Download Six Great Modern Plays

THR 222 – Theatre History II
Fall 2010
Class # 5512
Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- 12:35 - 1:30
PAC 263
3 credits
Instructor: Steven Madore
Office: PAC 348
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday – 10:25 - 11:15 or by appointment
Phone: There is currently no phone line in PAC 348
e-mail: [email protected]
Course Objectives:
This course is intended to provide a survey of theatre theory, practice, and dramatic
literature starting with the English Restoration and continuing into the 1970’s. We will
conduct an examination of major developments in theatre architecture, stagecraft and
scenic design, acting, dramatic structure and genres, as well as aspects of the theatre
audience and theatre patronage within a broader social and historical context. Students
will become familiar with major events and developments in world theatre throughout
this period while building a necessary foundation for further studies in dramatic literature
and theatre history. While our focus will be developments in Europe and America, we
will also examine how the theatres of Asia influenced, and were influenced by, Western
developments.
This Course meets the following Gen. Ed. Requirements: CH-EUR, DP-ARTS & DP-HUM
DP-ARTS: The course provides an overview and examination of the history, practice,
and development of Western theatre from the English Restoration through the 1970’s
with some exposure to Asian forms as well.
DP-Hum: The course examines the history of the theatre within a broader historical
context. Attention is paid to how wider cultural developments and ideas impact the
theatre and to how theatre is viewed and employed.
CH-EUR: The course presents an examination of the development and history of the
theatre in major European countries. Attention is paid to similarities and differences
between forms as well as to cultural influences on the theatre, theatrical influences on the
culture, and influences of one theatrical form on others.
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Texts:
Texts Available At Mary Jane Books 215 Western Ave. 465-2238
Living Theatre: History of the Theatre – 5th Edition – Edwin Wilson/Alvin Goldfarb
McGraw Hill
ISBN: 0073514128
Nine Plays of the Modern Theatre – Ed. Harold Clurman
Grove Press
ISBN: 0802150322
Six Great Modern Plays
Dell
ISBN: 0440379849
A Raisin in the Sun – Lorraine Hansberry
Vintage
ISBN: 0679755330
Four Great Restoration Comedies
Dover
ISBN: 0486445704
Cyrano de Bergerac – Edmond Rostand
Dover
ISBN: 0486411192
Miss Julie – Strindberg
Dover
ISBN: 0486272818
Three Great Plays – Eugene O’Neill
Dover
ISBN: 0486442187
Twelve Classic One-Act Plays – Ed. Mary Carolyn Waldrep
Dover
ISBN: 0486474909
Requirements:
Students are expected to keep up with assigned readings.
Active participation during class discussions is expected of all students.
Each student is responsible for the completion of:
A Midterm Exam
A Final Exam
A Response Paper On Dear Harvey
Play Responses
A Short Paper On A Supplemental Play Read Independently
One Paper Using Two One-Act Plays
Each of these assignments is described below.
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Each Student must attend the Departmental production of:
Dear Harvey – Dates: Nov. 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 at 8:00 PM; Nov. 7, 20 at 2:00 PM
Tickets are $8 Nov. 5-7, $10 Nov. 11-20
A program and ticket stub is required as proof of attendance for the production.
Students are encouraged to make use of the University Writing Center and should also feel
free to come to me with questions about assignments and readings during office hours.
Please note that I am only on campus Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. As such,
e-mail is probably the easiest way to contact me outside of class and/or office hours.
Be sure that you plan ahead as last minute e-mails are unlikely to be answered in time.
Course Policies:
Attendance:
1) Much of the work for this class involves in-class lecture and discussion
of the assigned readings. As such, attendance is essential. A total of four
absences will be permitted. Any more than four absences will result in a
decreased final grade -- your final grade will be lowered by 1/3 of a letter
grade for each absence beyond your fourth.
2) Be Punctual. Latecomers can be quite distracting. For attendance
purposes two latenesses will count as one absence.
Plagiarism of any kind cannot be tolerated and will result in a failing grade for
the course.
Late assignments will be penalized 1 letter grade per class day. The exception to
this rule is the Play Responses, which will be accepted only on the due
dates.
Students should come to class prepared to work -- when we discuss a work it is
your responsibility to have the text in class.
Class discussions will be conducted in an atmosphere of respect and civility in
order to promote a free exchange of ideas.
I reserve the right to give pop-quizzes and/or in-class writing assignments as
needed. These will then become a part of your grade.
All papers are to be typed in twelve-point font and double-spaced. You are
responsible for proofreading your work prior to turning it in.
Electronic submission of work via e-mail will not be accepted.
I must have a hard copy of your assignment for grading.
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Grading Policy:
Attendance – 10%
Participation/Attitude – 10%
Midterm Exam – 15%
Final Exam – 20%
Response Paper and Play Attendance – 10%
One-Act Plays Paper – 15%
Supplemental Play Paper – 10%
Play Responses – 10%
Assignment Overview:
Play Responses – Collected the day the play is discussed.
Each student is responsible for preparing a play response for each play read for class.
These responses must contain the following:
Identify the central conflict
Identify the Protagonist (main character/hero) and Antagonist (blocking figure/villain)
Identify the style/genre of the play
They should also contain your initial reactions and reflections. You may make note of
any elements that you find particularly effective (or particularly ineffective) and even
comment on any scenes that you find especially gripping. If the work reminds you of
another we have read, or one you have previously encountered on your own this may be
worth mentioning. You should also include comments on how the work seems typical or
unusual for its era. You should give some sense of your response to the work(s) and what
shaped that response. Finally, you may wish to evaluate the script as the foundation for a
potential production. What assets does it provide? What are the potential drawbacks?
Length is flexible here. You may write more on a play that truly intrigued you and less on
a play you were not captivated by. However, no play response should be shorter than
one-half of a typed page (approximately 200 words). You should keep a copy for yourself
since it will contain ideas you may find useful in discussion. You will generate one
response for each day that we read a play or plays. Sometimes this may mean that the
response covers more than one work.
Response Paper On Dear Harvey -- Due Monday November 22
You must attend Dear Harvey – Dates: Nov. 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 at 8:00 PM;
Nov. 7, 20 at 2:00 PM
Tickets are $8 Nov. 5-7, $10 Nov. 11-20
Save your program and ticket stub. You will attach these to your completed paper
as proof of attendance. After attending the production you will write a short paper of 2 to
4 pages using one of the options below.
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Option One: Discuss the production choices as they relate to staging practices and
ideas we have studied so far (design, acting, etc.). Can you trace or identify any
influences on this contemporary production? Provide specific examples from the
production to support your assessment.
Option Two: Discuss the theatre going experience as a whole. Start off by
discussing whether it was enjoyable and engrossing or not. You are free to consider the
entire play going event – purchase of tickets, travel, dinner before the event, and the like.
You are free to discuss anything that added to or detracted from the event. However, you
should place the most emphasis on the production itself. Be sure that you discuss specific
examples of aspects of the production that enhanced or diminished the experience.
Papers must be at least 2 full pages in length.
Supplemental Play Paper -- Due by Monday November 29
This paper is a critical response to one significant play from the time period
covered in this course that has not been read for class. You may use any of the extra plays
in Four Great Restoration Comedies, Six Great Modern Plays, or Nine Plays of the
Modern Theatre as well as Anna Christie from Three Great Plays by Eugene O'Neill.
Alternately, you may select a play from the period that aroused your interest when
mentioned in the text or discussion. If you choose to do this, you must approve your
choice with me in advance. Be sure that the play you choose is not one you have read for
another course or worked on in production. The idea is to gain exposure to another new
script. After reading the play you will write a 3--5 page paper in which you must identify
the central conflict driving the play as well as the identities of the protagonist and
antagonist. Avoid plot summary. You will analyze the play by discussing its dramatic
structure and by relating it to what we have studied about the author/genre/style of the
piece. You should also compare and contrast the work with at least one play read for
class. Depending on what play you select, you may need to turn in the paper before we go
over your topic in class. If this is the case, please feel free to see me for information or to
do some basic research on your own. If you do research, turn in a list of the sources you
used along with the paper. This is not intended as a research paper, please remember that
I am interested in your ideas.
One-Act Plays Paper -- Due by Monday November 29
Using Twelve Classic One-Act Plays, you will select 2 or 3 plays for this
assignment. After reading the plays you will write a paper of 4 - 6 pages in length
discussing their similarities and differences in light of the historical and theoretical
influences on each playwright. Identify the style/genre of each piece as best you can and
explain your reasoning. How do changing styles and goals account for the differences?
Elucidate the similarities and differences and attempt to account for them in light of the
historical and social contexts of their creation. If one or more of the plays you select are
by an author we also read for class, you may compare and contrast the one-act with the
longer work as well.
I am willing to entertain alternate suggestions for this assignment -- still using 2
or 3 plays from Twelve Classic One Act Plays, but catered to your specific area of
interest. If you wish to pursue this option you should see me well in advance so we can
map out the specifics of your assignment.
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Schedule: (Subject to Change)
M
W
F
Aug 30
Sep 1
Sep 3
Course Overview/Review of Syllabus
Review/Restoration England
W/G Ch. 9
Restoration England
M
W
F
Sep 6
Sep 8
Sep 10
NO CLASS
The Rover – Aphra Behn (Four Great Restoration Comedies)
NO CLASS
M
W
F
Sep 13
Sep 15
Sep 17
The Eighteenth Century
The Eighteenth Century
The Eighteenth Century
M
W
F
Sep 20
Sep 22
Sep 24
The Eighteenth Century
The Eighteenth Century
1800 – 1875
M
W
F
Sep 27
Sep 29
Oct 1
1800 – 1875
1800 – 1875
1800 – 1875
M
W
F
Oct 4
Oct 6
Oct 8
Cyrano de Bergerac – Edmond Rostand
1875 – 1915
W/G Ch. 12
1875 – 1915
M
W
F
Oct 11
Oct 13
Oct 15
1875 – 1915
1875 – 1915
1875 – 1915
M
W
F
Oct 18
Oct 20
Oct 22
Miss Julie – August Strindberg
The Blind – Maurice Maeterlinck (TBA)
The Master Builder – Henrik Ibsen (Six Great Modern Plays)
M
W
F
Oct 25
Oct 27
Oct 29
Midterm Exam
The Three Sisters – Anton Chekhov (Six Great Modern Plays)
1915 – 1945
W/G Ch. 13
M
W
F
Nov 1
Nov 3
Nov 5
1915 – 1945
1915 – 1945
1915 – 1945
M
W
F
Nov 8
Nov 10
Nov 12
1915 – 1945
The Emperor Jones – Eugene O’Neill (Three Great Plays)
The Caucasian Chalk Circle – Bertolt Brecht (Nine Plays of the Modern Theatre)
W/G Ch. 10
W/G Ch. 11
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M
W
F
Nov 15
Nov 17
Nov 19
1945 – 1975
1945 – 1975
1945 – 1975
M
Nov 22
W
F
Nov 24
Nov 26
1945 – 1975
Response Paper On Dear Harvey Due
NO CLASS
NO CLASS
M
Nov 29
W
F
Dec 1
Dec 3
1945 – 1975
Last Day to Turn in Supplemental and One-Act Play Papers
The Glass Menagerie – Tennessee Williams (Six Great Modern Plays)
Waiting for Godot – Samuel Beckett (Nine Plays of the Modern Theatre)
M
W
Dec 6
Dec 8
The Balcony – Jean Genet (Nine Plays of the Modern Theatre)
A Raisin in the Sun – Lorraine Hansberry
Th
Dec 9
READING DAY – NO CLASSES
T
Dec 14
FINAL EXAM 10:30-12:30
W/G Ch. 14
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