Thea 340: Acting 4 Period Styles

Fall 2009

 

MW 12-1:50                                                   Professor: Melanie Blood

Brodie 245, Black Box                                    Brodie 121 Office hours: MWF 9, 2

Email: blood@geneseo.edu; x5840

IM: TheaProfonCall

 

 

SYLLABUS:

 

M 8/31            Course Introduction; learn class warm-up

W 9/2              Class: Verse work; finish learning class warm-up

Reading due: Barton chs. 1-2: The Two Traditions, Using the Verse

            and Much Ado About Nothing, Acts 1-2

M 9/7              LABOR DAY – No class

W 9/9              Class: Verse work with partners

                        Reading due: Barton chs. 3-4: Language and Character, Using the Prose

                                    and Much Ado About Nothing, acts 3-5

M 9/14            Midterm scene selection and partner due; Sign up to work scenes in class

                        Class work on character relationships

                        Reading due: Barton ch. 5: Set Speeches and Soliloquies; Twelfth Night Acts 1-2

W 9/16            Monologue work in class

                        Reading due: Twelfth Night acts 3-5

M 9/21            Finish monologues class work; monologue selection due

                        Sign up to work on monologues outside of class, with me and partner; sign up for in class work days

                        Work one scene in class

                        Reading due: A Midsummer NightÕs Dream

W 9/23            Work two scenes in class

                        Reading due: Barton chs. 7-8: Irony and Ambiguity, Passion and Coolness

M 9/28            Work two scenes in class

                        Reading due: A Comedy of Errors

Required Performance: Mrs. WarrenÕs Profession  by George Bernard Shaw. Directed by Melanie Blood. Tues 9/29-Sun 10/4. 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm, Black Box. Tickets $7. x5833 or bbo.geneseo.edu

 

W 9/30            Work two scenes in class

                        Reading due: Barton chs. 9-10: Rehearsing a Text, Exploring a Character

Optional Performance: Freshmen Showcase, Fri 10/2; 4 pm Austin Theatre. Free.

M 10/5            JOURNALS DUE #1

                        Work one scene in class

                        Discuss Mrs. WarrenÕs Profession

                        Reading due: As You Like It

W 10/7            Catch up for midterm scenes as needed

Optional Performance: Musical Theatre Club Review. Wed 10/7-Thurs 10/8, 8 pm, Wadsworth

Auditorium. Free.

Strongly Recommended trip to Stratford Festival: October 9-11. See ShakespeareÕs Macbeth, WildeÕs Importance of Being Ernest and two

musicals – West Side Story and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum – and get two nights accommodation with breakfast in Stratford. More information forthcoming.

           

M 10/12          FALL BREAK – No class

W 10/14          Midterm scenes: Shakespeare

M 10/19          Shakespeare Monologues: work 4

                        Discuss Stratford shows

                        Reading due: Jonathan Kalb, Beckett in Performance, Intro, Ch 1.

W 10/21          Monologues: work 4  

                        Reading due: Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

                        Video in class: Beckett directs Beckett: Waiting for Godot (interview starts at 1:20; finish video for homework)

 

Required Performance: Veg SOUP presents Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Directed by Emma Leigh. Thurs 10/22-Sat 10/24.

8 PM,  Black Box. Tickets $5. x5833 or bbo.geneseo.edu

M 10/26          Monologues: work 4

                        Discuss VegSOUP

W 10/28          Monologues: work 4

Reading due: Endgame by Samuel Beckett

M 11/2            Reading due: Introduction to Theatre of the Absurd  by Martin Esslin (in Wadsworth Anthology)

                        Class work on defining BeckettÕs style and ÒabsurdÓ

W 11/4            Reading due: Jonathan Kalb, Beckett in Performance ch. 2 and interviews w/ Epstein & Whitelaw

                        Class work on relationships and actions in BeckettÕs plays

M 11/9            JOURNALS DUE #2

                        Beckett scene selection and partner due

                        Class work on applying Stanislavsky and Barton concepts to Beckett

W 11/11          Reading due: Happy Days by Samuel Beckett

                        Work two scenes in class

M 11/16          Reading due: Jonathan Kalb, Beckett in Performance, chs 3-4.

                        Work two scenes in class

W 11/18          Work two scenes in class

Required Performance: Pirates of Penzance Gilbert and Sullivan. Directed by David Munnell, music directed by Gerry Floriano. Wed 11/18—Sun 11/22. 8 pm, Sun at 2 pm, Austin Theatre. Tickets $8.  Students x5833 or bbo.geneseo.edu

 

M 11/23          Work one scene in class; Discuss Pirates of Penzance

W 11/25          THANKSGIVING BREAK – No class

M 11/30          Go over headshots, resumes, unions and how to present monologues

                        Headshot and resume due

                        Run one scene off book then work w/ notes

W 12/2            Run two scenes off book then work w/ notes

 

Recommended Production: GENseng presents A Nanking Winter by Marjorie Chan. Directed by Randy Kaplan. Thurs 12/3 at 7, Fri 12/4 at 4, Sat

12/5 at 2&7, Black Box Theatre. Tickets $7.  at x5833 or bbo.geneseo.edu

M 12/7            Run two scenes off book then work w/ notes

W 12/9            Run two scenes off book then work w/ notes

Optional Performance: An EveningÕs Dances. Thurs 12/10-Sun 12/13. 8 pm, Sun at 2pm,  Austin Theatre. Tickets $8. x5833 or bbo.geneseo.edu

M 12/14          Run all monologues with notes

F 12/18            12-3 Final Exam: final Beckett scenes and all Shakespeare monologues

                        JOURNALS DUE #3