Dr. Victoria Spangler

SYLLABUS AND COURSE OUTLINE

Title of Course: Acting I 2330

Class Meeting Time: 11:00-11:55 a.m. Ryan Little Theatre, Library-Wylie Seminar Room and 2nd floor Radford

Office: Ryan SW100A

Phone: M 793-3838 McMurry (Machine) 690-1278 Home

Office Hours: MWF 10:00-11:00a.m.; W1:00-4:00 ; TTH 10:30-12:00;

Meetings can also be arranged throughout the week.

Text: Robert Barton's ACTING ONSTAGE AND OFF. We will also be looking at other acting books from the library during the semester.

This course is designed for the beginning acting student.

Lessons and exercises will consist of basic material for fundamental acting instruction.

MAJOR GOALS OF THE COURSE: To understand and apply fundamental techniques of acting in exercises, activities, and scenework. To increase the appreciation and understanding of the values of acting- both on and offstage.

Major objectives in the course:

Cognitive objectives:

1. Understand the concepts of relaxation, trust, and discipline as they relate to acting.

2. Understand the principles of goals and objectives.

3. Understand the concept of acting with the 'other."

4. Understand contentless scenes and open scenes.

5. Understand the concept of tactics and choices.

6. Understand the concept of expectations.

8. Understand steps and necessity of play and character analysis.

9. Understand necessity of flexible voice and body.

10. Understand constructive evaluation and feedback.

Skills objectives:

1. Develop skills for relaxation and preparation.

2. Develop skills for reaching goals and overcoming obstacles.

3. Acquire skills for partner work.

4. Acquire skills for playing and alternating tactics.

5. Acquire skills to complete character and play analyses.

6. Develop skills for preparing a role.

7. Develop physical freedom, alignment and agility.

8. Develop the skills to prepare monologues and scenes.

9. Acquire the skills to constructively evaluate scenework and plays.

Production objectives:

1. Understanding of basic acting concepts will be achieved by:

-Participation in all class activities and exercises.

-Reading assigned material.

-Successful testing over class material.

-Participation in class discussions.

-Successful completion of projects and assignments

-Successful scenework.

-Evaluation of classwork and scenework.

-Two play critiques during the semester.

-Participating in the audition process at McMurry.

2. Acting skills will be increased by:

-Participation in all class activities and exercises.

-Reading assigned material.

-Participation in class discussions.

-Successful scenework.

-Evaluation of classwork and scenework.

-Play critiques.

-Participating in the audition process at McMurry.

On Mondays, we will meet on the second floor of Radford. Wear COMFORTABLE clothes, as we will be doing movement activities on Mondays. Bring your book, spiral, folder, and p en.

On Wednesdays, we will meet in the library, Wylie Seminar Room, 2nd. Floor. Bring your book, spiral, pen, and folder.

On Fridays, we will meet in the theatre, on stage. Again, wear comfortable clothes. Bring your book, spiral, pen, and folder.

You will have a few assessments throughout the semester. Your semester final will be an acting scene and a written final. You will be responsible for: reading in your text, homework assignments, individual and group activities, class participation, class presentations, 1 play critiques, 1 internet assignment, participation in one McMurry audition, memorization and presentation of scenes and/or monologues, and evaluations.

Attendance and participation: 30%

In class exams: 10%

Homework assignments: 20%

Scenework: 10%

Final exam: 10%

Final scenework: 20%

This is primarily a participation class, so if you are absent, there is no way to actually make-up the work missed. If you do happen to miss a class, please do the following: call me and let me know as soon as possible; call a classmate as soon as possible and get notes and discussion regarding activities that day and be ready to either turn in work upon return or have a general knowledge of what we did while you were gone.

If you are doing scenework, call your partner and let them know you will be absent. If you are absent on the day that a scene or monologue is to be presented, call me and call your partner as soon as you can. You will makeup the scene upon returning to class. If you are absent on the day of an assessment, you must makeup the assessment within three days.

A letter from Dr. Lack, Dean Jackson, Student Services, or your physician constitutes an excused absence. A phone call from you is a considerate gesture, but it does not constitute an excused absence.

If you make every effort to attend each class ON TIME, and if you are ready with reading assignments, homework assignments, scenework, critiques, evaluations, group activities and other projects, and if you pay attention, listen and contribute to class discussions, and if you do well on the assessments, and if you approach each activity and exercise with a POSITIVE ATTITUDE, you will have no trouble making an A.

If you miss class and are frequently late, or if you do not participate positively in class activities or discussions, or if you are consistently late turning in homework assignments and projects, or if you are not ready with classwork, or if you fall behind in the reading assignments, or if you do poorly on the assessments, or if you do not participate in the auditions or turn in the critiques, then you will have a great deal of trouble making an A.

Aug.. --Introduction, Tour, Beginning Activities, Auditions.

Sept..-- Seven Ages of Man, Already an Actor, Physical Conditioning, Warm-ups, Alignment, Status, Goals and Obstacles, Open Scenes.

Oct..-- Scoring, Tactics, Expectations, Improvisations, Assessment, Stanislavski's Method, Short Scenework.

Nov.. -- Choices, Movement, GOTE sheet, the Profession, Longer Scenework, First Critique (due November 1)

Dec..-- Internet Assignment (due December 1 )Shaking up the Scene, Analysis, Final Exam and Scene.

I'm not interested in transmitting my pain to someone. I'm interested in transmitting the character's pain or joy. That's my job.

Anger isn't just yelling. Anger has a thousand faces. That's what acting is. Which of those thousand faces? Often the least obvious is the most interesting.

Childbirth is easy compared to giving birth to a role in a play.

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