Drama 30A Beginning Acting Syllabus COURSE NUMBER: 3467 TIMES: Tu, Th, 1:20 - 3:50pm ROOM: FM103 UNITS: 3.0
INSTRUCTOR: James Floss E-MAIL: jmf2hsu@home.com
OFFICE: Ricks House, 8th and H Sts, Eureka (upstairs) Office Extension: 445-5384; Voice Mail avbl.
DROP-IN OFFICE HOURS Tu, Th 4:30 - 5:30 pm
Guest Instructor: Michael Thomas; 442-NCRT or by email: mft2@northcoast.com
Main web site: http://www.humboldt.edu/~speech/floss.html
Web site for this class: 30A.html
Course Description: This course is designed to exercise the separate parts of the composite art of acting which includes thought, emotion and specific movement and vocal technique. Emphasis is placed on improvisation and practical exercises leading to formal scene work. The ultimate goal is to develop a firm foundation in basic acting technique.
Course Outcomes and Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Use developed technique for coping with instrumental blocks: fear of exposure, social obligated behavior, and outer-directed self-image.
- Define and evaluate the collaborative relationship of the actor to his/her fellow theatre artists: director, playwright, designers, producers, etc.
- Utilize individual relaxation and concentration skills as tools in preparation for studying the actor's craft.
- Use his/her body and voice as the primary instrument of dramatic expression to work through exercises and to perform "scripted" material.
- Begin to evaluate their emotional, behavioral, sensory and cognitive resources.
- Begin to identify goals, needs and relationship obligations.
- Demonstrate his/her understanding of the rigid discipline and commitment to an acting partner and ensemble situation.
- Demonstrate the various conventions of the theatre as practiced by the actor.
Course Outline: While the accompanying schedule provides a class-by-class description of activities, topics and due dates, here is an overview of course activities and topics:
- Overcoming self-consciousness, preliminary group interaction
- Exercises exploring acting, goals, and obstacles
- Exercises dealing with conflict, intensifiers, environments, objects
- Exercises dealing with who, where and why
- Dramatic structure, scene break-downs, stage conventions; geography, terminology
- Improvisation leading to creating a scene
- Improvisation leading to creating a character
- Introduction to the physical approach
- Introduction to the psychological approach
- The actor as interpreter (scene work and monologue from published play)
The course primarily involves skill demonstrations including homework problems, performance exams, class performances and public performances.
Texts: Acting One, 4th Edition, by Robert Cohen is required. Theatre Games by Viola Spolin is recommended.
Student Goals: Through this course you should develop physical and vocal conditioning and become familiar with relaxation techniques. This course should help you work productively with others and make you a more informed and enlightened audience member. Hopefully, you will become more aware and accepting of your own physical being and become more comfortable with stage-fright.
Required Reading, Writing, and Other Outside of Class Assignments: This 3 unit GE course treats acting with a scope and intensity which requires students to study outside of class. Budget several hours a week for study, reading, writing of intent papers and critiques, rehearsing, memorizing lines, attending plays, doing service and any other preparation needed to be ready for the next class session. Pay close attention to the schedule of classes and the due dates for readings and assignments.
College Level Critical Thinking Tasks/Assignments: Students will be expected to use critical thinking skills to describe, evaluate, justify, and synthesize the various concepts under observation. Each lesson, progressively, requires you to recall and translate concepts presented in previous lessons in order to fully incorporate and apply then effectively to his/her own subsequent work. You must also be able to diagnose on paper or group discussion the strengths; and weaknesses of the scenes presented by others. Being that each assignment is given to allow the student to explore, compare and contrast, and evaluate your own understanding of the concept under scrutiny that particular week, you will be held responsible for your own presentation. Thus, students are continually demonstrating their understanding of the concepts and techniques covered in the class. Your responses to criticism from the instructors will also demonstrate that understanding when work is presented a second time for evaluation.
Quizzes: Students will be quizzed periodically on the required readings. Quizzes will be generated from questions that students bring to class. While not required, each student is encouraged to compose two or three quiz questions (and their answers) from the lessons due the next class period. The instructors will choose from the submitted questions for that session's quiz. Students will receive an extra credit point for each submitted question (up to three) and another point each time their question is chosen. If duplicate questions are submitted, the first one selected will receive the extra credit.
Class Participation: A willingness to participate in all activities is encouraged and is, in fact, required. Several games and projects will be group endeavors; sensitivity and respect for your classmates is imperative. Each student is expected to participate enthusiastically in activities, question and answer sessions, critiques and discussions of classmates' presentations. Participation counts for 10% of your total grade.
Preparedness: All students must arrive ready to move and participate. Loose fitting attire is suggested: T-Shirts, sweats, leotards or tights work well; shorts and revealing clothing do not. No eating, drinking or smoking are allowed in the classroom.
Service Assignment: Each student must engage in one or two "Service Learning" experiences through involvement with the local community theatre scene; this requirement is10% of your final grade. A wide range of involvement is possible, limited only by your imagination. Some recommended methods follow:
- Acting in or "crewing" a production (backstage, lights, sound, etc.) = 100 points
- Participating in a major work-call (typically 3-5 hours; contact local theatres) = 100 points
- Staffing performance night (ushering, box-office, selling concessions) = 50 points
Many other service activities are possible: office assistance, shop assistance, publicity, etc. Contact participating theatres to ascertain their needs and make a proposal to your instructor. You will need to document your community theatre service: What you did, where you did it and the name of your theatre contact. Submit documentation to receive credit. If you do help with work-calls or construction, be sure the theatre has adequate insurance to protect you if injured; these are not "field trips" and you will not be covered by the college's insurance. Important note: if you commit to service and do not show up to the theatre (or do not give them ample notice that you cannot make your commitment) 50 points will be deducted from your overall total.
Performance Assignments: Students will develop and present two improvisational pieces, a two to three person scene from an extant play and lastly, a monologue from dramatic literature, which will be the final for this class. All told, performance assignments comprise 35% of the total grade. Several class sessions are provided for in-class rehearsal time. Substantial rehearsal time outside of class will be needed.
Written Assignments: Several writing assignments will come due throughout the semester; they fall into two categories: Intent Papers (written justifications of performance choices) and Critiques of Performances. The intent papers are mandatory. Students will have some choice as to which critical papers they complete. All told, the writing assignments comprise up to 25% of your final grade.
- Intent Papers
- Each performance assignment will require written justifications of your choices, intents and purposes due on the day you perform
- Late submissions will not be accepted.
- Critical Papers
- Three critical papers must be completed; the semester affords five opportunities for students to write critical papers.
- After each full round of performances, an 800 word critique can be due written in standard academic prose. You must critique 2 rounds of student performances.
- You are required to see two dramatic performances outside of the classroom; you must critique at least one of them.
- Late submissions of critical papers will be accepted for an additional week but with a penalty of 10 points.
These writings substitute for a final exam; it is expected that course-specific terms are used in all papers to demonstrate your mastery of course topics. Critiques can be submitted via e-mail; intent papers may not. Here is a sample GOTE sheet for the 1st graded assignment
Attendance: Class attendance, which is 10% of your total grade, is mandatory and crucial to success in this course. Much of the learning in this class is experiential and as such cannot be made up. Each absence, up to four, will deduct 25 points from your total. Each late arrival or early departure will deduct 5 points from your total. Role will be taken promptly at the start of class. Only medical reasons for missing class, for you (or your children) will be excused. While attendance is mandatory, the conscientious student in good standing can miss classes with no effect on their final grade. (See the explanation of "point totals" below for more details).
Grading: Your final grade will be determined according to a point system as follows:
The total number of points achievable in the semester is 1,060. Your final grade will be determined out of 1000. The additional 60 points is a "buffer zone" to allow grading flexibility. It can cover up to two absences or a critical papers or a service paper or any combination therein (note that intent papers are mandatory and always due the day you perform). A student with perfect attendance can elect to turn in all 7 required papers, complete their service and use the 60 point buffer towards their final grade. A student that falls substantially behind in points is welcome to propose extra credit projects to the instructors; a need for additional points beyond the 60 point buffer must be demonstrated. The acceptance of the extra credit projects and their point value is totally at the discretion of the instructors; both instructors must be in agreement before extra credit projects are approved.
Category
Student Action
Service
Attendance
Participation
Quizzes
Assignments
Literature Improvisations
Directed Improvisation
Acting Scene
Monologue
Points
100
100
100
100
75
100
125
150
Category
Writing Assignments
Intent papers (all due)
Gote Sheet
Improv. Journal
Monologue
Final Scene
Critical Papers (3 of 5 due)
Literature Improv. Critique or
Directed Improv. Critique or
Acting Scene Critique
Outside Play Critique One or
Outside Play Critique Two or
TOTALPoints
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
1,060Final Grade: The final grade you receive will be based on the total number of points earned throughout the semester, according to this table:
Point Spread
Final Grade
950 - 1000
A
900 - 949
A-
850 - 899
B+
800 - 849
B
750 - 799
B-
Point Spread
Final Grade
700 - 749
C+
600 - 699
C
500 - 599
D
under 500
F