Drama

Drama History

The professional acting and directing programmes at the Flinders Drama Centre have been in existence since 1975. The combination of a strong grounding in performance theory, together with a high level of technical skill, has produced what we call 'the intelligent alternative' in professional training. Drama Centre graduates have made a significant contribution to the entertainment industry both nationally and internationally. They include Academy Award Nominee Scott Hicks; award winning director of theatre, musicals and opera Gale Edwards; award winning actors Nick Hope and Noni Hazelhurst; and award winning playwright Melissa Reeves. Flinders graduates have been founding members of numerous companies, music groups and arts organisations including Circus Oz, Redgum, The Angels, Doppio Teatro, Red Shed, and Brink Productions.

The New Centre

In 1999, the Drama Centre moved into a new facility which includes a fully functioning, three-camera television studio and a "black-box" studio, designed to accommodate the sophisticated equipment which allows computer-controlled visual projections to be incorporated into live performance. Existing teaching and performance spaces, including the 425-seat Matthew Flinders Theatre and dance and voice training studios, have been upgraded as part of the development.

The decision to invest heavily in video and digitally-enhanced performance technology reflects the inclusion in the Flinders training programme of specialist classes in acting for film and television, and the creation of live performances using new technologies. The new curriculum has been developed with the assistance of film and television actors/directors from England, Poland and Iran - as well as Australia. This addition to the course builds on the highly successful theatre programme at the Centre, which is noted for its strengths in culturally diverse performance, and contemporary text-based experimental theatre.

Performance Research

The new Centre is equipped not only as a teaching facility, but also as a research centre for visiting artists interested in integrating live performance and new technologies. Exile, the first performance research project to emerge from the Centre, opened the Sydney Spring Festival at the Opera House studio theatre in August 2000, and was presented at the Shanghai Festival in November that year. Exile will be seen by Adelaide audiences in 2004. The second project, Boy Hamlet, directed by Robyn Archer premiered at the Brisbane Festival in October 2000. A third project involving experiments in the interaction between live and digital characters, headed by Wojciech Pisarek, began in 2001 and resulted in a major live-digital contribution to Windmill?s production of The Snow Queen in 2003.

In 2002, the Drama Centre convened the Art, Technology & New Performance Symposium for the Shanghai Festival. In 2003 funding was obtained from the Australia Council for the Cultural Diversity Cluster project which explores cross-cultural and cross-discipline art practice. This project will run from 2003 to 2005. In 2004 the Drama Centre began a creative development with the Adelaide Central School of Arts and funded by the Helpmann Academy. This project currently involves two staff members and six students from each institutions.

International Links

In the last ten years, the Drama Centre has developed a number of cross-cultural programmes in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Artists from the Philippines, Korea, Japan, England, Iran, and Columbia have joined the Flinders staff as visiting lecturers on semester residencies, and Flinders students have been invited to take part in performance projects in Okinawa, Seoul, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Iran and Mindanao.

Bachelor of Creative Arts

The core aim of the course is to develop in students the creative, practical, critical and collaborative skills necessary to pursue a drama career in the arts and communications industries. These core skills will be complemented by the skills and knowledge acquired by students completing a major in the closely related "theory" subjects. In addition, the course provides elective topics which, together with the core practical and theory topics, will develop flexible, independent thinkers capable of analysing problems from different perspectives, capable of critical evaluation of problems and capable of selecting working solutions. Through their participation in projects drawing on the resources of all three streams, students will learn how to collaborate with practitioners in related creative disciplines.

The aim of the course is to prepare students for a professional life by:

• equipping students with basic professional skills in the areas of major employment in the entertainment industry: realistic acting techniques, acting for screen, and directing for theatre and screen;
• introducing students to areas of development and increasing importance in the Australian industry: post-modern performance techniques, intercultural performance, and the interface between live performance and multimedia;
• encouraging all students to work as conceptual artists through courses specialising in techniques of group devising, auto-performance and scriptwriting;
• developing in students, through a comprehensive history and theory stream, an awareness of the relevance of these discourses to professional practice.

The currently existing structure for Drama Centre students will be incorporated into the new award. In first year they will undertake 18 units of practical training in Drama Centre with the co-requisite of 9 units of Drama theory. This continues in second and third year as 18 units in Drama Centre and at least 12 units of Drama theory topics. There is also provision for additional electives at all levels.

Information is available for the style and presentation of essays .