Technical Theatre in an Irish Context Study in Dublin Program Spring 2025 Semester - Dublin

This course will provide an in-depth study of Irish technical theatre practice, exploring the European tradition of stage design in that context. This experience will then be developed into the creation of personal research narratives for performance work, bringing an awareness and understanding of Irish theatre design into practice, working with students from the 'Performance' stream of this course. This practical theatre work and design theory will be complemented by engagement with the political and social realities of the city as arena through a site-specific theatre company.

The course aims to introduce students to, and guide them towards, an overall sense of the theatre practitioner as social agent via the personal, performative statement born and grown through the Manifesto process. By entering and enjoining a creative process, and under strong guidance from the primary tutor and various mentors, students work towards a final, fully crafted performance. Through a series of prompts and exercises, students are encouraged to discover their own subject matter, voice and style in theatrical terms. The course includes research, reflective practice, and elements of dramaturgical practice. The focus of the module is a journey of discovery through self-expression and performance-making under the assured and supportive oversight of professional practitioners from various areas of specialty.