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DRM 481G2: Directing Practicum

Fall '01____________________T,Th 9:30-12:15
24005________________________2.180
Professor Bloom _________Office: 1.124; phone: 232-5311
m.bloom.td@mail.utexas.edu

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Purposes (DRM 481G2)

To help students who already have substantial experience as directors build consistent critical, analytical, and rehearsal skills through the presentation of scene work. The goals are to become proficient in analyzing, preparing , and rehearsing a scene and critiquing the work of others. The focus, for all but the MFA directors who have already taken this section, will be on realistic scenes so as to minimize the challenges of complex theatrical conventions. The first scene assignment should be from a modern American play; for the second, students may choose from earlier 19th and 20th century realistic plays. MFA 2 directors will present scenes from plays they are working on in production and other projects.

Methods (DRM 481G2)

The course covers working with actors, space and text. It does so by focusing on the scene. As time permits, we will discuss methods for approaching a whole production.

Students will be focusing intensively on the rehearsal process. The instructor may request an opportunity to see a rehearsal, or the student may ask the instructor to attend.

Nearly everythig a director does is in the service of animating a story. An important premise of the course is that in this process the mindset of most successful directors incorporates a dual perspective, a concentration both on a play's internal facts-- the inner life of each character-- and on its external or structural elements. This bifocal vision clarifies the director's responsibilities to the play and to the audience, with one perspective acting as a check or balance on the other. And it helps integrate the director's tasks, encouraging an organic way of thinking about directing.

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Requirements (DRM 481G2)

• Directing:
  2 scenes shown twice
  1 staging exercise (details TBA)
• Reading:
  Thinking Like a Director, Bloom, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
  The Practical Handbook for the Actor, Bruder et al.
  The Glass Menagerie, Williams (DPS Acting Edition).
  Audition, Shurtleff.
• Writing
  A scene analysis paper (see below) for first scene.
  Scene breakdowns (to be discussed) for both scenes
  3 page critique of a local production.

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Deadlines (DRM 481G2)

The scene schedule will be developed in September.

The paper on the first directed scene is due the day the scene is presented; however, a copy of the scene and a scene breakdown must be submitted to the instructor at least one class before the showing. This is true for the second scene breakdown as well.

Details for the production critique/paper deadline are TBA.

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Grading (DRM 481G2)

• Scene Work and Class Participation (2 scenes, staging exercise and scene breakdowns): _____________________-85%
• Written Assigments:_____________________ -15%
  First Paper:____________________________-10%
  Production Critique______________________-5%

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Attendance (DRM 481G2)

Attendance at all classes is mandatory. Class absences must be approved by the instructor in advance. Only one excused absence will be allowed. Each unexcused absence will lower the final grade by one-third of a letter (eg: A- to B+).

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Scheduling (DRM 481G2)

The only way a scene can be rescheduled is if a classmate is willing to switch with you. That means you must make absolutely clear to your actors that, short of the most dire emergency, they must perform on their scheduled day and that your grade depends on it.

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Choosing Scenes (DRM 481G2)

It's important to choose a scene that you feel strongly about; know why you are directing; is 8-10 minutes long; has two characters in it; is climactic in action rather than expositional; and is age-approprate and accessible for your actors. You must get each scene selection approved by the instructor before you begin rehearsals! (NB: You may choose "lite" material [such as Neil Simon]; however, this is not usually the best way to challenge yourself.) You should choose no more than one comic scene, though you are not required to do any. At least the first scene should be from plays that require fully articulated realistic settings, not just a table and two chairs. Look to full-length plays for material; no one acts, musicals, or films. The first scene must be staged in a prescenium arrangement, while the second must utilize a thrust configuration. No internal editing of a scene is allowed.

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Scene Preparation Paper (DRM 481G2)

Required for the first scene:

1. A one paragraph synopsis of the play.
2. A one sentence synopsis of the scene.
3. What is the central conflict of the scene?
4. What are the key given circumstances?
5. What are the major directorial problems/issues/challenges of the scene?
6. What are the characters' scene objectives?
7. A one paragraph description of the "architecture" of the scene-- turning point, climax, suspense.
8. What dramatic function in the play does the scene serve?

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Scene Breakdown (DRM 481G2)

Required for all scenes:

Photocopy the scene and have one facing page for each page of the script. The facing pages should be divided into three columns: action, obstacle, and activity. Every beat (not every line) in the scene must have an action, obstacle, and activity.

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This entire syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor in consultation with the class.

This course includes activity which by its nature involves an element of physical risk. Students are encouraged to remain alert, follow directions, and be aware of potential hazards in working individually or with others. Directors are responsible for conveying this statement to anyone participating in their work.

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TD 353T: LANGUAGE & THE ACTOR

Fall '01 ____________________T,Th 3:30-5
23852 _________________________1.108
Professor Bloom _________Office: 1.124; phone: 232-5311
m.bloom.td@mail.utexas.edu

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Objectives (TD 353T)

To help students understand some of the basic devices and strategies of heightened stage language; develop a method of analyzing language from various periods and styles; and build an individual process for rehearsing and performing that language.

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Rationale (TD 353T)

Because most of American acting training focuses on intention and emotion, there is usually little time directed toward close textual analysis and presentation. A course focused on language is also necessary because our visually saturated culture encourages sound-byte size units of speech. All discourse, including theatre, suffers as language, rhetoric, wit, and the written word are devalued. Complexity of thought and expression are now often frowned on as overly learned, and savoring any language other than slang is considered an affectation. If an actor is to learn to express language appropriately, he/she must pay specific and separate attention to the task.

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Methods (TD 353T)

We will be engaging in a number of different activities, including reading aloud, text analysis, presentations of monologues and a scene, and some written assignments. The required text is THE ACTOR AND THE TEXT, by Cicely Berry. There will be a short answer mid-term exam and a 6-8 pp paper describing the voice and poetic strategies of a particular playwright through the analysis of at least three plays. The requirements for the exam and paper will be discussed early in the semester.

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Assignments (TD 353T)

1. By Sept. 13, when I return, you should have already chosen and worked on a monologue which you can present immediately. The three required monologues should have some variety of tone and period. They can be chosen from any period but should not come from naturalistic writing (e.g. Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, etc.). It's your responsibility to find your own material, but if you are unsure of its suitability, please check with me. You should also have ideas for a scene and a scene partner. You may choose the scene from any play with stylized language, from Shakespeare to Williams, to older American plays, like THE PHILADELHPIA STORY, to Mamet and other contemporary writers. When I return, I will set a schedule for the presentation of scenes and monologues.


2. You should also have read Chapters 1-3 of the Berry book. You may want to refer Chapter 4 for help in working on the material with Prof. Christian.


3. Please bring to class material-one to three pages-that you would like to read aloud. It may be from a play, a novel, or a short story. The only requirement is that it contain what you consider to be interesting language. When you do read aloud or present a monologue or scene, please provide a copy that day to each member of the class and the instructor.

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Requirements/Grading (TD 353T)

One scene, presented twice-- ______-25%
Monologues-- __________________-25%
Midterm exam-- ________________-15%
Paper 20%
Class participation and attendance-- _-15%

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Special Policies (TD 353T)

Tardies and Absences--Since this is mostly a performance class, most of what you do and observe occurs in class. Prompt and regular attendance is therefore of utmost importance. Failure to adhere to these policies will result in a lowering of your grade.

1)Tardies--If you enter the class after I call the roll, you will be marked tardy. Do not enter while a showing is in progress. 2 tardies=one absence.

2)Absences--The only excused absences are those a)forced on you by the Department, College, or University or b) religious holy days not accounted for in the school calendar.

There are approximately 30 class sessions in this course. More than two unexcused absences will result in a one-third grade deduction, e.g. A to A-.

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Note to Students (TD 353T)

I will be in Kansas City directing THE PHILADELPHIA STORY at Missouri Rep until Sept. 12. Professor Pamela Christian will cover the four class sessions in my absence, beginning with some of rudiments of Shakespearean language. At the end of class on Sept. 11, she will ask you to write a short report on your progress and questions you may have. I will use those reports in determining the path of the course.

As you may know, I am a professional director who continues to work in the profession. My teaching methods derive directly from my work. I regret that I will not be with you for the first two weeks; I hope you will understand the reasons for this and recognize the benefits of taking class with a working professional. Thank you in advance for your patience.

I urge you to e-mail me at mpbloom@mail.utexas.edu with any questions or concerns you may have while I'm away. I look forward to meeting and working with you.

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