Theatre Arts 100
INTRODUCTION TO THEATRE
ARTS
Professor Mazer
Fall 2002
519 Annenberg Center, 8-7382 and 3-2659;
cmazer@english.upenn.edu
Office Hours:
Tu, Th 3:00-4:15, and by appointment
Grader:
Ray Ricketts:
rickett2@english.upenn.edu; Office Hours by appointment
September 5:
Introduction: What is Theatre?
September 10:
Theatre and Representation
Reading: Susanne K. Langer, “The Dynamic Image” and
“Creation,” from Problems of Art
(bulkpack).
September 12:
Theatre and Representation (cont.)
Reading:Bernard
Beckerman, “Imitation and Presentation,” from Theatrical Presentation:
Performer, Audience and Act (bulkpack).
September 17:
Acting and Behavior
Guest
Lecturer: Jim Schlatter, Theatre Arts.
Reading:
Robert Cohen, “Playing the Situation:
Out of the Self,” from Acting
Power: An Introduction to Acting
(bulkpack).
September 19
Acting and Action
Reading: Bernard Beckerman, “The Theatrical Segment”
and “The Dramatic Segment,” pp. 44-64, from Dynamics
of Drama: Theory and Method of Analysis
(bulkpack).
[[REQUIRED THEATRE GOING: Theatre Arts Program: The Tiny Closet and The Rainy
Afternoon, by William Inge, September 19-21, Studio Theatre, Annenberg
Center.]
September
24: Theatre in Performance I: The Tiny Closet and The Rainy Afternoon, by William Inge.
September 26:
Action and Character I
Reading: Arthur Schnitzler, La Ronde; Beckerman, Dynamics
of Drama, pp. 64-77 (bulkpack).
October 1:
Action and Character I (cont.)
Reading: La
Ronde (cont.)
October 3:
Action and Character I (cont.)
Reading: La
Ronde (cont.)
[APPROXIMATE DUE DATE: FIRST TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT]
October 8:
Action and Character II
Reading: August Strindberg, Miss Julie (with preface) (bulkpack); Bert O. States. “The Anatomy of Dramatic Character” (bulkpack)
[REQUIRED THEATREGOING (October 4-November
17): Othello, by William Shakespeare, The Philadelphia Shakespeare
Festival, 2111 Sansom St. (Dates and
theatregoing arrangements to be determined.)]
October 10:
Action and Character II (cont.)
Reading:
Strindberg, Miss Julie (cont.)
October 15:
Action and Character III
Reading: Aristotle, The Poetics.
October 17:
Character, Action, and Place
Reading: Strindberg, Miss Julie (cont.); Una
Chaudhuri, “Private Parts: Sex, Class,
and Stage Space in Miss Julie”
(bulkpack).
October 22:
Character, Action, and Place
Guest
Lecturer: Peter Whinnery, Theatre Arts.
Reading: Strindberg, Miss Julie (cont.).
October 24:
Representation and Place
Reading: William Shakespeare, Othello; Alan C. Dessen, “Shakespeare and the Theatrical
Conventions of his Time” (bulkpack).
October 29:
Language, Action, and the Actor
Reading: Shakespeare, Othello (cont.); John Barton, “The Two Traditions” and “Using the
Verse,” Playing Shakespeare
(bulkpack).
October 31:
Acting Alternatives I:
Presentation and Ideology
Guest
Lecturer: Jim Schlatter, Theatre Arts.
Reading:Essays
by Bertolt Brecht: “The Modern Theatre
is the Epic Theatre,” “Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction,”
“Alienation Effects in Chinese Acting,” “The Street Scene” and “A Short Organum
for Theatre” (bulkpack).
[APPROXIMATE DUE DATE: SECOND TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT]
November 5:
Presentation and Ideology (cont.)
November 7:
Presentation and Ideology (cont.)
Reading: Bertolt Brecht, The Caucasian Chalk Circle.
[REQUIRED THEATREGOING: Theatre Arts Program: The Collection and The Lover, by Harold Pinter, November
7-9, Studio Theatre, Annenberg Center.]
November 12 :
Theatre in Performance II: The Collection and The Lover, by Harold Pinter.
November 14:
Music, Action, and the Actor
Guest
Lecturer: David Fox, Theatre Arts.
[POSSIBLE THEATREGOING: Stones
in His Pockets, by Marie Jones, November 19-24, Zellerbach Theatre,
Annenberg Center. (To be arranged.)]
November 19:
Theatre in Performance III: Othello, by William Shakespeare.
November 21:
Acting Alternatives II:
Performance, Ideology, and Gender
Guest
Lecturer: Rose Malague, Theatre Arts.
Reading:Gay
Gibson Cima, “Strategies for Subverting the Canon,” and Rhonda Blair,
“‘Not...but’/‘Not-Not-Me’: Musings on
Cross-Gender Performance,” from Upstaging
Big Daddy (bulkpack).
[REQUIRED THEATREGOING: Theatre Arts Program: Laughing Wild, by Christopher Durang, November 20-23, Studio
Theatre, Annenberg Center.]
November 26:
Theatre in Performance IV: Laughing Wild, by Christopher Durang.
[Thanksgiving]
December 3:
Acting Alternatives III:
Representing Others
Guest
Lecturer: Rose Malague, Theatre Arts.
Reading:
Bert O. States, “The Actor’s Presence:
Three Phenomenal Modes” (bulkpack); “Anna Deavere Smith: the Word Becomes You,” an interview by Carol
Martin (bulkpack).
December 5:
Summary and Conclusions.
In addition to the two take-home essays and the
in-class exercise, there is a choice of EITHER a final examination, at the date
scheduled by the registrar, OR a 12-15 page final term paper, on an open topic,
due FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13. ALL TERM PAPER TOPICS MUST BE APPROVED BY ME
BY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26. Late term papers will not be accepted; if
you cannot complete your paper by the deadline, you must take the exam.
Books (including La Ronde, Othello,
Aristotle’s Poetics, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle) can be
purchased at the Penn Book Center (at 34th and Sansom Sts.); the Bulkpack can
be purchased at the Campus Copy Center, 39th and Walnut.
YOU ARE REQUIRED
to see (and you will almost certainly be
asked to write about) productions and performances around the Philadelphia
area over the course of the semester, including productions in the Studio
Theatre of the Annenberg Center sponsored by the Theatre Arts Program, as noted
on the syllabus. Additional required
productions may be added over the course of the semester.
The listserv for this course is
THAR100-001-02C@lists.upenn.edu. You
have been subscribed automatically. If
you do not seem to be on it, or if you drop the course and wish to be
unsubscribed, please send a note to cmazer@english.upenn.edu. An on-line version of the syllabus is
available at www.english.upenn.edu/*cmazer/100f02.html. Make a bookmark on your web browser.