Review for Exam #4

Chapter 9

The development of the Broadway musical:  America’s contribution

            The first phase of the golden age:  Musical Comedy

            The second phase of the golden age:  Musical Drama

The contemporary musical

            Stephen Sondheim

            European Musicals

            Mel Brooks

Directions in the modern musical

Chapter 10

A theatre of postmodern experiment

A nonlinear theatre

A theatre by and about women

A theatre of ethnic diversity

            An African-American theatre

            A Latino theatre

            An east-west theatre

A theatre of non-traditional casting

A dangerous theatre

Who’s Doing Today’s Theatre

            Robert Wilson…and performance art

            Sherry Glaser…solo performance

            Two American Directors:  Taymor and Zimmerman

Plus:  p. 347 to end of chapter

From notes:

Review our discussion of Equus

Review notes on the musical:

            What theatrical forms led to its development

            What was the first American musical

            What was the importance of Showboat

            Musicals of the 30s

            What was the importance of Oklahoma!

            Rodgers and Hammerstein

            Lerner and Loewe

            Musicals of the 1960s

            The British Invasion

And review your notes from today making sure you know the different types of theatres where plays are performed today, what they are like, and what kind of plays are performed in them.

Review for Exam #3       Theater Appreciation

From your notes:

What was one of the earliest dramas (presented in Egypt)? 

What god was theater in honor of?

Who is the first actor we have a record of?

Know the differences between ancient Greek theater and today’s theater

Review the notes about the events in a Greek theater festival

What was unique about the way Greek plays were presented?

What did ancient greek theaters look like?

Know the three tragic playwrights I talked about

How was Roman theater different from Greek theater?

How did the Church feel about theater?

Was there theater during the middle ages?  What was it like?

What did Shakespeare’s theater look like?

What were Shakespeare’s actors like?

Review my notes on Shakespeare’s plays—everything there is golden  :^)

Know the two major realistic playwrights I talked about

Why did people revolt against realism?

What are some of the “isms” that rejected realism?

What is community theater?  Outdoor drama?

What are the unique qualities of Asian drama?

Know the three types of Japanese drama that we talked about (and watched a film about)

Know what Arthur Miller and Tennesee Williams’ plays were like

Know a couple of plays that each man wrote

Know a play or two written by Eugene O’Neill

Review the lives of those three men.

From your book

Sections to review

Chapter Seven:

Origins of theater

Greek drama

Medieval drama

Renaissance drama

Theater in the east

Japanese NO

Japanese Kabuki

Chapter Eight:

All of it

Review for Exam #2  Theater Appreciation

Disclaimer:  The questions will come from these topics.  Not every topic will necessarily be on the exam, but space permitting, I’ll try to cover it all.  This review covers your notes, not the material in the book , which you are also responsible for.  The format will be the same as the last exam, though this exam will be a bit longer, in order to make it more worth your while.

Things from your notes to know:

The steps a director goes through in preparing a show for performance

            Know the considerations in selecting a script

            Types of research

            What is a concept

            Casting concerns

            Types of rehearsals

Review the famous 20^th century directors we talked about:  Stanislavsky, Meyerhold, Brook, Kazan, Prince, Nichols

Know the different types of theaters-thrust, arena, proscenium

Be able to label the parts of a theater

Know the design elements each type of designer uses—scenery, lighting, costume, sound

Review the design process for sets and costumes, going from sketches to opening night

Know the differences between, and different strengths and weaknesses of, models and renderings

Review the lecture notes covering how actors were trained throughout history

Review my notes on actor training in the 20^th century

Know the tools of the actors trade—picture/resume, tapes, websites

Review the notes on auditions, agents, managers, markets for actors talent, training opportunities

Know the famous actors we discussed in our last class

TAR 100 THEATRE APPRECIATION

Instructor:  King        Fall 2003  Tuesday and Thursday 3:05-4:20pm

Office: FA-227

TEXT:     THEATRE, BRIEF EDITION sixth edition Cohen

                  EQUUS Peter Shaffer

Phone: 572-5647 or 572-6362

Office Hours:  m-f noon to 1pm or by appointment

SYLLABUS

The purpose of this course is:

1.  To increase each student's enjoyment of the theatre.

2.  To expose each student to live theatre

3.  To expose each student to some dramatic literature

4.  To increase each student's understanding of the history and development of the art of the theatre.

5.  To instil in each student a knowledgeable respect for the art of the theatre.

Requirements of the course:

1.  Class attendance is not required.  However, a great deal of the information on the exams will come from lectures, from the films we will watch, and from activities performed during class meetings.  You will be responsible for all of this material, as well as any announcements made in class, whether you attended that day or not.   Also, regular attendance will result in extra consideration during final grading.

2.  One play from the play list (either division) must be read and a report (300-500 words) must be submitted on each one.  The report must be turned in by November 6th.  Failure to achieve this deadlines will lower the grade by one letter grade per day the assignment is overdue.

3.  Students will attend two of the three NKU Theater productions this semester.  To document attendance, each student must sign-in and sign-out with the House Manager.  The exams may include questions about the shows.  Students will write a review of one of the shows.  This review will be turned in no later than the last day of class.

4.  Each student is expected to participate in class discussions and activities which will center on material from the plays and lectures.

5.  Each student is required to read the play Equus and take a written quiz on it.

5.  There will be four tests within the semester.  These tests will cover material from the plays and lectures.   The tests will consist of multiple choice, true-false, short answer, and possible essay questions.

GRADING: 

                                Exam #1                               10%

                                Exam #2                               15%

                                Exam #3                               20%

                                Final Exam                          25%

                                Play Report                         10%

                                Review Paper                     10%

                                Play attendance                 10%

                                                ________________

                                                                                100%

Note:  Plays watched or read for this class may contain language or subject matter that may be offensive to some individuals.  Discuss this with your instructor if you anticipate a problem.