And we're off once again

Theatre H101 has started for a new term, with some new plays, some new playwrights (along with many returning); as always, I'm enormously grateful to the writers for their generosity and willingness to share their time and talents with the Ohio State honors students. Here's this term's syllabus:

Theatre H101 5 credits The Ohio State University Autumn 2008
Title: Introduction to Theatre: Making History -- Honors Early Experience Research Seminar
MW 3:30 p.m. - 5:18 p.m. Drake 2068
Instructor: Dr. Alan Woods
1433 Lincoln Tower
2-6614 woods.1@osu.edu

Office: MW 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., T 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and by appointment

Required Texts:
Reilly, Joy & M. Scott Phillips, Introducing Theatre (Thomson Learning)

Description: Introduction to all aspects of theatrical performance through examining primary source research material in the archives of the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute at The Ohio State University.

Learning Objectives: Through an examination of manuscripts in the International Center for Women Playwrights (ICWP) Archive, the Eileen Heckart Senior Theatre Collection, the African-American Playwrights’ Exchange, and other collections in the Lawrence and Lee Institute, students will learn the various steps through which a script reaches performance, the roles of the different members of a production team, and the conditions of performance at differing performance sites, ranging from professional to amateur, commercial to non profit. The cultural and aesthetic conditions which shape the generic concerns of performance artists will be explored.

Course Requirements: Each student will examine the work of an individual playwright represented in the ICWP Archive, and the conditions of production of that writer's work. In addition to exploring manuscript materials, each student will also interview the playwright and significant members of the producing team. Students will present the results of their research in a formal written paper. Two of the playwrights will be brought to campus in the second half of the quarter to participate directly with students in preparing staged readings of selections of their work. In this way students will not only examine the primary source materials in the archive, but also experience the process at an introductory level of preparing work for performance, working with the original artist.

Students will also be organized into groups of four as a theatre group, and will structure the theatre’s season around their individual plays. There will be two short written assignments as part of this process: 1) a season announcement; and 2) a brochure for season subscribers. Due dates are on the schedule below.

Field Work: Arrangements have been made for students to attend rehearsals at local productions in the Columbus area, pending student availability. Details will be worked out in the first class sessions.


Playwrights and texts:
Dori Appel: Hat Tricks
Shirley Barrie: The Pear is Ripe
Sarah Bewley: Heaving Bosoms, Hairy Chests
Ludmilla Bollow: Choke Cherry Corner –Tavern and Dance Hall
George O. Brome: Beyond Closed Doors
Vicki Cheatwood: Brownies: A Tale of Texian Women
Sandra Dempsey: Flying to Glory
Katherine Dubois: Mother’s Cruise
Catherine Filloux: Eyes of the Heart
Carolyn Gage: The Goddess Tour
Evan Guilford-Blake: Leavin' for Heaven
G.L. Horton: Boston’s Brothers in Liberty
Judy Juanita: Theodicy
Kathy Coudle King: Last Call
Shirley King: Victory/Major Issues/It’s Only Life/Brokendown Car
Rachel Rubin Ladutke: The Belles of the Mill
Robin Rice Lichtig: Necessary Geography
Larry Loebell: La Tempestad
R.L. Nesvet: The Speed of Light
Sean O’Leary: Valu-Mart
Rich Orloff: Advanced Chemistry
Owa: Sexual Intercourse in Zero Gravity
Jamie Pachino: Waving Goodbye
Jewell Seehaus-Fischer: My Sister Underground
Faye Sholitan: The Good Times
Donna Spector: Golden Ladder
Mary Steelsmith: True Blue
Caridad Svich: Twelve Ophelias
Ken Weitzman: The As-If Body Loop
Jamal Williams: LBJ (Long Bien Jail)


Grading:
Theatre season documents: 20 points
Research Paper: preliminary draft 20 points
Research Paper: final draft: 50 points
Presentation of research: 20 points
Final Examination: 50 points
Staged Reading Preparation: 40 points

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 200
Grading Points:
A 185 and above A- 180-184 B+ 174-179 B 166-173 B- 160-165 C+ 154-159 C 146-153 C- 140-145 D+ 130-139 D 120-129 E 119 and below
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Please contact the Office of Disability Services at 292-3307, room 150 Pomerene Hall, http://www.ods.ohio-state.edu/ to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.


Class Schedule:

W 9/24 Introduction: assignment of playwrights, concepts of archival research; rehearsal attendance

M 9/29 Theatre companies; theories and realities; Reilly & Phillips, "Conventions "
W 10/1 Archival research: reading assigned playwrights; Reilly & Phillips: "The Playwright"

M 10/6 Season announcement due.
W 10/7 Concepts of production: Reilly & Phillips, "Types of Drama"

M 10/13 Directorial concerns and practices; Reilly & Phillips, "The Director"
W 10/15 Rehearsal practices; Reilly & Phillips, "The Actor"; Season brochure due

M 10/20 Rehearsal realities
W 10/22 Design concepts: scenery and costume; Reilly & Phillips, "The Designer"

M 10/27 Design concepts: light and sound
W 10/29 Theatre context and audience; Reilly & Phillips, "The Audience"

M 11/3 Technical realities;
W 11/5 Publicity, Public Relations, and Critical Response

M 11/10 Research paper preliminary draft due
W 11/11 Staged reading I: rehearsal with playwright

M 11/17 Staged reading I
W 11/19 Staged reading II: rehearsal with playwright

M 11/24 Staged reading II
W 11/26 Thanksgiving holiday; no class

M 12/1 Staged Reading III
W 12/3 Research paper final draft due; summary and conclusions

R 12/11 Final Examination Scheduled