Download THRT 210: Script Analysis

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WINTHROP UNIVERSITY
College of Visual and Performing Arts/Department of Theatre and Dance
THRT 210 Script Analysis T/R 9:30-10:45 A.M. (3 credits) 201 Johnson Fall 2010 201080
Professor: Annie-Laurie Wheat
Office: 302 Bancroft Hall
Office Phone: 323-2397
email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M/W 1:30-3:00 p.m. T/R 8:30-9:20 a.m. and 1:00-1:50 p.m. or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Theoretical and practical analysis of play scripts from a global theatrical perspective.
COURSE GOALS
1. To increase the students understanding of formal text analysis as it pertains to the demands of theatrical
performance from a global perspective.
2. Emphasis is placed on critical analysis of structure, genre, theme, style, character, language, dramatic
event, and point of view of the actor, director, critic, and audience.
3. To provide the student with experimental learning in analyzing a script for performance with an
overview of the cultural, historical and performance contexts that shaped the play.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To introduce the student to the dramatic script as the primary source of information for theatrical
performance.
2. To help the student develop a system of analyzing and evaluating scripts in terms of their theatrical
requirements and their aesthetic qualities.
3. To introduce the student to methods of critical research, and to help develop the abilities to write and
speak clearly about dramatic literature, the requirements of production, and the experience of performance.
GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS for A Global Perspective
1.
To expose students to multiple perspectives such as the influences of economic, historical, political,
social, and cultural forces in the development and functioning of the world
2.
To study the effects of such forces on particular countries, cultures, and geographic regions
3.
To apply critical thinking and analytical skills
4.
To recognize human diversity (both past and present)
CLASS SCHEDULE: (This calendar may be changed with a class announcement.)
Please read the appropriate play/assignment by the first class period in which it will be discussed.
AUG. 24
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Introduction
Theatrical Foundations: Read: Chapter 1-, pgs 3-30
Read: Master Pierre Pathelin (pgs 17-30)
Aristotle’s Poetics Read: Chapter 2 pgs 33-65
Elements of Drama and Genres of Theatre
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SEPT. 2
SEPT. 7
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Read: The Man Who Turned Into A Stick (Japan, pgs 396-405) QUIZ 2
Group Presentations/Paper Outline and Class Discussion Leader Assignments
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Read: The Post Office (India, pgs 307-318) QUIZ 3
Class Discussion Leaders:
Group Presentations/Class Discussion Leader Workshop Day
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OCT.
Theatre Artists at Work: Chapter 3 pgs 67-100
Genres of Theatre: Film Festival
Read: Fences (African American, pgs 1388-1418) QUIZ 1
Fences discussion continues……
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30
Read: The Student as Critic Appendix A (pgs 1759-1765)
Read: The Ice Wolf (Inuit/Eskimo) QUIZ 4
Class Discussion Leaders:
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Read: Lysistrata (Greek, pgs 187-213) QUIZ 5
Class Discussion Leaders:
Presentation Day
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12
Lysistrata: A Woman’s Translation Production Response Paper DUE
Class Discussion Leaders:
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Presentation Day
15-18 Fall Break….Enjoy…..
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Read: A Solid Home (Latin America, pgs. 1494-1503) QUIZ 6
Class Discussion Leaders:
Presentation Day/Evaluation/Assessment
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22* *“Last day to withdraw from a fall class. An N grade will be assigned. No class withdrawals
will be permitted after this date except by extenuating circumstances.”
NOV.
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OUTLINE Final Project
Read: “Master Harold”… and the boys (Africa pgs1278-1300) QUIZ 7
Class Discussion Leaders:
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4
Election Day…..Please go and vote….
Final Project Workshop Day
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Read: Life’s a Dream (Spain pgs 586-616) QUIZ 8
Class Discussion Leaders:
Foreign Theatre/Film Festival
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NOV. 16
18
23
25
Read: The Good Woman of Setzuan (German/Epic Theatre) QUIZ 9
Class Discussion Leaders:
Final Project Outline/Draft Due
Read: Paper Flowers (Latin America, pgs 1519-1544) QUIZ 10
Class Discussion Leaders:
Enjoy your Happy Thanksgiving…..
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DEC.
30
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Synthesis: Revisit Course Goals and Learning Objectives: Self Assessment
Course Wrap-up. Revised Final papers/outlines due today…
FINAL EXAM: Wednesday, December 8, 2010 8:00 a.m. FINAL PROJECTS DUE
TEXTS:
GRADING:
The Longman Anthology of Drama and Theatre A Global Perspective
(Greenwald, Schultz and Pomo)
The Ice Wolf by J.H. Kraus
Class Participation ..............…. 10%
Class Discussion Leader...…….10%
Reaction Papers………………..5%
Quizzes……………………… 50%
Presentation…………………..10%
Final Project………………….15%
100%
GRADING SCALE
94%-100% = A 90%-93% = A- 87%-89% = B+ 84%-86% = B
77%-79% = C+ 74%-76% = C
80%-83% = B-
70%-73% = C - 67%-69% = D+ 64%-66% = D
60%-63% = D- 59% or less = F
GRADING CRITERIA: Some significant criteria for the evaluation of quizzes, presentations,
response papers, and discussion include:
• Evidence of preparation for participation in class (i.e. completion--and contemplation of the
assigned reading).
• Thoughtfulness, insight, and quality of ideas; scope and depth of analysis; persuasive
support and development for argument.
• Evidence of mastery of script analysis skills.
• Professionally/academically appropriate written work and oral presentations.
• Grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, proofreading of written work.
CLASS PARTICIPATION: Includes but is not limited by the following:
participation in class discussion and timely reading of assignments.
attendance, attitude, active
CLASS DISCUSSION LEADER: There are nine opportunities for students to lead class discussion. The work
can be divided into teams, small groups or handled individually. The Class Discussion Leaders are responsible
for presenting background information on the playwright, the play’s country of origin and selecting a portion of
the play to read for the class. The group must also formulate questions/activities to stimulate discussion on the
day’s topic. You can use Aristotle’s six elements (plot, character, thought, diction, music and spectacle) or any
of the other play analysis methods we have covered in class. The Class Discussion Leaders are responsible for
utilizing the entire class period. The Class Discussion Leaders must meet with the professor at least 24 hours
prior to the presentation to discuss the presentation in detail. Failure to do this will result in a loss of fifteen
(15) points.
REQUIRED VIEWING: Students must attend Lysistrata: A Woman’s Translation and at least one
additional play. A two page reaction paper using the Production Response Format is due on the first class day
after the production closes. Papers not handed in on time will lose five (5) points per day.
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Lysistrata: A Woman’s Translation Johnson Theatre Oct. 6-10 @ 8:00 p.m. & Oct. 10 @2:00 p.m.
Select (at least) one additional play:
The Yellow Boat Johnson Studio Theatre Sept. 29-Oct. 2 @ 8:00 p.m. and Oct. 3 @ 2:00 p.m.
Two Rooms Johnson Studio Theatre October 27-30 @ 8:00 p.m. and October 31 @ 2:00 p.m.
Fall One-Act Festival Johnson Studio Theatre, Nov. 19-20 @8:00 p.m. & Nov. 20-21 @ 2:00 p.m.
Production Response Format
• Include the title of play, playwright, director, plot, main characters
• Address the main ideas/issues of the play
• How did the play affect you and the audience?
• If you read the play before, did the characters and/or production match your impression
of the play when you initially read it?
• How does your background (sex/class/gender/ethnicity) influence your perception of the
performance?
• What technical aspects of the play enhance the production? You should consider stage
design, costume design, lighting, blocking, and etc.
• Please list and address any addition reviews or articles that you used as a source for your
review.
• Did you enjoy the play? Why or why not?
• Address the various aspects of acting that have been discussed in class.
• Reviews must be typed and at least two pages, double-spaced, no larger than 12 pt. font.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION
1. All written work must meet the standards of basic expository writing. Grammar, clarity, style, and
documentation count and will affect your grade. See the Rubric for Writing/English Classes and The
Correct Use of Borrowed Information from the English Department website.
http://www2.winthrop.edu/english/
2. Students are expected to attend class. Prompt, consistent attendance is important to the success of the
class and will be reflected in each student's final grade. Any student who misses more than two (2) classes
will have his or her final grade lowered by 5% by each class missed. If a student’s absences total 25% or
more of the class meetings for the course, the student will receive an N if the student withdraws from the
course before the October 22, 2010 deadline; after that date, unless warranted by documented extenuating
circumstances as described in the 2010/11 Undergraduate Catalog, a grade of F or U will be assigned. In
the case of absences the student is responsible for gathering all material covered in class. Unannounced
quizzes and other graded in-class assignments may not be made up. To have the ability to make up a
scheduled quiz the student must contact the professor prior to the start of class to make
arrangements.
3. Class begins promptly at 9:30 A.M. In order to fully participate in the class session and receive full
credit for attending, students must arrive on time. It is the student’s responsibility to sign the attendance
sheet. The instructor reserves the right to deduct points from the student's attendance record for habitual or
excessive lateness.
4. Assignments must be completed on time. All written assignments must be submitted on paper, unless
otherwise instructed. Work submitted on computer disk will not be accepted. Work submitted by email will
not be accepted (unless approved by the professor). Late assignments will be accepted, but will be
penalized five (5) points for each day beyond the “due” date.
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5. We will be using TURNITIN for two projects this semester (group paper and final project/paper). More
details will follow during the semester.
6. Academic Integrity: Infractions of academic discipline are dealt with in accordance with the student
Academic Misconduct Policy, which is in the Student Conduct Code in the Student Handbook. Academic
misconduct includes, but is not limited to, providing or receiving assistance in a manner not authorized by
the Instructor in the creation of work to be submitted for academic evaluation including papers, projects,
and examinations; presenting as one’s own, the ideas or words of another for academic evaluation without
proper acknowledgment; doing unauthorized academic work for which another person will receive credit or
be evaluated; and presenting the same or substantially the same papers or projects in two or more courses
without the explicit permission of the professors involved. In addition, academic misconduct involves
attempting to influence one’s academic evaluation by means other than academic achievement or merit.
7. Plagiarism: Do your own work. Plagiarism, with print or Internet sources (using another person’s
ideas or expressions in your writings or speeches without acknowledging the source), carries severe
penalties, ranging from a zero for the assignment to failure of the course. Honesty and ethics also apply to
signing your name only on the sign-in sheet.
8. Student Code of Conduct: As noted in the Student Conduct Code: “Responsibility for good conduct
rests with students as adult individuals.” The policy on student academic misconduct is outlined in the
Student Conduct Code Academic Misconduct Policy in the Student Handbook online
(http://www2.winthrop.edu/studentaffairs/handbook/StudentHandbook.pdf).
9. Safe Zones Statement: The professor considers this classroom to be a place where you will be treated
with respect as a human being – regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation,
sexual orientation, political beliefs, age, or ability. Additionally, diversity of thoughts are appreciated and
encouraged provided you can agree to disagree. It is the professor’s expectations that ALL students
consider the classroom a safe environment.
10. Students with Disabilities: Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you
have a disability and require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact Services for
Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290. Once you have your official notice of accommodations from
Services for Students with Disabilities, please inform me as soon as possible.
11. Technology: The use of technology can be a wonderful aid for communication and learning, but it
must be used appropriately. No cell phones, PDA’s, MP3 players, or other devices are allowed to be used
during class. Sending, reading and/or receiving text messages are inappropriate in the classroom. It is
unethical and unacceptable to use recording devices (such as camera phones, digital video, etc) in or
outside of the classroom to film faculty, staff or students without their permission. Please put these items
away until class has ended.
Please consult me if you have questions about any of these requirements.
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The Play and Its Parts
Most theatre begins with the text of the play. In play analysis Aristotle’s fourth century B.C.
Poetics is useful for nomenclature. He lists in order of important: Plot, Character, Thought,
Diction, Music, and Spectacle. His ideas and language are not sacred, but are a good point of
reference and departure. (Aristotle (384 BCE-322 BCE) Greek philosopher, student of Plato)
Plot is the most important element to Aristotle. It is the shape of the story—the structural
element. Plot in most traditional drama follows Brunetiere’s pattern of “a will striving for a
goal.” (Ferdinand Brunetiere, French writer/critic, 1849-1906)
Plots of Greek tragedy were generally simple with few characters in a single place in a short
space of time. The point of attack (the point in the overall story when the play starts) was late—
near to the climax. Medieval drama was episodic (each part can make sense on its own).
Elizabethan drama was complex with plots and sub-plots involving many characters.
Neoclassicists followed the Greeks. Modern plays have varied plots.
Plot has basic aspects: Exposition, Discovery, Reversal, Point of Attack, Inciting Incident,
Foreshadowing, Complication, Climax, Crisis, Denouement, initial status quo (initial state of
equilibrium), final status quo (final state of equilibrium). It is important to be able to identify
these aspects in studying the structure of a play.
Characters are the agents of the action—those involved in the play. Characters are defined by
their words and actions. They may be simple or complex, stock or highly individualized, heroic,
trivial, commonplace, tragic or comic. They are brought to life by actors.
Thought is the argument, the theme, the root idea, the significance of the dialogue and action.
The play may be didactic with a specific message, or ambiguous and subject to many
interpretations, or may have little thought at all, its only purpose being to amuse.
Diction is the language of the play. Tragedy and high comedy stress the verse and dialogue. In
the theatre the diction (usually) must be speakable and understandable.
Music refers to all auditory aspects of the play---everything that is heard. Sometimes as in Greek
and Asian drama, it is very important, but in other forms nearly incidental. (Auditory elements:
sound effects (rain falling, door bells ringing), incidental music (pre-show, intermission), singing
(musical or written in by the author)
Spectacle is the visual element of the production—everything that is seen (costumes, sets, lights,
actors, props, movement). Spectacle is important in the theatre because plays are written to be
seen. Sometimes spectacle runs away with the show, but usually it creates the appropriate
environment and atmosphere for action. (Notes from Orientation to the Theatre, Theodore
Hatlen)
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The Quick Guide to Script Analysis
(adapted from Ball and Blasting)
The following categories and questions offer a useful starting place to explore how a play creates an
experience for an audience. There is no single correct interpretation of any play, but careful consideration
of these issues will help ensure that your understanding of a script is sound and stage worthy.
Action: What happens in the play?
How are the actions structured? What happens first, next, last, and why? How is each action connected to
the next? Are there many events, or few? How quickly do they occur (pace)? Are the events mainly
personal, political, social, comic or serious, natural or unnatural? What or who makes them happen? What
desire or series of desires drives the action forward? What stands in the way of the fulfillment of this
desire? Is the nature of the resulting conflict primarily, psychological and internal, social and interpersonal,
political, metaphysical, or some combination of these?
Character: Who are the characters in the play? Protagonist/Antagonist?
What basic biographical facts does the script provide about the characters (i.e. age, occupation, etc)? Are
they individuals or types (realistic vs. abstract or stylized)? What are the relationships among individuals or
groups? What do they want? Why do they want it? What prevents them from getting it (obstacle/conflict?)
What do they do to get it? What happens when they do or do not fulfill their desires?
Setting: Where and when does the action occur?
Place -- Where does the action occur? Is it a theatrical or representative place? How many places are there?
What kinds of places are they? How does the action move from one place to another? Time --When do the
actions occur? What is the time span of the play (fictional time)? How important is setting (time and place)
to the story? What is the relationship between the characters and the setting? What vision of the world
(social, political, metaphysical) is suggested by the setting?
Images: How are visual, aural and verbal images used to expand our emotional and
intellectual experience of the play?
Concrete: What do we see and hear on stage? This includes actions, places, people, and objects. Described:
What do we see in our mind's eye? (Accomplished largely through language.) Are there recurring images?
Does one type of image dominate? When and how do the images occur? How do groups of images relate
to, compliment, or contradict each other? How do images suggested by the title relate to the action of the
play?
Themes: What ideas and issues are raised by the play's events?
Does one dominate? How are the various ideas and issues related? What does this play have to say?
Style: What is the artistic manner in which the various elements are presented?
What is the way in which the actions, words (language), and images of a play are presented? What kind of
theatrical reality does the play create? What conventions of theatrical production are used to create this
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level of illusion? Are they simple or complex realistic or abstract; romantic; satirical; farcical; tragic;
heroic; etc? How does the style of the play help to produce its effect?
THRT 210 Script Analysis Genres of Theatre
1. Tragedy (serious play/serious theme/highborn characters/tragic flaw/downfall/large important
issues)
2. Modern Tragedy/Drame (serious play/serious theme/contemporary characters and
situations/individual struggles)
3. Melodrama (serious play/stock characters/formula plots/lots of action/themes of the struggle
of good and evil in the melodrama good wins)
4. Comedy (humorous play/serious theme/comic attitude/no real pain or suffering/comic
characters/concern for social values/High Comedy: comedy of words/puns/satire)
a. Black Comedy (gallows humor)
b. Greek Comedy (based on the “happy idea”)
c. Romantic Comedy (star crossed lovers/together in the end)
d. Comedy of Manners (intrigue/romantic narrative/shows examples of social behavior)
5. Farce (comedy of situation/strong on visual humor/framework for action/no concern for social
values/Low Comedy/physical humor/pie in the face/insults)
6. Tragicomedy/Modern Tragicomedy (serious play/happy ending/mixed dramatic form)
7. Epic Theatre (serious play/serious theme/epic story/Bertolt Brecht/audience thinks does not
feel/alienation/narrative/reason)
8. Absurdist Plays (subject matter absurd/hallucinatory/violent/crazy/designed to puzzle the
audience/our world is absurd/senseless/incongruous)
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9. Adaptations (dramatic adaptation from a novel/a desire to create your own play/blend
narrative techniques with dramatic ones)
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