COLLEGE SEMINAR, FALL 2010

CHRIS CERASO

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF THEATRE ARTS

Office: Dorothy Young Center for the Arts  rm 129

Email: Cceraso@drew.edu

Office Hours: W/F 10 – 12, W 2 – 4, T/TH by appointment

Class meets Monday and Friday, from 12 – 12:50, in (BC 101); Common Hour is Wednesday, at the same time.

 

THE ACTOR AND THE TRUTH

How has the ideal of artistic “truth” been applied to the actor’s art from ancient to modern times?  We will study methods by which actors of various eras, in various parts of the globe, were trained to perform truthfully, and by what standards they have been judged.   Using historical documents, manifestoes, critical responses, photographs and films (and by trying out various techniques ourselves) we will chart the principal artistic, cultural and philosophical movements that have guided these human chameleons from the masked thespians of ancient Greece and Rome to the thoroughly unmasked performers of our own moment in theatrical time.

  1. 1.      College Seminar Learning Objectives
    Upon completion of the College Seminar, students will be able to:
  • Enter into and participate in a scholarly conversation both orally and in writing;
  • Comprehend, evaluate and analyze materials and texts [written, aural, visual, numeric] as well as think synthetically and creatively about them;
  • Evaluate and explain the appropriate use of different kinds of information from a variety of academic and non-academic sources
  • Specific to “The Actor and the Truth”:

-          Appreciate the Actor’s art from a broad historical and cultural perspective which encompasses and reflects the fundamental values and beliefs of various societies;

-          Enter into informed debate regarding the nature of “truthful” acting, and, by extension, of artistic expression;

-          Understand and discuss the various “styles” of acting from past and present, with some knowledge of the significant players and theorists from ancient times to modern;

-          Appreciate and discuss the influence of the past on the present when it comes to the acquisition of a craft such as acting.

-          Discern the abiding and universal qualities of art, as they may be differentiated from the merely popular or temporal, and enter confidently into an informed dialogue about the same.

  1. 2.      Grading Policy
    The College Seminar is a collective exploration of a topic.  Its success depends on the thorough preparation and participation of each of its members.  Missing class means depriving yourself of the insights you will gain through discussion and depriving others in the room of your contributions.  Therefore students are expected to be present at each meeting of the seminar and prepared to participate fully in the conversation.  The College Seminar will be graded as follows:

Attendance and Participation  50% 
Students will not be penalized for absences covered by a Drew Policy (Religious Observance, Athletics, Serious Illness, Death in the Family) (e.g. Athletes are allowed a maximum of two absences, i.e. x/24 rather than x/26). However, it is possible for a student to miss so many classes that they cannot be considered to have taken the class and will not earn credit for it.
Paticipation will be evaluated on the basis of a rubric.

            Course Assignments  50%
            Writing to learn exercises are not counted if you are not in class; missed in-class writing       assignments or oral presentations or activities cannot be made up.
             NOTE:  No extra credit will be offered in this class.

  1. 3.      Academic Accommodations
    Should you require academic accommodations, you must file a request with the Office of Educational Affairs (BC 114, extension 3327). It is your responsibility to self-identify with the Office of Educational Affairs and to provide me with the appropriate documentation from that office at least one week prior to any request for specific course accommodations.  There are no retroactive accommodations.

 

  1. 4.      Academic Integrity
    All work in the College Seminar must adhere to the College Standards on Academic Integrity. You must do your own work. You must cite sources appropriately in all papers and presentations. You must acknowledge the contribution of other students to your work. Any student who is in violation of this policy will be referred to the Dean’s Office for further action. The policy can be found at: http://www.depts.drew.edu/composition/Academic_Honesty.htm]
  1. 5.      DoNUt and Library Training.  This seminar is designed with the assumption that you will have completed both the orientation to the Drew Computing environment (DoNUT) and the orientation to basic use of the Drew Library, both of which are a part of the Common Hour, within the first four weeks of the semester.

 

DAILY SCHEDULE:

 

There are 26 days of class, in addition to the Common Hour

DATE

TOPIC

HANDOUTS/ASSIGNMENT

WRITING

MON.        08/30

Actors and us
In class: readings from “Approaches to Acting” and discussion about today’s actors.
 

Greek and Roman vase paintings
Study Greek Vase illustrations, and come to class prepared to discuss observations

Write a paragraph describing your observations about the principal values associated with the actors depicted.  What conclusions can you draw about the nature of performance?

WEDS.      09/01

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.           09/03

Greek and Roman paradigms: similarities and differences between Greek and Roman ideals

Selection from Aristotle’s “Poetics”
Selection from “Actors on Acting” re: Greek/Roman

“Write to Learn” exercise #1
Compare/contrast ideas in the two readings: how is or isn’t Aristotle pertinent

MON.        09/06

LABOR DAY

NO CLASS

 

WEDS.      09/08

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.           09/10

Discuss the reading from “Poetics.”  Topic: “Truth” in any era is based on philosophical thought. 

Handouts from AM Nagler, A Sourcebook in Theatrical History (re: Greek, Rome and Medieval)
Thespis, Rocious, and Bottom, the Weaver

“Write to Learn” exercise #2---write 3 questions prompted by the readings.  How do you see the dominant philosophy of each era reflected in performance?

MON.        09/13

Medieval pageants and craftsmen-actors.
(Martin Foys guest?)
Read “Everyman” or “Apple Tree”
Losing the mask (Somi or Meyer-Dinkgrafe, p 18); psychological gesture

 
 
Assign: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Act 4

Assign roles

WEDS.      09/15

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.           09/17

Actors out of scale

In-class performances and discussion about humor of “bad” acting
“Hamlet: Speak the speech…”

“Write to Learn #3: what is the gist of the selection from Hamlet, how does it relate to  our performances?

MON.        09/20

Shakespeare in performance;
View Hamlet clips (Burton, Olivier, Williamson, Branaugh, Gibson, Hawke)
 

Films on hand at MRC or DrewTube: Olivier’s “King Lear” vs. Brook’s “King Lear”  (?)

View films; be prepared to discuss qualities of truth in each.  Which actors did you find most compelling in their sense of truth and why?

WEDS.      09/22

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.           09/24

Truth in classical performance
Brando in “Julius Caesar”
Discuss your opinions as Hamlet the Director

Nagler handouts for Restoration--- Betterton, Macklin, Quinn, Garrick, Kemble and Kean

Write to learn #4:
In class writing:
You are Hamlet: do you approve of these actors?
 

MON.        09/27

Women take the stage.  What did it mean?
Film clips: Stage Beauty.  The beginnings of realism---from gestural to psychological acting

Find accounts of the famous actresses of the 15th and 16th century, especially in England and France.  Be prepared to discuss their relative qualities.

Write to Learn #5: research famous actresses of different countries during the 15th century
 

WEDS.      09/29

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.          10/1

Continue discussion from 09/27, using Write to Learn #5

Nagler: Forrest, etc. and Astor Place riots.
 

Write to Learn #6:
Why should acting styles cause riots?  Do we have anything similar today?

MON.         10/04

What would cause a riot in a theater today?

Handouts: selections from the Natyasastra ; essay on Noh drama; TBD

Write a summation paragraph on each selection

WEDS.      10/06

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.            10/08

Discuss the readings; the Asian view of Truth; Figures in a landscape.  Rembrandt’s “Three Trees” and “Waiting for Godot.” Figures in a landscape---the Evergreen

Handout: Wole Soyinka essay on Yoruban Tragedy and the Ogun.
 

Write to Learn #6:
Provide a brief abstract of Soyinka’s essay.
Frame questions re: anything hard to comprehend.
 

MON.         10/11

Discuss Yoruban Tragedy and other African/Asian forms, including lack of theatre in Islamic world and images of Mohammed (current events)---theatre has always fundamentally dealt with images/ideas of God.

Handouts: DelSartes and something on Phrenology;
Also: commedia dell’arte (back to the mask)
 
 

Write to Learn#7
TBD

WEDS.      10/13

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.           10/15

Discuss assignment
 

Essays on silent film TBD

Paragraph Summations

MON.       10/18

READING DAY
 

NO CLASS
 

 

WEDS.      10/20
(Monday classes meet)

Silent Films and melodrama: clips screened and discussed

Stanislavski handouts from “An Actor Prepares”  vs. Diderot
Dinklage Chapter 5, Part I
NOTE: NO COMMON HOUR THIS WEEK

Write to Learn #8:
Discuss the idea of an actor’s “emotional involvement” with a role

FRI.          10/22
 

Chekov in performance;

Workshop TBD (Erica and Alex)
Handouts: Strasberg, Meisner, Hagen

Write to Learn #9:
Analyze the actors’ work

MON.       10/25

Discuss Friday’s performance together with assigned reading;
 

Film on DrewTube: A Streetcar Named Desire; On the Waterfront
 

Write to Learn #10: Choose two performances in the film and discuss in light of the essays

WEDS.     10/27

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.          10/29

Films on hand: Streetcar, and On the Waterfront Continue discussion and films: what does this “new” method of acting say about our world as opposed to the other eras we have studied?

Three modern plays TBD
                              
 

Write to Learn #11. Either: study your role and write a half page about what’s most important to convey,
Choose one character from each play and do the same

MON.         11/01

Acting Workshop

NO READING ASSIGNED

Reflection on the workshop

WEDS.       11/03

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.            11/05

Modern alternatives to realism

Handout from Dinklage Chapter 5 Part 2: Meyerhold, Grotowski, Artaud and Brecht

Write to Learn # 12:  TBD

 MON.        11/08

Political theatre and the “avante-garde”:
Paradise Lost

The Theatre of Revolt:
The Open Theatre, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Living Theatre and the 60’s

Write to Learn # 13:  What is the “truth” of political theater?

WEDS.     11/10

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.       11/12

Discuss the readings

From Peter Brooke: The Open Space

Write to Learn # 14: relate to the early readings re: returning to antiquity

MON.         11/15

Discuss Brook; Midsummer, and “modern classical” performance

Suzuki (?)
 

Write to Learn #14:  TBD
 

WEDS.  11/17

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.      11/19

Return to the Medieval model

Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed

Write to Learn #15: is everyone an actor?

MON.  11/22

Community-based theatre; Create a Boal-like event (?)

Assign 4 research teams for final presentation.  Topic: who are today’s influential performance theorists and where are we headed?

Write to Learn #16: a bibliography of significant sources answering the assigned question.

WEDS.      11/24

 

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

 

FRI.          11/26

 

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

 

MON          11/29

Hyper-realism

Reviews of Cromer Streetcar, Blasted, Annie Baker play

Write to Learn # 17: for what values are these plays reaching?

WEDS.      12/01

 

COMMON HOUR

 

FRI.           12/03

Discuss the readings

Films on hand: Cassavetes, Lila, Wendy and Lucy, Winter’s Bone, Heart of Glass

Work with your research team to prepare your presentation.

MON.         12/06
(Weds. classes meet)

Group presentations

Each team presents the results of their research.

 

12/07 – 12/15

 

READING DAYS AND FINALS

 





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