Thirteen Texts Every Student Must Read to Have a Well-Rounded High School Theatre Education
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2002 Thirteen texts every student must read to have a well-rounded high school theatre education Gary Bernard Sessa University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Sessa, Gary Bernard, "Thirteen texts every student must read to have a well-rounded high school theatre education" (2002). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1468. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/10h7-knqa This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 UMÏ Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THIRTEEN TEXTS EVERY STUDENT MUST READ TO HAVE A WELL-ROUNDED HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE EDUCATION by Gary Bernard Sessa Bachelor of Arts University of Nevada, Las Vegas 1988 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree Department of Theatre Arts College of Fine Arts Graduate College UnlverslW of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2002 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 1413621 UMI’ UMI Microform 1413621 Copyright 2003 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Gary Bernard Sessa 2003 All Rights Resen/ed Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Thesis Approval IJNTV The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas November 15 .20 02 The Thesis prepared by Gary Bernard Sessa Entitled THIRTEEN TEXTS EVERY STUDENT MUST READ TO HAVE A WELL-ROUNDED HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE EDUCATION is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Examination Commit! van o f the m ege Examination Committee Member Graduate College Faculty Re^pt^tative I0 1 7 -B u Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Thirteen Texts Every Student Must Read to Have A Well-Rounded High School Theatre Education b y Gary Bernard Sessa Ellis M. Pryce-Jones, Examining Committee Chair Professor of Theatre University of Nevada, Las Vegas This thesis is a discussion of theatre literature and its place In the high school curriculum. Until now, no one has published what specific theatre texts should be taught to students in high school before they graduate. However, with national standards paving the way for the future of education, and the idea that no child will be left behind, every curriculum, not just the core ones, needs to have a list of required reading before a student graduates from high school. This is the only way to insure a well-rounded high school education in theatre. Thirteen diverse texts ranging from technical theatre to performance to playscripts make up this list I conclude that these thirteen are the most accessible and, along with regular theatre classes, will give the student the well-rounded education that he or she needs to graduate from high school with a solid understanding of the coliaboratrve art form. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT......................................................................................................Hi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 THE LIST: WHAT STUDENTS CAN LEARN................................ 4 Technical Theatre ............................................................................................ 4 Theatre History ................................................................................................7 Acting ........................................................................................................... 11 Playscripts .................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY AND THE NATIONAL STANDARDS...........35 Standards ..................................................................................................... 37 Play Analysis.................................................................................................38 Technical Theatre .......................................................................................... 39 Theatre History ..............................................................................................40 Acting ........................................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 4 MAKING THE CHOICE: THE FIRST FOUR TEXTS................... 43 Handbook of Scenery. Properties and Ughting: Volume 1 .............................. 48 Handbook of Scenery. Properties and Uohtina: Volume 2 .............................. 59 Uvinq Theater AHistoty. .............................................................................. 74 Acting One. ................................................................................................... 86 CHAPTER 5 MAKING THE CHOICE: THE NEXT NINE TEXTS.................... 101 Oedipus The King. ........................................................................................ 102 A Doll House. ............................................................................................... 105 The Cherry Orchard. ..................................................................................... 108 The Importance of Being Earnest .................................................................. 110 MajorBatbara. ............................................................................................. 112 Six Characters in Search of an Author. ............................................................115 The King and I. ............................................................................................. 118 Fences. ....................................................................................................... 122 'blightJMgtber. ...............................................................................................125 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V CHAPTER 6 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS.. 139 APPENDICES................................................................................................. 144 List of Supplementary Texts ......................................................................... 145 Timeline sample From Living Theater A Histonr. ........................................... 148 Copyright/Quotation Permission Forms ......................................................... 150 BIBUOGRAPHY............................................................................................. 160 VITA............................................................................................................... 164 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the following people for their assistance and patience in the completion of this thesis: Ellis M. Pryce-Jones, Committee Chair; Linda McCollum, Dr. Ann McDonough, Dr. Chris Hudgins, Committee Members; Dr. Alvin Goldfarb, Dr. Harvey Sweet, Dr. Robert Cohen, Glencoe Publishing, Michael