Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - CA 252 D100

Live Acts IV (3)

Class Number: 4275

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Tue, Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    GOLDCORP

  • Prerequisites:

    One of CA 123, 131, 146, 161, 171, 251.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

The fourth of four performance studio courses in the Live Acts cluster. A continued exploration of the foundations of live performance making from a variety of perspectives. With rotating topics, students develop the foundational skills for creating original, contemporary live art.

COURSE DETAILS:

Live Acts IV: TEXT in Live Performance

This spring, students will investigate the role of text in contemporary live performance. From text as a catalyst for movement, to spoken word emerging from the body, to text as a source of inspiration for performance, design, and installation, the course will examine how language—both spoken and unspoken—shapes live performance.

Students will create and present three original works, each using text as the starting point for creation:

  • A solo performance piece 
  • A scene study
  • A collaborative ensemble work based on a single text source—a play

Source material can be drawn from students’ own writing or influential playwrights, screenplays, and visual artists—including figures such as Sarah Kane, Jenny Holtzer, Barbara Kruger, Kay Rosen, Kara Walker, Christopher Wool, Bruce Nauman, Ed Ruscha, Sean Landers, and the Guerrilla Girls, among others—to inspire and inform the creative process.

 

*Please note this class is open to all SCA departments by permissoin of instructor. Please email me at erika_latta@sfu.ca

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Course Learning Outcomes /


  • Demonstrate a deeper understanding of how text can serve as a lens for creating and inspiring time-based performance work.
  • Develop original material informed by visual artists and writers, using light, sound, text, music, technology, and movement to tell a story or evoke an event.
  • Analyze and discuss texts, applying composition tools both as performer training methods and as frameworks for theatrical creation.
  • Engage in ensemble creation by constructing and responding to text collaboratively.
  • Engage in lateral thinking within an ensemble.
  • Develop performance scores, write project proposals, and articulate creative processes clearly in written form.
  • Cultivate theatrical presence through active listening and heightened physical awareness.
  • Create, direct, design, and perform physical work in both stage and site-specific contexts.
  • Collaborate with performers to build characters and physical performances through training, improvisation, text analysis, and research.
  • Gain experience conducting rehearsals, delegating responsibilities, and communicating effectively with collaborators and designers.
  • Foster a disciplined, rigorous, and supportive working environment grounded in a shared vocabulary of performance.
  • Understand the commitment, focus, and creative discipline required to generate innovative new work.

Grading

  • Participation, attendance, engagement, positive work ethic, knowledge of vocabulary, and collaboration 40%
  • Articulation of research and process / project documentation of three class projects, including research, writing or scores, documentation / website 20%
  • 3 class Assignments: Solo work, Scene Study, Ensemble Play.  Final Presentations (3 showings: includes research, rehearsals, collaboration, performance) 30%
  • * Visiting Artist attendance and participation (3 shows at the Push Festival and one Desire Line Session Artist talk. You can also participate in the SCA workshops and or if technical rehearsals become available for a push show that will count as one of your show credits)  10%

NOTES:

Please buy a push youth pass ($20) well in advance of the festival (preferable before the term begins) and book your tickets online. Please see 3 shows and attend any proposed Desire Line Session.  As long as you see 3 shows and the Desire Line Sessions and or participate in one of the push workshops (TBD) it will count as your visiting artist percentage of your grade.  

*Please be prepared to rehearse, schedule and book rehearsal times outside of our class time with your ensembles in advance of due dates.

*Please be prepared to be physical, engage with other students in ensemble practices and in movement compositions as we explore the vocabulary of time and space; Architecture, Topography, Duration, Tempo, Repetition, Shape, Gesture, Kinesthetic Response and Spatial Relations. 




REQUIREMENTS:

CLASS FEE /  

Please purchase the PUSH FESTIVAL YOUTH PASS : https://pushfestival.ca 

$20 cad for 4 shows. 3 are required viewing. 

 

Materials

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.