Course overview
In this course students investigate the Adelaide Festival and its place in the broader arts ecology. Through attending key festivals and events, students will gain basic literacy in theatrical genres, directing styles and reviewing. Students will explore debates around literary festivals, censorship and free speech, the nature of the festival experience, and the ethical and ecological responsibilities of modern festivals. In this course students all attend the same productions at the Adelaide Festival and Adelaide Writers Week, to build on their knowledge of how curation, sponsorship and festival-added experiences inform the sector.
Course learning outcomes
- Describe and evaluate key features of a theatrical work of art using appropriate discipline specific language
- Analyse theatrical productions in relation to conventions of theatrical staging and technique, traditions of performance and content
- Identify and analyse models of creativity, collaboration and curation in relation to the Adelaide Festival
- Discuss the history of the Adelaide Festival, evaluate its relationship to place and community, and analyse debates about measuring the Festival’s value
- Analyse the role of arts festivals in society in relation to debates about inclusion and accessibility, free speech and ethical funding
- Analyse critically the Adelaide Festival’s relation to the local arts ecology