01
How could a Brechtian staging of a realist domestic scene make the audience aware of class power?
Approach · Propose distancing effects, placards and episodic structure; justify through Brecht and compare with a naturalist alternative.
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Theatre · IA research questions
12 IB Theatre IA ideas
Written and cross-checked by IB Diploma graduates: Alexander (41), Alejandro (40), Martina (40), Victoria (38), Martin (35), Maria (34)
· Checked against official IB guidance · Editorial policy
A strong Theatre IA production proposal frames a clear directorial or design concept for a specified extract and explains how it is realised through staging, design and performer choices, rooted in the script and at least one theatre tradition.
Scope: Work from a short extract, not the whole play. Use annotated drawings or diagrams where possible. ~1,500–2,000 words plus visuals.
02
How could a minimalist design concept foreground language over spectacle in a Shakespearean scene?
Approach · Propose a stripped set, exposed lighting and actor-centred staging; justify through Grotowski's poor theatre.
03
How could a promenade staging change the audience's sense of power and surveillance?
Approach · Map audience movement, propose sightline and proximity choices, and evaluate immersive theatre's ethical implications.
04
How could a feminist staging rewrite female characters' power without cutting the original words?
Approach · Propose directorial and design interventions; justify through feminist theatre and GYMN.
05
How could physical-theatre approach reveal subtext that dialogue alone conceals?
Approach · Use Frantic Assembly or Lecoq-based movement, propose staging that contrasts text and physical action.
06
How could multimedia projection in a site-specific scene collapse time and memory?
Approach · Propose layered video and sound design; link to memory theatre and evaluate audience attention fragmentation.
07
How could naturalistic blocking reveal secrets the script never states?
Approach · Analyse the script for unsaid information, propose blocking and pause choices, justify through Stanislavski.
08
How could documentary theatre make a recent political event feel ethically present?
Approach · Use transcripts or interviews, propose direct-address and framing choices, evaluate truth claims in verbatim theatre.
09
How could a queer-coded staging reframe desire without changing the original text?
Approach · Propose design, casting and staging choices; justify through queer theory and contemporary performance practice.
10
How could a workshop-derived ensemble staging make the text feel physically discovered?
Approach · Document devising choices, propose how movement and object work generate meaning, evaluate fidelity vs invention.
11
How could lighting design alone transform a scene across three contrasting productions?
Approach · Compare three lighting plots, analyse colour, angle and focus, argue what lighting contributes beyond dialogue.
12
How could a child-audience adaptation preserve complexity without condescension?
Approach · Propose staging, tone and casting choices, evaluate dramaturgical cuts, justify through theatre-for-young-audiences practice.
Sources & verification
Primary-source references used to verify key assessment facts on this page. Last source check: September 22, 2026.
These Theatre ideas are original iBacalao starting points, not official IB research questions. Check the current Theatre subject guide, your assessment session and your school's safety/ethics rules before committing to a question.
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