Course Syllabus

934 Acting 3- Semester 1

 

5 Meetings per Cycle

Fall/Winter 2022/2023

 

Instructor: Kara Sullivan (She/Her/Hers)

Class Meeting Location: The Little  Theatre- Room 165

Office Hours: By Appointment

Email: sullivank@wellesleyps.org

 

“There is that smaller world we call the stage and that larger stage we call the world”

 

- Isaac Goldberg - America Journalist

 

Course Description:

Documentary theatre, Shakespeare, and Playmaking are just a few topics that we will

Explore this more intense Theatre environment.  In addition, we will focus on Auditioning

And presenting ourselves and our ideas with confidence. We will explore how Theatre can be 

A tool through view we teach and learn and see the world through a variety of lenses. 

 

Ongoing Assignment: Artist Journals

For each class, please write one entry in your google doc Artist Journal reflecting on your 

experience, which could include the artistic process and /or personal perspectives from 

work in class. 3-4 sentences per journal entry are fine. 

(Times New Roman font size 12). Your journal will be submitted to me electronically after

the first entry so I can continue to track progress.



Required for In Class:

  • Notebook, 1 inch binder, Writing utensil

 

Required for the Semester:

  • Attendance OR participation in the Fall Musical/ Improv Troupe/show

 

Optional for Semester 1:

  • Broadway in Boston trip to see Hairspray on 10/26

Optional for Semester 2:

  • Broadway in Boston trip to see Hamilton on 2/7

 

Course Expectations:

It is required that you SHOW UP for class.  Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. There is very little homework (aside from your artist journal) and I expect that we can make the most of our 5 days a cycle together.  Kindness is my biggest expectation and it is imperative that we treat our peers, the space, the teachers, and ourselves with respect.  I will encourage your very best and in return, I will give you my best. Acting has the benefit of being a fun and often less stressful part of your day and I aim to keep that as is- however, I also want us to work, grow and develop skills that will help us in life and on stage. 

Acting III- Learning Goals


Grade 11-12

Essential Questions:

Concepts

Skills/Learning Goals

 

UNIT: 1
SHAKING UP SHAKESPEARE


(SHAKESPEARE SONNETSTUDY) 

  • How can Shakespeare training make you a stronger actor?
  • Why do Shakespeare’s plays endure?
  • Is the White/Male canon of playwrights still worth studying in our diverse world?


  • Working with Shakespeare’s text does not have to be impossible.
  • We can learn a great deal about physical and vocal work by studying Shakespeare. 


Students will be able to:

  • Learn that Shakepsare can be accessible and fun.
  • Find ways to approach the work from a place of curouslty and understanding.
  • Discover how we can apply current events and themes to this timeless work.
  • Learn to embrace the language as actually quite simplistic.
  • Understand and appreciate the Elizabethan Chain of Being in the text and the world of the plays.



MINI UNIT: 1.5


THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED

  • How do we use contemporary issues as the basis of devised drama?
  • How do we effectively present this work; and to what audience?
  • Who is oppressed?  And why?
  • What is forum and image theatre?
  • Actors can work through specific tensions and injustices through the craft of Acting.
  • Finding connections between Theatre and our world is educational and therapeutic.
  • Knowing our role in the world can help us to be better individuals. 


Students will be able to:

  • View theatre as a tool for better understanding ourselves and our place in the world. 
  • Value theatre as an educational tool between the actors and the audience.
  • Identify how theatre is more than just for entertainment but rather as a vehicle for ilicting change. 



UNIT- 2 

DOCUMENTARY THEATRE

  • What is documentary theatre and why is it valuable?
  • How can playwrights tell many stories from various perspectives.
  • Where does one look to find material?
  • What are the Various structures of Documentary Theatre works?
  • Documentary Theatre can involve the community and raise awareness.
  • Documentary Theatre is using the spoken word in a typically verbatim way. 

Students will be able to:

  • Research and explore a topic that means something important to them.
  • Utilize current events to find material to work with.
  • Use interviews as material for playmaking and scene devising.
  • Understand the importance of storytelling as a resource for rich text.





MINI UNIT -2.5

MUSICAL THEATRE

  • How did Musical Theatre evolve and why?
  • How has musical Theatre evolved to what it is today?
  • How does singing and dancing continue the realism of a story? 
  • What are the roots of Musical Theatre?
  • Musical Theatre is a highly respected and difficult art form to execute well.
  • Music and Dancing move the plot forward.
  • There must still be an honesty in the work.


Students will be able to:

  • Study a musical of their choice and be able to chronicle it’s journey from page to stage.
  • Learn a song or dance from a musical and preapre for performance.
  • Work on a musical theatre scene and compare and contrast with non musical theatre scenes. 
  • Recognize the rise of musical theatre in American society and how that has influenced theatre as we know it.

 

UNIT- 3

PLAYMAKING

  • How is devising a play a collaborative art?
  • How do we develop and communicate effective prompts for playmaking?
  • What does workshopping a play mean?


  • Playmaking is more than just writing text.
  • Playmaking is a process that has many elements and structures.
  • Working with improvisation is an interactive way to create a piece. 

Students will be able to:

  • Devise work from prompts given by peers.
  • Put pieces of a story together like a puzzle to create a short play.
  • Identify how to incorporate multimedia into their work to really draw the attention of the audience. 
  • Discover a topic and a theme that means something to them and cultivate the process and then the product.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due