Dual Credit Theatre Appreciation
Northwest Vista Syllabus
Textbook: The Essential Theatre 11ed. By Oscar Brockett/Robert J. Ball
Plays for the Theatre, Enhanced (11th edition) by Oscar G. Brockett and Robert J. Ball
Fall Semester | |||||||
| Unit Title | Introductions Expectations The Nature of Theatre | The Audience and Criticism | The Play | Festival Theatre | Theatrical Space and Production Design | Playwriting and Dramaturgy | Directing and Producing Acting |
| Time | 2 weeks | 1 week | 2 weeks | 3 weeks | 1 week | 2 weeks | |
| Understandings | Identify the three basic elements of theatre. Explain the difference between useful arts and fine arts. Contrast popular culture and elitist culture. Describe at least three of the special qualities of theatre. List the multiple types of intelligence. | Describe the difference, for the audience, of theatrical performance and film. List at least three ways audiences vary. Explain the three-step process for evaluating the theatrical experience. Identify the three basic problems of criticism. | Summarize how reading a play differs from reading other types of literature. Describe at least two of the characteristics of effective dramatic action. List the two most common plot structures. Explain the four levels of characterization. Identify the two most basic forms of drama. | Describe at least three characteristics of the performers in Greece, Rome, or medieval Europe. List the elements of the Greek comedy play structure. Describe at least three characteristics of the performers in Greece, Rome, or medieval Europe. Identify and explain one of the types of drama in the Middle Ages. | List the factors that influence audience response and the use of production elements. Describe the four common physical arrangements of the performer-audience relationship. Discuss one of the types of stage arrangements presented in this chapter. | Compare and contrast the playwright with the dramaturg. Discuss the two parts of the dramaturg’s work. List the ways the dramaturg advises. | Describe the responsibilities of the producer and director. List the approaches to directing and discuss one in detail. Identify the three main types of movement. Describe the Stanislavsky-based concepts pertaining to what an actor must know how to do. Discuss imagination, observation, and concentration. Identify the parts and locations on a basic stage. List the four levels of characterization. |
Fall Semester Continued | |||||
| Unit Title | Scene Design | Costume Design and Makeup | Lighting and Sound Design | Creating a Professional Theatre | Theatre in the 1800s |
| Time | 1 week | 1 week | 1 week | 4 weeks | 3 weeks |
| Understandings | List the opportunities provided by a floor plan. Identify and describe one of the types of units. Describe at least two scene-painting techniques. | List at least three functions of costume design. Describe the three parts of the design process. Identify the four functions of makeup. Identify the four categories of painted makeup. | Identify the controllable qualities of light. List the three principle types of stage lighting. Describe the three categories of sound. Discuss the four main functions of sound design. | Judge the importance of Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre’s theatrical conventions in creating a lasting historical presence. Describe at least two elements of the theatre experience in Renaissance Italy. Judge the importance of Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre’s theatrical conventions in creating a lasting historical presence. ➢ Describe at least two elements of the theatre experience in Renaissance Italy. | List at least three ways that variety was created through melodrama. Identify one theory for Darwin and Freud that were discussed in the chapter. Compare and contrast realism and naturalism. Describe the Stanislavsky System. Compare and contrast realism and naturalism. |
Spring Semester | |||||
| Unit Title | Modernism in the Twentieth Century: 1900-1960 | Decentralization and Subsidization | Contemporary Theatre and Its Diversity | Musical Theatre | Asian and African Theatre |
| Time | 4 weeks | 4 weeks | 4 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 weeks |
| Understandings | Identify and describe one of the theatrical visionaries and his modernist influences. Compare and contrast futurism, dada, and expressionism. Describe the Federal Theatre project. Compare and contrast epic theatre and group theatre. Discuss the differences between European and American drama. | Effect of World War II on Theatrical Activity Postwar British Theatre American Regional Theatres Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway Alternative Theatre Groups Poor and Environmental Theatres Multimedia, Happenings, and Performance Art A New Generation of American Playwrights | Cultural Diversity African American Theatre Latino Theatre LYDIA Asian American Theatre Native American Theatre Theatre by and for Women How I Learned to Drive Performance Art Since 1990 Postmodernism Postmodern Influences on Interpretation and Design Contemporary British Drama The Next Wave of Contemporary American Playwrights | Origins of Musical Theatre The Birth of the Modern Musical Golden Age Musicals Alternatives to the Book Musicals Concept Musicals: Steven Sondheim Other Concept Musicals Andrew Lloyd Weber and the Megamusical The 1990’s: Revitalizing the American Musical The 2000’s: Movies, Jukeboxes, and Other Possibilities | Theatre in Japan Noh Theatre Shrine in the Fields (Nonomiya) Other Japanese Theatre Forms Modern Japanese Theatre Theatre in China Other Asian Countries Wayang Kulit Theatre in Africa Performance in Nigeria The Strong Breed South Africa North Africa Other African Countries |