TEXT:

Catron, Louis E.  The Director's Vision.  Mountain View, CA.: Mayfield  Publishing Co., 1989.
 

OBJECTIVES:

 Techniques of play directing and stage management, with practical application of both.  The work focuses on the responsibilities of the director/stage manager, the process of selection, interpretation and preparation, the basics of composition and movement, and techniques for casting and rehearsing a production.   Attendance at plays and preparation of director's promptbook are required.
 Students of Directing develop the following competencies in Critical and Creative Thinking: ability to think actively, explore situations with questions, use reasons and evidence for explanations, view situations from different perspectives, discuss ideas in an organized way, and develop ideas that are unique, useful, and worthy of further elaboration.

REQUIREMENTS:

1.  ATTENDANCE AND LATENESS:  Students are expected to attend every class on time and contact the instructor prior to class should conflicts arise (as actors should do with stage managers).  Repeated lateness, as well as absences, will lower grades.

2.  WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:    Students are expected to hand in well-written exercises that serve as a director's tools for play selection and analysis, actor observation, scene preparation, and production evaluation.  These exercises include play reports on five outside plays, fifty casting cards, and the director's prompt book for the semester project play and final scene.  See the Exercises Handout for more detailed explanations of the requirements.

3.  PRODUCTIONS:  Students must attend the current productions of plays at Theatre Arts and Dance.

4.  DIRECTING:  Students are required to stage one 30 second scene for composition, a three-minute scene for blocking (from semester play project), an acting exercise, and a final, fully memorized five-minute scene (from their semester project play).  Consult the Exercises Handout for details.

5.  GRADES:  Final grades will reflect the student's ability to meet deadlines, complete writing assignments with thoroughness and imagination, incorporate lessons into practice, develop scenes with believable and theatrical behavior, and participate openly in class with thoughtful commentary, eager curiosity, and active listening.  Grade Scale: A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 60-69; F = 0-59).

GRADE DISTRIBUTION:

 Composition Exercise 10 points    5 %
 Blocking Exercise and Groundplan 20 10
 Acting Exercise 10 5
 Final Scene  50 25
 5 Play Reading Forms (4 points each) 20 10
 Casting Cards 10 5
 Director's Prompt Book 60 30
 Attendance and Participation 20 10

  Total 200 points 100%
 

DAILY SCHEDULE:

Syllabus, Assignments, Resources, etc.
 

I.  DIRECTOR'S PREP:  RESEARCH, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION

Functions of the Director (Read Catron, Chapters 1 and 2)
Play Selection: Types and Styles of Plays
           (Hand in Play Report #1 - Summer and Smoke)

Play Analysis: Plot and Beat Analysis  (Chapters 3 and 4)
Play Analysis: Character (Chapter 5)

Play Analysis: Thought and Language (Chapters 6 and 7)
Play Analysis: Music and Spectacle (Chapters 8 and 9)
         (Hand in Play Report #2)

Researching the World of the Play and the Playwright
The Prompt Book (Chapter 10)
 

II.  COORDINATION AND PLANNING

Groundplans (Chapter 16)
Working with Designers

Composition for the Stage (Emphasis, Stage Areas, Body Positions)
Picturization, Unity, and Variety
            (Hand in Play Report #3 - Use Semester Play Project)

Composition Exercises
Focus and Aesthetic Elements of Composition

Principles of Stage Movement (Chapter 17)
University Day (No Class)

Blocking and Business  (Chapter 18)
Blocking Exercises
         (Hand in Play Report #4)

Stage Management

III.  WORKING WITH ACTORS

Casting (Chapter 12)             (Casting Cards Due)
Rehearsing with Actors (Chapter 14)

Coaching Actors (Chapter 15)

Acting Exercises
Improvisation     (Hand in Play Report #5)

Dress Rehearsals
Final Scene Presentations

Final Scene Presentations
Last Class - Evaluation     (Hand in Prompt Books)

Exam Period (8AM - 10AM) - Prompt Book Evaluations
 

The above schedule and procedures in this course
are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances