Acting II Spring 2015

Instructor: Jenny Wanasek

Office: T25

Office Hours: T, 12:30-1:30, and by appt.

Phone: 414-229-4947E-mail:

FINAL EXAM: May 14, 10-noon

Credits: 3(45 hours of classroom instruction, 25 hours reading plays/articles/research, 25 hours rehearsals, 10 hours prep for in-class presentation, 7 hours of performance attendance, 8 hours of research and writing of paper)

Course Description: This course is a continuation of the work in Acting 110. We will go further into the actor’s process as it relates to the production process. The focus will now shift into text, rehearsal discipline, auditioning, and performance in contemporary realism.

Course Goals:

1. To identify and explore tools for the actor’s process in rehearsal.

2. To create an individualized audition.

3. To collaborate and perform in two individual scenes.

Student Outcomes/Learning Objectives:

1. The student will perform exercises, engage in table work, rehearse, and perform contemporary realistic text.

2. The student will perform two audition pieces.

3. The student will perform two scenes.

Rationale:

As a continuation of Acting 110 this course:

  • Focuses on text and performance
  • Asks students to interpret and analyze text from an actor’s point of view
  • Exposes students to a variety of acting pedagogies and terms related thereto

Required Readings and Materials:

  1. Various articles and handouts to be provided by Instructor.
  2. Descent by Tom Patrick, to be purchased from the instructor.
  3. Second play - TBA

Recommended Texts:

  1. Hagen, Uta. Respect for Acting. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1973.
  2. Merlin, Joanna. Auditioning: An Actor Friendly Guide. Vintage, 2001

Expectations are high:

  1. Be on time.
  2. Be in the room, ready to work, dressed appropriately at the start of class.
  3. Be prepared. Have your notebook, pencil, capped bottle of water, syllabus, texts, and anything else you might need for class with you. No other food or drink allowed.
  1. Be daring. Be ready to work, willing to take risks, and support others in their development.
  2. Communicate. Keep me updated on concerns you have or problems you are experiencing. It is your responsibility to catch up when you have missed class. Always check the D2L site if you’ve missed class as there might be an update on what we did, what we’ll be doing.
  3. Most answers to your questions about the class can be found on D2L or in this Syllabus. Check them both before emailing me.
  4. University Policies and Procedures:
  5. Required play attendance:

LUNA GALE Renaissance Theatreworks Jan 20-Feb 12. Your ticket stub is due Feb 12.

Second play, your choice: OTHELLO or LOVES LABOURS LOST April 12-23 UWM productions in Kenilworth 508. There is a paper due with this second play. Ticket and paper requiredin order to earn points.

Grades:

Your grade will be based upon the following criteria:

In class exercises and participation 25% .89 per class

Audition Process 15%

First play ticket stub, NO CHILD 5%

First Play Scene performance 20%

2nd Play ticket stub and written acting evaluation 10%

Final Performances 25%

Attendance. It is ESSENTIAL that you come to class. Your partner(s) are counting on you. You will learn from doing the work, observing others, discussing what we do. You must be present to do the work. Extra credit is available only for extreme circumstances. Each absence after the third will result in your grade being lowered one full grade regardless of your other work in class. Three late arrivals equal one absence. If you are tardy, at the end of that day’s class it is your job to make certain your attendance is recorded. If you miss the class when presentations are made you will miss earning those points. Exceptions made only for extreme circumstances. If you miss a day on which graded assignments are performed, you must have an extremely strong excuse that can be documented in order to be allowed to make it up.

Written Acting Evaluation: You will write one evaluation (400-600 words) of the acting in the third production you see this semester. You may choose to write about a specific actor, or draw comparisons of the work of two actors (can be from different productions). Focus on the terminology and experiences you have gained in class to constructively evaluate or comment on what you observe. How can the work we are doing in class be applied to the work you witnessed?

All papers are due by the start of class on the date due. All papers turned in late are subject to penalization and will be accepted at the Instructor’s discretion.

Assessment

Exceptional
Full points
A / Above Average
80%
B / Average
70%
C / Substandard
60%
D / Failing
59% or lower
F
Audition Process / Excellent applica-
tion of skills identified in class.
Excellent material.
Dressed appro-
priately. / Good applica-
tion. Good
monologues
Dressed
appropriately. / Memorized. Some application of skills. Dressed somewhat appropriately. / Poor memorization. Little application of skills. Not dressed appropriately. / Not memorized at all. No application of skills. Not dressed appropriately.
Evaluation Paper / No grammar mistakes. Thoughtful, insightful and clear analysis of acting. / Some grammar mistakes. Clear analysis of acting. / Grammar issues. Some analysis of acting. / Many grammar issues. Very little attention paid to analysis of acting. / Paper does not address topic assigned.
First Scene
Performance / Prepared, well-rehearsed, and thoughtful work. Succesful playing of objectives of character. / Successful playing of objectives most of the time. Memorized. / Memorized. Attempt made to apply class work to scene / Little success in playing the objectives of the character. Issues with memorization / Did not apply oneself to work assigned.
Second Scene
Performance / Prepared, well-rehearsed, and thoughtful work. Succesful playing of objectives of character. Clear and appropriate physical interpretation of character. / Successful playing of objectives most of the time. Memorized. Moderate success at clear and appropriate physical interpretation of character. / Memorized. Attempt made to apply class work to scene. Attempt made to embody character physically. / Little success in playing the objectives of the character. Issues with memorization.
Very little success in embodying character physically. / Did not apply oneself to work assigned. No expression of character physically.
Class
Participation / Energetic, striving to learn to the best of one’s ability. Supportive and encouraging of others. Superb risk-taking. Contributes to conversations thoughtfully. Is a leader. / Good energy, good concentration. Is supportive of the work of others and contributes a good learning environment. Contributes to class conversations often. / Present, attentive. Does not deter others from learning. Contributes to conversations occasionally. / Barely attentive. Poor concentration. Sometimes deters others from learning. Does not contribute to class conversations. / Bored demeanor, uncooperative and a detriment to atmosphere of the class. No initiative taken to learn.