Download Poetry Dramatization, Experimental Acting Exercise, and Playwriting

Theatre 310: Creative Drama Syllabus
San Diego State University - Fall 2015
Lecturer: Rachel N. Hoey
Email: [email protected]
Classroom Meetings: Mondays 4-6PM/
Office Hours: Mondays 3:30-4PM
Course Description
Current philosophies, principles, and techniques of creative drama. Development of the individual or group
collaborative creativity through use of dramatic play, imagination, improvisation, theatre exercises, and curriculum
building. Applicable to classroom teaching and arts integration, leadership, counseling, recreation, group teambuilding, and creative writing.
Course Objectives
1. Understand: the concept of creative drama as a teaching tool, goals and purpose behind activities, and
the role of the teacher in this setting.
2. Understanding basic skills through practice of acting, movement, pantomime, improvisation, story
dramatization, scaffolding, positive feedback sessions, processing exercises, etc.
3. Develop language and communication abilities, problem solving skills, storytelling skills, creativity, arts
integration, social awareness, and interpersonal skills.
4. Promote an understanding of the art of theatre and empathy in relating to other collaborators.
5. Acquire skills for planning, leading, and evaluating creative drama sessions.
Course Outcomes and Assessment Measures
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Utilize a variety of drama strategies throughout the curriculum through the analysis and discussion of
assigned reading, in-class activities, and collaborative theatre practices.
2. Structure and teach a creative drama activity and complete a lesson plan.
3. Practice collaboration in creating a dramatic unit based on a novel or topic of study.
4. Demonstrate and effectively communicate the theories and importance behind Creative Drama in Education
(K-12).
5. Respond in a scholarly way to college level and professional theatre performances, through theatrical
lenses.
Course Readings
Required Texts
 Theater Games for the Classroom, by Viola Spolin
 The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
 The Performer’s Guide to the Collaborative Process, by Sheila Kerrigan (Blackboard)
 selected readings from Love and Information, by Caryl Churchill (Blackboard)
 scene studies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare (Blackboard)
Suggested Text/Library Resources
 Theatre for Community Conflict and Dialogue, by Michael Rohd
 Games for Actors and Non-Actors, by Augusto Boal
 Structuring Drama Work by Jonathan Neelands
 Drama Improvised by Kenneth Pickering
 Drama for Learning: Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert Approach to Education, by G. Bolton and
D.Heathcote
 Drama Structures: a practical handbook for teachers, by Cecily O’Neill and Alan Lambert
Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility
to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations,
you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not
retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your
instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
In-class Involvement
This course is a practical introduction to Creative Drama. Strive to be fair, considerate and aware of your fellow
classmates. The bulk of our work will be in-class, participatory and experiential. Participation is graded apart from
attendance, and participation credit is based on in-class involvement; this includes, making an effort to engage and
work harmoniously with classmates. Attendance is crucial! None of the in-class activities can be replicated outside
the class session; therefore, no make-up assignments are possible if you are absent. Each absence results in a
deduction of 4 points, equivalent to 4% of your grade. Please be prepared to present on due dates assigned to you
and/or your group. Two late arrivals are equivalent to one absence. Although one absence may not directly impact
your grade, but two absences and/or excessive late arrivals will result in the lowering of your grade.
Assignments
Performance Attendance and Response Papers
Goal: This task will develop competency in assessing the quality of theatrical process and production based on
elements, principles and concepts of the theatre, as a spectator.
Assignment: The School of Theatre, Television, and Film require that all students attend all performances taking
place during the semester students are enrolled in a course within the school. This semester you will be required to
purchase tickets and attend the SDSU season shows. There is a direct link to purchase tickets on the website:
http://theatre.sdsu.edu
How to proceed: Attend the shows and respond to the work. You will be asked to respond to two productions by
writing a brief response paper. Guidelines and prompting questions will be provided. Ticket stubs and responses
should be submitted on the due dates provided on the “course calendar” on blackboard.
Performer’s Guide to the Collaborative Process Reading Response
Goal: To deepen understanding of the content and activities found in The Performer’s Guide to the Collaborative
Process by Sheila Kerrigan.
Assignment: Respond to the reading via completion on blackboard.
How to proceed: As you read you should be looking for three key points (things that seem important, areas that
interest you) to highlight for the class. See blackboard “assignments” for further details.
Opening or Closing Circle
Due Date: Various
Goal: In this task you will gain competency in the skill of guiding a group through a warm-up process that may touch
on any of the skills within the actors toolbox, not limited to physical, vocal, and articulation work.
Assignment: Students will individually lead an Opening or Closing Circle once during the semester. The Circle
should be no more than 12 minutes long. See blackboard for details and “Theatre Worksheet” to be filled out and
turned in prior to leading.
How to proceed: Observe the first couple of classes while Instructor is leading Opening Circle. Work to select your
activities. You may use any activities and exercises that you have learned in other places or read about. It is often
useful to create your activities around a particular theme or idea that interests you. You must fill out the “Theatre
Activity Worksheet” found on Blackboard. Please get approval 24 hours prior to your assigned date.
On your date: Arrive a few minutes early to set up and turn in your Theatre Activity Worksheet for all of your
activities (a cover letter is encouraged). Email your “Theatre Activity Worksheet” to the entire class (including
instructor) via Blackboard within 24 hours.
At the start of class, the Instructor will open the class and hand it over to your team. Be ready to begin and be clear
with your instructions. Lead the group with enthusiasm and passion for what you are teaching.
Beginning Creative Drama Lesson Plan
Due Date: Various assigned
Goal: This introductory project provides an opportunity to become familiar with drama activities and expanding the
ensemble’s repertoire. In addition, this project provides students with practice co-leading the class in creative drama
activities and works with in the “project-based learning” concept being adopted by California State “common core”
method. This project allows you the chance to team-teach.
Assignment: Working in small groups you will be responsible for creating a drama lesson on one of the basic skills
areas of creative drama. The group will be given 20-30 minutes of class to present their lesson. During the lesson
each member of the group will lead the class in a drama activity selected from the text or other book on drama. This
project is intended to introduce the class to lesson plans and to the basic skills areas of drama.
The basic drama skills areas to be covered in this project are:
1. Sensitivity/trust 2. Imagination
3. Movement/pantomime
4. Sound/speech 5. Characterization 6. Improvised scenes.
Your group will be assigned to only one of the six basic skills above.
How to Proceed:
 You will be given limited class time to collaborate with your group on designing a lesson plan for your
assigned drama skill area. Some outside meeting time will be required.
 Research your drama skill area in books or on the web, through your Spolin text, etc. Extracted from your
research, each individual should select four activities that fit with your assigned “basic skill” category to then
bring to your group upon meeting.
 Collaborate to finalize how you will present as a group, and what activities from everyone’s research that are
best suited to create your lesson plan. Consider the sequence of activities. Inclusion music, visuals, and
other tool, can be used if needed.
Group Responsibility: Each group must prepare a lesson plan using the “theatre activity worksheet” model. In your
lesson plans, describe each activity in detail and cite its source (book, author, page number). This lesson plan should
turned in, hard copy, on the day of your presentation. Please email it to the entire class, thereafter, for their records.
Poetry Dramatization, Experimental Acting Exercise, and Playwriting Partner Exercise
Goal/ In-Presenting: These three assignment will develop performance and imaginative skills. Each small
group/pairing will present each assignment after in-class rehearsal time and participate in a feedback sharing
process after the presentations are complete.
Poetry Dramatization
Find and memorize a short poem and work with others to develop a short, staged presentation using the Composition
Box technique. The composition box technique will be learned in class prior to your individual project. Include
elements from both: “Viewpoints” by Anne Bogart/Tina Landau, the “Rasaboxes Exercise” by Michele Minnick/Paula
Murray Cole, “The Seven Levels of Tension” by Jacques Pierre Lecoq, and “Laban Movement Analysis (LMA)” by
Rudolf Laban.
Proceed: Small groups to create a 3-minute composition presentation using the poems as your text. Choose from
Shakespearean Sonnets, Scenes from A Midsummer Nights Dream, and various poetry selections that
required/approved by the High School California Standards. Use the “Rehearsal Check-list” elements.
Experimental Acting Exercise
Using Scenes from the Churchill text, work with a partner through the C.R.O.W. Improvisational acting acronym
within non-improvisational scene work.
Playwriting Partner Exercise
Using hand-outs, prompts, and in-class demonstrations to create written/themed short scenes with a partner. This
exercise asks the collaborators to practice their dialogue generating skills, as well as concentrating on conflict, given
circumstances, and relationships between characters.
Final Project Part 1 - Historical Research Component & Outline
Goal: This task is designed to encourage students to think creatively about teaching a historically themed unit based
on The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. It will expose you to techniques that can be used at a variety of grade
levels.
Assignment: In Part One you will read The Secret Life of Bees. You will then meet with a small group, collaborate
and collect research together in regards to a particular aspect of the era in which the book takes place. Elements of
the book and your research will serve as text for a final performance piece that you will create with your group small
group in Part Two.
How to proceed: Be prepared for an in class book discussion. Bring in research materials on related topics on the
assigned dates, make a plan for your project and divide tasks from accordingly.
Final Project - Part Two & Three: Creation, Rehearsal, and Performative Piece
Goal: This task asks you to participate in “Common Core” Standards connected advanced Creative Drama Lesson
Plan. It will also develop your competency in using Composition Boxes to create original material based on core
curriculum content.
Assignment: In this project the class will be divided into groups and each group will be asked to research an aspect
of a topic assigned by the instructor to create a 5-7 minute performance piece, and to creatively introduce your
aspect of the topic using photos or images, music, movement, etc. This will serve as your final project for the class.
How to proceed: Groups will be given a limited amount of class time to work together. Some outside preparation
time will be required. On your date: Your group will be given 20 minutes maximum to introduce your research area
and present your piece. (Entire group presentation should not run for less than 15 minutes – Please be overly
prepared/rehearsed).
Final Portfolio
Goal: To compile most important class notes, information, processing assessment and preferred activities gained
from the course. The aim is to use this portfolio packet beyond this course in work as a teacher, leader, actor, etc.
Assignment: To complete this assignment include:
 6 journal entries based on prompts provided on Blackboard
 6 activities that acquired from THEA 310 (with included arts integration standards).

To conclude your journal, attach a two-page reflection paper assessing what you have learned in class
about drama (processes, experiences, insights, etc.), and describe how you think you will use these
techniques, perspectives, and experiences in the future. Be creative! Remember this is not a course
evaluation. See Blackboard for detailed prompts.
Assessment
Your course grade is based on your performance in the following activities:
Assignments
Attendance 10 points
Participation/Efforts in Class: 5 points
Opening Circle: 10 points
Beginning Drama Lesson Plan (co-teaching): 10 points
“Performer’s Guide” Kerrigan Reading/ Blackboard Response: 5 points
In-Class Poetry Dramatization (using composition boxes): 5 points
In-Class Experimental Acting Exercise (using required text, after being read): 5 points
In-Class Playwriting Partner Exercise: 5 points
Performance Paper 1: 5 points
Performance Paper 2: 5 points
Final Project Part 1 - Historical Research Component & Outline: 5 points
Final Project Part 2 - Group Scene Creation and Rehearsal: 10 points
Final Project Part 3 - Performative Piece: 10 points
Final Portfolio: 10 points
Grading
94-100 = A
90-93 = A87-89 = B+
83-86 = B
80-82 = B77-79 = C+
73-76 = C
70-72 = C67-69 = D+
63-66 = D
60-62 = DPlease Note: You cannot receive an A in this class without all written work turned in on time, and all performance
work satisfactorily completed.