Which of the following elements is indicative of a playwright utilizing a presentational dramatic style?

Presentational dramatic style

Which of the following elements is indicative of a playwright utilizing a presentational dramatic style?

  1. one or more characters who directly address the audience
  2. a realistic interior set
  3. the incorporation of an imaginary “fourth wall”
  4. dialogue based around the rhythms of everyday speech

 

Discuss the “staging” and execution of the performance–that is, its formal qualities. Were the actors convincing in their roles? Why or why not? What was the overall mood for the performance? Did it evoke participation from its audience? How did the set aid in or detract from the play’s content? Discuss its tragic and/or comic qualities.

Performance review

To write the performance review, view a live drama, drama-musical, opera, concert, oral performance, or other performing event (no sports events or movies). Inform your reader about the performance and evaluate its execution. The review should be two to three pages and formatted according to Turabian standards. The main elements of a review require you to do the following:

  • Introduce the performance, answering basic questions, such as who, what, when, and where. If it is a dramatic performance, name the director and producers, the actors in the lead roles (at least), and the author of the play. It may be appropriate to do some basic research on the author. For example, look up Thornton Wilder and a short description of Our Town and its place in American drama.
  • Give an overview/summary of the performance. For example, list musical pieces played in a concert, or briefly summarize the plot of a play or opera. Strive to give an accurate impression of the entire performance. Indicate the text’s subject matter its content.
  • Discuss the “staging” and execution of the performance–that is, its formal qualities. Were the actors convincing in their roles? Why or why not? What was the overall mood for the performance? Did it evoke participation from its audience? How did the set aid in or detract from the play’s content? Discuss its tragic and/or comic qualities. For a concert, comment on which pieces or movements were most effective and why you thought so. In this part of the discussion, incorporate the terminology of art criticism from the chapter germane to your review.
  • End the review by suggesting a specific audience who would most appreciate this performance.
  • Writing should be clear, organized, lively, and relatively free of grammatical errors and mechanical problems.
  • Feel free to note inconsistencies or weaknesses in the performance as part of your review in addition to noting the elements that were well accomplished.
  • Use Hamilton for this review, as I have already seen it and can provide proof to the Prof.

 

What did you learn about auditioning? And what did you learn from the profile of the young actress from Baltimore?

Audition

What did you learn about auditioning? And what did you learn from the profile of the young actress from Baltimore?

What is new to you? What intrigued you? What do you want to learn more about? How do you think acting has changed over the years and how might it change in the future?

Acting chapter:

1) What is new to you?

2) What intrigued you?

3) What do you want to learn more about?

4) How do you think acting has changed over the years and how might it change in the future?

Write a character analysis in 1st person for all your answers. For example Who? I’m Cynthia Renoso. I’m 36yrs old. I’m a teacher.

Character analysis

Answers this

Write a character analysis in 1st person for all your answers. For example Who? I’m Cynthia Renoso. I’m 36yrs old. I’m a teacher.

Answer these questions:

WHO?: Come up with as many things as you can about your character so that your character starts to become a real person with a history.

WHERE?: Where is this scene taking place, e.g., I’m in Bronx, NYC, I’m at a funeral home, I’m in my living room, etc.

WHEN?: What year, month, day, time of day is this scene taking place.

WHY?: Why are we watching this scene? Tell about the GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES, e.g.; I want a divorce, I want my mom to let me move out, my best friend betrayed me, etc.

WHAT?: What do you want? This is your objective? Also, what is getting in the way of getting what you want? This is your obstacle.

HOW?: What do you do to get what you want? These are your actions, e.g.; To threaten, to command, to inform, to flatter, etc. The more the better!

 

This is the monologue

Comedic Monologue

Do you know what I intended?” Lucy Van Pelt from ‘You are A Good Man, Charlie Brown

“Do you know what I intend? I intend to be a queen. When I grow up I’m going to be the biggest queen there ever was, and I’ll live in a big palace and when I go out in my coach, all the people will wave and I will shout at them, and…and…in the summertime I will go to my summer palace and I’ll wear my crown in swimming and everything, and all the people will cheer and I will shout at them… What do you mean I can’t be queen? Nobody should be kept from being a queen if she wants to be one. It’s usually just a matter of knowing the right people.. ..well…. if I can’t be a queen, then I’ll be very rich then I will buy myself a queendom. Yes, I will buy myself a queendom, and then I’ll kick out the old queen and take over the whole operation myself. I will be head queen.”

Analyse and engage critically with the rehearsal methodologies and performance processes, drawing on relevant research.

ANALYTICAL DOCUMENTATION – 40%

Analytical Documentation (equivalent to 4,000 words in total)

The final written assignment is a 4,000 word reflective analysis of the theatre-making processes experienced in the production process. The document should focus on key/significant moments of discovery and personal and group development. You will be expected to contextualize your analysis and experience within appropriate performance theories, vocabularies, working methods and relevant models of practice.

You may incorporate images, diagrams, tables, bullet points and/or forms of electronically recorded illustration if you feel this is appropriate to your analysis within the appendices. [INTEGRATE EVERYTHING INTO ONE SINGLE FILE, and beware of the file size limit on TurnIntIn].

Assessment Criteria

These are the criteria by which you will be marked on your analytical documenation, which is worth 40% of the module mark:

  • Research: Evidence of personal study and research into relevant contexts
  • Critical Analysis: the ability to analyse and engage critically with the rehearsal methodologies and performance processes, drawing on relevant research
  • Understanding of the relationship between the material (text, themes) and the chosen production approaches, drawing on relevant research
  • Presentation: accurate spelling, grammar and referencing; effective documentation

Which texts were most striking or curious? Which raised the most questions for you as a reader? How do the texts differ from one another in content, form, voice, and genre? Which seem like the “best written”? Why? Which can you relate to personally?

The Crucible and how Abigail Williams is to blame for the Salem witch trials

To practice critical, analytical thinking through the medium of writing, you will perform a text wrestling analysis and synthesize your findings in an essay driven by a central, unifying insight presented as a thesis and supported by evidence.

Assignment
First, you will determine which text it is that you’d like to analyze. Your teacher might provide a
specific text or set of texts to choose from, or they may allow you to choose your own.

1) If your teacher assigns a specific text, follow the steps in the next section.

2) If your teacher assigns a set of texts to choose from, read each of them once. Then, narrow it down by asking yourself,

  • a. Which texts were most striking or curious? Which raised the most questions for you as a reader?
  • b. How do the texts differ from one another in content, form, voice, and genre?
  • c. Which seem like the best written”? Why?
  • d. Which can you relate to personally?

Try to narrow down to two or three texts that you particularly appreciate. Then try to determine which of these will help you write the best close reading essay possible.
Follow the steps from #1 once you’ve determined your focus text.

3) If your teacher allows you to choose any text you want, they probably did so because they want you to choose a text that means a lot to you personally.

  • a. Consider first what medium (e.g., prose, film, music, etc.) or genre (e.g., essay, documentary, Screamo) would be most appropriate and exciting, keeping in mind any restrictions your teacher might have set.
  • b. Then, brainstorm what topics seem relevant and interesting to you.
  • c. Finally, try to encounter at least three or four different texts so you can test the waters.

Now that you’ve chosen a focus text, you should read it several times using the active reading
strategies contained in this section and the appendix. Consider what parts are contributing to
the whole text, and develop an analytical perspective about that
relationship. Try to articulate this analytical perspective as a working thesisa statement of your interpretation which you will likely revise in some way or another. (You might also consider whether a specific critical lens seems relevant or interesting to your analysis.)

Part 2 Assignment
Next, you will write a 250word proposal indicating which text you’ve chosen, what your working thesis is, and why you chose that text and analytical perspective. (This will help keep your teacher in the loop on your process and encourage you to think through your approach before writing.)

Finally, draft a text wrestling essay that analytically explores some part of your text using the strategies detailed in this section. Your essay will advance an interpretation that will

  • a) help your audience understand the text differently (beyond basic plot/comprehension); and/or
  • b) help your audience understand our world differently, using the text as a tool to illuminate the human experience.

Keep in mind, you will have to reread your text several times to analyze it well and compile
evidence. Consider forming a close reading discussion group to unpack your text collaboratively
before you begin writing independently.

Your essay should be thesisdriven and will include quotes, paraphrases, and summary from the original text as evidence to support your points. Be sure to revise at least once before submitting your final draft.

Although you may realize as you evaluate your rhetorical situation, this kind of essay often values Standardized Edited American English, a dialect of the English language. Among other things, this entails a polished, “academic” tone. Although you need not use a thesaurus to find all the fanciest words, your voice should be less colloquial than in a descriptive personal narrative

Identify and use at least two tools, concepts or methods that you have learned about in this class in the Learning Resources to talk about your viewing.

Cultural Experience

Instructions
For your report, choose one virtual venue from this pre-approved list that most interests you, or contact your professor for approval of your own online choice. If your choice below has both a website and a video, make sure you examine both. If you need special accommodations to complete this assignment, please inform your instructor and contact the Accessibility Accommodations office for guidance.

Watch the entire performance or thoroughly explore the venue you choose.

THEATER PLAY

Shakespeare

First Encounter: King Lear (adapted for children)

The Tragedy of Richard II

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The Importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

NEW MA by Dora Dee Hunter

Watch a full performance of one of the plays on this list of full length plays available on Youtube.

Watch a full performance of a Broadway musical that is available for streaming on various paid services. A list is available here:

Write a report after you have explored or viewed the online resource.

Your report should include the following information. Include photos or links that help convey the information. As always, be sure to document all sources you consult in preparing your work. This includes any learning resources from the class, or information from the websites that informed you about the particular item you explored.

Name and location of event or name and director of the film, writer’s name etc. If there is on-line information about what you viewed, be sure to include a link to it within the text of your essay in an appropriate place.

Type of event. For example is it a film, ritual, service, ceremony, poetry reading, festival, author interview etc. Make sure to include the name of the authors, directors, producers, speakers, author of your favorite poem (if poetry festival or event).

Briefly describe the general setting by talking a bit about the location (you can research the location online) and the general overall “vibe” of the place or places viewed.

Describe at least one aspect of what you viewed that you found especially interesting. For example, you might write about the different ways the same ritual is conducted by different groups, a poem you really liked from the reading or poetry festival, something an author or direct said that really struck you. Explain what impressed or affected you, and why. Your reaction can be positive or negative, as long as you offer an explanation.

Identify and use at least two tools, concepts or methods that you have learned about in this class in the Learning Resources to talk about your viewing. For example, if you view a director’s commentary, you might point out what the director says about lighting or the set, or if you view to a ritual, talk about the myth the ritual is based on, or if you watch a spoken word or poetry reading, you can talk about specific literary language or imagery. Make sure you are explicit in identifying the tools/concept/methods you are using and the specific learning resources they come from. Be sure to inform the reader about the tool/concept/method through a quote or paraphrase from the learning resource. Then, make sure to tell the reader how you interpret and/or analyze some elements of what you experience with the tools.

Reflect on the relevance–if any–of your viewing to your everyday life. How did the experience engage your feelings or emotions, if at all? What does this tell you about human culture, and/or about yourself?

What genre of theatre would you place this play in and why? Does this play have a message? What is that message? Do we, as the audience, take away (learn) anything after reading/watching this play? What?

Theatre and staging of play.

Needs to pass through turnitin plagiarism. Directions. By now you have learned much about various kinds of theatre and the process of staging a play. You have also read Is the One I Love Everywhere (Links to an external site. https://www.freecultureinvisible.com/product/is-the-one-i-love-everywhere/) and seen a video of Seven Stages (Links to an external site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1WeoXcHQ9s). This essay must be 1500 words in length. In this essay, you should utilize what you have learned throughout the course to write about the process of staging a theatre production from the beginning (the script) to the end (performance in front of a live audience.) So, first, read the play Is the One I Love Everywhere? carefully and entirely. Then watch the 1991 theatre production of this play which is titled Seven Stages. You may have to watch the production and/or read the script more than once in order to capture details in writing your essay. Remember, this essay carries 1/4 of your course grade. So pay special attention to details. The following are some points that may help you in writing this essay:

What genre of theatre would you place this play in and why?
Does this play have a message? What is that message? Do we, as the audience, take away (learn) anything after reading/watching this play? What?
Who are the characters in this play? Do they resemble certain individuals or are they archetypes? Why do you think so?
Why do characters speak in different languages during the first stage? What does that signify?
How does the prologue (written in English in the play, but spoken in Persian in the production) help set the stage for the rest of the play, both in the script and in the production?
The play is in two parts. The first is set in ancient times and the second in modern times. Explained why the playwright chose to set the play within these two periods. How do the two parts relate to one another? How does dividing the play into two-part help foster the message of this play?
Why and how the characters change from ancient creatures to the people of today? Does the identity of each character change between the first and the second part? How and Why?
The 1991 production of this play was subtitled “a journey in process.” Now that you have read the script and watched the production, what do you think they meant by labeling the production as “a journey in process?”
A critic called the play “simply spiritual.” Do you agree with this critic? Explain why you do or do not agree with this critic?
This play was created 30 years ago, yet the script is published now. How is the play relevant to both time periods? How did it relate to the time when it was produced (1991), and what is its relevance to today?
In the textbook, we learned that acting is about wanting. A character always wants something, and during the play, s/he tries to achieve what s/he wants. If this is correct, then what do these characters want? How do they go about achieving what they want?

What, for you, is this text really about? What message do you want to convey to the audience? What emotions do you want them to experience?

The Family


About Staging One of Our Texts
Imagine you are a very ‘hands on’ director, who likes to be involved in every aspect
of your production. Therefore…

What, for you, is this text really about? What message do you want to convey to the audience? What emotions do you want them to experience? The answers to the following questions should help you achieve these goals…

What type of theatre do you want to use?


How do you want to use it? (e. g. Where do you want the audience?)


What ideas do you have about a set?


What about wardrobe (i. e. costumes) and props (i. e. the objects that the actors hold)?


What about lighting?


Will you use music? If so, what type? Existing pieces or will you commission original music in a particular style?


What directions will you give the actors in terms of moves and how to say particular words/lines? You don’t need to go through the whole text line by line, but you should select key lines/moments and make it clear to the actors what you want and why.