THEA-271-01: Discovering Plays
Laura Standley
Office Location: Venable G08
Office Hours: TR 3:30-4:45p
TR 2p-3:15p
Discovering Plays is about a special kind of reading – the reading of plays. Plays are meant to be seen and performed not read; the published words are merely sketches of a live performance. Unlike a novel, the written play is the skeleton of a highly collaborative event that takes place not on the page, but in moments before an audience in time and space.
Tennessee Williams described the script as “a shadow of a play and not even a clear shadow of it.” He believed that the printed text “is hardly more than an architect's blueprint of a house not yet built.” Over the course of the semester you will be introduced to the basic principles, techniques, and challenges of unpacking plays for performance.
The purpose of our analysis is to discover what the playwright has dramatized and how her work can best be realized on stage clearly, imaginatively and powerfully.
NOTE: THIS SYLLABUS IS NOT A CONTRACT. The instructor reserves the right to alter the course requirements, schedule, and/or assignments based on new materials, class discussions, or other pedagogical objectives. Students will be given notice of relevant changes in class or via email.
Course Summary:
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