DRAM 116:  Perspectives in the Theatre

Introduction

Perspectives in the Theatre provides a survey of the interrelationships of acting, directing, designing, and playwriting through the study of major periods of theatrical expression and representative plays. The course strives to equip the student with a common vocabulary and understanding of the concepts utilized in the study and collaborative work of the theatre.

The critical skills that one develops while evaluating a dramatic production are useful to anyone wishing to enrich his or her life and to discover the relationship between art and life. Good “taste” is based on knowledge as well as instinct and, generally speaking, the more one knows about a subject, the more one is able to appreciate it. Drama has the potential to improve everyone’s life. It is a social activity; often we accompany a person or group of persons to a theatrical production and discuss its merits afterwards. Seeing or reading a play enhances our interactions with other people and sharpens our own perceptions.

Reading an important book can open our eyes to life’s nuances. Yet it is difficult to pick up a long and difficult book after a hard day’s work at a job that’s often more exhausting than satisfying. An evening at the theatre can help us escape momentarily from life’s tedium. It also provides us with the opportunity to gain perspective on the lives of others and ultimately to learn more about ourselves and what we value most.

Most drama began in religious ritual and it has never lost the power of transformation. When we enter a theatre (or read a play) we risk exposing ourselves to change. At the very least, theatre can provide us with a renewal of our humanity. Needless to say, this can be very exciting.

Studying drama can only be a beginning. Seeing plays, reading plays, and making theatre-going a lifelong habit will eventually provide a sense of accomplishment and a level of cultivation aspired to by people who live life fully.

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Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• identify the relationship between text and performance
• recognize the basic elements of dramatic structure and key theatrical movements
• define important theatrical terms
• analyze the purpose of a theatre piece and the point of view adopted by those who create it
• explain the social, cultural, and political influences on theatre
• navigate and assess Web sites devoted to drama and theatre
• pursue an interest in current professional theatre, including active theatre-going.

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Required Texts

The main text for this course is Theatre: A Way of Seeing, 6th edition, by Dr. Milly S. Barranger (Wadsworth, 2006); ISBN 0-495-00472-3.

Supplementary texts include the following plays:

• Antigone by Sophocles, Nicholas Rudall, trans. (Ivan R. Dee, 1998)
• A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen in Four Major Plays, Vol I, Rolfe Fjelde, trans. (NAL, 1992)
• Buried Child by Sam Shepard (Dramatists Play Service, 1996)
• Richard II by William Shakespeare
• The America Play by Suzan-Lori Parks (Dramatists Play Service, 1995)
• Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (Dramatists Play Service, 1997)

Please note: While any modern edition of the plays will serve our purposes, for ease of discussion and uniformity in the course, I have selected recommended editions and translations. Should you wish to use another modern edition of these plays, you may do so.

All texts are available from Higher Grounds at the Friday Center. You can order the books online, or you can print out the book order form to fax or mail with payment for texts as indicated on the form.

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General Web Links

Each lesson will include a list of links that are pertinent to the topic being covered, but you may also find it interesting and useful to visit these Web sites as you work through the course:

• Playmakers Theatre
• Kennedy Center
• Alley Theatre
• Lincoln Center
• Globe Shakespeare Theatre
• Royal Court Theatre
• Royal National Theatre

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Course Requirements

Overview

This course is divided into fourteen lessons. Seven of these lessons will involve your immersion into general aspects of the theatre: examining the relationship between text and performance, recognizing basic elements of dramatic structure, identifying key dramatic movements, learning theatrical terminology, and understanding the relationship of theatre to the culture that produces it. Your basic textbook, which contains the text of one of your assigned plays, Samuel Beckett’s Rockaby, will acquaint you with the complexities of dramatic art and will help you feel comfortable reading, watching, and discussing theatrical performance.

Alternating with the lessons covering more general aspects of the theatre, you will read the text of seven plays, each chosen to clarify your general readings and to place you in a particular theatre experience. Each play illustrates the strengths of a theatrical era or helps you appreciate the many elements that influence theatrical production—deepening your understanding of a playwright and his or her major themes and your own appreciation of those who contribute to the overall dramatic experience: playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and audiences. All of the plays will be worthwhile, adding to your storehouse of knowledge, while clarifying issues you’ve read about in the text.

Writing Assignments (50 percent of grade)

For each chapter or lesson that deals with the theatre in general, you will be asked to submit an answer to a single question. For alternating lessons that focus on a single play, you will write a brief three- to five-page paper on one of three suggested topics. Of course, it is always possible to write on your own original topic, but you must send me an e-mail with the details of what you plan to do first. 

Submit your assignments by using the "Submit Assignment" button. This button opens an e-mail message that is pre-addressed to me and Student Services with the assignment number in the subject line. Add your name to the end of the subject. The assignment must be sent to both me and Student Services to get credit for your work. Question responses and papers will count for 50 percent of your grade.

Exams (50 percent of grade)

There will be a midterm halfway through the course and a final exam. Both will consist of three essay questions and will be “open book.”  Remember that the Web sites suggested have been tested. You are encouraged to seek new Internet sources on your own, but beware that some Web sites contain erroneous information. Contact me to request that I e-mail the exams to you at the specified times. The midterm and final will each be worth 25 pecent of the total grade.

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Honor Code

Remember that as a student of UNC-Chapel Hill, you are bound by the University's Honor Code, which states that "It shall be the responsibility of every student at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University students or academic personnel acting in an official capacity."

All graded academic work must include a pledge comprised of the following:   "No unauthorized assistance has been received or given in the completion of this work."  An especially serious Honor Code violation is plagiarism.  If you have questions, please consult me.

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Course Mechanics

Using E-mail in this Course

Notify me and Janice Durham at the Friday Center if your e-mail address changes.

If you use a spam filter on your e-mail account, you are responsible for ensuring that it does not prevent you from receiving messages from your instructor or Friday Center staff.

Saving your work: It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send to me via e-mail. If I don't receive your work, you must have a copy of the e-mail with the attached file, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent e-mails, as there is no way to guarantee that any e-mail message will be delivered.

Please check your e-mail software to see how it manages sent and saved messages. Some software automatically deletes messages one month after they have been sent; others only save messages if they are filed in folders; others save messages received but not those sent. You may need to send yourself a copy of your e-mailed assignment at the same time you send it to me, or you may need to print a copy of the e-mail message and any attachments to keep in your paper files. No matter how your system works, make sure you know how to save a copy of all work that you submit and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course.

Other Questions

Contact me with questions regarding the content of the course and your progress. (There is a link to my e-mail at the top of every lesson page.) Please include “SPC DRAM 116 ” in the subject line of your e-mail.

Contact the Instructional Designer at the Friday Center about problems with this Web site, including bad links.

If you have any logistical questions as you work through the course (enrollment, credits, extensions, withdrawal, and so on), contact the Student Services staff at the Friday Center for Continuing Education (phone 919-962-1134 or 800-862-5669).

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Lessons

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Lesson 1