Shawn Hann, Moss Kaplan, Brett Scott
Theatre Syllabus
Course: 077330 DSA Advanced Theatre Seniors
Contact Info
email: phone: 720-424-1809 email: phone: 724-424-1781email: brett scott: fax: 720-424-1845 website: dsatheatre.org
The BEST way to contact us is through dps email. If we do not reply within 3 days, please resend as our mailbox was probably full and it bounced away and we have not read your email.
Office Hours
5th period is our off-hour. Mon, Tues, Fri: 11:08-12:04, Wed: 7:29-9:01, Thurs: 9:06-10:38
Course Requirements
The Advanced level of Theatre will cover the following units of study in 2009-2010: basic acting, history of and method acting theories of Constantin Stanislavski, movement, directing, dramaturgy, peer leadership, set/costume/light/sound/prop design, audition techniques and monologue coaching, Shakespeare, solo poetry project and performance, Culmination of your DSA training: working as an ensemble/group acting/following a peer director—senior project.
Students need to be in clothes they can move in (no flip flops, low cut shirts, tight or hanging below the bottom jeans, or hats), ready to participate, and actively engaged in class. See p.17-18 in the handbook for specific requirements.
Required Reading
• any play you perform a scene or monologue from
• Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, Measure for Measure, The Tempest, Pericles
• one act plays
• 12th grade: An Actor Prepares, 11th grade: Building a Character
• Shanley plays
• handouts or assignments given in class
Required Fees
• the fees you paid at registration cover the costs of the texts you will receive in class, you will keep these
ALL STUDENTS need:
• a composition book for journal
• a place to take notes and keep handouts other than journal
• black fitted movement clothes (sweats, yoga pants, leotards or fitted t-shirts) and deodorant
• Jazz shoes (preferably black)
• all students need their own Ben Nye Crème makeup kit—see handbook for details
• something to write with every day
Grading Policies
Each class period is worth 20 points: 5 for being on time, 5 for being on task, 5 for daily journal entry (at least 5 sentences), and 5 points for participation. Each assignment will have graded components and a final product grade. The product/performance will usually be 100 points based on a rubric.
Participation means participating in class discussions, actively working within groups, bringing homework to class, being prepared for class (including memorization, knowing blocking, and bringing materials needed to work), having a positive attitude, showing respect for teachers and students and guest artists, dressing in black movement clothes, and not disrupting other students.
Reasons to lose “on-task” points: Wandering the halls, going to the vending machines without permission, working on other school work or computers without permission (ie. checking email/photo booth), debating the teacher/inability to take direction, or causing drama/gossip.
There is also a general expectation that class starts on time and you are ready to go when class starts.
It is up to the teacher’s discretion on how many points each offense is worth out of 5 points.
Absences/Tardies
This is a participation-based class. Students will need to be present to earn the points. There are 20 points earned daily: 5 will be deducted if the student is tardy. Up to 10 can be deducted if depending on lack of participation. If a student is unexcused, they will lose all 20 points.
Daily Journals
On most days there will be a question written on the board to start class. When you enter class, take out your journal, copy it into your notebooks and write at least 5 sentences in response to the question.
If there is no question, you are still required to write at least 5 sentences for that day. Here are prompts for days without a question.
• Reflect on today’s activities in class. What did you like? Learn? Struggle with? Doubt? Questions?
• Plan what you need to get done the next day, write what you accomplished in the period.
• Questions you have about an assignment, a partner, a process, a playwright…
• Reactions to something you’ve read or a comment from a peer or guest artist about your work.
• Exercises used in the one act play by your student directors. Notes on things that worked well for you as an actor and things they did that didn’t land with you. Keep these for when you direct. Character notes for OAP or scenes.
• If nothing else, write a critique on a performance – a movie, TV, newscast, radio broadcast, or live theatre. You could also just do a “People Observation.” Watch someone and take notes about how they walk, talk, stand, gesture. This helps you create a notebook of potential character.
You MUST turn in your journal during movement class for a weekly check. Label each entry for the week with a BOX in the upper right corner of the page. We will check the boxes for a completion grade. If you would like us to read a specific entry or comment on it, please put a R in the box.
Curriculum Standards
Theatre Arts are important to life and learning. They are a universal force in the everyday - life of people around the world. This force connects each new generation to those who have gone before. Students need theatre arts to make these connections and to express the otherwise inexpressible. Theatre arts benefit the student because they cultivate the whole person, gradually building many kinds of literacy while developing intuition, reasoning, imagination, and dexterity into unique forms of expression and communication
Colorado Model Content State Standards THEATRE
1. Students develop interpersonal skills and problem-solving capabilities through group interaction and artistic collaboration.
2. Students understand and apply the creative process to fundamental skills of acting, playwriting, and directing.
3. Students understand and apply the creative process to skills of design and technical production.
4. Students understand and relate the role of theatre arts to culture and history.
5. Students analyze and assess the characteristics, merits, and meanings of traditional and modem forms of dramatic expression.
6. Students know and apply connections between theatre and other disciplines.