*Dramatic Arts 5. Production Dramaturgy
Catalog Number: 7592 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Ryan Scott Mckittrick
Half course (spring term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Principles of dramaturgy introduced and explained in the context of full productions of performance events. Students will apply literary research and analysis techniques to the preparation of scripts for performance. Specific projects will serve as examples for studying historical background, formal plot theory, scene units, tempo dynamics, and action theory, as they are handled by directors, actors, and stage managers in the rehearsal hall.
[Dramatic Arts 10. Beginning Acting]
Catalog Number: 9555
Scott Zigler
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Utilizing primarily scene study work drawn from contemporary material, the course will focus on three main areas: Text analysis, with primary focus on identification of objectives and tactics, character, and moment to moment spontaneity. The course will draw primarily from the theories of David Mamet and Sandford Meisner.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09. Enrollment determined by audition during the first class meeting.
*Dramatic Arts 11. Beginning Acting
Catalog Number: 3321
Thomas Derrah
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
An exploration of the basic techniques of acting, beginning with exercises that flex the imagination and heighten observation; the course will then move towards work on rhythm, an actor’s instincts, focus, concentration, and character. The texts of Anton Chekhov will be used as a point of reference for the work. The latter part of the course will concentrate on selected scene study from Chekhov’s major plays.
Note: Enrollment determined by audition.
*Dramatic Arts 12. Acting Shakespeare
Catalog Number: 6659 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Jeremy Geidt
Half course (spring term). M., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Investigation of the texts of Shakespeare as theatre, developing an American approach to verse speaking and character analysis. Scenes are rehearsed to interpret the verse and prose by the light of modern experience. Explores the imagination of the playwright in order to develop the imagination of the student.
Dramatic Arts 13. Acting Workshop: Comedy
Catalog Number: 9926
William S. Lebow
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
A course developing the actor’s approach to and playing of comedy and humor. Using characters and scenes from Shakespeare, Molière, Shaw, and contemporary writers from Christopher Durang to Steve Martin, the course focuses on the universality of comic technique and the specific demands of comic playing. The question of humor is explored with respect to dramatic situations and characters that are inherently serious. Student scenes will occasionally be critiqued by members of the A.R.T. Company.
Note: Enrollment determined by audition on the first day of class.
*Dramatic Arts 14. The Art of Movement Design: Choreography
Catalog Number: 2983
Elizabeth Weil Bergmann
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 3:30–5:30. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
This basic choreography class utilizes movement exploration to tap into the participant’s creativity. Assignments examine the use of time, weight, space, and flow in developing interesting movement phrases. Through a combination of readings, discussion, videos, and dance improvisation, the course focuses on how movement choices develop dances that are kinesthetic, dramatic, and artistic for both the performer and the audience. Course culminates in public performance of completed choreographic projects.
Note: Enrollment determined by interview the first week of class.
*Dramatic Arts 14a. Group Choreography - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9209
Elizabeth Weil Bergmann
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The focus in this course will be on choreographing for groups of three or more dancers. Concentrating on the principles of group form along with the use of space and music, assignments will be individually tailored to suit each choreographer’s experience. Texts and videos will be assigned as relevant to specific individual projects.
Dramatic Arts 17. Intermediate Acting
Catalog Number: 9738
Karen L. MacDonald
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
An expansion of basic acting techniques, with an emphasis on the work done during rehearsal. How do you prepare for a rehearsal each day? How do you maximize your time in rehearsal? How do you work with different directors? Emphasis is placed on creating a character and building a role. Actors will be doing scene study, monologue work, and improvisation.
Note: Enrollment determined by audition.
*Dramatic Arts 18r. Advanced Acting: 20th-Century Texts
Catalog Number: 8011
Marcus Stern
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
A course of advanced acting techniques using 20th-century dramatic texts for scene work. The emphasis is on text analysis, character development, action based acting, and the creation of an acting process that is specifically tailored to the individual actor. The goal is to provide the actor with concrete skills that produce tangible results in rehearsal and in performance. This course is for actors who are interested in working in theater, television, and/or film.
Note: Enrollement determined by audition on the first day of class.
[*Dramatic Arts 19. Playwriting and Dramatic Technique]
Catalog Number: 8045 Enrollment: Limited to 8.
Gideon M. Lester
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
An advanced investigation of dramatic technique for students with prior experience of playwriting. The seminar focuses on the structural principles of dramatic composition, examining paradigms from Aristotle to David Mamet and developing a formal methodology for playwriting. Through a series of exercises and draft scenes students gain an understanding of theatrical craft, invaluable to playwrights and dramaturgs, and complete a major piece of dramatic writing.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09. Admission based on samples of writing submitted to the instructor.
*Dramatic Arts 22r. Directing
Catalog Number: 8160 Enrollment: Limited to 9.
Marcus Stern
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
A directing class for directors, as well as for actors, dramaturgs, and designers investigating all aspects of theater. The class accomodates beginning to advanced levels of work. Through constant scene work the course will examine the directorial tools of text analysis, staging, design, and working with actors. The focus is on understanding texts and explicating the actor’s response to those texts on stage. Also useful for directors who are interested in television and film.
Note: May be repeated with instructor and adviser approval. Enrollment determined by short interviews to be conducted on the first day of class.
[Dramatic Arts 23. Intermediate Directing]
Catalog Number: 9594
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Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A class for theatre artists, filmmakers, and other visual artists who want to explore the craft. A background in performance, design, or media creation would be helpful but not essential. The course will use experiments in composition to enhance a dialogue on what tools can be used in creating events on stage, film, and in the visual arts.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09.
Dramatic Arts 28. Vocal Production for the Stage
Catalog Number: 8900
Nancy K. Houfek
Half course (fall term). Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Whether one is performing in a play, speaking professionally, teaching a class or leading a group, the ability to use one’s voice effectively is a primary element of the success of the presentation. Using several major techniques of speaking training, students learn not only how to use the voice, but how these various approaches to voice training correspond to specific performance challenges.
Note: Enrollment determined by interview.
Dramatic Arts 30. Design for the Theatre: History and Practice
Catalog Number: 9503
J. Michael Griggs
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 1–2:30. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
The practice of designing scenery for the theatre is explored through the history of stage design and the architecture of the theater building. Students complete projects of research and design for plays from various periods. The projects will introduce basic techniques in drawing, drafting, and model making.
[*Dramatic Arts 31. Designing for the Stage]
Catalog Number: 1116 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
J. Michael Griggs
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 1–2:30. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Students prepare and present for criticism stage design projects based on play texts that suggest varying interpretive and stylistic problems. Focus is on examining ideas through research of visual material and analysis of text. Through their design projects, students also complete assignments in perspective drawing, drafting, model making, and lighting design. Students at all levels of skill are welcome.
Note: Expected to be given in 2008–09.
*Dramatic Arts 34. Paul Taylor Dance Technique and Repertory - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6211
Ruth Andrien O’Neill
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 3:30–6. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Ruth Andrien, former principal dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, teaches an advanced course on Taylor technique focusing on a theoretical and practical understanding of the technique. Offering comprehensive kinesthetic exploration of the movement vocabulary known as "The Taylor Style", this course will culminate in a lecture-demonstration of excerpts from Taylor masterworks. Course includes discussions of Taylor’s stylistic approach to music, body and space design, and gesture. Experienced dancers only.
Note: Enrollment determined by audition on the first day of class.
*Dramatic Arts 35. Acting Chekhov - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 1465
Remo Francisco Airaldi
Half course (spring term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
An exploration of Chekhov’s plays from an actor’s point of view inorder to develop a practical approach to any dramatic text. We will balance the use of analytical skills-- playable actions, active verbs, subtext and beats -- with the need to free the actor’s creative imagination, through exercises and improvisations. A variety of acting techniques will be used in scene work from the plays, including the techniques of Stanislavski, Michael Chekhov, Strasberg, Adler and Meisner as well as non-text-based approaches.
Note: Enrollment determined by audition.
Dramatic Arts 36. Practical Aesthetics - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8994
Scott Zigler
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
Practical Aesthetics Acting Technique was developed by playwright David Mamet and actor William H. Macy, based on the work of the American acting teacher Sandford Meisner and the Russian acting teacher Konstantin Stanislavski. In this course, students will focus on rigorous text analysis combined with emphasis on enhancing the actor’s spontaneity through training in Meisner’s "Repetition Exercise." Students will do scene work drawn from a wide selection of plays.
Note: Enrollment will be determined by lottery at the first class meeting.
Prerequisite: Dramatic Arts course in Acting, previous study in Practical Aesthetics, or extensive undergraduate performance experience.
Dramatic Arts 37. The Craft of Storytelling on Stage, Television, and Screen - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0303 Enrollment: Limited to 25.
Jeffrey D. Melvoin
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
This course explores the craft of scriptwriting through close analysis of a play, teleplay, and screenplay. Comparing the demands of each form, students examine the creative process to understand how a writer uses specific tools to construct stories based on universal dramatic principles. The course also considers how "real world" issues affect professional writing. Video and live performance will supplement reading, discussion, and written assignments.
Note: Intended for both creative writers and general students.
*Dramatic Arts 40. Introduction to Stage Combat - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4551 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
Robert Scanlan
Half course (fall term). M., W., 1:30–3. EXAM GROUP: 6
This course will explore fundamental principles of theatrical combat that are applicable to both classic and contemporary plays. An acting class using physical exchanges rather than lines of dialogue, this course teaches techniques of safety and illusion through shared-weight techniques such as, pushes, chokes, and hair grabs; contact and non-contact strikes, such as slaps, punches, and kicks; and falls and rolls. Time permitting, we will investigate the use of Elizabethan rapier.
Dramatic Arts 90qw. Contemporary Theatre - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4707 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
Gideon M. Lester and Martin Puchner
Half course (spring term). Th., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 18
This course focuses on the process of adaptation, how contemporary directors adapt dramatic and non-dramatic texts for the stage and how contemporary dramatists appropriate and explode classical models, such as Greek and Elizabethan drama. The seminar, a joint venture between ART and English, is also fully integrated with the spring season at the ART. Productions by Peter Brook, Richard Schechner, the Wooster Group; plays by Mee, Kane, Greig, Wellman, among others.