1 COURSE SYLLABUS Course #: X 419.3 Course Title: Playing the American: An Acting and Accent-Reduction Workshop Reg. # W2890 Units: 4 Quarter/Yr: Spring 2011 Day/Time: Sat 9am-12:30pm (no mtg 4/23 & 5/28) Dates: Apr 2-Jun 18 Location: B05 1010 Westwood Center Instructor: Eliza Jane Schneider Instructor contact: ej@elizajane.com Course Description: Participants who are not native speakers of American English hone their craft and learn to perform credibly in mainstream American. The ultimate objective is to achieve a seamless accent shift that does not call attention to itself or get in the way of the acting. Working in a safe, supportive environment, students are guided to: build confidence and trust in their creative process; modify voice, speech, and delivery; break through acting blocks and limitations; and develop tools for dealing with performance anxiety. Instruction includes monologues, scenes, cold reading, and improvisation. Enrollment limited. All participants must speak English fluently. Internet access required to retrieve course materials.
Goals & Objectives: 2 Welcome! In this workshop, the goal is to empower the non-american actor with the mastery of non-regional American pronunciation in the context of authentic American character performance. The course seeks to turn the actor s liability of having a foreign accent into the asset of being a dialect expert, all while building his or her repertoire of authentic American characters. Working in a safe, supportive environment, participants are guided to: 1. Use the International Phonetic Alphabet to map his or her own accent and create a template against which to create characters from any region of the United States 2. Create full-dimensional characters and perform them convincingly as an American. 3. Build confidence and trust in his or her creative process 4. Modify voice, speech, and delivery 5. Produce mainstream American speech sounds, intonation, and rhythm 6. Break through acting blocks and limitations 7. Hear and recognize the contrasts between the sounds and features of American English and the student s own language and speech 8. Develop focus, authenticity and intimacy for the camera 9. Bring out the subtext of the script 10. Develop tools for dealing with performance anxiety 11. Use the aural, kinesthetic, and visual tools acquired in this course to master the dialect or accent of any character in the future Please arrive on time and stay for the duration of the class. Students often learn as much or more from watching the others work helped and critiqued as they do from performing their own work. Since each student will have different speech and acting needs, sufficient individual attention is vital for success in the class. Grading: Course grades will be based the on the completion of exams, assignments, and classroom participation as follows: Breakdown of the weight for each component of the final grade: Prepared assignments (20%) Progress and performance (25%) Class participation (10%)
Phonetic transcription (15%) Oral final (20%) Attendance (10%) 3 Total = 100% Letter Grade % A (90-100%) B (80-89%) C (70-79%) D (60-69%) F (<59%) A grade of C or better is considered a passing grade. Certificate students must take 400 level courses for a grade. Please note that ALL COURSE GRADES ARE FINAL. Student Behavior involving cheating, copying other s work, and plagiarism are not tolerated and will result in disciplinary action. Students are responsible for being familiar with the information on Student Conduct in the General Information Section of the UCLA Extension Catalog or on the website at www.uclaextension.edu COURSE OUTLINE Weekly Class Content: Each session will begin with a group warm-up consisting of vocal and physical exercises, and an oral review of the basic vowel sounds of General American English. Then, students will perform their assignments for the class, be they monologues, scenes, cold reading, or improvisation. Ear training, intonation, and phonetic drills will also be a part of each class, as will ongoing individual speech evaluations.
4 Date/Topic Week One: Introduction. Objectives; Requirements; Activities; Attendance; Grading International Phonetic Alphabet Symbols for General American English (GAE) Kinesthetic, Visual, and Aural Techniques of Study Placement, Melody, and Pronunciation General American English (GAE) vs. Standard American English ( Mid-Atlantic Speech) Recorded Student Introductions Week Two Vowels of GAE Phonemic Splitting and Merging Reading Monologues Naturally (thinking aloud), critiques and corrections. Assignments Start to memorize one of the monologues handed out tonight and be prepared to read it informally next week Continue to work on monologues from week #1. Incorporate corrections. Week Three Review of GAE IPA Score monologues with IPA. Variant Sounds of Spelled Letters Metathesis Improvisation: being, not acting Week Four Variant Spellings of Sounds Hypercorrection Mid- Term #1: Perform Monologues from Week One Assignment: Choose an American actor who fits your audition type. Research a film or television show in which they perform a oneminute monologue or speech. Transcribe the monologue.
5 Week Five Diphthongs and Triphthongs Progressive, Regressive, and Reciprocal Assimilation Score and memorize transcribed monologues. Begin to identify idiosyncrasies of the actor you chose. Turning a liability into an asset: Using your mastery of IPA and GAE to become a Dialect Expert Read transcribed monologues Week Six Consonants (voiced and voiceless) How silent letters and unspelled sounds affect pronunciation Aspirated versus unaspirated stop plosives Study for IPA Quiz Mimicry and creating your own character voice. Mid- Term #2: Perform transcribed monologues. Week Seven American English stressing system and the schwa Practice drills to make phonetics a working tool Write a personal autobiographical monologue. Cold Reading: Scoring your audition material with GAE sounds & practicing with a partner. IPA Quiz Week Eight How the Great Vowel Shift affects GAE pronunciation Score and memorize your personal monologue. Read personal
autobiographical monologue 6 Week Nine Pronunciation of American place-names Apply regional and socioeconomic distinctions to 1 of your 3 American monologues. Regional Variations in American Speech: Deepening Your Character s American Regional and Socioeconomic Authenticity Week Ten Preparing for the oral final and final stage performances Completing remaining performance assignments Prepare for final exam and final performances Cold Reading: scoring and performing scenes on the fly Week Eleven Course evaluation by students Final performances to measure student growth and improvement Final exam Prepare final questions Week Twelve Review of final exam and performances Suggestions and encouragement for each participant on this work in progress to continue on his or her path