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.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Revised Class Schedule

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.

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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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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

We're off again

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

Friday, April 23, 2010

Thinking About Next Fall

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!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Theatre Companies established

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



Sunday, September 28, 2008

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

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Monday, December 10, 2007

Well, we all had fun - - -

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.

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