Living.

- What are the main uses and types of mask in Noh drama, and how does the mask contribute to the creation of a character in Noh?

Advice for research in Theatre Arts

1. Theatre is an extremely broad subject- it is multifaceted by nature. Therefore, you can take an interdisciplinary approach in your research, so long as the topic is firmly rooted in the subject of theatre.

2. As there is no right or wrong answer with many of the theatre theories, world practices and traditions that exist, you should be prepared to consider a wide range of sources and be creative in your approach to this. If you want to find “the answer” then an EE in Theatre is not for you.

3. You should consult a range of quality of sources (both primary and secondary), a choice of topic where ONLY internet and articles are available, should send up some red flags.

Advice for write-up in Theatre Arts

1. It essential that you develop a reliable system to record all sources and discoveries as you go. Something that you see or read may be very inspiring in the moment but two months later will be very hard to locate.

2. Ensure that you reference all quotes properly as you work.

3. Adhere to the deadlines your supervisor establishes.