History of the Theatre III THEA 420 Dr. Teresa
Durbin
Fall 2003 3 credit hours
Office: 123 A&H Ext. 5821
MWF 1-1:50 p.m. 102 A&H
E-mail:
tdurbin@ashland.edu
Office Hours: R 1-2, MW 2-3
Other times by
appointment
Catalog Course Description: A survey of the periods,
practices and theories of the theatre. Third semester covers
Modern Drama to the
present day.
Statement of Purpose: The purpose of this course is to
provide for students a survey of the major events, concepts, movements,
figures and ideas in theatre history from Modern Drama to the
present day. Dramatic literature and criticism from each period
will also be examined.
Course Objectives: Students will:
1. Gain an understanding of major figures,
ideas and events in theatre history.
2. Identify the relationship between any given
phenomenon and the “space” and/or environment in which it occurred.
3. Enhance practical understanding of the
evolution of theatre technology and architecture, conventions and
literature.
4. Develop critical skills in analyzing
representative plays and criticism from each historical period.
5. Examine the changing role of theatre and
its relationship to society throughout history.
6. Develop research, writing and presentation
skills
Students need a general critical education that
teaches them how to learn, to question, to do research, to work alone
and in groups, and to act from reflective knowledge.
(Shor 143)
Course Content: An overview of the history, literature and
dramatic criticism of theatre from Modern Drama to the present day.
Required Texts:
Living Theatre: A History, 3rd or 4th edition
- Wilson & Goldfarb
The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama, 3rd
edition - W.B. Worthen
Additional materials may also be put on reserve at
the library
Additional Materials:
The final project will need to be submitted in a three-ring
binder.
Instructional Approach: Lectures and class discussion will
be used to support and enhance reading assignments. Reading,
writing, thinking, discussing and asking questions will all be involved
in this course. Students will lead a discussion about one
of the plays read for class. Representative plays and
dramatic criticism will be read and discussed from each period.
Students will complete one dramaturgy project.
Classrooms thrive on democratic dialogue where
learning is an open debate. Students need vigorous
discussion in class for education to be active and challenging.
(Shor 112)
Evaluation Criteria:
Play Cards 20%
Dramaturgy Project & Presentation 35%
Exams 20%
Play Discussion Leader 5%
Attendance/Participation/Quizzes 20%
Attendance Policy: Your attendance and participation in
all scheduled class meetings is expected. Erratic attendance
should be avoided
and missing more than a week's worth of classes (3) will affect your
final
grade. I understand that illness and unexpected circumstances do
occur,
please notify me yourself if you are unable to attend class.
Class Preparation and Participation: It is expected that
you will come to class having read the material and completed
written assignments. In order to critically engage with the
material and your classmates, while reading you should take notes, make
observations and ask questions. Write down all questions which
are raised as you read the material and bring them to class for
discussion.
Late Work: All assignments are to be turned in during
class time. Play cards are generally collected at the end of
class while most
other assignments will be collected at the beginning of class. If
for
some reason you cannot turn in an assignment at that time, late
assignments must be placed in my mailbox on the first floor of
A&H. If you choose
to turn in an assignment outside of class, you do so at your own
risk. I will not be responsible for "finding" assignments not
turned in during class.
DO NOT slide assignments under my office door, leave them on my desk or
chair,
e-mail them to me, turn them in on a disk, or hand them to me outside
of
class.
Academic Responsibility: Academic integrity and honesty is
expected and if violated may result in failure of the assignment/exam
and/or course.
Accommodations Statement: For students who have specific
physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require
accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that your
learning needs can be appropriately met.
I enter the classroom with the assumption that
we must
build community in order to create a climate of openness and
intellectual rigor. . . . What we all ideally share is the
desire to learn--to receive actively knowledge that enhances our
intellectual development and our capacity to live more fully in the
world. (hooks 40)
Works Cited
hooks, bell. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of
Freedom. New York: Routledge, 1994.
Shor, Ira. Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for Social
Change. Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press, 1992.
Tentative Daily Schedule & Assignments
(subject to change)
August
25 M Introduction to Course
27 W What is Dramaturgy?
29 F What is Dramaturgy?
September
1 M Labor Day - No Class
3 W What is Realism?
Read CH 12
5 F Discuss The Cherry Orchard
Read The Cherry Orchard,
play card due
8 M Discuss Zola, Naturalism & The
Father
Read The Father , play
card due
10 W Anti-realists & Symbolism
Read Zola (p. 866) and Nietszche
(p. 862) in Worthen
12 F The Independent Theatre
movement & Major Barbara
Read Major Barbara, play
card due
15 M Innovations in Acting,
Directing & Design
Read Stanislavski (p. 883) in
Worthen
Dramaturgy Assignment
#1 due
17 W Between the Wars - the age of
"Isms"
Read CH 13,
Isms Quiz #1
19 F Epic Theatre & Brecht,
Read Mother Courage
Read Mother Courage, play
card due
22 M European Theatre
Read Artaud (p. 894) in Worthen
24 W Discuss Six Characters in
Search of an Author
Read Six Characters . . .,
play card due Isms Quiz #2
26 F American Theatre
Dramaturgy Assignment #2 Due
29 M Discuss The Hairy Ape
Read The Hairy Ape, play
card due
October
1 W Popular Theatre &
Festivals Isms
Quiz #3
3 F Debates in Theatre History
6 M EXAM I
*** class can decide to take exam on this date or on October 13**
8 W Theatre History Research -
Tools of the Dramaturg - Class will meet in the library
10 F library/research day - Class
will meet in the library
13 M library/research day - Class
will meet in the library
15 W Theatre from 1945-1975
Read CH 14
17 F Discuss Theatre of the Absurd
& Endgame
Read Endgame, play card
due
20 M TBA
22 W Selective Realism - Discuss The
Glass Menagerie
Read The Glass Menagerie,
play card due
24 F Theatre & Social Action
27 M The Golden Age of the American
Musical Theatre
29 W Debates in Theatre History
31 F Theatre from 1975-2001
Read CH 15
November
3 M Contemporary Theatre
Read Jameson (p. 878) in Worthen
Dramaturgy Assignment
#3 Due
5 W Women in Theatre - Discuss Cloud
Nine
Read Cloud Nine, play
card
due
7 F Discuss Valley Song
Read Valley Song,
play card due
10 M Discuss Fences
Read Fences, play card due
12 W Contemporary Theatre
Read Worthen (p. 916) in
Worthen
14 F Political Theatre - Discuss Angels
in America
Read Angels in America,
play card due
17 M Performance Art & other
alternative forms of Theatre
Dramaturgy Assignment #4 Due
19 W Discuss The America Play
Read The American Play,
play card due
21 F Debates in Theatre History
24 M EXAM II
26 - 28 Thanksgiving Break - No
Class
December
1 M TBA
3 W Dramaturgy Presentations (3)
5 F Dramaturgy Presentations (3)
FINAL EXAM: MONDAY, Dec. 8 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Dramaturgy Presentations (8)
ASSIGNMENT SHEET
ASSIGNMENT TOTAL POINTS YOUR SCORE
Exam I
100 _________
Final Exam
100 _________
Isms Quiz #1`
25 _________
Isms Quiz #2
25 _________
Isms Quiz #3
25
_________
Play I
15 _________
Play II
15 _________
Play III
15 _________
Play IV
15 _________
Play V
15 _________
Play VI 15 _________
Play VII 15 _________
Play VIII 15 _________
Play IX 15 _________
Play X 15 _________
Play XI 15 _________
Play XII 15 _________
Play XIII 15 _________
Dramaturgy Project 350 _________
Play Discussion Leader 50 _________
Participation/Attendance 130
_________
TOTAL 1000 _________
Grading Scale
94-100 A
90-93 A-
87-89 B+
83-86 B
80-82 B-
77-79 C+
73-76 C
70-72 C-
67-69 D+
63-66 D
60-62 D-
0-59 F
PLAY CARDS
For each play read and discussed in class, you must turn in a play
card/sheet. You may use individual note-cards, notebooks, disks,
etc. The goal is for you to begin/continue keeping a record
of all the plays you have read so that you can refer to these cards at
a later date and have a clue as to what the play is about. Play
cards are due on the day that the play is discussed and are to be
completed PRIOR to class not during class. Those of you keeping
all of your play cards in one notebook, be sure that I initial your
notebook at the end of each class discussion. Those of
you keeping your note cards on disk must still turn in a paper copy in
class.
Play cards are graded using the following criteria:
* completeness - have you addressed all parts of the
analysis
* accuracy of names, dates, classification etc.
* thoughtful and reflective responses to "personal
reactions" and "significance in theatre
history" being sure to address and explain why
you respond the way you
do
Please see the attached sheet which outlines play card content for this
course.
Theatre History III
Fall 2003
PLAY CARD
Content
Play Title
Playwright
Translator/Adaptor, year of translation
Year written and/or first performed
Genre (include country of origin and century if appropriate, comedy,
tragedy, etc.)
Prose or Verse?
Setting - be specific, not just “Athens,” but “ in front
of/on steps of palace of Oedipus”
you should also indicate # of different
settings/locations
Structure (# of acts and/or scenes and/or episodes)
Characters
# of male characters, # of female characters, others? servants,
soldiers, chorus, children, etc.
Brief description of the personality and relationship of main/central
characters - not just “Oedipus’ wife,” but is she strong, evil,
crazy, tormented, etc.?
Play Summary - what happens in 10 sentences, may include themes and
ideas
Remember that a PLOT summary describes a play in terms of the sequence
of events, this happens, then this, etc.. You are asked to write
a PLAY summary which is different. A play summary will identify the key
events and characters, themes, ideas, etc.,but not everything.
* be sure that it is descriptive enough to jog your memory ten years
from now, but it does not have to contain everything that happens
Your reaction - What does the play make you think about? What do
you think of the play and why?
Significance in theatre history - Why do you think we read this play?
What does the play tells us about theatre at that time?
Some definitions:
Prose - ordinary language in speech and writing; language not in verse;
not poetical
Verse - metrical line containing certain number of feet; metrical
arrangement of language; short division of any literary composition
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