Class Readiness and Responsibility: You should always have your notebook/journal. When working on a text, please make sure you have a copy of the text with you. Punctuality: we only have an hour and 15 minutes, you should arrive early enough to begin on time. Whatever problems you may be experiencing outside, you are expected to leave them behind during class time. The professor is glad to help and available to discuss any issues or problems before or after class.
Week 1: Introduction. Theatre Games involve exercises that encourage confidence, listening, and working as an ensemble. There will be a viewing of the video WHAT IS THEATRE and a presentation of a Brief History of Theatre Architecture and Stage Technology to give an overall sense of history. An introduction to Greek theatre through an initial reading of Medea by Euripides. Distribution of Theatre History notes.
READING: Medea by Euripides
Homework Assignment: to compose a visual tree of Theatre history in the journal.
Week 2: Voice and Body Work: physical warm up; with a focus on centering and diaphragmatic support, an introduction to subtext and the creation of a character biography. We will read Medea and select scenes to rehearse in class. Distribution of world events during the life of Euripides. There is an introduction to Script breakdown through an analysis of the generic 5 part structure of Greek theatre.
READING: Conclusion of Medea by Euripides
Homework start to build a visual archive and character bio of Medea.
Week 3: There will be continued theatre games warm up (15 min). There is an introduction to early twentieth century theatre through The Cherry Orchard, by Anton Chekhov and late twentieth century theatre through the parody of Medea by Wendy Wasserstein and Christopher Durang in class. A discussion of temporal and production differences of a 5 act, 4 act, 3 act, 2 act, and a 1 act play.
READING:
Medea by Wendy Wasserstein and Christopher Durang (a ten minute play).
The Haunted House by Plateaus
Week 4: There is continued theatre games and warm up (15 min). The character bio and subtext work of a character in The Haunted House is due. Initial scene presentation.
READING: A Morality play TBD
The Cherry Orchard, by Anton Chekhov (Tom Stoppard translation).
Task: internet reading and research of Method Acting, Strasberg in preparation for Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.
Research on Chekhov, his life and work is due for journal.
Week 5: There will be continued theatre game warm up (15 min) Script analysis on Our Town. Research of author and period due in journal. Distribution of sections from Spoon River Anthology monlogues. Introduction to Take Home Directorial Project begins.
READING:
OUR TOWN by Thornton Wilder
Task: Research of Thornton Wilder and world and cultural events of 1938. Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters,
Task: Internet search: Public Domain Stories - Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
Week 6: There is continued theatre game warm up and scene rehearsal. The student is expected to memorize the Spoon River monologue, build a visual archive of period including costume, house and bio of both Our Town and the Spoon River characters in journal. An introduction to stage blocking. Continued rehearsals of scene selected.
RESERVE VIEWING Film viewing of Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet.
READING: a 2 act play of student choice (see suggested reading list).
Week 7: Discussion of the importance of the curtain line and the changes we find in the structure of two act and one act plays in contemporary theatre. Options of Play Selection for Directorial Take Home project begins. There will be a discussion of a through line in each play that the student presents. Subtext work and character bio assignment on Spoon River Anthology is due. Distribution of Shakespearean Sonnets
READING: Shakespearean Sonnets
Week 8: There will be a continued theatre game warm up, final scene rehearsal and script analysis of play. Spoon River monologue presentation. Introduction to iambic pentameter and scansion. The student should begin to decide in what period he/she would like to present the play for the final project and where.
MID TERM THEATRE JOURNAL DUE
Task: Scan and write subtext of the selected sonnet.
Week 9: Continued theatre game warm up, rehearsal. Scanned sonnets and subtext due. Initial presentation of sonnet.
Task: Select music which best represent their sonnet. Rehearse and memorize the sonnet.
Week 10: Final Sonnet presentation
Rehearsal for final scene or monologue presentation. Directional Take Home Project Topics are due.
Week 11: Continued theatre warm up. Class performances of selected scenes and / or monologues are due. Directorial Take Home projects are returned with suggestions to improve the oral presentation as director.
Week 12: Continued theatre warm up, rehearsal of scene, or monologue. Final selections of the performance space which best matches the play are due. Philadelphia by David Ives (a ten minute play) will be read in class. Discussion of temporal and production differences of entertainment and the audience today.
Week 13: Final performances continue. Introduction to production budget. The student must complete all his visual archive and period research he has collected to justify the place and period he has chosen to direct his play. Additionally one should consider practical production cost effectiveness for his final presentation as director.
Week 14: Final preparation as director of the oral persuasive project. In turn, each student as director and presents his chosen play of the take home project. He presents his research, visual archive, and reasoning of why, where and how this play should be produced to “the board”. The students likewise become the board and must grade and prepare questions which challenge the director to think on his feet during his persuasive performance. The class may vote to perform a play instead of this persuasive presentation.
Exam Week: Public Performances