MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY COURSE SYLLABUS

SEMESTER/YEAR: Fall 2007
COURSE: FPAR 211.01 TITLE: PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP II
PREREQUISITE: FPAR 210 or equivalent experience
COREQUISITES: NONE
CREDITS: 3

MEEING DAYS/TIME: Monday, Wednesday 10:50a-12:05p

MEETING PLACE: AUD 1423

INSTRUCTOR: Leah Schwartz, Ph.D., Professor of English
OFFICE PHONE: 314-529-9409 OFFICE LOCATION: ABAC 3206
VOICEMAIL: 314-529-9201 + 9409# EMAIL: lschwartz@maryville.edu
WEBSITE: http://accweb.itr.maryville.edu/schwartz
FAX: 314-529-9965 (College of Arts and Sciences)

CATALOG DESCRIPTION
A course for people who desire experience for public presentations and/or performances, building of skills developed in Performance Workshop I.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
to achieve flexibility, grace, and confidence in voice and body
to perform with poise and effectiveness
to use and to trust creativity and imagination

COURSE CONTENT/TOPICS
acting toward the character’s goal
acting with the other
overcoming obstacles to achieve the character’s goal
devising strong and versatile tactics
expecting to win
developing a flexible and versatile voice and body
using language and timing to achieve effect

ASSESSMENT
consistent serious work in class exercises and projects
courageous attempts at varied kinds of roles
poise, honesty, and effectiveness in the 3 public performances
response papers on 2 live play productions

TEXT
2004 The Best 10-Minute Plays for Three or More Actors. Michael Bigelow Dixon and Liz Engelman, eds. Smith and Kraus, 2004. ISBN 1-57525-337-2

THIS SYLLABUS MAY BE ALTERED BY THE TEACHER TO MEET STUDENT OR INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS.

CALENDAR
No classes 3 Sep Labor Day or 17-25 Nov Thanksgiving

27,29 Aug; 5,10,12,17,19 Sep Improvization, voice and body work, acting principles; work toward improv performance
24 Sep Improv performance rehearsal, University Auditorium
26 Sep Improv performance, University Auditorium
1 Oct Play response #1 (10 substantive comments + ticket + program) is due
1,3,8,10,15,17,22 Oct Writing (or selecting) and rehearsing script for performance #2 (Lines memorized by 15 Oct)
29 Oct Dress rehearsal for performance #2, University Auditorium
31 Oct Performance #2, University Auditorium
5,7,12,14,26,28 Nov Selecting and rehearsing script for performance #3Rehearsal (Lines memorized by 26 Nov)
3 Dec Dress rehearsal for performance #3, University Auditorium
5 Dec Performance #3, University Auditorium
10 Dec Play response #2 (10 substantive comments + ticket + program) is due

CLASS RULES:

- You’re not responsible for what pops into your brain.

- If you wish, you may censor what your brain wants you to do or say.

- Trust yourself. Be spontaneous. You will create.

- Don’t think ahead. Stay in the moment.

- Don’t try to be original. That means you’re not being spontaneous, not being yourself.

- There’s no wrong way.

- There’s no failure.

- If it’s boring, if it’s not working—stop and do something else. (See previous rule.)

- Never do anything that hurts. Never hurt another actor.

- Always take the first circus.

COURSE WORK AND PERCENTAGE OF COURSE GRADE

Work in classes and performances – 80 percent
Attendance at 2 live play performances and written responses – 20 percent

Criteria for work in classes

Attendance at all classes
Participation in all activities
Appropriate contribution to class creativity
Serious attempts at a variety of performance modes

Criteria for rehearsal/performance Deduction for missing rehearsal!

Memorization by the date appointed
Perfect attendance at rehearsals
Help with the smooth running of the group

Technique, stage presence, sustained polish
- Appropriate consideration of the audience
- Appropriate, inventive blocking
- Appropriate variety of voice, intensity
- Mastery of transitions
- Ensemble playing with the rest of the cast
- Control and flexible use of body

Effectiveness of characterization
- Credible, complex portrayal of character’s overt and covert intent
- Conveying, moment by moment, of tone, emotion

Criteria for play attendance assignment and response

Assignment
- Attend 2 live play performances and write 10 substantive comments about each.
- Hand in ticket stub and program with the written play responses.
Response criteria
- Typed; effective grammar, usage, punctuation
- Handed in on time (deduction for late work)
- Addresses a variety of aspects of the production and the theatre
- Supports observations and opinions with specific examples, discussion (See the contrasting sets of examples below.)

These are examples of non-substantive comments on a play production. Don’t write unsubstantiated comments such as these.

The set was good.                  The costumes were good.       The directing was good.
The theme was interesting.    The set used red.                     The costumes were pretty.
The theme was pride.             I hated the theatre seats.          I liked the jokes.

Here are examples of substantive comments. Write responses like these. Show what you saw or heard or felt, evaluate, give details to support your observations and evaluations.

The playwright Harold Jacobs must have intimate knowledge of a troubled childhood. Both main characters, Trish and Lily, show evidence in their treatment of their own broods that they learned cruelty early and are determined to pass it on. The only optimistic character in the play, Uncle Henry, counters only feebly the play’s dominant theme: a dysfunctional family is the best perpetuator of evil yet invented.
The costumes in Henry Loses reinforce the play’s theme: that cruelty is contagious. The cast wore uniformly dull clothing: khakis for Tom and Winky, with worn and faded T-shirts or threadbare jackets; dowdy polyester dresses for Trish and Lily. Only with Uncle Henry did the costumer temper the earth tones with a splash of color: his green string tie, the old red Cardinals cap he wore even indoors. And Henry, appropriately, is also the only character to offer a spot of hope or vitality to his young nephews.
What was the director thinking to have a glass filled with brown liquid sitting near the edge of an end table during the entire production?? Nobody drank from it, nobody acknowledged it, nobody moved it. All the characters passed close to it several times, and during the fight scenes I was sure it was going to be knocked over. If a script calls for a gun to appear in Act 1, somebody has to get shot before the play ends. If a director puts something attention-getting on stage, it should be used. Otherwise, cut it!! Don’t waste my worry!!
Special effects should be special, and those in the Rep’s production of Stars Above certainly were. The clouds projected on the backdrop moved slowly across the stage, a beautiful natural background for the stark black, white, and gray costumes of the large cast. Appropriately, as the blue and white morphed into the reds of sunset and the overall level of light dimmed, the formerly warring families were silhouetted against a peaceful, gorgeous sky. The quarrel was over; peace was at hand: the technical support in this production certainly reinforced the action in the script.
Black box theatre should be experimental, adventurous. The student actors in Faraway Hills weren’t particularly suited for the roles of elderly brothers (too energetic, make-up lines on their faces rather than wrinkles), but the director made up for the shortcomings by using various levels on stage, using lights creatively (stark spotlights for the monologues); and seating the audience on all four sides of the small stage to let us feel as if we were in the middle of the carnival on stage.
Olivia’s diction was impeccable. I could distinguish every word. While what she said was always clear, she was also always true to character. Every word seemed to be a window to her emotions. I never dreamed any voice could put such variety and such suffering into a simple “No, no, no.”
Adam sat on the sofa upright; he sat sideways; he draped himself over the back and the seat with his head on the floor. His body was physical manifestation of his indecision and torment. He was such a whipping snake of thwarted hope that the audience couldn’t stop laughing—and couldn’t stop hoping he would come back on stage again and do it some more.
The lovers’ quarrel in Act 2 was the best scene in the play. They built and built until I thought they could go no higher, when they would suddenly drop back and make me believe that was logical—only to adopt an icy intensity that was even more threatening than their earlier noise. Neither one was ever alone in the scene. They fed off each other and made me think they meant it all—and that they were experiencing it for the first time.

CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY
Students are expected to attend, completely, all class meetings. Much of the course work is done in class and in groups—work that can’t be done effectively with a group member missing.

Students with more than 3 unauthorized absences will receive a lower course grade than their work would otherwise merit. (2 instances of tardiness = 1 missed class for course grade purposes.)

An authorized absence is defined as a serious personal illness; a family emergency such as a serious illness or death involving a member of the immediate family; jury or military duty; and representing the University in athletics, academic, professional and leadership development pursuits. Authorized absences must be officially documented.

**STUDENTS WHO MISS MORE THAN 5 CLASSES WILL RECEIVE A COURSE GRADE OF F.**

PLAGIARISM POLICY (ZERO TOLERANCE)
***Any instance of plagiarism will result in a course grade of F.***

All instances of plagiarism will be reported to the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, who forwards that information to appropriate University administrators.

LINKS TO ST. LOUIS THEATRE SITES

URL with links to most St. Louis theatre sites
http://www.kdhx.org/calendar_events/arts_calendar.htm#Theater
KDHX listing of current productions w/ length of their run
Great source of current information; links to sites of companies with current shows; reviews

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Individual theatre sites for professional companies

http://edisontheatre.wustl.edu/
Edison Theatre – lists the Ovations schedule but not the Wash U. Performing Arts productions

http://www.fabulousfox.com/
Fox Theatre

http://www.repstl.org/
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (“The Rep”)

http://www.stlouisblackrep.com/
Saint Louis Black Repertory Company; does mostly plays by African-American authors but also mounts other shows

Smaller professional companies

http://www.geocities.com/artlofttheatre/
ArtLoft – has links to New Line Theatre, HotCity Theatre, Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre, Washington Avenue Players Project

http://www.blackcattheatre.org/
Black Cat Theatre – new theatre in Maplewood

http://www.cocastl.org/
COCA site; lists stage offerings

http://www.hotcitytheatre.org/
Hotcity Theatre – formerly City Theatre and HotHouse Theatre; in the ArtLoft Theatre 1529 Washington

http://www.hydewaretheatre.com/links.html
Hydeware Theatre; performs at Soulard Theatre, 1921 Ninth Street, and at other venues

http://www.geocities.com/newlinetheatre/
New Line Theatre; performs at ArtLoft 1529 Washington

http://www.spotlighttheatrestlonline.org/
Spotlight Theatre; performs at various venues

http://www.straydogtheatre.org/
Stray Dog Theatre; performs at Clayton High School

http://www.uppityco.com/
That Uppity Theatre Company; espouses causes; cooperates w/ COCA on women’s series at COCA

Educational theatre sites

http://www.webster.edu/depts/finearts/theatre/
Webster University Conservatory of Theatre

http://www.slu.edu/departments/utheatre/
St. Louis University Theatre

http://artsci.wustl.edu/~pad/
Washington University Performing Arts Department

Some St. Louis theatre phone numbers

Edison Theatre, Washington University 314-935-6543
Fox Theatre 314-534-1678
HotCity 314-289-4060; 314-289-4063 (box office)
Hydeware 314-368-7306
Kirkwood Theatre Guild 314-821-9956
New Line Theatre 314-773-6526
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis 314-968-4925
Saint Louis University 314-977-2998
St. Louis Black Repertory Company 314-534-3807
Stray Dog Theatre 314-531-5923
Theatre Guild of Webster Groves 314-962-0876
That Uppity Theatre Company 314-995-4600
Webster University Conservatory Hotline 314-968-7128

PLAY SCRIPTS IN ADDITION TO THOSE IN 2004 The Best 10-Minute Plays for Three or More Actors:

You can find 10-minute play scripts written by students in FPAR 205.H2 Writing and Performing the 10-Minute Play Spring 2002 and Spring 2007 at http://accweb.itr.maryville.edu/schwartz/10-minute%20play%20scripts.htm

Ben Dougherty The Forty-First Day 5m 2f A Gentleman's Game 3m 1f Hunting 3m You Can't Make an Omelet Without Breaking an Egg 3m 1f

Joyce Gunter Blind Date 2m 3f We All Scream For Ice Cream 2m 3f

Jennifer Richardson Final 4f Just Coffee 1m 2f Quick Cash 3m 1f

Natalie Robbins By the Dashboard Lights 2m 2f Dropout Psychology 1m 2f Young People These Days . . . 1m 1f

Kelly O'Brien Forever Young 3m 2f Inside the Box 4m 1f

DESCRIPTIONS OF PLAYS IN OTHER COLLECTIONS:

The Best Ten-Minute Plays 3 or More Actors 2004
The Best Ten-Minute Plays 3 or More Actors 2005
Take 10: New 10-Minute Plays