Theater Arts

For 3/9

You will perform your Shakespeare scenes and monologues again. They should be completely memorized. On 3/11, we will begin the playwright projects.

For 1/6

You MUST have a hard copy of your Shakespeare scene.

For 12/2

Choose two poems from here and prepare to recite them in class. One with a photo, one an engraving, one over 25 lines long.

I like "The Mower" by Phillip Larkin, "Epitaph" by Katherine Phillips, "Her Kind" by Anne Sexton

Anything by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Frank O'hara, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Emily Dickinson, William Butler Yeats, Percy Shelley, T.S. Eliot, Theordore Roethke, Dorothy Parker, Sylvia Plath, Christina Rossetti, William Shakespeare, Sara Teasdale

For Tuesday 11/18:

You must have chosen a monologue and a sonnet. You must bring a copy to class. The monologue must come from here. If you are looking for a scene, go here. Go to the "Study" section and scroll down to scene study. It will give you options as to the combination of genders.

9/9

Bring in the theater vocabulary worksheet under Intro to Theater Arts/Handouts.

You will be quizzed on the first 10 words on the list.

Thursday: 9/11

Quiz on vocab 11 - 20

Monday: 9/15

Quiz on vocab 21 - 30

Wednesday: 9/17

Quiz on vocab 31 - 40

Friday: 9/19

Quiz on vocal 41 - 50

Tuesday: 9/23

First presentation of scenes

Thursday: 9/25

For 4/2

Write an evaluation of your work this quarter in which you address the following questions:

1. Evaluate your performance in the class this quarter. Did you put in the time and effort to

do your best work?

2. As you consider your performance in Macbeth, what did you contribute to the performance

and where might you have contributed more? What do you feel good about and what might

you want to change?

3. What goals would you like to achieve regarding your work in the next quarter?

4. Was this performance a worthwhile experience? Why or why not?

5. Out of 100, what grade would you give yourself and why?

For 1/14-16

You will perform your Shakespeare monologues again. This time it is for a test grade.

For 12/2

Bring in a copy of your Shakespeare monologue. In addition, bring in the entire scene that precedes the monologue.

For 11/4

Your Medea projects are due!

For 10/10

Read the article under Intro to Theater Arts/Greek Choruses. Find 3 examples of modern interpretations of the traditional Greek chorus.

For 10/4

Read the article under Intro to Theater Art/Medea article and answer the questions. We will have a test on Theater Vocabulary next Thursday, October 10th.

For 10/2

Learn the last 13 words on the Theater Vocabulary list. There will be a quiz.

For 9/11, study the next 10 words on the vocabulary list. There may be words from the first 10 words included.

For 9/9/13, go to Intro to Theater Arts/Handouts and print the material you find under Handouts. You will be quizzed on the first ten words.

For the Christmas break: memorize the Shakespeare scene and monologue.

For Thursday, 12, 20

Bring a copy of your Shakespeare scene to class and be prepared to perform your monologue.

For Tuesday, 12/11

Finish reading Everyman and answer the following questions:

1) What relevance might this play have to a modern audience? How does it relate to 21st century American life?

2) How does this play relate to your own experience? How does it speak to you?

Each question (1 and 2) should be answered in at least a paragraph. Please use textual evidence to support your answers.

Also, you should be prepared to present your Shakespeare monologue to the class on Tuesday. That means having it memorized, making decisions about the character's motivations, and having a general sense of where this monolgue fits into the play as a whole.

For Monday, 12/3

Bring your completed project to class.

Bring your copy of Lysistrata to class.

Bring your chosen monologue to class. Here is the link:

http://www.esuus.org/esu/programs/shakespeare_competition/about/forstudents/

Take home test for Greek Theater: Due Monday, December 3rd

You have been hired by a contemporary theater company to stage two productions: Lysistrata and Medea. As the director, you must write an explanation of your production that addresses the following issues:

The type of theater space you will use for each production. (Assume the company has several types of theater spaces to choose from.) Why would you choose this type of theater? What advantages does this space add to your vision of the production.

The time and setting of each production. Explain why you have chosen this time and setting. How do these choices reflect the themes of each play.

The use of masks and the chorus. How will you incorporate masks and the chorus into your production? How will you handle the deus ex machina?

The set design: Google "Medea sets" and, looking at the images, either draw or describe in detail the set design, including any special effects you will use for a particular scene.

The assignment will be graded on the creativity of your ideas, the depth of your understanding of the two plays, and the extent to which your description uses the terminology used in the History of Theater videos and the theater vocabulary we have studied.

For Monday, 11/ 19

Read the article from The Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre (at the back of Lysistrata) and answer the following questions:

1. What were the major differences that developed between Greek tragedy and comedy?

2. How did Greek comedy and tragedy evolve in similar ways?

3. Who are some of the major figures in Greek comedy?

4. What are some of the major themes of Greek comedy?

Do not copy sentences from the article. Read the entire article before answering the questions.

For Wednesday, 10/10

Be off-book on your scenes. Also, please read your section of Lysistrata and the synopsis linked here.

For Monday 10/1

Read and know your scene very well . You should look up a synopisis of the play and figure out where the scene fits into the play as a whole. Although I don't expect you to have the scene memorized by Monday, I do want you familiar enough with it so that we can work on a few of them in class. In addition, watch the video History of Theater 3 - From Satyr Play to Comedy. Be familiar with the following names and terms:

    1. What is a satyr?

    2. Why were the satyr plays added to the competition?

    3. What were some aspects of these plays?

    4. Do any of these plays survive?

    5. How were the satyr plays similar to tragedies?

    6. When did the comedy emerge as part of the City of Dionysia?

    7. How did the comedy plays resemble tragedies? How did they differ?

    8. Which of the comedies survives today?

    9. What subjects did these plays deal with? What do these plays suggest about the society they depict?

    10. What historical changes were occurring at this time?

    11. How did comedy change?

    12. Do any new comedies survive?

For Thursday 9/27

Watch the video "History of Western Theatre 2 -Development of Tragedy". Take notes. You will be quizzed on the material. You should also be familiar with the vocabulary from the 1st video so if necessary, please rewatch it.

Monday: 9/10

Bring in the theater vocabulary worksheet under Intro to Theater Arts/Handouts

Read up to "First Choral Ode" on pg. 79 in Medea. (You will be quizzed on major facts and plot points.)

For Wednesday, 9/12

Read up to Second Choral Ode on og. 82

Know the following (19) words from the theater vocabulary worksheet:

apron, arena theater, backdrop, backstage, cyclorama, dimmers, flat, flies, fourth wall, house, house lights, pit, proscenium, raked house, scrim, set piece, teaser, thrust stage, wings

For Tuesday, 9/18

Read the review of Medea under Intro to Theater Arts/Articles/Medea with Fiona Shaw Review and answer the questions that follow.

For Tuesday, 9/25

Read the rest of Medea and be prepared for a quiz on what you've read. Also, give some thought to how you will stage and contextualize your group's chorus.