PAU Catalonia Performing Arts II study plan
PAU Catalonia Performing Arts II · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Dramatic theory and text analysis: structure, genre, character, conflict and dramatic space
Define and contrast the core structural elements of a dramatic text (exposition, rising action, climax, crisis, resolution) using at least three plays from different periods.
Classify dramatic genres (tragedy, comedy, tragicomedy, farce, melodrama, didactic theatre) and justify each classification with textual evidence.
Map the conflict types (internal, interpersonal, social, cosmic) in two set plays, quoting specific passages.
Build a personal glossary of 20 dramatic-theory terms in Catalan with a one-line definition and an example for each.
Your checkpoint
A 1,500-word comparative analysis of structure and conflict in two plays, scored against a self-made rubric of the four goals.
Dramatic theory and text analysis: structure, genre, character, conflict and dramatic space
Analyse how character is constructed through dialogue, stage directions and what other characters say, applying this to a protagonist and an antagonist.
Explain how dramatic space (visible, off-stage, implied, symbolic) shapes meaning in at least two texts.
Trace the arc of a single scene beat by beat and identify where the turning point falls.
Write short answer responses (150 words each) to three unseen text extracts under timed conditions.
Your checkpoint
Three timed 150-word close-reading responses on unseen extracts, each annotated with the structural and character devices used.
History of theatre: from classical antiquity to the 20th century, major periods, authors and works & Dramatic theory and text analysis: structure, genre, character, conflict and dramatic space
Sequence the major periods of Western theatre from classical antiquity to the 20th century on a timeline with key authors, works and staging conventions.
Summarise the theatrical conventions of Greek tragedy, Roman comedy, medieval religious drama and commedia dell'arte in a comparison table.
Connect one structural concept from Domain 1 to a historical period (e.g. unity of action in French neoclassicism).
Your checkpoint
A one-page annotated timeline plus a comparison table covering at least six historical periods.
History of theatre: from classical antiquity to the 20th century, major periods, authors and works
Compare Renaissance and Baroque staging (perspective scenery, court spectacle) with Elizabethan open-stage practice.
Explain the rise of the director and the realist movement (naturalism, Stanislavski, Chekhov, Ibsen) and its break with melodrama.
Outline the major 20th-century ruptures: expressionism, epic theatre, the theatre of the absurd and the avant-gardes.
Match ten canonical works to their authors, periods and one defining stylistic feature.
Your checkpoint
A 40-item self-quiz on authors, works and periods, completed with at least 85% accuracy.
Contemporary theatre and Catalan theatre: trends, companies, playwrights and staging & History of theatre: from classical antiquity to the 20th century, major periods, authors and works
Describe the main trends in contemporary theatre since 1945 (postdramatic, documentary, immersive, devised work) with one example each.
Trace the history of Catalan theatre from the early 20th-century renovation to the post-war and democratic periods, naming key playwrights and companies.
Identify current Catalan companies, playwrights and staging trends and explain what distinguishes their work.
Relate one contemporary Catalan production to a broader European trend.
Your checkpoint
A 1,000-word essay on a contemporary Catalan playwright or company, situating it in both Catalan and European theatre history.
Performance analysis: staging, direction, acting, scenography, lighting, costume and sound
Build a vocabulary for analysing staging choices: blocking, spatial composition, focus, rhythm and proxemics.
Evaluate how scenography, lighting, costume and sound construct meaning, using a production you know well as a worked example.
Distinguish direction from acting and describe how an actor's choices (voice, gesture, tempo) communicate character.
Write a structured performance review using a consistent analytical framework.
Your checkpoint
A 1,200-word performance review of a production you have seen (live or recorded), covering staging, direction, acting, scenography, lighting, costume and sound.
Performance analysis: staging, direction, acting, scenography, lighting, costume and sound & Theatre and society: audience, criticism, cultural institutions and performing arts professions
Explain how audiences, criticism and cultural institutions (festivals, public theatres, funding bodies) shape what gets staged.
Describe the main performing-arts professions and their roles in a production (director, dramaturg, stage manager, designer, technician).
Analyse the function of theatre criticism and distinguish descriptive from evaluative judgement.
Revisit your week 6 review and revise it against a criticism checklist.
Your checkpoint
A revised performance review plus a one-page diagram of a production team's roles and responsibilities.
Dramatic theory and text analysis: structure, genre, character, conflict and dramatic space & History of theatre: from classical antiquity to the 20th century, major periods, authors and works & Contemporary theatre and Catalan theatre: trends, companies, playwrights and staging & Performance analysis: staging, direction, acting, scenography, lighting, costume and sound & Theatre and society: audience, criticism, cultural institutions and performing arts professions
Consolidate all domains through a full timed mock exam and review every wrong answer with a written correction.
Rehearse text-analysis and performance-analysis responses under exam time limits.
Identify your three weakest areas and produce targeted revision notes for each.
Produce a final one-page summary sheet linking all five domains.
Your checkpoint
A completed timed mock exam with a written error log and a one-page cross-domain summary sheet.
Milestones
Week 2: You can analyse an unseen extract for structure, genre, character, conflict and space in under 20 minutes without notes.
Week 4: You score at least 85% on the 40-item history self-quiz and can place any listed work in its period.
Week 6: You can write a structured performance review covering all six production elements without referring to notes.
Week 8: You complete a full timed mock exam across all five domains and have a written correction for every error.