TheatreH101

Materials and texts for Ohio State's Introduction to Theatre for Honors students, which uses manuscripts and primary sources to explore how the art of theatre is created.

Friday, March 18, 2011

New Term, New Class

Theatre 101H has been added for the spring quarter at Ohio State!  Here's the syllabus:


Theatre 101H    5 credits    The Ohio State University    Spring 2011
Title:  Introduction to Theatre: Making History -- Honors Early Experience Research Seminar
TuTh  9:30 a.m. - 11:18 a.m.                                                               
Journalism 0304

Instructor: Dr. Alan Woods
1102 Drake Performance and Event Center
292-8232
woods.1@osu.edu
Office Hours: M 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m., Th 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
and by appointment

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

Description: Exploration of the cultural and aesthetic dynamics of performance through examining primary source materials documenting artistic creation in the archives of the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute and other special collections in the Thompson Library 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 Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute Library (Thompson Library), 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 Lawrence and Lee Institute holdings, 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 students will be selected to prepare staged readings of the plays assigned, and will consult with the playwrights involved. 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: to be determined by the interests and experience of student participants. 

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 for Disability Services at 614-292-3307 in room 150 Pomerene Hall to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Fax: (614) 292-4190 TDD: (614) 292-0901 Email: ods@studentlife.osu.edu


Class Schedule:

T 3/29   Introduction: assignment of playwrights, concepts of archival research; rehearsal attendance
R 3/31  Theatre companies; theories and realities; Reilly & Phillips, "Conventions "

T 4/5   Archival research: reading assigned playwrights; Reilly & Phillips: "The Playwright"
R 4/7   Season announcement due.

T 4/12   Concepts of production: Reilly & Phillips, "Types of Drama"
R 4/14   Directorial concerns and practices; Reilly & Phillips, "The Director"

T 4/19   Rehearsal practices; Reilly & Phillips, "The Actor"; Season brochure due
R 4/21   Season brochure due

T 4/26   Rehearsal realities
R 4/28   Design concepts: scenery and costume; Reilly & Phillips, "The Designer"

T 5/3   Design concepts: light and sound
R 5/5  Theatre context and audience; Reilly & Phillips, "The Audience"

T 5/10   Technical realities
R 5/12   Publicity, Public Relations, and Critical Response

T 5/17   Research paper preliminary draft due
R 5/19   Staged reading I: rehearsal with playwright

T 5/24   Staged reading I
R 5/26   Staged reading II: rehearsal with playwright

T 5/31   Staged reading II
R 6/2     Research paper final draft due; summary and conclusions

R 6/9     Final Examination Scheduled 9:30 a.m. – 11:18 p.m.


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