Playing the Part
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.
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 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 chara …Read more