IB Theater HL and SL Sullivan

Selecting the theatre theorist and theory

Students at HL identify a theatre theorist they have not previously studied who has developed and contributed to theatre theory. Students should have little or no previous experience of researching or practically engaging with the theatre theorist or aspect(s) of theory they select for study.

It is important that the theatre theorist selected has made a significant contribution to theatre and that their theories are documented and publicly available. Published or recorded material of the theorist’s actual words communicating their theatre theory must exist.

Students must ensure that the theory they select is related to theatrical theory, rather than to social, psychological, literary, historical or cultural theory. In some cases it may be necessary to consider other theories alongside the theatre theory, with theorists such as Augusto Boal (b.1931), for example, whose theatre theory cannot be considered without exploring the wider political components of his work. However, this must be clearly justified in the report.

Use of sources

For this task the student should consult both primary (the theorist’s own published or recorded words) and secondary sources related to the theatre theorist and their theories. The suitability and range of the sources will depend on the theorist and the nature of their theory. As well as the more obvious sources (books, websites, videos, DVDs, articles) research may also include live experiences/encounters such as workshops, lectures, correspondence or interview with an expert and performances. All sources consulted must be cited following the protocol of the referencing style chosen by the school and submitted alongside the text of the report.

Performance material

For their solo theatre piece, students may choose to use or adapt existing text, create new text or not use any text, as appropriate to the selected theorist and nature of the theory being explored. If using a play text, this does not necessarily need to be from a play written specifically to put that theatre theorist’s theories into practice. For example, a student would not need to choose a play by Bertolt Brecht (b.1898) in order to explore an aspect of Epic theatre, they could, perhaps, choose to adapt a Naturalistic play text instead. If using a play text, this does not need to be one continuous speech but may be a number of sections of text woven together by the student.

Designing and directing

Students must approach this task from the perspective of performer but must also make their own design and directorial choices. These will depend on their intentions and should be appropriate to the chosen theatre theorist and the nature of the theory being explored. Although students may need to design and source specific technical or scenic elements for their theatre piece these do not need to be made or operated by the student. A student who wishes to include an original sequence of music or projection in their theatre piece, for example, will be expected to design and stipulate the nature, duration and style of the music or footage required. It is acceptable, however, for someone else to capture, assemble and edit the material under the direction of the student, as well as operate any technology required to play back the original material for the theatre piece. This applies to scenic design elements (such as costume make-up, props and set) and technical design elements (such as lighting, projection and sound). Where found material is used, students must be sure to state the source of the material and acknowledge the individuals involved in its creation. Students should record all decisions made relating to the technical elements of the theatre piece in their theatre journals and address them in the submitted report, following the protocol of the referencing style chosen by the school and copyright legislation.

Supporting the creative process

Solo performers rarely work in isolation. During the rehearsal and development process for this task students are permitted to seek support and feedback from peer “mentors” (and in turn the student may work in the role of mentor for others). The role of the peer mentor should be to ask questions and to challenge the student to be clearer in the formulation, development and expression of their creative ideas. This may involve question and answer sessions, support with learning lines, gaining feedback on extracts of the theatre piece and other structured coaching activities. Key interactions with peer mentors (who may or may not be members of the IB theatre class) must be clearly recorded in the theatre journal and addressed in the report where the student must reflect on how this support has impacted the development of their piece.

Technical support

The students may receive support in preparing and operating technical equipment during the theatre piece. They must have designed and stipulated the nature of these technical elements independently even if they do not operate the technical equipment or make the scenic elements.

Other performers

This is an individual assessment task which requires the student to present a solo theatre piece. Other performers are not permitted to appear in any part of the final presentation of the solo theatre piece.

Requirements of the video recording

The video recording must be a continuous, unedited record and must capture the full theatre piece. The video camera must not be switched off at any point during the presentation. More information and guidance on the video recording of internal and external assessments can be found in the Handbook of procedures for the Diploma Programme.

The role of the teacher

Teachers must ensure that their students are appropriately prepared for the demands of this task through the careful planning and delivery of the core syllabus activities outlined above .

While students are working on the assessment task the teacher should:

• discuss each student’s choice of theatre theorist and the aspect(s) of theory selected with them; it is important that the theatre theorist selected is each student’s own choice
• give feedback once only following the presentation of a work-in-progress version of the solo theatre piece; each student must clearly record this feedback in both the theatre journal and subsequent report; each student must reflect on the impact that this support has made on the development of the piece
• give feedback on one draft of the report.

During the assessment task the teacher should assist with video recording the solo theatre piece to ensure it accurately captures the assessment task. In preparing to video record the assessed solo theatre piece teachers are encouraged to allow students time to walk through their presentation prior to filming to give the video camera operator an indication of how the space will be used and the most appropriate way of framing each section.