DRAMA:   THE SYLLABUS!

General

The first thing that you need to know is this: Drama is not a "blow-off" course. Expect a different kind of course from the usual English classes you have taken in high school, but expect to work. The work should be fun, but it will be at least as much as in any other course you might have taken.

The following are precepts that you must understand for a successful semester:

·        There will be homework of some type almost every night in this course.

o  Some of it will be scene work (researching, analyzing, memorizing, rehearsing, etc.).

o  Some of it will be written work (see below).

o  Some of it will be observation.

o  Whatever it is, though, and whether or not it is actually collected and/or discussed the next day, you are expected to do it on time; the content of the course builds on what has come before.

·        As this is an experience-oriented course, participation is vital. It is also required.

o  A significant percentage of the grade will be based purely on class participation.

o  When we do exercises, jump in!  Volunteer.  Take part. You cannot be “wrong”; you can only be on the outside looking in.

o  Missing class for any reason is detrimental both to your experience in this class and to the goals of the class as a whole, and therefore your participation grade will be significantly reduced due to any absences.

o  Missing more than four classes in any month will result in a grade of F for that month’s participation grade.

·        Not everyone enters this class at the same level. 

o  Grades for performances are determined based on standards set for each performance, but improvement over the semester is factored in, as well as effort.

·        Memorization is not optional.

o  When things need to be memorized, they need to be memorized.  That is a part of the assignment.  You are always allowed a prompter, but you should not over-rely on one. 

o  On the other hand, no one is going to shoot you in this class for minor paraphrasing, so relax. 

·        Senior Slump Caveat: I know there is a tendency for second semester seniors to relax a lot, but don't relax so much that you fall behind in here. It will not be very easy to catch up.

Focus

The purpose of any acting class is to work on acting techniques, and this class will certainly do so, but Drama also constitutes the entire range of "drama" education at the school at this time; consequently, there are other areas that we may explore. While it is certainly possible that we will not get into several of these areas, among the objectives of the class are these:

·        Examine the history of theater so that we can more fully appreciate the place of modern drama and modern techniques in that history.

·        Begin to learn the terminology that applies to the theatre, both dramatic and technical, because serious actors as well as anyone with an interest in theatre should understand and be able to communicate with these phrases.

·        Study and focus on characterization as an extension of our understanding of the dramatic form, utilizing several different techniques for building character.

·        Utilize improvisation as a primary tool for developing our awareness of ourselves as actors and our relationships with others.

·        Explore stage movement and specific performance techniques.

·        Discuss and explore the structure of plays to better appreciate the importance of characterization.

·        Examine specific elements of theatre such as make-up, voice, and auditioning.

·        Examine the distinctive styles of theatrical performance and production that have evolved throughout different eras in our history.

·        Study and focus on characterization as an extension of our understanding of the dramatic form, utilizing several different techniques for building character; honors students will be introduced to Stanislavski's Method.

·        Examine specific elements of theatre such as movement and rhythm, as well as an introduction to some of the technical elements of theatre.

·        Discuss and explore the structure of plays, including a discussion of the way that one specific play is constructed: how the various elements of the play (character, lighting, plot, set, etc.) come together to create theatre.

Some of these topics may be covered through individual or group projects or presentations.

Performances

·        There will be a number of performances, both formal and informal, throughout the semester. In a way, every day will be full of performances. Improvs and group activities are counted toward your participation (and therefore your grade), so be sure to give them your all. Major performance grades always include effort and rehearsal.

o  Honors students will be required to perform two additional contrasting monologues, taken from plays, accompanying the performance at the end of the semester, and encompassing the same attention to technique.

·        Group projects based on improvisation. Groups of students will create from scratch a series of scenes which illustrate acting in our lives. The scenes will be "scripted" and rehearsed and presented at the end of the first quarter.

·        The third quarter's major presentations will consist of monologues and duet scenes. Actors will work on specific exercises to explore both their own characterizations and how their characters relate to the play; they will also be required to discuss, in their journals, exactly what techniques they utilized.

o  Honors students will present a second scene which contrasts with the first in style and/or era and discuss the distinctions between the two with the class.

·        The final performance objective in this semester will be the performance of a complete one act play. (Depending on the specific selection and the number of students in the class, we may break into smaller groups which will each produce a play or a part of one.)  All of the technique work we use during the semester will become a part of this presentation, which will require the bulk of our time during the fourth quarter.

o  Honors students will be responsible for aiding in the direction of these plays, in addition to acting in them. Plays will likely be directed by groups of students rather than individual students, but again numbers will determine this.

Peer Review

A large part of the focus in this course will be on what you say about each other. Learning to be good actors is a process, and part of the process is learning to give and accept criticism. We only grow through listening to others. It is imperative that each student become as open as possible both to giving and receiving criticism. This room is no place for egos; check them at the door.

Written Work

·        Actor's Journal, which will include exercises, responses, concerns, and other daily written course work;

·        Evaluations of both your own and your classmates' performances;

·        Analysis of scenes, plays, and characters, applying concepts learned in class;

·        Critiques of plays seen live by the class

o  (Make plans right now to see the school musical);

·        Discussions of theatrical techniques in plays we have seen; 

·        Requirements for the Course

·        The text for this course is Acting Onstage and Off by Robert Barton.  It has not yet been determined whether you will be required to purchase this text.

·        Each student will need a journal to record exercises, thoughts and reactions. We will discuss the kind of journal that will work best. Depending on their condition, Drama 1 journals might be acceptable.

·        Once again, please note: attendance is required. This is a performance course which contains many group activities. Nothing that we do in class is easily made up. Students who are repeatedly tardy or absent will find that their grades necessarily suffer, due to a drop in their participation grades. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed and do whatever is best to catch up to the class.

Grades

Due to the nature of the course, its content will vary from year to year based on the needs of the individuals enrolled. Therefore, I do not exactly know how the course will end up being evaluated, so these percentages are likely to change. However, I am starting with the following ideas:

CP Honors

·        General Performances (including rehearsal time) 25% 25%

·        Quarter Project performances 25% 25%

·        Written work, including journals, evaluations, quizzes, etc. 25% 20%

·        Daily participation 25%20%

·        Honors directing project 10%

The above numbers are very approximate; the actual weighting of grades will be determined by the actual content of the course this semester.

Making Up Missed Work

Due to the nature of this course, making up missed work is problematic.  That (again) is one reason that attendance is stressed so significantly.  Solo scenes and written work might be made up (though lateness penalties will equal 10% of the original value per day), but duet and group work cannot be made up in any reasonable way.  If you miss a performance or project, it is your responsibility to recruit someone to partner with in order to make up the scene as quickly as possible.  Lateness penalties will still apply.

Standards for Evaluation

A   This student aggressively attacks the course, volunteers frequently, participates in class on a daily basis, performs all assigned work with consistent excellence*, grows in understanding of acting and drama during the semester, and does at least some extra credit work.

B   This student consistently does assigned work well* and on time, volunteers frequently, grows noticeably as an actor during the semester, and participates in class on a daily basis.

C   This student performs assigned work reasonably well, but lacks consistency in effort, volunteers some but infrequently, and participates in class on a nearly daily basis.

D   This student is inconsistent in both attitude and performance, but gets most things done and manages to participate in class at least every few days.

F   This student is probably brain-dead. Someone call the coroner.

*according to his or her abilities

NOTE:

Honors level students are expected to perform and do all work at a level consistent with an honors course. Talent and ability is not really a determining actor here, but effort is: honors students will be held to a higher standard of effort than college prep students.