Playing the Part: Text Analysis and the Revelation of Character In this seminar we will apply the actor’s techniques of text analysis and character development to the study of dramatic literature in the hopes that these tools can illuminate the texts in ways conventional approaches might not.  This is not a performance class nor is acting experience a prerequisite. We will read six plays, and, using the technical tenets of Stanislavsky-based method acting, chart the characters’ progress through the script. We will watch plays on film, and travel to see a professional production.

Acting I: Beginning Acting Rigorous physical and psychophysical exercises attempt to break through the cultural and psychological barriers that inhibit an open responsiveness to impulses, to the environment, and to others. Attempt is made to free personal response within improvised scenes and, eventually, within the narrative structure of a naturalistic scene. Attention is given to various theories of acting technique. Students are expected to audition for departmental shows.

Acting II: Voice for the Actor Using the Linklater technique for the voice, students will study the physiological foundations of voice and alignment. By means of interrelated physical and vocal exercises, students will discover ways of changing patterns that restrict a full range of physical and vocal expressiveness. Students will study and present passages from Shakespeare to explore ways in which their new physical and vocal skills may be used to express a greater range of intellectual and emotional understanding.

Fall Production Studio: Acting The cast works as part of a company interpreting, rehearsing, and performing a play. Those receiving credit can expect to rehearse four to six nights a week. Appropriate written work is required. Participation in the course is determined by auditions held the previous term.

Acting and Directing for the Camera In this advanced workshop we will focus on the relationship between actors and directors in the context of live action media production (film, television, advertising, web series). Students will gain practical knowledge of actor-director engagement and insight into both facets of this process. Students will also analyze produced screenplays, practice actor-director communication, and direct and perform for the camera. All students will take turns fulfilling the roles of director and performer, culminating in recording and editing workshopped scenes.

Spring Production Studio: Acting The cast works as part of a company, interpreting, rehearsing, and performing a play. Those receiving credit can expect to rehearse four to six nights a week. Appropriate written work is required. Participation in the course is determined by auditions held during the term prior to the performance.

Acting IV: Styles of Acting The course will expose students to the rigorous physical, vocal, mental, and emotional demands of "non-naturalistic" acting, beginning with the Greeks, continuing through Shakespeare, Restoration, the eighteenth century, and ending with contemporary absurdist playwrights. Emphasis is first upon an intellectual understanding of the texts, then upon their fullest physical, vocal, and emotional expression. The course is designed for students who have had some prior stage experience.

Twentieth/Twenty-first Century Performance Aesthetics This course is an intensive exploration of the evolution of the theory and practice of theatrical experimentation in the 20th and 21st centuries. The Modernist movement irrevocably altered the artist’s relationship to the social, and political order. The ramifications of this change will be addressed throughout the course, with particular emphasis on Brecht, Artaud, and Grotowski. Students will write papers and give presentations on the work of such contemporary artists as Peter Brook, DV8, Robert Wilson, Ariane Mnouchkine, Complicite and Jerzy Grotowski.

Acting III: Scene and Monologue Study Designed primarily for majors who have had experience on stage or have otherwise demonstrated a serious interest in performance. The skills introduced in Acting I and Acting II are given intensive application to different kinds of dramatic texts, primarily realistic in nature. Attention will be given to expanding the performer's range of emotional and intellectual expressiveness.

Playwriting II: Advanced For students with experience writing short scripts or stories, this workshop will provide a support structure in which to write a full-length stage play. We will begin with extended free and guided writing exercises intended to help students write spontaneously and with commitment. Class discussions will explore scene construction, story structure, and the development of character arc. (ENAM 0170 or THEA/CRWR 0218 or FMMC/CRWR 0218; by approval) 2 1/

Alexander Draper

Reviews and ratings for Alexander Draper at Middlebury College.Alexander Draper teaches Playing the Part, Acting I: Beginning Acting, Acting II: Voice for the Actor and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Alexander Draper good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I enjoyed the pace of the class, reading and discussing a play each week, even if I did sometimes feel a little pressed for time to finish a text in time. Class discussions followed a similar format each week: students assigned to characters and would discuss with the rest of class the motivations and experiences of their given character. The topics of the papers were, generally, interesting aside from one that felt blatantly like busy work. Wish class was a little less homogeneous and there were more breaks from discussions prior to the final project presentation at the end of the semester.

I really enjoyed taking this course with Professor Draper, he is a very enthusiastic instructor who understands that many in the class don't have much experience with theater. The class is very engaging and involved physical movement and short, scripted scenes with partners that we performed. 

Very fun course. Keep up with the memorization required as well as the journals as it is hard to get them all done in one go. It's hard to stay on track of the readings but he reviews what you need for each class.