Course Syllabus

THEA 1033 Acting I

Course Description

This course is an introduction to terminology, improvisation, script analysis and interpretation, body movement, vocal production, acting techniques, and ensemble acting.

Justification

This course satisfies 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, meets the theoretical and performance content expectations for FA experiential General Education courses and otherwise satisfies elective credit criteria. Courses to be designated as a Fine Arts (FA) General Education experience are expected to provide students with an understanding of the basic conceptual frameworks, historical and cultural contexts of artistic works, and be instilled with a sensibility of the creative process. Assessment will occur through the student's ability to critically evaluate creative works using the language and methodology appropriate to the disciplines of dance, music, theater, and/or the visual arts.Theatre is the art and craft of play production. It includes the study of dramatic literature and theory, theatre history, acting, set design, lighting design, costume design and film. In addition to the scholarly exploration of these subjects, the theatre program emphasizes the practical application of knowledge gained and skills learned through annual performances before live audiences.Theatre also explores the historical, cultural and social milieu that produced significant works of dramatic literature.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. A primary goal of this course is to inspire an appreciation of theatre and acting through its practice and become a more enlightened playgoer. Upon completion of THEA 1033, students will understand that acting is a deliberate and nuanced art form requiring both freedom and industry, and will appreciate that an actor's work is personal, interpretative, and collaborative. Through guided exercises, students will gain tools that will prepare their voice, body, and mental state for the stage. Through assignments, students will apply an actor's textual analysis to effectively interpret a character. They will demonstrate their ability to interpret and personalize a role through discussion, written performance critiques, and exhibition of scenes.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students are asked to evaluate plays read in class through a series of written responses. They will also be required to write critiques of live performances produced by the theatre department. These responses are based on criteria that will be examined in class lectures and textbook reading. These papers will be read, graded and written comments and suggestions provided back to the students.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Students draw from effective oral communication skills through exercises focusing on expressivity, collaborative scene study and presentation, and post-performance dialogues with the instructor following scene exhibition. Exercises may be group or individual work, but will allow students to demonstrate clear diction, emotional expressivity and availability, close reading skills, text analysis, and responsiveness to partner work. Scene work includes meeting and rehearsing scenes outside of class time, as well as cooperating and responding to each other's performance during exhibition. Feedback and discussion following scenes will afford students to further demonstrate their process and analysis and allow for further investigation. Through written assignments, such as performance responses and self-critiques, they will demonstrate knowledge of well- structured writing, formal style, clear communication, and appropriate terminology.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Students read a variety of scripts and are asked to critically analyze both the texts as a whole and individual scenes from the perspective of one character they will later perform during in class exhibitions. Additionally, students are asked to comprehend, discover, and apply the Stanislavskian concepts of objective, obstacle, tactics, and expectations to each scene on which they work. They will demonstrate their preparation and ability to analyze and think critically, interpret key concepts, and personalize characters primarily through scene presentations, but also through script analysis. Students are tasked with seeing all main stage productions of the Snow College theatre department and with applying what they have learned through their own personal experiences in the class to a written response interpreting acting choices made on stage. Through this response and guided class discussion regarding each production, students will demonstrate a nuanced and informed understanding of performances and the challenges of performing. At the instructor's discretion, students may participate in dialogue and critique following in class scene exhibitions. All students will be able to form an articulate response to a theatrical piece, both as art and as entertainment.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. 1. Through the study and application of introductory acting techniques, exercises, and scene work, students will understand the interpretive creative process as it applies to theatre, focusing on how the actor contributes to a play. Student learning will focus on how to be available emotionally, vocally, and physically, how to read and critically analyze a script from an actor's perspective, how to develop original ideas through interpretation, and how to work with scene partners and directors. Class discussions, group activity work (such as physical and vocal warm-ups), script analysis assignments, and graded scene presentations will allow students to demonstrate their personal grasp of the creative process. These will also allow students, through carefully moderated conversation, to understand the creative process of fellow students.  1. Through the study and application of introductory acting techniques, exercises, and scene work, students will understand the interpretive creative process as it applies to theatre, focusing on how the actor contributes to a play. Student learning will focus on how to be available emotionally, vocally, and physically, how to read and critically analyze a script from an actor's perspective, how to develop original ideas through interpretation, and how to work with scene partners and directors. Class discussions, group activity work (such as physical and vocal warm-ups), script analysis assignments, and graded scene presentations will allow students to demonstrate their personal grasp of the creative process. These will also allow students, through carefully moderated conversation, to understand the creative process of fellow students.
2. Provide an informed synopsis of the performing and/or visual arts in the contexts of culture and history through reading and interpreting pertinent information using a variety of traditional and electronic media. 2. Through introductory script analysis, students will be able to write original acting scenarios based upon a play's given circumstances, their character (objectives, obstacles, expectations), and their personal analogous relationship to scenes (Stanislavski's "Magic If"). Students will be able to understand how the combination of the historical context in which a playwright wrote, the content and circumstances within a script, and the performer's acting choices create a thoughtful performance. Class discussions, assignments, graded scene work (short performance selections from realistic plays) and guided conversation post scene work will allow students to demonstrate their analysis and interpretation.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the conceptual and elemental principles fundamental to the creation of various forms of artistic expression. 3. Students will be able to relax and focus the voice and body in preparation of performance. Availability exercises, workshop partner activities, analysis assignments, discussion, and laboratory performances will allow students to demonstrate both the physical and non-physical preparatory work an actor must undergo. Instructor- and student-led vocal and physical exercises will allow students to demonstrate knowledge of, and the ability to perform, actor preparation. Students will also learn to employ tools allowing for emotional availability and partner work, as well as analyze scripts on the basis of circumstances, character, objectives, obstacles, tactics, and expectations.
4. Exhibit an ability to critically analyze artistic works using appropriate techniques, vocabulary, and methodologies. 4. Students will be able to speak clear and projected dialogue and apply stage and blocking terminology to move with focus and precision within the context of a scene. They will also be able to research, analyze and interpret dramatic texts for the stage, communicate their interpretation through performance and dialogue with the instructor, and self-evaluate their work. These skills will be demonstrated through the presentation of scenes, written self-evaluations, performance response essays, discussion, and various assignments discussions and an online quiz.

Course Content

Acting I is intended to introduce students to the art and craft of acting and to provide an opportunity for practical experience that will familiarize the student with techniques of acting—concentrating on understanding and mastering skills associated with truthful behavior, imagination, script analysis, body movement, and character work.Through scene study and activity/excercise work, this class introduces students to methods of analyzing written play scripts 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 given circumstances.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.