Theater 21B Acting: Language in Action
Monday and 11:00 am – 12:50 pm
Instructor: Adrianne Krstansky
Contact:
Spingold 86-5, Ext. 63342
Office Hours: Mondays 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm or by appointment
This course is an introduction to the basic building blocks of creating a solid stage performance. Through a variety of exercises, improvisations and scene work, students will develop a personal understanding of playing an action, pursuing an objective, working against obstacles, being in the moment and several other fundamentals of acting.
The course will focus on the principles of Stanislavski’s method through an in depth study of Declan Donnellan’s book The Actor and the Target in conjunction with their practical application in scene and monologue study. Traditional and experimental methods of acting are informed by Stanislavski’s teachings and this course will give students a solid experiential foundation in psycho/physical acting and understanding of its contribution to contemporary theater practice.
This course is an experiential learning course. Students will engage with material as actors; meaning that physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual capacities will be called upon in each lesson. Course work will include physical warm up, improvisation and scene work. Engaging in theater leads to embodied knowledge. Students expand their capacity for empathy by being able to 'stand in the shoes' of their character. The methods of this course will enable students to connect to a character’s physicality, culture, socio-economic background, values and instinct to change the world around them. Many characters may hold different values and points of view than the individual student. By experiencing dramatic situations through the lens of another's point of view, students will grow in the capacity to change, to feel empathy and to partake positively in conflict, dialogue and feel empowered to enter into situations that are unfamiliar. The physical work will also support students' capacity to center themselves in times of stress and increase resilience. The course will end with time spent on the business of acting and providing students tools to participate in auditions and being to understand the demands of the profession.
Course Objectives:
Develop understanding of the fundamentals of acting
Doing vs. Being – E-motion.
Listening and responding
Playing an Action against an obstacle
Physicalizing your choices – Outside and Inside
Creating the atmosphere –Persona and Social Contract
Working moment to moment - presence
Ensemble Work
Listening with your body
Outward focus
Mutual trust
Constructive Feedback
Work Ethic
Giving and Taking
Given Circumstances
Who, What, Where, When
Motivation and Tactics
What and How
How do I see? How do I hear?
Who do I want to be? Who am I afraid I am?
Dramatic Conflict and Stakes
Split into two – the need and its opposite
Develop a visceral and intellectual understanding of Stanislavsky’s methods through the teachings of Declan Donnellan and their application to contemporary plays.
Develop tools for understanding the world of the play and its characters throughthe study of plays as a cultural production. Students will learn how to answer questions such as:
What is going on here?
What do the characters need to know in order to do what they are doing?
Cultural status, privledge, marginlization, entitlement and oppression
What meanings do action, place, object and time hold and how do they affect the choices the characters make?
What is the story of the play? What are its events and how do characters cope with these events?
Assignments
1. Write one question paper for yourself. Three burning questions you must have explored in this class and why. Due Friday Sept. 1nd (please email to me)
2. Read one full-length modern/contemporary play of your choosing. You will create a performance project based on the question of the play. Specifics of this assignment will be given in class. Due to be performed in class Monday September 11th. I ask that this be a play you have never encountered before…explore new territory!
3. A play and scene analysis/research portfolio/rehearsal journal for your scene DUE 11/13
4. LATTE personal responses to weekly assigned reading. Due Friday of each week
5. The process of working on one scene and one monologue to final showing in class.
Playwright List (Suggestions only)
Charles Mee, Jr., Caryl Churchill, Maria Irene Fornes, Athol Fugard, Richard Greenberg, Beth Henley, David Henry Hwang, William Inge, Tony Kushner, Craig Lucas, Melinda Lopez, Marsha Norman, Robert O’Hara, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Rabe, John Patrick Shanley, Sam Shepard, Paula Vogel, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, Donald Margulies, Teresa Rebeck – to name a few…
A fantastic resource is the Kilroy List found at http://thekilroys.org/list-2017. It is a list of the 37 most recommended and unproduced plays by female and trans authors of color per their survey results. I highly recommend looking at plays by Lauren Yee, Jihae Park, Lydia Diamond and Karen Hartmann. Please let me know if you need further recommendations.
CLASS GUIDELINES
There will be extensive outside preparation work for scene work. You must be available to attend rehearsals, be respectful of other people’s time, and show up when you agree to meet prepared to work. Your scene partner is dependent on you for the quality of her work and our class is dependant on your enthusiastic prepartion and risk taking abilities!
Please have all visitors approved by the instructor and people who are performing that day.
No food or smoking unless it is part of the work
Bring water to class
We must clean up the space after every class ñ clear all books, papers, clothing, props, furniture.
REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE: IF YOU CANNOT ADHERE TO THIS POLICY PLEASE RECONSIDER TAKING THIS CLASS. You must be at every class. We are interdependent on one another for the quality of our work; therefore your absence affects not only your work, but also the work of your peers. Only in the event of an emergency or obligation that supersedes your obligation to the class (to be determined by the teacher) each student will be allowed ONE unexcused absence without a penalty. Each additional absence will result in the lowering of the final grade ONE HALF LETTER GRADE per absence. An emergency is defined as a family matter, an illness that you must get a doctors note to excuse, a natural disaster, an insurmountable transportation problem, you get the picture. An obligation that supersedes your obligation to the class is a religious holiday. All other cases - job interviews, Bemco, conferences, weddings, graduations, bar mitzvahs, visiting family, technical rehearsals, dinner with the president of the college, the LSAT, the GRE, the MCAT, my alarm did not go off, I can not get a plane ticket home for break at any other time and anything else, you must plan to use your excused absence. You have one. Use it wisely.
Absence on the day of a performance assignment will result in a failing grade for that assignment unless other arrangements are initiated by a student.
As soon as you know, let me know when you are not going to be in class.
LATE POLICY: You will disrupt the focus of the class and instructor if you are late. TWO LATE ARRIVALS will equal ONE ABSENCE that will lower your final grade one half-letter grade. You cannot use your late arrivals for your one unexcused absences. All lateness will be used against your final grade. If you are chronically late person, please do not take this class. If you are late, please do not approach me when you walk in and tell me why you are late. Immediately join the class and if you need to apologize, please do it at the end of class. You will soon come to realize why this rule is so vitally important and incredibly beneficial to you!
I am unable to give leeway for other professors who go over time. If necessary, please let them know you need to arrive on time for this class. Likewise, I am unable to allow you to leave early to get to another class or event. You must arrange that with the professor or event.
If you have any physical or vocal injury that may make this work more difficult for you, please let me know. Most important are back and knee injuries.
Feel free to share with me any other personal information I should know as it relates to your ability to take the class. It will be kept in strictest confidence.
Extremely important that you wear clothes you can move in. Wear what would be appropriate for the gym until we start scene work when you will wear appropriate clothing for the scene.
GRADES will be based on the following formula:
20% Class commitment and participation ( play performance project)
20% Scene/Monologue Preparation and in-class process
20%Written Work ( Analysis papers, rehearsal journal, research)
20% Final Scene Grade
10% Final Monologue Grade
10% Readings/LATTE participation
Participation and Commitment means:
Demonstrating courage by risking connection with your fellow artists
Genoristy of Ideas, Energy, Focus and Attention on your partner and fellow artists
Curiosity
Doing it even though you are terrified
Going first if you normally go last
Never, ever pretending that you know something that you do not – ask stupid, silly questions. They are usually the most sensible and reasonable things to ask.
Listening deeply and allow your attention to stay in the present moment.
Responding to your classmate’s work in a specific, supportive and generative manner ( Guidelines to be discussed in class…)
Being an active, vital participant in all exercises
Being part of something bigger than yourself, lose yourself in your partner
Criteria for performance work.
We, of course, will discuss this in depth, according to the particular assignment. But briefly, at the beginning of the semester we will assess where you are in your development that will help define goals for yourself as the class progresses. Your grade will reflect your commitment to the pursuit of these goals, overall improvement, understanding of concepts explored, how long you sweat over your work and your commitment to furthering yourself each time you get up to perform. Please feel free to come see me to discuss your goals, progress, difficulties or frustrations. It is imperative that I know where you think you are at and if anything is bothering you. Frustration is a normal part of the process, I can help.
Please note: If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me as soon as possible.
You are expected to be honest in all of your academic work. Please consult Brandeis University Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.brandeis.edu/studentlife/srcs/rr/) for all policies and procedures related to academic integrity.
Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.). Success in this course requires nine hours of work for every three hours of in class time.
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE ( SUBJECT TO CHANGE!):
Week 1 8/30 Introduction and Ensemble Work
Read Pages 1-29 Into, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing, The Target, LATTE response due 9/4
Email Question Prompt by 9/4
Work on Play Performance Project
Week 2 9/4 – No class
9/6 – Continue Ensemble work
Read Pages 30-48 Fear and An Escape, LATTE response due 9/8
Work on Play Performance Project
Week 3 9/11 – Play Performance Project in class performances
9/13 - Entrances and Atmosphere
Read Pages 49-64 The Stakes and ‘ I don’t know what I want’
LATTE response due 9/15
Prepare Telephone Call exercise
Week 4 9/18 - Telephone call exercise/Private Moment
9/20 – Yes/No – Meisner work
Read Pages 65-84 Action and Reaction and ‘I don’t know who I am’ LATTE Response due 9/22
Week 5 9/25 - Analysis and Contentless scenes
9/27 – Analysis and Contentless scenes
Read Pages 85-115 The Visibile and the Invisibile and Identity, Persona and the Mask LATTE response due 9/29
Week 6 10/2 Scene Assignment Day and 10/4 – How to rehearse
Read pages 116-136 The Matrix and “ I don’t know where I am’
LATTE response due 10/6
Week 7 10/9 and 10/11 – Scene Work
Read pages 137-158 ‘ I don’t know how I should move and Control’ LATTE response due 10/13
Week 8 10/16 and 10/18 – Scene Work
Read pages 159-189 ‘ I don’t know how I should feel and I don’t know what I’m saying’ LATTE response due 10/20
Week 9 10/23 and 10/25 – Scene Work
Read pages 190 – 207 ‘ The Imaginary Text Exercises and Make Believe’ LATTE response due 10/27
Week 10 10/30 – Scene Work
11/1 – Feedback Session/Intro to Monologues ( How to choose a monologue, the biz)
Read pages 208-227 ‘I don’t know what I’m playing’ and Time
LATTE response due 11/3
Week 11 11/6 Final Showings and 11/ 8 – How to Choose a Monologue
Analysis/Portfolio/Rehearsal log due 11/13
Week 12 11/13 and 11/15 – Monologue Work
Find four monologues and submit and memorize one or two to work on in class
Out of class rehearsal in pairs for this project
Read pages 227- end Three More Uncomfortable Choices and Postscript LATTE response due 11/10
Week 13 11/20 – Monologue Work 11/22 – NO CLASS
Week 14 11/27 and 11/30 – Monologue Work
Week 15 11/4 Mock Audition and 11/6 – Final Class and wrap up!