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If you're trying to understand the Research Presentation component of the IB Theatre syllabus, you've come to the right place. In this post, we’ll break down the assessment and share practical tips to help you succeed.
IB Theatre Research Presentation
- At SL, the Research Presentation accounts for 30% of the final grade, and for HL, it makes up 20%.
- This component requires students to investigate a world theatre tradition they have not previously studied and explore how performance conventions from that tradition can be practically applied.
- Students choose a tradition, conduct detailed research, and then deliver an individual presentation where they demonstrate their understanding by proposing and justifying specific performance choices for a hypothetical piece of theatre.
- Each student is required to submit a recording of a live or pre-recorded presentation (up to 15 minutes), a list of all sources used, and a set of visual materials used in support of the presentation (such as slides or images).
The Research Presentation
The Research Presentation is all about diving into a world theatre tradition and showing how its performance practices can inspire creative choices in theatre-making today. Students are not simply describing the tradition; they are analysing its conventions and demonstrating how they could be applied to a piece of theatre.
The presentation must focus on a single world theatre tradition – such as Japanese Noh, Indonesian Wayang Kulit, or Commedia dell’Arte – and investigate it in depth. Students identify key features of the tradition, including performance style, staging, movement, voice, design elements, and cultural context.
A core part of the task is showing how those elements can be meaningfully applied to a moment or scene from a play (the scene may be hypothetical, and students do not need to perform it).
Students must also show critical awareness – not only of the theatre tradition itself, but of how cultural, historical, and social contexts influence performance practices.
Tips on succeeding
- Choose a tradition that intrigues you. A genuine interest in the tradition will make the process more enjoyable, your research deeper and your presentation stronger.
- Show, don’t just tell. Use visuals to support your ideas – images, diagrams, costume sketches, or clips from performances can bring your points to life. The more clearly you illustrate your ideas, the more engaging and effective your presentation will be.
- Make connections to context. Explore the roots of the tradition – its history, its cultural significance, its purpose. Understanding the “why” behind performance practices will help you apply them more thoughtfully.
- Respect the tradition. World theatre traditions often come from cultures that are different from your own. Approach them with care, curiosity, and integrity. Avoid appropriation and instead focus on respectful adaptation and honest reflection on your role as an artist.
- Keep it clear and concise. Structure your presentation so that your ideas flow logically. Start with a clear introduction to the tradition, then show how it inspires specific theatre-making choices. Speak with energy and clarity – this is your chance to share your discoveries with the audience.
- Think like a theatre-maker. Focus on how the performance conventions of your chosen tradition could shape your creative decisions. Be specific, intentional, and imaginative in your proposals.
We hope you found this post helpful. For more useful materials associated with the IB check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify and other guides available on our blog.
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