TheatreH101

Revised Class Schedule

2011-04-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

Had to be out of town early in the term, so there are some minor revisions to the class schedule; here it is:

Theatre 101H

Spring 2011

Revised 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 no class; research day

T 4/12 Season announcement due.

R 4/14 Concepts of production: Reilly & Phillips, "Types of Drama"

T 4/19 Directorial concerns and practices; Reilly & Phillips, "The Director"

R 4/21 Rehearsal practices; Reilly & Phillips, "The Actor"; 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.

New Term, New Class

2011-03-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

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.

We're off again

2010-09-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

Here's the list of playwrights, students assigned, and so forth, for the current iteration:

Theatre H101
Autumn 2010

Playwright and company assignments: students are grouped into theatre companies of four people each. The play assignments will constitute each company’s season. Each company defines itself (i.e., professional, academic, community) and prepares a season announcement and brochure.

Theatre de la Connaissance
Kerns, Katherine Chiquita Mullins Lee: Pierce to the Soul
Morgan, Brandon Jamal Williams: L.B.J. (Long Bien Jail)
Littell, Alex Owa: Sexual Intercourse in Zero Gravity
Trenkamp, Josh Mrinalini Kamath: Boom

The Dionysian Theatre
Reddy, Spurthi Rich Orloff: Skin Deep
Williams, Nate Douglas Stewart: Mother Earth vs. The World’s People
Green, Anthony Carolyn Gage: Ugly Ducklings
Akinsanya, Adesayo Ozen Yula: Lick But Don't Swallow

Sears Stage
Ali, Melanie Mary Steelsmith: Isaac, I Am
Davis, Kyle Judy Juanita: Theodicy
Barnes, Billy Andy Bragen: The Hairy Dutchman
Demana, Matt Katherine DuBois: Our Fellow Vertebrates

The Sunshine TheatreBartlow, Katie Faye Sholiton: The U.S. vs. Howard Mechanic
Mouhanna, Alecia G.L. Horton: Precious Bane
Brown, Emily Linda Evans: Embrace Arms
Hutchinson, Austin Paddy Gillard-Bentley: Like a Terrible Beauty

JADA Theatre
Brown, Dylan Chris Shaw Swanson The Heroines of Central Ohio
Hoffstetter, Amber Sandra Dempsey: Flying to Glory
Holland, Aaron Nancy Gall-Clayton: The Colored Door at the Train Station
Reeves, Jeffrey Arthur Keysar: The Price of Salvation/Mid-Life Romance/New Car Shopping

Thinking About Next Fall

2010-04-23T12:32:00.001-07:00

when the course will be offered again -- so we'll be looking for playwrights who are willing to talk with, correspond with, eager young students. More anon!

Theatre Companies established

2008-11-13T07:44:00.001-08:00

Students have organized themselves into the following companies, and created brochures -- and is almost always the case, the brochures are so convincing that some the of playwrights think actual productions are involved, even though the fact that it's all an exercise is always made clear at the start!

Catamaran Theatre

Jonathan Bosold: Dori Appel: Hat Tricks
Jennifer Miles: Carolyn Gage: The Goddess Tour
Billy Gardner: Faye Sholitan: The Good Times
Dexter Wilde: Rich Orloff: Advanced Chemistry

The Ohio State Theatre Company

Nicole Betz: Owa: Sexual Intercourse in Zero Gravity
Brooke Chavdar: Shirley Barrie: The Pear is Ripe
Tom Fagan: Shirley King: Victory/Major Issues/It’s Only Life/Brokendown Car
Tom Mikes: George O. Brome: Beyond Closed Doors

LACHÉ Community Theatre

Abbey Wise: Sarah Bewley: Heaving Bosoms, Hairy Chests
Hannah Matteson: Ludmilla Bollow: Choke Cherry Corner –Tavern and Dance Hall
Lauren Patterson: Evan Guilford-Blake: Eighty-Two
Emily Homerosky: Katherine Dubois: Mother’s Cruise
Carissa Norquest: Sean O’Leary: Valu-Mart

Broadway or Bust Theatre

Josh Lohrbach: Sandra Dempsey: Flying to Glory
Niko Eren: G.L. Horton: Boston’s Brothers in Liberty
Kelsey Wales: Mary Steelsmith: Isaac, I Am

Actor’s Playhouse: Love or Loss Season

Max Gardner: Catherine Filloux: Eyes of the Heart
Marta Strembitsky: Larry Loebell: La Tempestad
Dana Wagner: Jamie Pachino: Waving Goodbye
Andy Yankulov: Caridad Svich: Twelve Ophelias

And we're off once again

2008-09-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

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

Well, we all had fun - - -

2007-12-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

Both sections of Theatre H101 for Autumn 2007 are now history. Papers written and graded, plays read in class, and 45 honors students have now explored how theatre is produced. I'm grateful to the playwrights who participated. Each class read aloud three plays, and we brought in three playwrights (others not available due to scheduling, alas).

Julia Perlstein and Jessica Mull smile after Jessica and her classmates read Julia's wonderful comedy, PLINKO!, or, The Goddess of Static Cling

Robert Gately came in from Pennsylvania for a reading of his comedy about three elderly men who've vowed to score a touchdown at the Super Bowl, Hat Trick. Louisville playwright Nancy Gall-Clayton (whose short play, English Therapy, was on Ohio State's season this fall) was present as students read her play, The Snowflake Theory. Julia Perlstein flew in from New York for the reading of PLINKO!, or, The Goddess of Static Cling, a satiric comedy. Sadly, Caridad Svich couldn't be in Columbus for the reading of her reimagining Lope de Vega's Spanish Golden Age classic, The Labyrinth of Desire (which is on the Department of Theatre mainstage this winter), nor could Vicki Cheatwood for her 'rapture comedy,' Fits and Starts: The Sacred Heart. And Paul North was in Rome on a residency, and so couldn't be in Columbus when his drama, The Gambler's Daughter, was read. We were given an unexpected bonus when Cleveland playwright Linda Eisenstein was able to stop by for a visit; although her Cyrano Rehearsed was studied, it wasn't one of the plays chosen for a class reading. But Linda's candor about the trials, tribulations, and joys of playwriting was eyeopening for many of the students, as were the open and exciting discussions that Bob, Nancy, and Julia participated in. Our Ohio State students now have a very complete picture of the role of theatre artists in generals, working playwrights in particular! Much thanks to all the playwrights who participated this time around, and to all those who were willing to be part of the process but whose plays wound up not being studied because there were a few fewer students enrolled than the maximum possible. The playwrights and play that were studied:

Shirley Barrie: The Pear Is Ripe
Ludmilla Bollow: In the Rest Room at Rosenbloom's
Ray Bottochio: Dead Wrong
George O. Brome: Unconventional Warplay
Hindi Brooks: Happily—Even After
Katherine Burkman, et al.: Yoga Warriors
Jim Cary: Good Night
Vicki Cheatwood: Fits and Starts: The Sacred Heart
Donald Drake: The Passage
Linda Eisenstein: Rehearsing Cyrano
Robert Gagely: Hat Trick
Nancy Gall-Clayton: The Snowflake Theory
Kristen Greenidge: Rust
Michael Halpern: Dancing With William Blake
Jay D. Hanagan: Willie’s Kitchen
G.L. Horton: Against the Dying of the Light
Robert Houser: Empty Places
Judy Juanita: Theodicy
Sherry Kramer: When Something Wonderful Ends
David Kravitz: The Standoff
Larry Loebell: Girl Science
James McLindon: For Unto Us
Carlos Murillo: dark play, or, stories for boys
Rebecca Nesvet: The Shape Shifter
Paul North: The Gambler’s Daughter
Rich Orloff: Advanced Chemistry
Tira Palmquist: Coyote Rising
Patricia Parker: Mercy
Julia Pearlstein: PLINKO! Or, The Goddess of Static Cling
Carol Lynn Pearson: Facing East
Sandra Perlman: In Search of Red River Dog
Bonnie Rozanski: Still-Life With Dog
Marcia Rudin: The Carina Limone Museum
Jewel Seehaus-Fisher: My Sister Underground
Madelyn Sergel: Another Piece of Cake
Mark Scharf: The Whispers of Saints
Faye Sholitan: Telling Lives
Marcia Slatkin: Memory
Lynn Snyder: Older Than Dead
Caridad Svich: The Labyrinth of Desire
Cynthia Wands: An American Woman
Maurice Weinblatt: World Enough and Time
Ken Weitzman: The As-If Body Loop
Marcia Wilkie: Living Room

As has been our experience before, these classes worked very well--students enjoyed exploring new work and interacting with playwrights, and the playwrights were generous with their time, energy, and expertise.

Theatre Companies and repertories, Autumn 07

2007-09-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

Students in both sections of Theatre H101 now have their play/playwright assignments, and have been organized into theatre companies. The companies (with names the students selected) and their seasons are below. Listed first is the theatre name, then the student, then the playwright, then the playtitle that particular student is working on:

XX/Revolting Theatre Company
Amelia Bertler: Jewel Seehaus-Fisher: My Sister Underground
Dustin Weisman: Bonnie Rozanski: Still-Life With Dog
Rebecca Wenzke: Cynthia Wands: An American Woman
Hartman Brawley: Ludmilla Bollow: In the Rest Room at Rosenbloom's

The Chimera Theatre Ciompany
Jessica Biggert: Shirley Barrie: The Pear Is Ripe
Sergei Preobrazhensky: David Kravitz: The Standoff
Adam Davidson: Jim Cary: Good Night

Old Time Theatre
Drew Edmiston: Vicki Cheatwood: Fits and Starts
Abby Groseclose: Joe Feinstein: The Last of the Aztecs
Corbin Jones: Robert Gagely: Hat Trick

Blaisé Troupe
Megan Haas: Donald Drake: The Passage
Jewell Gaulding: Linda Eisenstein: Rehearsing Cyrano
Hannah Jackson: Nancy Gall-Clayton: The Snowflake Theory

The KAGE Theatre
Emily Rodgers: Sherry Kramer: When Something Wonderful Ends
Kevin Sanchez: Larry Loebell: Girl Science
Aaron Shatz: Tira Palmquist: Coyote Rising
Grace Gianneschi: Marcia Slatkin: Memory

Buckeye Community Theatre
Emily Mills: Judy Juanita: Theodicy
Bryn Thatcher: Patricia Parker: Mercy
Mitchell Weiss: Marcia Rudin: The Carina Limone Musuem

TBDTITL
Ashley Bowden: George O. Brome: Unconventional Warplay
Andrew Erbland: Michael Halpern: Dancing With William Blake
Joshua Rackers: Mark Scharf: The Whispers of Saints

The Ephemeral Memory
Sarah Gill: G.L. Horton: Against the Dying of the Light
Alicia Grim: Carlos Murillo: dark play, or, stories for boys
Michael Dumbauld: Kristen Greenidge: Rust

The Red Theatre
Ashley Howard: Catherine Filloux: Silence of God
Laura Masters: Ray Bottochio: Dead Wrong
Megan McClung: Paul North: The Gambler’s Daughter

Play or Bust: A Gambler’s “Playhouse”
Rachel Miller: Rich Orloff: Advanced Chemistry
Emily Smith: Faye Sholitan: Telling Lives
Jennifer Sabo: Madelyn Sergel: Another Piece of Cake

The JAAMM Theatre Company
Jessica Mull: Julia Pearlstein: PLINKO! Or, The Goddess of Static Cling
Alyssa Pfund: Carol Lynn Pearson: Facing East
Andy Polesovsky: Sandra Perlman: In Search of Red River Dog
Megan Gierlach: Jay D. Hanagan: Willie’s Kitchen
Madeline Smith: Hindi Brooks: Happily—Even After

The Bell Theatre
Elissa Goonan: Robert Houser: Empty Places
Laura Schmidt: Rebecca Nesvet: The Shape Shifter
Rebecca Zimmerman: Marcia Wilkie: Living Room

Centerstage Productions
Ashley Taylor: Katherine Burkman, et al.: Yoga Warriors
Joseph Staudt: Lynn Snyder: Older Than Dead
Jaimie Horning: James McLindon: For Unto Us
Jenna Stein: Caridad Svich: The Labyrinth of Desire

Plays for the two courses, autumn 2007

2007-09-17T20:02:00.001-07:00

Here's a preliminary listing of the playwrights and their works that will form the basis for the two sections of the class in the Autumn Quarter, pending agreement from all of the playwrights. I'm grateful for the writers' being willing to participate, and to work with our Ohio State undergraduate students--

Jan August: Still in the Game
Shirley Barrie: The Pear Is Ripe
Ludmilla Bollow: The Rest Room at Rosenbloom’s
Ray Bottochio: Dead Wrong
George O. Brome: Unconventional Warplay
Hindi Brooks: Happily—Even After
Katherine Burkman, et al. Yoga Warriors
Jim W. Cary: Good Night
Vicki Cheatwood: Fits and Starts
Jean Cummins. Henry
Donald C. Drake: The Passage
Linda Eisenstein: Rehearsing Cyrano
Joe Feinstein: The Last of the Aztecs
Catherine Filloux: The Silence of God
Carolyn Gage and Andrea Jill Higgins: ‘Til the Fat Lady Sings
Nancy Gall-Clayton: The Snowflake Theory
Robert Gately: Hat Trick
Paddy Gillard-Bentley: White Noise, Comic Strip, Sanguine Sonata
Kristen Greenidge: Rust
Michael Halpern: Dancing With William Blake
Jay D. Hanagan: Willie’s Kitchen
G.L. Horton: Raging Grannies
Robert Houser: Empty Places
Judy Juanita: Theodicy
David Kravitz: The Standoff
Sherry Kramer: When Something Wonderful Ends
Larry Loebell: Girl Science
Carlos Murillo: dark play, or, stories for boys
Rebecca Nesvet: The Shape Shifter
Paul North: The Gambler’s Daughter
Rich Orloff: Advanced Chemistry
Owa: Funnylingus and Pithecanthropus Erectus
Tira Palmquist: Coyote Rising
Patricia Parker: Mercy
Julia Pearlstein: PLINKO! Or, The Goddess of Static Cling
Carol Lynn Pearson: Facing East
Sandra Perlman: In Search of Red River Dog
Bonnie Rozanski: Still-Life With Dog
Marcia Rudin: The Carina Limone Museum
Mark Scharf: The Whispers of Saints
Madelyn Sergel: Another Piece of Cake
Faye Sholitan: Telling Lives
Marcia Slatkin: Memory
Lynn Snyder: Older Than Dead
Caridad Svich: The Labyrinth of Desire
Sarah Zettler Tobin: The Whooping Hour
Cynthia Wands: An American Woman
Maurice Weinblatt: World Enough and Time
Ken Weitzman: The As-If Body Loop
Marcia Wilkie: Living Room

Two Sections in the Fall!

2007-06-04T19:44:00.001-07:00

Two sections of Theatre H101 will be offered in Fall Quarter, 2007! Already busy lining up playwrights for the course. And since the Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute is now the official archives of the African-American Playwrights' Exchange as well as the International Centre for Women Playwrights, and for a large number of independent playwrights, there are a large number of working playwrights eager to work with students!

One section will meet Monday and Wednesday at 11:30 to 1:18; the other is Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 to 11:18.

Playwrights in the Classroom

2007-03-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

In the Autumn of 2006, Ohio State's Theatre H101: Introduction to Theatre Through Original Work for first-year Honors students, used plays from the archives of the International Centre for Women Playwrights, housed in the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, as the basis for the course (and a syllabus and other material is below). Each student was assigned a play, and then had to reconstruct how that play was written, and what happened to it during the course of production. Three plays were selected by the class for staged readings, and the playwrights invited to join us on campus for the reading. G.L. Horton came from Boston for her play, Boston's Brothers in Liberty, an historical drama on the Boston Massacre. Unhappily, G.L.'s flight was cancelled, so she arrived in Columbus after the scheduled class session. She did report on her visit, and her interview with student Brad Bartels, on her podcast; see http://www.stagepage.info/podcast.html to hear her discussion with Alan Woods (that's me), as well as with Brad, and other thoughts about Columbus. Also visiting was Mrinalini Kamath, from New Jersey, for a reading of her comedy, Celestial Motions. Here's Mrinalini with the large cast of her play (she's in the center in the dark maroon sweater; next to her, in orange, is Kalifa Li, the student who worked on Mrinalini's play).

And here's Mrinalini, talking with the class in Ohio State's Roy H. Bowen Theatre, after the reading.

Cleveland playwright Carole Clement also came down to Columbus for a reading of her play, Babes in America; unhappily, I forgot to photograph her reading and events. Carole's play had a production in Cleveland in October, and she kindly hosted her student, James Treadwell, for the weekend so that he could interview her and see the production--which, unhappily, both she and James found not very successful.

This was the second time the class was offered; it's been enormously successful, from my perspective. The students--most of whom are not theatre majors--learn an enormous amount about the process of creating plays, and are aided enormously by the cooperation of the playwrights, all of whom agreed to participate (and they're all listed on the syllabus below).

Some Student Work

2006-12-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

Here are a few examples of the season brochures put together by Ohio State students in Autumn, 2006. The students were put together into groups of four and told that they now constituted a theatre company, whose season consisted of the plays the four students had been assigned. The student had to come up with a season brochure, and also had to specifiy what sort of theatre company they were. The brocures were then sent to the playwrights--and were so convincing that several of the playwrights responded enthusiastically about being produced!

these students opted for a small theatre

while these had something more elaborate in mind

At least one of the playwrights was charmed that four men founded the "Ohio State Women's Theater" company

Syllabus

2006-09-20T07:15:00.001-07:00

Theatre H101 5 credits The Ohio State University
Autumn 2006
Title: Introduction to Theatre: Making History -- Honors Early Experience Research Seminar
TR 9:30 a.m. - 11:18 a..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 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
and by appointment

Required Texts:
Reilly, Joy & M. Scott Phillips, Introducing Theatre (10th ed.) (Thomson Learning 2005)

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, 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:
Dan Aibel: Lapses
Shirley Barrie: The Pear Is Ripe
Ludmilla Bollow: In the Rest Room at Rosenbloom's
Katherine Burkman: Hungry Hearts
Alan Brody: Clara at One in the Morning
Neville J. Bryant: Roses in November
Carole Clement: Babes in America
Jean Cummins. Lives of the Saints
Catherine Filloux: Mary and Myra
Carolyn Gage and Andrea Jill Higgins: ‘Til the Fat Lady Sings
Nancy Gall-Clayton: The Snowflake Theory
Robert Gately: Hat Trick
Paddy Gillard-Bentley: White Noise, Comic Strip, Sanguine Sonata
Katy Hickman: Bright Boy: The Passion of Robert McNamara
Hole, Jonrick. Family Grave Dancing
G.L. Horton: Boston’s Brothers in Liberty
Margaret McSevenery and Elizabeth Roberts: Wallace’s Women
Kamath, Mrinalini: Celestial Motions
Sherry Kramer: When Something Wonderful Ends
Robin Rice Lichtig: Embracing the Undertoad
Larry Loebell: Girl Science
David Muschell: Birds in the Weather
Rebecca Nesvet: The Diamond Net
Rich Orloff: Advanced Chemistry
Janet Overmyer: My Beginning
Sandra Perlman: In Search of Red River Dog
Marcia Rudin: The Carina Limone Musuem
Caridad Svich: Luna Park

Grading:
Theatre season documents: 10%
Research Paper: preliminary draft 10%
Research Paper: final draft: 25%
Presentation of research: 10%
Final Examination: 25%
Staged Reading Preparation: 20%

R 9/21 Introduction: assignment of playwrights, concepts of archival research; rehearsal attendance

T 9/26 Theatre companies; theories and realities; Reilly & Phillips, "Conventions "
R 9/28 Archival research: reading assigned playwrights; Reilly & Phillips: "The Playwright" No class session.

T 10/3 Season announcement due.
R 10/5 Concepts of production: Reilly & Phillips, "Types of Drama"

T 10/10 Directorial concerns and practices; Reilly & Phillips, "The Director"
R 10/11 Rehearsal practices; Reilly & Phillips, "The Actor"; Season brochure due

T 10/17 Rehearsal realities
R 10/19 Design concepts: scenery and costume;Reilly & Phillips, "The Designer"

T 10/24 Design concepts: light and sound
R 10/26 Theatre context and audience; Reilly & Phillips, "The Audience"@

T 10/31 Technical realities;
R 11/2 Publicity, Public Relations, and Critical Response

T 11/7 Research paper preliminary draft due
R 11/9 Staged reading I: rehearsal with playwright

T 11/14 Staged reading I
R 11/16 Staged reading II: rehearsal with playwright

T 11/21 Staged reading II
R 11/23 Thanksgiving holiday; no class

T 11/28 Staged Reading III
R 11/30 Research paper final draft due; summary and conclusions