Staging Second Life in Real and Virtual Spaces - Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments - page 222

of highly visual stage work. On completion of
this course, students should be able to:

• Geography of a virtual world such as

Second Life

• Make judgements about the use of

scenographic projection and parallel
technologies;

The course is practice based with each ses-
sion set aside for students to develop work for
assessment. Assessment is divided between three
group-devised pieces that the students create over
the duration of the course. In turn this practical
work is complemented by an essay where students
draw on the weekly readings set aside. The course
primarily focuses on the integration of media with
live action and this is reflected in the readings 5 ,
practical and written work. In the second semester
2008 offering of the course three practical as-
sessments were divided up between three tasks
involving the creation of the following pieces:
The Second Life exercise (assessment 1b)
required students to demonstrate their developing
understanding and use of the body and the voice,
body language, theatrical space and physical
performance, and the performer's relationship
with an audience in a dual setting of live and
virtual performance. The criteria for assessment
were similar for all three practical projects and
reflected the focus on exploring the play between
live and digital or virtual presence.

• Develop projects employing visual theatre

elements;

• Understand and engage with audience re-

ception of multiple visual communications

The drama program at UniSA focuses on
performance making and the Electronic Arts:
Visual Theatre course encourage students to
think of themselves as creators or devisors in a
variety of roles including performer, technician,
stage manager, technical operator and director.
The course also gives strong prominence to
experiential learning and provides students with
the opportunity to engage in a process of trial and
error as they negotiate the generation of ideas
and the challenges of implementing these ideas
in the theatre. Students completing the course are
required to demonstrate their understanding and
mastery of visual theatre concepts based on the
following criteria:

Learning Activities • Integration of the live performer with the

projected image

• Live body extension, posture and balance Over a four-week period twenty-one students (13

male and 8 female) enrolled in the second semester
2008 offering of the Electronic Arts: Visual Theatre
course undertook the Staging of Second Life in a
conventional proscenium arch theatre. Following
a session in a computer laboratory exploring the

• Live and virtual bodies, voices and

characters

• Rhythm of live and projected action

• Relating to the audience

Table 1. Assessment structure of the Electronic Arts: Visual Theatre course

Form of assessment Length Weighting Due date

Assessment 1a: Mediatised Performance One minute 15% Week 3

Assessment 1b: Staging Virtual Worlds Three minutes 25% Week 7

Assessment 2: Essay 1200 words 35% Week 10

Assessment 3: Composition Five minutes 25% Week 12