Actor Training II

This course is an intermediate/advanced level scene study course. Each iteration of the course examines the works of either a single playwright or a single play. The writer and the work are researched through performance practice. The class examines the text(s) dramaturgically while developing strategies for performing the work effectively for contemporary audiences. The vast majority of our class time will be spent learning, staging and presenting key monologues and scenes from the play(s) for critique and continued revision. Students will also gain a clear understanding of the historical and political context in which the work was written and together determine if or how it has maintained contemporary relevance. Besides reading the play(s) themselves and screening examples of the work in production, students will likely read related theory, criticism, interviews, essays and articles by or about the playwright. Evaluation is based on participation in class activities, readings and discussion, successful completion of all performance projects including productive rehearsal time both alone and in groups, a portfolio of written responses and demonstrated engagement with a shared class blog.

Always visit the Registrar's Office for the official course catalog and schedules.