Performance Lab: A module bridging theory and practice

These were some of the questions explored by this year’s cohort of Performance Lab, an elective module taken as part of their MA in Theatre, Performance and Critical Culture.

Performance Lab is a practice-research module, where students produce a short solo performance accompanied by a written critical reflection. It is taught through workshops that challenge the opposition of theory and practice, instead thinking about how knowledge is embodied, and how research questions can be explored through performance making. Beginning with a theme, concern or question, students are guided to explore different modes of creating performance, ultimately producing a short solo creative work that is showcased at the end of the semester, and an essay in which they reflect on and unpack the research that propelled their performance.

Convened by Dr Ella Parry-Davies with contributions from cutting-edge London-based guest artists during the semester, Performance Lab is taught in the Anatomy Museum, a converted studio space at the heart of the Strand campus.

In this blog, students Jasmijn Apte and Ayana Asai reflect on taking Performance Lab last semester, and what prospective students should know about the module.

I did my undergrad in journalism, and I really wanted to combine journalism and art/theatre. I was looking for alternative ways of storytelling. This MA was the perfect choice for me since it discusses different forms of theatre and performance but at the same time relating it to society, which leads to interesting social dilemmas and discussions.

At the beginning, it was a bit difficult for me to understand practice-based research, but after this module I learned about a new way of doing research. My performance was about the unfair bureaucratic system of passports. With this module I learned how I could critique something as big as the bureaucracy of passports with a small gesture that can be just as powerful.

I loved that there were a lot of guest artists visiting the class to tell us about their work. It was really inspiring. Besides that, I also love to do something practical, and it was interesting to see the progress of all my classmates.

This module will give you new insights in how to do research, how to give meaning to different techniques and how to turn a big idea into something tangible. I would definitely recommend this module to other students, especially if you don’t come from an arts background like me.

In my undergraduate studies, I majored in sociology and researched sexual harassment problems in the Japanese theatre industry. Outside of academia, I participated in musical theatre performances, which deepened my interest in the field. During my exchange program in the UK, I studied Drama and learnt that gender inequality is not only embedded in industry structures but also in the content of performances themselves. This led me to explore how theatre can empower minorities in this course.

After learning about several works by previous performers through workshops, and inspired by task-based performance, I created a performance in which I folded origami and put the pieces on my body. As an international student, I often feel that I am trying to perform an “ideal Japanese” — such as being knowledgeable about anime or representing "authentic" Japanese culture. Through the repetitive task of folding and wearing origami, I expressed the process of internalising the expectations. After the performance, I had insightful discussions with my classmates and flatmates, debating where these expectations stemmed from.

What makes this module unique is that you can learn that performance cannot just be the result of research, it can be a way of research. It offers a completely different research method, distinct from secondary research or quantitative or qualitative research. Moreover, you can practice this new way of researching, so you can spark dialogue and deepen your thinking through real-time feedback and interaction.

I highly recommend this module because creating and presenting a performance gives you a sense of achievement that you can’t experience in other classes. Even if you have not created performance, learning from our amazing teacher, Ella, and exploring works of leading performers help you realize that making a performance isn’t as difficult as it seems. Sharing your thoughts with the audience through performance is a precious experience!