Performing Non-Fiction: Biographical Performance

Focusing on students’ research on a non-fiction character, the module is designed to provide an opportunity for students to work on a range of developmental processes in relation to their own performance texts, based on interviews, literary and non-literary texts, archival resources etc. Each student chooses a person/personality, from any walk of life, to focus on and conducts archival or ethnographic research on them, leading to the creation of a script and a one-person performance on this topic. The module culminates in a short one-person show festival.
Students become familiar with archival and ethnographic research methods that they apply to a performance project. Consideration will be given to how the deployment of workshop strategies and methodologies informs interpretive and analytical choices and decisions. The module provides a range of opportunities for students to deploy their dramaturgical and performative skills in the development of new writing in performance based on ethnographic and non-fiction material. The following questions will be addressed: What is the process of going from the written text to performance? How can a performance be created out of texts traditionally not designed for performance? What are the challenges and responsibilities when performing “real” people and how do they differ from fictional performance?