MA Scenography & Contemporary Cities

Introduction
The ESARQ School of Architecture at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (ESARQ_UIC) in Barcelona offers a one-year postgraduate studio programme in Scenography and Urban Spatial Design leading to the Master's Degree in Advanced Studies in Scenography.
The Master's Programme in Scenography and Contemporary Cities addresses subject matter ranging from the basics of traditional scenography to modern interpretation and design of urban locations. The class lecturers are professionals who work in the theatre, virtual film and motion pictures.
This programme includes on-site experiences in urban locations such as real theatres. Through a continuous re-elaboration process, students will build performance experiences in the city, theatres and virtual spaces, while they compile data, memories and ideas from their shared relationship with the urban territory.
Students will define their ability to analyse urban reality as they improve their knowledge of and expertise with stage design, by producing a storyboard, managing lighting, and building sets. After gathering different levels of experience, such as their local memories of the city, personal views, perspectives and historical atmospheres, they will design and create theatrical spaces in the natural complexity of the disciplines of architecture, theatre and contemporary cities.

Experimentation - Professional Internship - Instrumental & Executive
Master's Projects Besides theoretical lectures, this Master's Programme includes the following formats and activities:

• An instrumental scenographic project based on a script selected and delivered to small groups of 5 students at the end of the first term. An executive scenographic project on a topic of the student's choice to be handed in with a business plan at the end of the second term. These two projects will be presented to a jury of examiners and supervisors at the end of each term.
• A 4-week professional internship in a company working in the field of scenography and creativity. A group presentation at the Scenography Festival in Basel and a visit to the Prague Quadrennial. Two seminars (one per term) at the Central School of Speech and Drama at the University of London (CSSD, England) and the Faculty of Fine Arts at Brno University of Technology (VUT, Czech Republic).
• At the beginning of the programme, students will attend a 12-hour practical course (over one weekend) at the ESARQ_UIC in Barcelona on instrumental techniques and materials for the scenographic representation of space and time.
• Participation in a special scenographic event such as a competition held on the premises of Camp Nou, the stadium of F.C. Barcelona, or similar.
• Description of the Master's project assignment and the corresponding thesis, which can be either instrumental or executive. The main subject of the project should be aspects of production, stage direction, design, organization and presentation. The project should include the discussion of conceptual, dramaturgical, production-oriented and technical issues within the framework of the student's Master's project and each will have a different focus, depending on requirements: theoretical and conceptual issues, problems of narrative structure or dramaturgy, aspects of aesthetics and the design of the urban spaces, methods, technologies or techniques in detail.

Planning - Content

• Media strategies, skills and techniques
• Dramaturgy
• Narrative and presentation strategies, as well as performance history
• History and academic studies: Theatre, literature and texts The arts, architecture and environments Forms of expression and media Theory and aesthetics
• Experimental space design and staging Concepts and design for the scenography of real and virtual spaces: Stage, theatre, exhibition Museums, exhibitions, events, campaigns Media, film, television, new media
• Project planning, project development
• Scenographic design
• Presentation, marketing and documentation of scenographic projects
• Project practice/management scenographic design
• Master's project with thesis, presentation and colloquium

Schedule (displayed in Questions and Proposals):
1st Term (October 2010-February 2011)
Methods 1 (4 weeks)
What is Scenography? Presentation/Representation
Why Scenography? Expanded scenography
How Scenography? Audience
El Liceu in Barcelona Social Frameworks

Sources 1 (4 weeks)
What Texts? Textuality and Intertextuality
What Authors? Identities
What Cities? Imaginaries
National Theatre in Prague Traditions

Means 1 (4 weeks):
Paper and Matter Representation 1
Wood and Wool Presentation 2
Scene and Screen Representation 3
Real and Virtual Presentation 4

Meanings 1-2 (4 weeks):
Why the Body? Phenomenology
Why the Spirit? Transcendence
Why Movement? Dialectics
Project Presentation Research

2nd Term (February-July 2011)
Meanings 1-2 (4 weeks):
Why Machinery? Structuralism
Why Reality? Realism
Digital realities? Postmodernism
Mimesis or Metamorphosis? Physical Theatricality

Means 2 (4 weeks):
Do you feel? Acoustics
Do you listen to? Lighting
Do you see "well"? Synthesizing
Olympic London Non-representational

Sources 2 (4 weeks):
Gordon Craig and London Screens
Adolphe Appia and Zurich Exhibiting
Josef Svoboda and Prague Scenography
Peter Brook and Barcelona Architecture and Light

Methods 2 (4 weeks):
Designing Scenography Conception
Managing Scenography Production
Marketing Scenography Communication
Final Project Presentation Busines Plan

Personalization - Personal and Project Tutor
During the Master's Programme, the students will have access to two different tutors. One will be for the second term, when the Project Tutor will provide students with all they need to produce their own final Master's Project. The other will be the Course Tutor, who will be at the university throughout the course to help and lead the group.

Corporation - Knowledge and Business Partners
The Master's Programme in Scenography will involve major collaboration with professional structures that operate locally and internationally. These partners will guarantee a direct approach in different areas studied in the Master's programme through applicable design and technical aspects.

Our current partners are (in alphabetical order):
DELFINI GROUP
EDSA
FILMAX
FOCUS
GRUPO BASSAT OGILVY
MANTEROLA
MEDIAPRO
NUSSLI
POLAR STAR FILMS
STAGE ENTERTAINMENT ESPAÑA
*All these companies & teachers are to be confirmed