Skip to content

Course Syllabus

THEA 2033 Acting II

  • Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
  • Department: Theater Arts
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0
  • Prerequisites: THEA 1033 or instructor
  • Corequisites: THEA 1033 or instructor
  • Semesters Offered: Spring
  • Semester Approved: Spring 2022
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Summer 2028
  • End Semester: Fall 2027
  • Optimum Class Size: 14
  • Maximum Class Size: 16

Course Description

This course is intended to build upon the previous work of Acting I. It will explore and expand upon the craft of acting through practical experience and studio activities. Its purpose is to deepen students’ understanding of acting techniques. A primary goal of this course is to introduce a variety of techniques, increasing a student actor’s toolset. The class will emphasize two essential elements actors face: scene study and character/physical theatre work.

Justification

This course is a lower-division core requirement for undergraduate theatre performance majors with equivalent courses at all four-year institutions in Utah and elsewhere. It fills a major requirement for theatre arts majors and otherwise satisfies elective credit criteria.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. As a result of this class students will be able to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the art and craft of acting, building upon their fundamental skills, and diversifying their avenues of approach to character and scene work.
  2. As a result of this class students will be able work independently and as an ensemble to accomplish more detailed performance tasks.
  3. Following this class learners will be able to synthesize and apply critical evaluation to performance.
  4. As result of this course a learner will be able to reason analytically, critically, and creatively through their own approach to an acting performance.

Course Content

Through scene study, this class introduces students to methods of analyzing written play scripts from various genres and styles, and to encourage better understanding of the importance of objective, place, circumstances, relationship, and all the elements that collectively determine the play’s meaning. Scene study establishes the director/performer dialogue. Students will focus on truth in action, and adherence to the given circumstancesThis course’s primary avenue into character work will be through physical theatre practices such as the psychophysical work of Michael Chekhov, Anne Bogart’s Viewpoints, Laban movement studies, in addition to the work of Uta Hagan, internal monologue transcription and other variations on Stanislavski work.The ultimate purpose of the class is to aid all actors the ability to see the world through a different person's eyes. Content for scene work is encouraged to explore playwright's from various backgrounds.