SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS

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1 SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS Voyage: Spring 2014 Discipline: Drama DRAM and : Introduction to Theatre Lower Division Faculty Name: Drew Kahn Pre-requisites: None COURSE DESCRIPTION: Students will learn to recognize how storytelling and meaning are constructed in the universal language of theatre. Play texts, films, collaborative group work and lectures will be used to examine all aspects of theatre - structure, form, genre, style and the creative process of how ideas and stories are transformed into theatre. The historical context of theater - performance conventions, architecture, social impact and audience expectations will serve as a way of understanding our contemporary theatre and its place in our society and in our individual lives. Special focus will be given to the unique storytelling traditions of the countries we will be visiting on our voyage and how they play a role in our world s universal need for live theater. Students will be expected to attend live performances in several of these countries and will have a variety class assignments based on these experiences. COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. To introduce students to the art of theatre by defining its various elements (people, physical spaces, plays, structure) included in the process of creating theatre and live storytelling. 2. To develop student s collaborative skills by immersing them in the active process of creating stories for live performance. 3. To encourage student s development as life-long audience members armed with an appropriate vocabulary specific to live performance and storytelling. 4. To introduce students to the universal benefits of theater as they pertain directly to their lives and future professions. 5. To develop student s cognizance of the universality of theater by examining the specific storytelling traditions of the countries we will be visiting. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS: AUTHOR: Aristophanes translated by Nicholas Rudall 1

2 TITLE: Lysistrata PUBLISHER: Elephant Paperback/Ivan R. Dee, Inc., Publisher ISBN #: X DATE/EDITION: 1991 COST: $7.95 AUTHOR: David Henry Hwang TITLE: Chinglish PUBLISHER: Theatre Communications Group (6/5/12) ISBN-10: ISBN-13: DATE/EDITION: June 5, 2012 (paperback/kindle) AUTHOR: Wole Soyinka TITLE: The Trials of Brother Jero and The Strong Breed PUBLISHER: Dramatists Play Service ISBN #: TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE B1- January 13: Introduction to course/expectations, assignments, Describe Your Story collaborative project, criteria for theater observation papers. What is Theater? What Does Theater Have to do with You? What Are Theater s Roles/Goals in the World s Societies? (lecture, discussion) B2- January 15: Historical Snapshot 1: Where Has Theater Been? What Was Theater s Role(s)? Theater traditions of: Ancient Greece, Roman Empire, Middle Ages. What is Hawaii s theater tradition? (lecture, discussion, supplemental reading) Assignment: Read Lysistrata (complete by Class B5), Field Journals. January 17: Hilo B3- January 18: Historical Snapshot 2: Where Has Theater Been? What was Theater s Role(s)? Theater traditions of: Renaissance, 18 th Century Restoration, 19 th Century. (lecture, discussion, supplemental reading) B4- January 21: Historical Snapshot 3: Where Has Theater Recently Been? What was/are Theater s Role(s)? Theater traditions of: 20 th Century to today. *specific emphasis given to theater traditions of Japan. Assign Groups for Your Story projects. (lecture, discussion, video clips) B5- January 23: Dramatic Structure/The Play: Central and foundational elements of story/dramatic structure. Discuss these elements found in Lysistrata. Does your life have dramatic structure? (lecture, 2

3 discussion, supplemental reading/video) January 24: Study Day B6- January 26: Dramatic Structure/The Playwright: How does the playwright use dramatic structure? What are the primary tools of the playwright? Discuss the work of select Japanese and Chinese playwrights. Discuss dramatic structure and Lysistrata. (lecture, discussion, supplemental reading) Assignment: Quiz #1 Class 7, Read Chinglish (Complete by B8), Field Journals. B7- January 28: Quiz #1: Lysistrata short essay. Collaborative Groups: Your Story-Identify plot, theme, title. Assignment: Plan Field Labs, Field Journals. January 29-February 3: Yokohama, Kobe B8- February 5: Collaborative Groups: Your Story-Choose plot, theme, title, characters, present to class. Discuss theater traditions of China and the play, Chinglish. (group work, discussion, connecting lectures to Your Story) Assignment: Field Labs, Field Journals. February 6-11: Shanghai, Hong Kong B9- February 13: The Director: Collaborative process role, responsibilities, style, artistic point-of-view, developing a production concept. Discuss directorial options and Chinglish. Explore Vietnamese Theater traditions who was the director in historic Vietnamese theater/puppetry? Assignment: Field Labs, Field Journals. February 14-19: Ho Chi Minh City B10- February 21: The Director: Discuss director research. Does your life have a directorial concept---who is the director? The Director in Singapore performance? Collaborative Groups: Your Story-Identify directorial concept, report to class. Assignment: Field Labs, Field Journals, Make distinct connections to Your Stories, write observations paper(s). February 22-23: Singapore February 25: Study Day B11- February 26: The Designer/Set, Costume, Lighting, Sound: Collaborative process roles, responsibilities, artistic point-of-view, developing design concepts, view pictures/examples. Burmese performance design? Does your life have design elements Who is the designer? Assignment: Field Journals, 3

4 Field Labs, Observation papers. February 27-March 4: Rangoon February 28: Section : Traditional Burmese Puppet Theatre (Rangoon) B12- March 6: The Designer/Your Story: Discuss Rangoon designer observations. Introduce Indian theater traditions. Collaborative Groups: Your Story Identify set, costume, light, sound design concepts, report to class. Assignment: Write observation paper(s), Quiz #2: Chinglish Class B13. B13- March 8: Stage Spaces, Theater Architecture: Discuss types of theater spaces, how they impact the event, audience, story. View examples from Indian theater traditions. Collaborative Groups: Your Story define design concepts, chose theater space. Assignment: Quiz #2 Chinglish. March 9-14: Cochin March 9: Section : Kathakali Theatre Workshop and Performance (Cochin) B14- March 16: Stage Spaces, Performance Spaces: Discuss India theater experiences. Collaborative Groups: Your Story---develop and define, choose who will be presenting which element for final. Groups present progress/process to class. Assignment: Meet in collaborative groups. March 17: Study Day B15- March 19: The Collaborative Process of a Production So Far: Review: Dramatic Structure, the Playwright, the Director, the Designer, stage spaces. Review plays read thus far: Lysistrata, Chinglish. How does this process equate to the production of your lives, work, and world around you? Assignment: Read The Strong Breed by Class B18, Field Labs, Field Journals, Collaborative groups. March 21: Port Louis B16- March 22: The Actor. Collaborative process role(s), rehearsal, performance responsibilities, acting in everyday life. (lecture, discussion) Introduce African/South African theater traditions. Assignment: Identify at least 3 ways we act in everyday life and why use specific examples. Assignment: Read The Strong Breed by Class B18, Rehearse Your Stories. B17- March 24: The Actor. Discuss homework, Creating and developing a character, Stanislavsky, acting 4

5 techniques and styles. Compare acting styles in South African theatre. (lecture, video examples). Assignment: Read The Strong Breed by Class B18, Rehearse Your Stories. March 25: Study Day B18- March 27: The Actor. Read/work through scenes from The Strong Breed aloud in class. Identify/compare African theater traditions. Collaborative Groups: Your Story---Identify acting elements, create one page script, perform for Class B19. Assignment: Quiz #3 The Strong Breed Class B19, Field Labs, Field Journals, Rehearse Your Stories. March 28-April 2: Cape Town B19- April 4: Quiz #3: The Strong Breed short essay. Compare South and West African performance traditions. Discuss Field Journals in collaborative groups. Collaborative Groups: Your Story rehearse/perform one page scripts. (written quiz, lecture, discussion, collaboration, presentation) Assignment: Rehearse Your Stories. B20- April 6: The Business of Theater/Rehearsal to Performance. Who s in charge? Who pays for the production? What are the different types of theaters? What are the different types of professional and amateur theaters? What are the unions? What is a producer, artistic director, agent and manager? How do theater artists get jobs? What is the process from rehearsal to performance? (lecture, discussion, supplemental reading). Assignment: Rehearse Your Stories, Field Labs, Field Journals. April 7: Study Day B21- April 9: Putting it all Together/Rehearsal. Collaborative Groups: Your Story: In-class rehearsal preparation time for final presentations. (collaborative group work). Assignment: Rehearse final presentations Your Story. April 10-14: Accra & Takoradi B22- April 16: Final Presentations 1: Your Story. Presentations of final projects. Assignment: Complete all written assignments for course: Rehearse Your Stories. B23- April 18: Final Presentations 2: Your Story. Presentations of final projects. Assignment: Complete all written assignments for course: Rehearse Your Stories. April 19: Study Day 5

6 B24-April 21: Final Presentations 3: Your Story. Presentations of final projects. Assignment: Complete all written assignments for course: Rehearse Your Stories. April 22-Global Lens Finals Final Presentations 4: Your Story. Presentations of final projects Assignment: Make Theater a constant source of pleasure, education and inspiration in your lives! April 23-27: Casablanca B25-April 29: B Day Finals May 2: Southampton FIELD WORK FIELD LAB (At least 20 percent of the contact hours for each course, to be led by the instructor.) Students must participate in the field lab listed below. Section : Traditional Burmese Puppet Theatre (RANGOON) Section : Kathakali Theatre Workshop and Performance (COCHIN) FIELD ASSIGNMENTS 1. Students will write papers examining their experiences in the visited ports. Rather than summaries of their experiences, these papers will include in-depth critical analysis of the storytelling event using vocabulary and content from class and the student s artistic experience. Developing and defining a personal artistic vocabulary for the storytelling event is central to the assignment. 2. Students will be required to make entries in their field journals in each city visited on our voyage. These entries can be narrative, symbolic, photographic, painted or anything that can be applied to the paper of the journal. Students will share their journal entries in class with their collaborative groups upon returning from each country. Each journal entry must: a. Reflect on a non-traditional storytelling event (to be defined in class) observed while in the field. b. Connect elements and vocabulary from the field event to topics discussed in class. c. Reflect on the personal nature of the student s response to the event how has the event impacted your story? 3. Students will incorporate storytelling techniques from at least two of the countries visited and experienced in the fieldwork above in their final collaborative projects, Your Story. 4. Evaluation of Field Labs and Assignments below. 6

7 METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC 20% Attendance/Class Participation/Collaboration: Being present and active participation are essential elements to the most important word in theater: Collaboration. Students will directly sample the art of theater by actively participating in the creative process of making theater. Working in small groups will be a major focus of the course. 15% Quizzes: There will be three quizzes, short essay. 15% Field Research Journal: Students will be required to make entries in their field journals in each city visited on our voyage. These entries can be narrative, symbolic, photographic or anything that can be applied to the paper of the journal. 10% Observation Papers/Field Labs: Details of length/content will be shared in class. These will NOT be summaries of the performances/experiences attended but rather in-depth, critical analysis of the storytelling event using vocabulary and content from class and the student s personal experience. 40% Collaboration Project-Your Story: This capstone project is a live performance of the original story created in small groups (assigned) throughout the semester. This is an active final exam that will reflect on the student s collaborative process, the inclusion of storytelling traditions from the countries visited on the voyage and performance preparation. Students are required to attend at least two Language Boot Camps and two Union Seminars during the semester. Evidence of attendance will be incorporated in Your Story final projects * Complete Your Story requirements will be shared first day of class. RESERVE LIBRARY LIST AUTHOR: Roger Ellis TITLE: Multicultural Theatre II PUBLISHER: ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: COST: $24.95 AUTHOR: Eugenio Barba TITLE: The Paper Canoe: A Guide to Theatre Anthropology PUBLISHER: Routledge ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 1994 COST: $37.99 AUTHOR: Ian Watson TITLE: Performer Training: Developments Across Cultures PUBLISHER: Routledge ISBN #:

8 DATE/EDITION: 2001 COST: $43.99 ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS TBA ADDITIONAL RESOURCES I will provide DVD s to share on ship s television system. This will be part of course assignments. HONOR CODE Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager s Handbook for further explanation of what constitutes an honor offense. Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: On my honor as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment. The pledge must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed [signed]. 8