1 - 10 of 119 results for: DRAMA

Introduction to the craft of acting for film and reinforcement of basic concepts for the experienced student. Skill-building in the areas of acting, movement, voice, and speech, utilizing material from the film and theater. In-depth work on technique, utilization of action, specificity of language, personalization, emotional truth, character, and given circumstance. Blocking of scenes live performance and video recording of performances. Final performance of the two scenes in a showcase afternoon.

Preference to freshmen. Tension between artistic and commercial forces in modern theater; the conflicted state of the art form. Sources include major and emerging contemporary figures in commercial, fringe, and nonprofit theater in the U.S. and UK. Visits with writers, directors, and dramaturges.

Who doesn't love going to a play: sitting in the darkened theater, an anonymous member of the audience waiting to be entertained, charmed, and challenged? But how many of us know enough about the details of the plays, their interpretation, their production, and acting itself, to allow us to appreciate fully the theatrical experience? In this seminar, we will spend 13 days in Ashland, Oregon, at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), where we will attend these plays: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Henry V, and Troilus and Cressida; George Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind's Animal Crackers; the world premiere of Robert Schenkkan's All the Way; Bill Rauch and Tracy Young's new adaptation, Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella; the world premiere of Party People, by UNIVERSES; and a new Shakespearean adaptation by Alison Carey, The Very Merry Wives of Windsor, Iowa. (To read more about these productions, go to http:// www.osfashland.org.) We will also spend time backstage, meeting with actors, designers, and artistic and administrative directors of OSF. Students will read the plays before the seminar begins. In Ashland, they will produce staged readings and design a final paper based on one of the productions. These reviews will be delivered to the group and turned in on Thursday, September 20. Note: This seminar will convene in Ashland on Monday, September 3, and will adjourn to Stanford on Sunday, September 16. Students must arrive in Ashland by 4:00 p.m. on September 3. Room and board in Ashland and transportation to Stanford will be provided and paid for by the program.

Preference to freshmen. Tensions inherent in the democracy of ancient Athens; how the character of Antigone emerges in later drama, film, and political thought as a figure of resistance against illegitimate authority; and her relevance to contemporary struggles for women's and workers' rights and national liberation. Readings and screenings include versions of Antigone by Sophocles, Anouilh, Brecht, Fugard/Kani/Ntshona, Paulin, Glowacki, Gurney, and von Trotta.

Have you ever seen a great musical and wondered, "How do the actors do it?" In this workshop we will explore the mechanics of acting in musicals as we practice solos and scene work from contemporary and classic musicals.nnMaterial will range from the "golden age" of musicals of the 1930's to new releases. Possible choices are: Gypsy, Company, My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, Oklahoma!, Guys and Dolls, Cabaret, West Side Story, A Chorus Line, Ragtime, Urinetown, Dreamgirls, Hair, Avenue Q, South Pacific, Damn Yankees, Anything Goes, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Caroline, or Change, Ain't Misbehavin', Next to Normal, Hairspray, and many others. Students are encouraged to suggest their own material in their application for the program. Isn't there a role you¿ve always wanted to play?nnnThe class will be accessible to both beginners and experienced actors/singers and will include in-depth work on vocal technique, utilization of action, specificity of language, personalization, emotional truth, character, and given circumstance.nnStudents will develop an awareness of the demands of the performance experience in a safe and supportive environment. They will be encouraged to work to expand their range and will study and perform a solo and a scene from a musical. These assignments will require a minimum of 2 two-hour sessions with a scene partner during a scene rehearsal week. Commitment and responsibility to scene partners is a crucial component to successful work in the theater. In addition to required readings, students will be expected to conduct some research on the world of the playwright, librettist, and composer. We will end our workshop with a final performance of the work in a showcase afternoon for an invited audience. nnnAll levels welcome!

Preference to Freshmen.Beyond the obvious traits that make a good (court room) drama, theater and jurisprudence have much more in common. Just as drama is engaged not only in entertainment but also in examination of social conventions and mechanisms, so law is not only concerned with dispensing justice but with shaping and maintaining a viable human community. In this class we will read and discuss a series of plays in which court proceedings are at the center of dramatic action and concluding with an investigation of the new genre of documentary drama.

Preference to freshmen. This course will introduce works by U.S. Latino and Latina performance artists producing from the margins of the mainstream Euro-American theater world. We will examine how performance art serves as a kind of dramatized political forum for Latino/a artists, producing some of the most transgressive explorations of queer and national/ethnic identities in the U.S. today. By the course¿s conclusion, each student will create and perform in a staged reading of an original performance piece.

A class designed for all interested students. Creative play, ensemble work in a supportive environment. Designed for the student to experience a range of new creative skills, from group improvisation to partner work. Introductory work on freeing the natural voice and physical relaxation. Emphasis on rediscovering imaginative and creative impulses. Movement improvisation, listening exercises, and theater games release the energy, playfulness and willingness to take risks that is the essence of free and powerful performance. Course culminates with work on dramatic text.

For actors who complete substantial scene work with graduate directors in the graduate workshop.