Theatre 352a
Intermediate Acting
Section 62817R
Faculty Name: John DeMita
Email:
Phone: 213-740-4327
Class Hours: Monday, Wednesday 2:00 – 3:50 PM
Location: PED 202
Office Hours: Available by appointment.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Building and sustaining character in drama.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
“The basis of realism is the negation of the ideal and everything that flows from it.”
- Stella Adler
Focusing on the theatrical movements of realism and naturalism, we will expand and refine the techniques used to create deeply personal performances and compelling, eventful scenes. We will investigate not only the characters in a play, but also our own character as creative artists. More than even “talent,” the theatre student, whether an actor, director, playwright, or designer, must discover in themself the fundamental qualities of honesty and courage. Nurture these two qualities, and inspiration will follow.
REQUIRED TEXTS
· Download and print A Doll’s House, translated by Allen Fletcher.
· Download and print a second play TBA.
· Scenes and exercises assigned by the instructor and available for download on the Blackboard website for the course.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
· Stella Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg, and Chekhov, edited by Barry Paris
· Respect for Acting, by Uta Hagen
· Building a Character, by Constantin Stanislavski
SCENES
Using scene study as the primary tool for exploring and deepening this study of the actor’s craft, students will be divided into pairs and groups, to perform two scenes over the course of the semester. Evaluations of progress and achievement in each scene will be made using a shared rubric, available for download at the Blackboard site for the class.
RESEARCH
Students will be assigned 500 word research essays about the scenes and authors we discuss in class. These are due on the FIRST CLASS MEETING of the week in which they are listed in the schedule. Each student will also be required to give an oral presentation of his or her research, as well as turn in his or her written work.
EXERCISES
Various exercises which may require preparation outside of the classroom. Students who do not complete and/or perform their work on the assigned dates will not be given credit for the exercises, which will be reflected in the “class participation” portion of their grade.
JOURNALS
Students are required to keep a journal on Blackboard over the course of the semester. This will be in the form of either a weekly rehearsal journal, with times and places of your out-of-class meetings and an account of what you worked on, or in response to a specific question discussed in class or posted on the Blackboard site. The journals are private. Although there may not always be feedback posted to your entries, they will be read on a regular basis. If you have a concern that needs to be addressed right away, please send me an email, and follow up with me in person.
IN-CLASS EXPECTATIONS
An assessment will be made of the student’s work in class. In order to succeed, the student needs to follow these guidelines:
· Show up on time – students who are more than 5 minutes late are considered tardy. Three tardy arrivals will be considered an absence. Three unexcused absences will result in a deduction of 5 points from the final grade. A doctor’s note is not acceptable to validate additional absences.
· When you are not working in front of the class, you must give absolute attention to the students who are performing. Maintain a supportive and collaborative attitude, contributing to a safe environment where everyone may learn not only from his or her successes, but also from their failures.
· Demonstrate the results of outside rehearsal for each scheduled in class rehearsal. This includes familiarity with the entire play script, historical research, and memorization of lines by the appropriate deadlines. SCENES MUST BE MEMORIZED BY THEIR SECOND IN-CLASS REHEARSAL.
· No food, smoking, talking/texting on the phone is permitted in any working space, classroom or theatre. No drink is permitted in any of the above, except for bottled water. All spaces must be returned to a clean and tidy condition after each working session, or at the end of the working day.
EXPECTATIONS OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM
· Written exercises and worksheets will be assigned, and must be completed outside of class time. Do not do your homework in class.
· Once scenes have been assigned, all students will be required to meet with their partners at least twice a week outside of class. All work is progressive, so if a student’s scene is not scheduled for in-class rehearsal until the second or third group meeting (see schedule), performances must reflect additional rehearsal and preparation.
· All students must post on Blackboard a bi-weekly journal entry, which will respond to experiences in the classroom, fulfill a specific writing assignment, or act as a detailed accounting of their outside rehearsal process.
· All students must acquire whatever props and costumes are necessary to create the given circumstances of scenes and exercises. There should be no unnecessary “miming” in the performance of scenes.
GRADING POLICY:
Grades are not dictated by the success of acting presentations, the instructor’s subjective opinion of talent or artistic preference.
Grades are dictated by active engagement in the class at all times including
· Openness to new methods of working and eagerness to attempt them
· In class active student analysis and commentary on text
· Constructive feedback on classmates’ acting presentations
· Energized support of all classmates’ work
· Willingness to experiment and apply the constructive feedback of instructor and fellow students on ones own work
· Meeting all assignment deadlines
· Memorization of assigned material
· Availability to fellow classmates to rehearse outside class
Note: If a student misses a deadline because of a partner’s unavailability, the available partner will not be penalized. If problems arise, a discussion with the instructor with all involved must be arranged before the day of the scheduled scene or everyone will be held equally accountable
Feedback, assessment, and grading of the course will be based on the successful completion of the following assignments by their assigned due dates:
Exercise #1 (Written and Performed) 10 Points
Exercise #2 (Written and Performed) 10 Points
Midterm Scene (“A Doll’s House”) 15 Points
2 Research Presentations (5 points each) 10 Points
2 Completed Worksheets (5 points each) 10 Points
2 Character Biographies (5 points each) 10 Points
Blackboard Journal 5 Points
Final Scene (TBA) 15 Points
Cumulative Class Participation 15 Points
Total 100 Points
GRADING SCALE
A = 96-100 points
A- = 91-95 points
B+ = 88-90 points
B = 85-87 points
B- = 81-84 points
C+ = 78-80 points
C = 75-77 points
C- = 71-74 points
D+ = 68-70 points
D = 65-67 points
D- = 61-64 points
F = 60 or below
The final course grade is articulated as a Letter Grade. This grade is translated into a G.P.A using the following scale:
A = 4; A- = 3.7; B+ = 3.3; B = 3; B- = 2.7; C+ = 2.3; C = 2; C- = 1.7; D = 1; F = 0.
When the average falls between two grades, the final grade will be weighted toward the positive end of the scale for students whose attendance and participation in class has been good, but will be weighted toward the negative end of the scale for those with poor attendance and participation.
CALENDAR (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Week 1 / Introductions. Discuss student expectations and semester goals.Warm-up / Exercises.
DOWNLOAD: Text of A Doll’s House.
ASSIGN: Exercise #1, Journal Entry #1 (First Impressions).
Week 2 / Warm-up / Exercises.
Sensory / Environmental Games.
DOWNLOAD: Individual Research Assignments.
ASSIGN: Finish reading A Doll’s House, Character Biography Questionnaire.
DUE: Exercise #1, Journal Entry #1.
Week 3 / Warm-up / Exercises.
Begin A Doll’s House Table Work.
DUE: Continue / Complete Exercise #1.
Week 4 / Warm-up / Exercises.
Table Work, Individual Research Presentations, Cast Scene #1.
DOWNLOAD: Worksheet #1, Character Biography Questionnaire.
ASSIGN: Journal Entry #2 (Rehearsal Diary).
DUE: Completed Research Essay.
Weeks 5 - 7 / Warm-up / Exercises.
Scene #1 Rehearsals.
DUE: Completed Worksheet #1, Journal Entry #2, Character Biography Questionnaire.
Week 8 / MIDTERM: Scene #1 Performances.
Week 9 / Warm-up / Exercises.
Scenes from A Doll’s House - Discussion and Student Conferences.
ASSIGN: Exercise #2, Journal Entry #3 (Response to Scene #1 Feedback).
DOWNLOAD: Text of Play TBA, Individual Research Assignments.
Week 10 / Warm-up / Exercises.
ASSIGN: Read Play TBA, Journal Entry #4 (Scene Requests)
DUE: Exercise #2, Journal Entry #3.
Weeks 11, 12 / Warm-up / Exercises.
Table Work, Individual Research Presentations, Cast Scene #2.
DOWNLOAD: Worksheet #2, Character Biography Essay.
DUE: Continue / Complete Exercise #2, Completed Research Essay Question, Journal Entry #4.
Weeks 13 - 15 / Warm-up / Exercises.
Scene #2 Rehearsals.
ASSIGN: Journal Entry #5 (Student Feedback)
DUE: Completed Worksheet #2, Character Biography Essay
December 13
@ 2:00 PM / Scene #2 Performances (FINAL EXAM)
DUE: Journal Entry #5
WITHDRAWALS
Please note, September 13 is the last day to:
· Register and add classes.
· Drop a class with a mark of “W,” and receive a 100% refund
· Change enrollment option to Pass/No Pass or Audit
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Dishonesty in any form harms the individual, other students, and the School of Theatre. Therefore, USC policies on academic integrity will be enforced in this course. Papers suspected of containing plagiarized material (the unacknowledged or inappropriate use of another’s ideas, wording, or images) will be verified for authenticity by the School of Theatre through internet services. I expect you to familiarize yourself with the academic integrity guidelines found in the current SCampus (www.usc.edu/dept/publications/scampus).
DISABILITY SERVICES
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 am to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is 213-740-0776.
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