This course addresses a current social need to extend the ways in which society is able to negotiate and interpret the information about the real world, that is made available to us through the virtual environment of screens.

Drawing primarily on Richard Schechner's work in Performance Studies, the course closely investigates specific examples of screen media, screen-based events and art for their performative, theatrical and embodied aspects. Students are introduced to a conceptual framework wherein performance is understood as both live and screen-mediated behaviour.

Discussions include the following topics:

1. Realism as an experience of cinema.
2. Brecht's idea of theatrical gest.
3. Acting for screen media.
4. 'Cybercinema' : FX, animation, morphing.
5. Social practice involving all kinds of screens, including those of mobile phones, computers, cinematic screens.

1. Students will be able to describe and explaing the ways in which screen-mediated performance is related to live theatre.
2. Students will be able to critique and analyse peformance texts of many kinds, both live and screen-mediated.
3. Students wil be able to use a complex combination of ideas to form an arguement.

Recommended Texts:
• Carlson, Marvin. Performance: A Critical Introduction, London, New York: Routledge, 1996.
• Naremore, James. Acting in the Cinema, Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press, 1988.
• Schechner, Richard, and Appel, Willa. (Eds.), By Means of Performance: Intercultural Studies of Theatre and Ritual, Cambridge, New York, Port Chester, Melbourne, Sydney: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
• Striff, Erin (Ed.), Performance Studies, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
• Extra readings and reading lists will be posted on the course’s on-line teaching site during the course.