Thea 175 (Special Topics) the COMMUNITY, the INDIVIDUAL and the IMPACT of THEATRICAL ART
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Thea 175 (Special Topics) THE COMMUNITY, THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE IMPACT OF THEATRICAL ART (4 credits)
Instructors: Lisa Brenner (Drew), and Rodney Gilbert (Bolden Center) M/W 4:30 – 6:30
[email protected] [email protected]
Office hours: Tues. and Thurs. 12-1; MW by appointment
Place: Arts 140 (Acting Lab) or Thomas H. Kean Black Box Theatre in the Dorothy Arts Center and The Marion Bolden Student Center in Newark (See handout regarding transportation).
DESCRIPTION
Drew students will with work high school students from the Newark inner-city schools in a collaborative theatre-making enterprise to be presented both on Drew’s campus and at the Marion Bolden Student Center in Newark. Classes will likewise meet at both locations, with Drew students and Newark students traveling to the two sites by turn. Drew participants will both mentor and share in the process of original play development and performance. In addition to the weekly play development workshops and rehearsals with the Newark students, Drew participants will meet on their own to assess and develop strategies for facilitating the work of the full group and keeping it on track. Drew students will also be required to conduct research studying the historical impact of community-based theaters around the globe, together with a final paper.
Note: This course is cross-listed with CBL courses (Community-Based Learning).
COURSE GOALS
The goals of the course are as follows:
1) To create an original theatre piece with shared ownership between our two communities.
2) To build a forum which will allow each Newark students’ unique personality to speak through creative endeavor, under guidance from theatre students from Drew whose goal it shall be first to prompt an original play idea, or ideas, then to nurture, refine, direct and/or perform the play(s) together with the Newark participants. 2
3) To use the techniques of theatre art (principally, playwriting, acting and directing) to give voice to issues and themes which might otherwise remain unspoken or unheard in each or either community.
4) To examine issues of diversity, cultural awareness and self-identification within participants’ familiar and unfamiliar environments.
5) To gain first-hand experience studying and working in a community that is sociologically, demographically and economically different from one’s own.
6) To build a common language between our two communities through shared creative endeavor, which is manifested in a public presentation in each place.
7) To gain perspective on our partnership through reflection, using group discussion, journal writing and/or public debate (all participants), and through dedicated research on a related topic of each student’s choice (Drew only).
The class will meet twice a week, for two hours. At least one weekly meeting will join the Drew and Newark students for creative development of the proposed theatre piece (“workshop and rehearsal sessions”). The workshop and rehearsal meetings will take place alternately on Drew’s campus and at the [Performing Arts Center] in Newark. All teachers, mentors, and students will be present at these segments, which will be devoted to:
1) Mutual development of theatre skills and ensemble-building through exercises, improvs and games;
2) Brainstorming and sharing concepts, themes and topics for creative development; and
3) Development, workshop, and rehearsal of the theatre piece.
In addition to the above workshops and rehearsals, Drew students will meet independently, at Drew’s campus, under the guidance of Drew faculty, while the Newark students continue work at the [Performing Arts Center], under the guidance of the staff drama instructor. During these sessions, Drew students will:
1) Study, process, and develop strategies to implement the work with the Newark teens. Weekly readings, assignments, and journal writing will be combined with open discussion on pertinent topics and issues as they arise, 3
2) Develop and present material linked to a final, required research and reflection papers. while Newark students will:
1) Continue the creative work of the ensemble, and assess their progress through journaling and reflective writing
2) [Rodney Gilbert will determine assignments/assessments.]
GRADES/ASSESSMENT
Your grade for the class will be based on five components:
1) Regular attendance and participation: 3 absences will put you on academic warning and 25 points will be deducted from your final grade, and a fourth will fail you. Participation includes careful listening, sharing ideas and questions with class members, and coming to class with all reading and other assigned work complete. (100 points)
2) Playwriting/performance, the quality of which will be judged on:
a) collaborative willingness/effectiveness
b) timeliness of work
c) effort and personal commitment
d) thoughtfulness, originality and innovation
(100 points)
3) Research Paper (100 points) (See Moodle for Instructions and rubric). 4
4) Journals/Reflection Paper (100 points)
5) Moodle Posts (100 points; 20 points each)
Total Points: 500
Assessment Rubrics for the above can be found on Moodle.
Academic Accommodations: Should you require academic accommodations, you must file a request with the Office of Educational Affairs (BC 114, extension 3327). It is your responsibility to self-identify with the Office of Educational Affairs and to provide me with the appropriate documentation from that office at least one week prior to any request for specific course accommodations. There are no retroactive accommodations.
Standards of Academic Integrity All students are expected to abide by the Drew University Standards of Academic Integrity. Plagiarism (whether deliberate or unintentional), copying material from the internet, receiving excessive outside help, use of internet translators, and cheating on examinations are not acceptable, and any such incidents will be referred to the Academic Integrity Committee. If dishonesty is determined, the sanctions may range from receiving a “0” on an assignment, to automatic failure of a course, to dismissal from the College. All members of the academic community (both students and professors) are obliged, by that membership, to report instances of presumed dishonesty to the appropriate officials. For the official policy go to: http://www.depts.drew.edu/composition/Academic_Honesty.htm SYLLABUS (subject to change, including location)
DATE/LOCATION IN CLASS WHAT’S DUE
Monday, Jan. 24:
Drew students go to Newark Theatre games and discussion
Introduction + discussion of course and expectations
Wednesday, Jan. 26: Theatre games and discussion: Drew students: Upload your community photos. 5
Syllabus presentation and Newark closed; Drew students discussion of course and meet alone. expectations for Drew students including assignments and forms.
Monday, Jan. 31: Theatre games and discussion Journal due
Drew students go to Newark
Wednesday, February 2: Workshop 1: Drew students: Moodle Posts on Games for Actors and Theatre games and discussion Non-Actors pages 1-39. Newark students come to (abstract + response) due Drew. Note: Rodney and Lisa discuss effective pairings.
Monday, Feb. 7: Workshop/Improvs;
Drew students go to Newark Drew and Newark students are Journal due assigned Playmaking Partners. Tours of Neighborhood: photographing community
Wednesday, Feb. 9: Tours of Drew: photographing Drew students: Moodle Posts community on Interactive and Newark students come to Improvisational Drama Drew. (abstract + response) due
**Sat. Feb. 12: Trip to NYC! **Sat. Feb. 12: Trip to NYC! **Sat. Feb. 12: Trip to NYC!
Monday, Feb. 14: Drew students: Upload your photos from Newark. Drew students go to Newark Making scenes out of photos/image theatre Note: Newark student photos need to be uploaded onto Moodle. Wednesday, Feb. 16: Workshop: Theatre exercises All: Rough draft of script of Newark closed, Drew students and discussion; Reading and scene from selected meet alone. discussion of scripts. photograph. Drew students: Moodle Posts on Interactive and Improvisational Drama due. 6
Monday, Feb. 21: Workshop: Theatre exercises Drew students: Journal due Newark closed. Drew students and discussion Reading and meet alone. discussion of scripts.
Wednesday, Feb. 23: Workshop: rehearsal of the All: Revised draft of scripts. ten scenes. Newark students come to Drew students: Moodle Posts Drew on Interactive and Improvisational Drama due.
Monday: Feb. 28: Workshop: rehearsal of the Drew students: research ten scenes. topic decided on by today!! Drew students go to Newark Journal due.
Wednesday, March 2: Performance of the ten selected scenes for an invited Newark students come to audience of staff, friends and Drew family
Post performance discussion.
Monday, March 7-Wed., DREW STUDENTS PURSUE Drew students: read and March 9: SPRING BREAK RESEARCH. research for Final Paper; DREW Work on monologues NEWARK STUDENTS Newark students meet alone. WORK ON NEWARK PRESENTATION OF SCENES. (Monologues?)
DATE/LOCATION IN CLASS WHAT’S DUE
Monday, March 14: Discussion about final piece. All: Monologues from photographs due. Drew students go to Newark Reading of monologues; reshuffling of groups to create new scenes with rotating characters.
Wednesday, March 16: Monologues continued; Improvs of new scenes. Roles Newark students come to assigned by teachers. 7
Drew All: STAY FOR READING OF FOR COLORED GIRLS…7:30 PM
Presentations and discussion All: Rough draft of new Monday, March 21: of new scenes. scenes.
Drew students go to Newark Drew students: Journal due.
Wednesday, March 23: Presentations and discussions Drew students: Moodle Posts of new scenes continued. on Interactive and Newark students come to Improvisational Drama due. Drew
Monday, March 28: Workshop: adding, sound, All: Revisions of scenes. movement, etc. to scenes Drew students go to Newark Drew students: Journal due.
Wednesday, March 30 Rehearsal of scenes.
Newark students come to If possible—guest visitor Drew
Monday, April 4 Workshop/Rehearsal Journal due.
Drew students go to Newark
Wednesday, April 6: Workshop/Rehearsal All: Final draft of scenes due. Newark students come to Drew
Monday, April 11 Transitions between scenes. Journal due.
Drew students go to Newark
Wednesday, April 13: Run Through and discussion.
Newark students come to Drew
Monday, April 18: Drew students meet with peer Drew students: Rough Draft editor to give each other of Final Paper due by 9 AM Newark closed; Drew students feedback on your papers on Moodle. meet with peer editors 8
Wednesday, April 20: Drew students presentation of Final Paper due by 4 PM on final papers to class. Moodle Newark closed; Drew meets
Run Through Monday, April 25 Journal due. Drew students go to Newark
Wednesday, April 27: Dress rehearsal (additional rehearsal TBD?) Newark students come to Drew
Sunday, May 1st Drew Performance! PERFORMANCE
3 PM
Monday, May 2: Performance and recognition program at PERFORMANCE 4:30 Newark. (Drew: Friday classes meet)
TBD (Based on Drew final Wrap up and discussion Reflection Paper due. exam date) Self-Assessment due.
REQUIRED READING FOR DREW STUDENTS
Blatner, Adam, ed. Interactive and Improvisational Drama. NY: Universe, Inc. 2007.
Boal, Augusto. Games for Actors and Non-Actors. Paperback edition (second edition), NY: Routledge, 2002.
Cruz, Jan Cohen. Local Arts: Community Based Theatre in the United States. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 2005. 9
Taylor, Philip. Applied Theatre: Creating Transformative Encounters in the Community. NH: Heinemann, 2003
Recommended Reading:
The Teen Acting Ensemble, by Chris Ceraso and Michael Bernard (addendum to 52 Pickup).
Write On the Edge (Manhattan Theatre Club’s guide to teaching playwriting in high schools by Teaching Artist Chris Ceraso, with introduction by Education Director David Shookhoff.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Moodle posts: Each Drew student will take an assigned chapter from Games for Actors and Non-Actors plus an assigned chapter from Interactive and Improvisational Drama and post an abstract. For Games for Actors and Non-Actors please read chapter one: Theatre of the Oppressed in Europe (pages 1-39). For Interactive and Improvisational Drama, please read a chapter of your choice; however you may not duplicate a chapter someone else has already done.
The abstract should consist of two paragraphs that explain the main ideas of the chapter, followed by a personal reflection and a question for discussion.
Everyone must read all the abstracts and respond to one of them each time Moodle Posts are assigned (2/2; 2/9; 2/16; 2/23; 3/23).
Journals: Each student should keep a journal in which s/he reflects upon the class. These will be handed into the professor, either in a hard copy book or uploaded onto Moodle.
Final research and reflection papers: Each student will write a research paper on community- based theatre and also a reflection paper on the course. See Moodle for instructions.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Expected learning outcomes for the course, derived from the above “Course Goals,” are as follows. Most outcomes are common to both groups, however there are certain aspects of the work that are geared to the specific needs of each community, and should thereby yield certain dedicated outcomes. Additionally, the expected outcomes for Newark Students correlate to the New Jersey Standards.
A) B) C) 10
DREW STUDENTS COMMON TO BOTH NEWARK STUDENTS
1) To develop an ability to nurture and 1) To hone traditional theater skills 1) To enhance literacy and self-expression guide the creative impulses of others as in a challenging, unfamiliar through the language of the theater, in well as oneself. environment. written, oral and physical form.
2) To enhance the ability to listen, and to 2) To enhance collaborative skills, ie, 2) To gain a sense of personal hear, the concerns of disparate persons listening, organizing, coordinating empowerment through the consistent, and groups. efforts, allocating and sharing committed support of bona fide cultural responsibility, etc institutions for personal and communal creative work
3) To foster an ongoing desire for inquiry 3) To have one’s creative voice 3) To give students from inner city Newark into the lives of others, particularly where validated both within and without the access to the Drew campus and that inquiry crosses familiar social and/or “home” community by meaningful community, and by extension, to foster a cultural boundaries public presentation in each place. sense that the university life and education is a viable option in their lives..
4) To develop the reflective capacity 4) “Social development,” in the sense that to assess one’s life and experience not students will learn to put forth their only from the standpoint of personal thoughts and concerns articulately and with history, but in relation to the confidence, in a variety of social experience of diverse others. relationships, from peer collaborations to mentor/mentee interactions, student/teacher associations, and with figures of authority.
5- To gain a fuller sense of self, and the self-confidence to put one’s voice forward.
6- To foster respect for the unique experience of others, and to recognize that knowledge, even wisdom, often resides in life experience and personal history as well as in more traditional forums.
ASSESSMENT TOOLS:
Creative writing and performance: The primary goal of the course is also its primary assessment tool. The quality of the performance piece, both in its creation and execution is its own lesson and its own reward. That quality can be clearly assessed according to the rubrics that have been put in place by the Drew Theatre Arts Department (attached), and by the New Jersey State standards for theatre education at the high school level (attached)
Outcomes targeted: B-1; B-2; B-3; B-5; C-1; C-2; C-3 11
Journaling: regular journals will be kept by all students that should demonstrate progress, interest-level, and integration of conceptual knowledge.
Outcomes targeted: A-1; A-2; A-3; B-4; B-5; B-6; C-1;
Research and reflective writing: In addition to the creative development of the primary theatre piece, Drew students will be asked to write a topic paper of choice (to be approved by Drew instructor), with accompanying research, relating to some aspect of the semester’s work. This work may be interdisciplinary in nature, and may link to other types of community outreach and/or sociological research.
Outcomes targeted: A-1; A-2; A-3; B-4; B-6
E-pals: Drew and Newark students will be “pen-paled” so as to share their experience and concerns in a more informal way.
Outcomes targeted: A-1: A-2; A-3; B-3; B-4; B-5; B-6; C-1; C-2; C-3
Post-performance discussion/debate: A public forum in each community to discuss and debate the content and merit of the final production, perhaps including a panel discussion.
Outcomes targeted: A-1 through 3; B-1 through 6; B-2; B-3
Documentary recording of the course from beginning to end, perhaps on film.
Outcomes targeted: All
Stage managers reports describing and assessing the work and progress made at each stage of development.
Outcomes targeted: A-1; B-1; B-2; C-1