Comparing Theatre Architectures by Drawing and Writing

Aims

Students will develop their understanding of the milestones of theatre architecture, through a careful architectural analysis of two specific theatre buildings (built or unbuilt). By comparing the key architectural elements of the examples selected by the teacher, students will understand the history and the typological space of the theatres and the vision of a specific time in theatre history.

Key Information

Number of learners	Groups of two or three students. Multiple groups can do the project at the same time.
Number of staff	1 teacher
ECTS Credits (if applicable)	5 ECTS

Learning process

X	Lecture/seminar	Lecture, presentation, discussion (face-to-face or online)
X	Making project	Making a model, mock-up, plan or design (physical or digital)
	Performance project	Making a performance or demonstration (live or mediated)
X	Records and Archives	Interviews, photographs and videos of artefacts, annotating archives, creating learning materials (physical or digital)
X	Independent study	Reading, researching, analysing and evaluating learning materials (physical or digital) in groups or alone

Type of learner

	Student of technical theatre
X	Student of theatre design, architecture
X	Student of theatre arts
	Professional
X	Researcher
	General public

What You Will Need

Duration and schedule

Weekly reviews for one semester: two hours for the learners to prepare each week, plus a one hour review with the teacher.

Room or type of space

Classroom.

Equipment

Depending on the kinds of drawing and writing students will use, they may need access to various software platforms.

Materials (consumables)

Depending on the kinds of drawing and writing students will use, they may need paper, pencils, pens, and so on.

Learning resources (books, websites)

Books, journals, websites and other sources of information about the selected theatres (both physical and/or online).

Process

Preparation

Select the case studies, and gather information: texts, books, chapters, articles, drawings, and so on.

Prepare a presentation about the selected theatres.

The learning activity

Introduce students to the selected two theatres, explaining the background circumstances: time, historical period, cultural context, architect, and so on.

Each week the students research, read and start to analyse both theatres using a comparative method. Also, weekly there are sessions with the teachers to supervise, adjust and refine the comparative analyses made by the students.

Students develop and communicate their ideas by a combination of a written analysis and comparative drawings (scale drawings and sketches).

At the end of the semester we might expect to have a proficient understanding of the most important concepts of the selected theatres. Through this process, the student group gets an in-depth knowledge of the historical importance of the selected theatres and their architecture.

Assessment and feedback

Students receive feedback throughout the process. The final analyses can be formally marked if required, and written comments given.

Our Experience

Tips

It is important students dedicate enough time to the research process before starting the comparative analysis. They should read fully the resources provided by the teacher and expand their reading with other examples.

Make sure students consider all aspects of the theatre architecture: how does it work from the point of view of the audience, performers, designers, technicians, front of house staff? How does it meet the commercial needs as well as the artistic needs?

Choose the theatres for the comparison carefully. You may want to use particular theatres that fit into the students’ wider learning, or you might want to use examples that students already have a connection with, from previous study, or because they have visited them, or they have a particular local significance.

You can adapt the way the students develop and express their ideas, according to their skills and areas of interest. You could ask them to:

• Make both technical drawings and expressive sketches,
• Write short accounts of the two theatres, as if they were audience members, performers, or technicians,
• Condense the most important points about the architecture into a single postcard, with a single picture on one side, and a short text on the other,
• Create ‘mood boards’ that respond to the design of the theatres.

Additional information and resources

Masters students at UPC studying architecture created a comparison between the Festspielhaus, Bayreuth (Q7857) and the Festspielhaus, Hellerau (Q63).

Credits

This learning method was made by:	Antoni Ramon, Guillem Aloy
Institution:	Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona Tech