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Listed in: Theater and Dance, as THDA-45
Ron Bashford (Section 01)
This course explores the process of directing plays for the stage. Studio exercises develop skills in key areas: interpretation of form and artistic intent, perception and sensibility in rehearsal, effective communication with actors, and balancing the interplay between action and text. Students stage scenes from distinct categories: plays in verse, realistic plays, and non-realistic or less literal modern and contemporary plays. Special emphasis is placed on the role of dramaturgical understanding in the creation of meaningful stage action. Text is chosen from a wide repertoire, including Euripides’ The Bacchae, Shakespeare’s King Lear, Molière’s The Misanthrope, Anton Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard, Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, Samuel Beckett’s Not I, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, Sarah Kane’s Crave, and Mark Ravenhill’s Shopping & F**king. The course culminates in a co-directed group adaptation or extended section of a complex work. Throughout, students manage class work with peers to achieve mutual goals and fulfill roles in acting, organization and production as needed. Class meetings incorporate discussion of historical and theoretical readings and play texts. Two meetings per week. Students should expect to schedule outside rehearsal time as needed.
Requisites: Two of the following--Theater and Dance 11, 12 or 13. Fall semester. Professor Bashford.