Explore dramaturgy beyond work with written texts and literary play scripts to encompass the contexts of dance, hybrid works, installation, community-based and performance art work. And develop your potential for artistic leadership and attain in-depth knowledge of dramaturgical thinking and practices. COLLABORATIVE LEARNING Students collaborate with other VCA postgraduate disciplines and engage with writers, directors, designers, choreographers, performance-makers and actors on a range of projects in an intensive training environment. THE FIRST IN AUSTRALIA This is the first course leading to a qualification in dramaturgy in Australia and Asia, and offers a unique curriculum emerging from its positioning within the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) and the artistic and cultural life of Melbourne. INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES It is closely interwoven with both the existing Master of Writing for Performance and the new Master of Directing for Performance. The Dramaturgy course forms a significant part of a distinctive suite of postgraduate taught programmes in Theatre at the VCA. ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE The course is underpinned by a commitment to the pursuit of artistic excellence, collaboration and interdisciplinary within established and emerging local, national and international dramaturgical practices. The course provides a balance of theory and practice across two semesters through laboratory-based workshops, seminars, lectures, self-directed exercises, tutorials, practical master classes and an independent project. Subjects studied PERFORMING ARTS RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES It introduces and examines the relationship between research and practice within the context of practice led research. It addresses questions of what research methodologies are and, through weekly seminars and exercises, explores a range of these methods and research paradigms, key issues and practical skills relevant to the creative arts. DRAMATURGY, TEXT AND PERFORMANCE Take on a high level close reading and analysis of existing plays and scenarios drawn from Greek, Shakespearean, and nineteenth century through to contemporary developments such as the postdramatic. Drawing on international and Australian examples, the subject will focus on such aspects as dramatic structure, story, plot, dialogue, monologue, character, conflict, dramatic action, facts and imagination, language and subtext, space and time. CROSS DISCIPLINARY LABORATORY This subject focuses upon the potential for interplay and dynamic dialogue between various disciplines and the building blocks of performance creation. Practical/ studio based classes provide interaction with other discipline streams to develop communication and collaborative skills. APPLIED DRAMATURGY This subject connects students to industry professionals through a series of 10 master classes with leading dramaturgs, literary managers and writers. Each will outline their understanding of dramaturgy, and their approaches to their various roles and tasks as a dramaturg. This will run alongside a series of seminars with focused readings and discussions on contemporary dramaturgical practices. DRAMATURGY AND LIVE PERFORMANCE The subject aims to use the practical and theoretical exploration of the concept of performance dramaturgy. And it helps to develop your potential to make theatre and become a reflective theatre practitioner, aware of the relationship between theatre and society. This subject introduces you to the concept of dramaturgy as a critical tool in devising live performance.