Download Course Syllabus for Beginning Drama

Course Syllabus for Theatre III & IV – Fall 2015
Overall objectives:
1. to prepare students for Theatre IV and Theatre Studies at a university level
2. to synthesize all aspects of learning into the performance art of theatre
3. to create and maintain a classroom environment similar to a college classroom
Specific objectives:
1. developing and refining critical, analytical, and creative thinking skills
2. developing and refining research skills and demonstrating an understanding of the skills
needed for theatrical work beyond a school setting
3. developing as a marketable and appealing member of a theatrical company by reading,
analyzing, designing, creating, discussing and responding to theatrical works
4. Synthesizing all previous theatrical experiences into a working knowledge of the
theatrical process
Students will also participate in scheduled reading and writing activities as time allows,
throughout the semester. These activities include:
1. journal entries to synthesize usable research and keep track of the development of skills
2. collected research from various sources on a variety of topics
3. peer and self evaluations of performances
4. class participation
Students will engage in the complete theatrical process to understand and refine the skills that
are needed to create a performance, which will be divided into the following units of study:
Unit I – Making Connections & Relating to History and Culture
Unit II – Researching & Designing and Technical Theatre
Unit III - Playmaking/Playwriting, Acting & Directing
Unit IV – Valuing and Responding
The following will be included in each student's final grade:
1. Journal entries (peer and self-evaluation)
2. Vocabulary lists/quizzes
3. Play responses/analysis
4. Research
5. Performance-based projects each unit
6. Individual presentations (group if possible)
7. Class discussions and participation
8. Final Exam
Grades will be calculated using the formulas below:
Quarter Grades
Classwork
40%
Homework
20%
Tests
40%
Semester Grades
1st Quarter
45%
nd
2 Quarter
45%
Final Exam 10%
THE SCHEDULE BELOW IS TENTATIVE AND MAY CHANGE DUE TO TIME
RESTRAINTS AND OTHER CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Making Connections & Relating to History and Culture (four weeks)
Standards:
 TH3-6.1
Incorporate elements of visual arts, dance, music, and electronic media into an
improvised or scripted scene.
 TH3-6.2
Demonstrate through a variety of ensemble activities an understanding of the
collaborative nature of theatre.
 TH3-8.1
Describe the societal beliefs, issues, and events that are represented in specific
theatrical productions.
 TH3-8.2
Analyze and explain the ways that theatrical productions can use basic elements
of theatre (for example, speech, gesture, costuming) to reflect different cultures.
 TH3-8.3
Research multicultural theatrical elements from plays representing various
cultures.
 TH3-8.4
Identify ways in which theatre practitioners in different cultures and historical
periods have used the directorial concepts, motifs, and themes that remain appropriate and
prominent today.
Unit Two: Researching & Designing and Technical Theatre (four weeks)
Standards:
 TH3-5.1
Identify current technologies, published material, and print and electronic
resources that are available for use in theatrical productions.
 TH3-5.2
Use documented research sources to evaluate and synthesize cultural and
historical themes in dramatic texts.
 TH3-5.3
Research the role and responsibilities of the artistic director (for example,
selecting the material to be performed, managing the budget, selecting the staff).
 TH3-5.4
Research and analyze examples of dramaturgy.
 TH3-5.5
Research and document preparation necessary for a specific career in theatre.
 TH3-5.6
Prepare a headshot photograph and current résumé for a personal theatre Web
page.
 TH3-5.7
Investigate education programs and training opportunities related to a career
in theatre.
 TH3-3.1
Explain the basic physical and chemical properties, as well as production and
design materials involved in technical theatre (for example, light, color, electricity, paint,
makeup).
 TH3-3.2
Analyze a variety of dramatic texts from cultural and historical perspectives to
determine production requirements.
 TH3-3.3
Construct designs that use visual and aural elements to convey environments
that clearly support a particular dramatic text.
Unit Three: Playmaking/Playwriting, Acting & Directing (six weeks)
Standards:
 TH3-1.1
Analyze scripts to describe the relationship among the dramatic elements and
the impact of changing one or more of them.
 TH3-1.2
Construct imaginative scripts and collaborate with actors to refine scripts so
that plot and meaning are conveyed to the audience.
 TH3-1.3
Adapt a theatre script for video or other electronic media.
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TH3-2.1
Compare and demonstrate various classical and contemporary acting
techniques and methods.
TH3-2.2
Analyze the given circumstances to discover the physical, emotional, and
social dimensions of characters found in a variety of dramatic texts.
TH3-2.3
Use a range of emotional, psychological, and physical characteristics and
behaviors to portray complex, believable characters in improvised and scripted monologues,
scenes, and plays.
TH3-2.4
Act in an ensemble to create and sustain characters that communicate with an
audience.
TH3-4.1
Interpret dramatic texts to find coherence and integrate artistic choices
regarding stage movement, character development, language (for example, dialect,
regionalism, rhythm, meter, connotation), and theme for a production.
TH3-4.2
Develop the directorial concepts and skills that can be demonstrated in a
variety of theatre activities.
TH3-4.3
Communicate and justify directorial choices to an ensemble for improvised or
scripted scene work.
Unit Four: Valuing and Responding (four weeks)
Standards:
 TH3-7.1
Demonstrate audience etiquette during theatre performances.
 TH3-7.2
Construct and analyze social meaning from theatre performances and dramatic
texts.
 TH3-7.3
Analyze published reviews of a theatre performance to identify and compare
the elements of dramatic criticism from those multiple points of view.
 TH3-7.4
Analyze, critique, and respond to live theatre productions as well as theatrical
performances on film, television, and other electronic media.
* Readings and projects may be added or dropped as time warrants.