Category: Drama and Theatre

The only source: Course Packet Analysis attached (12-pt. font, Min. 1500 words) Please consider the content and pick one critical point that provokes further thought or creativity. Use quotations from the reading that reinforce your exploration. Most Importantly, please use acting vocabulary and terms learned from the readings: (circumstance: the who what where when and why of a character you plan to take on for the role) (subtext the underlying meaning or message of a text that isn’t stated) (beat: Opportunity for you to create)

Introduction to Drama
Final assignment (stage a scene) | spring 2024
From one of the plays we’ve read for class [*], choose an act or a scene & write a summary of it. In addition to explaining what happens in the act, your summary should explain how the act works in the play. 200 – 300 words.
[* if you really enjoy the reading we’re doing & have the energy, you may choose an act or scene from one of the two plays in our texts we didn’t read for class: Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler or Yukio Mishima’s The Lady Aoi.]
Break down the act’s action—i.e., describe, as simply as possible, what happens.
You may write this as a list.
How would you stage the act?
Be as literal or abstract as you please. Your goal, aside from thrilling your audience, is to convey the play’s meaning using your actors, set design, lighting, sound, & costume. 2 pages. 2 full pages, please.
If you want to include concept sketches, you may—but as an appendix, not in the body of your 2-page staging description.
For inspiration, don’t hesitate to watch films of staged plays.
Organize your one-act assignment as follows:
First sheet = the summary you wrote,
with your name, etc. in the upper left-hand corner; page # & your last name in the upper right-hand corner (as per MLA),
the title of the play & the act number centered above the summary.
Second sheet = the act breakdown with the page # & your last name in the upper right-hand corner (as per MLA).
Third & fourth sheets = Your staging, MLA formatted.
Fifth sheet = only If including concept sketches. MLA format for images. 
Assignment Criteria
Use standard MLA format.
Use Times New Roman, 12-point.
Yes, double spaced.
Due May 07, via email, by noon. 

1.  The 2nd half of this course has focused on American theatre.  Walk through the history of American theatre: define each movement’s contributions and/or theories & major players, and suggest what you may use and/or not use in your future work (and why).  You must include a discussion of: Theatre in early America, Minstrelsy, the Little Theatre Movement, Early Broadway, Federal Theatre Project, American Realism, African American, American Avant Garde, and Postmodern American Theatre.
2.  How does globalization impact American theatre today?  How will it continue to impact theatre in the future?
3.  What do you believe is the purpose of theatre today?  Does this purpose provide theatre and its practitioners with an art and/or commercial form that will survive and/or thrive in the future that is being built in front of us?  What is necessary for the theatre to thrive in America today, and throughout your theatre career?  What historical moments/movements/situations lend support for your ideas (i.e. what are you basing your ideas on given what we’ve seen throughout history).
Finals should be at least 8 pages, but not more than 20 pages.  Double Spaced, 12 pt. font.
The plays that can be mentioned are: Hedda Gabler, The Importance of being Earnest, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, The Good Person of Setzuan, Rhinoceros, Spurt of Blood, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Fefu and her Friends, Dutchman, The Crucible
Important figures that can be discussed are Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov, Wilde, Shaw, Brecht, Artaud, Ionesco, Baraka, and any other people who wrote the plays previously mentioned.

What did you learn from this week’s readings that surprised or excited you? For instance, how did the reading change your perspective? How did it complicate or contradict an idea or concept you’ve previously held? How did the reading inspire you to want to think or act in a way you didn’t anticipate?
Please write one full paragraph, MLA format.

This week’s assignment is a 5-question quiz based on the two plays we read and discussed this week.
Please see “Quizzes.”
Each question is worth 2 points (for a total of 10 points).
You will have 15 minutes to take the quiz.
The quiz will be open between Friday May 4 and Saturday May 5 (due by 11:59 pm).
Please let us know if you have any questions!

All students must attend one of the specified Theatre
productions listed above. Following the performance, a reflective essay of
two to three pages is required within one week. The essay should provide a
critical evaluation of the entire production, focusing on the analysis of how
various theatrical elements contribute to enhancing the overall experience.
The emphasis should be on the use of these elements rather than expressing
personal likes or dislikes about the performance.
Antigone, Presented by the Girls of St.
Catherine’s
Puffs
$9 tickets are available!
By Madhuri Shekar

ENGL 1022: Composition II
Essay 3: Argument Research Paper or Playwriting Essay
Name:
We’ve read a large variety of authors, subjects, forms, and styles of writing this semester. Because I don’t want to limit this assignment to a particular topic, you have two options for designing this essay. I want you to explore a topic of interest to you, something we covered in class over the course of the semester.
For this assignment, you have two options: to write an argument research essay comparing two of the readings we’ve read at some point this semester in class, or to write a short play and analyze it as you would the plays we read in class. You may pick one or the other: option A or option B as listed below.
Option A: The Argument Essay
For this assignment, you may pick a topic of your choice (something we have covered in our class material) and write an argument research paper on that topic.
– Your essay must be an argument comparing two pieces of literature we read for class –
Guidelines for the paper:
Must be well researched, with at least 6 different, credible sources
Must be between 5-7 pages
Any paper that is plagiarized in whole or in part will receive a zero
Must use MLA (or APA) format with proper documentation of sources (double spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman/Calibri font, name on it, etc).
Proper grammar and sentences mechanics
Must have a Works cited page
T
hink carefully about the topic you wish to research – you don’t want a topic so broad that you are drowning in important facts and details, yet you don’t want to pick a topic so narrow that you can hardly scrape out 2 full pages for it. If you want some brainstorming ideas, come chat with me – I love to brainstorm ☺
Option B: The Play (with research)
For this option, you will write a short play (based on factual research) and analyze the play as you would for class. This is the more “creative writing” of the two options. The topic of the play may be anything you choose. You need to have at minimum of 6 sources you used for one or both parts of this essay.
Guidelines for the play section of the paper:
Have a clear plot format: Exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, ending
Be focused enough to effectively work in the span of 3-4 pages
Have at least 2 characters in dialogue
Have the proper play format with stage directions and dialogue
(Must use at least 6 outside sources to assist in designing the play (ie – play setting, designing the characters, historical event or time period, language of dialogue, design of props, etc) )
Guidelines for the analysis section of the paper:
Assess the structure of the plot for the play
Discuss at length the characters of the play and who they are
Analyze the dialogue of the play
Discuss if you were the director, what the stage setting would look like
Assess the irony and/or symbolism in your play
Discuss in detail the theme of your play
Must be at least 2-3 pages of analysis
Must have proper documentation (MLA bibliography) of the 6 outside sources used
Any paper that is plagiarized in whole or in part will receive a zero
GUIDELINES FOR BOTH OPTIONS:
Must use MLA format with proper documentation of sources (double spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman/Calibri font, name on it, etc).
Proper grammar and sentences mechanics
Must be between 5-7 pages. It should be AT LEAST 5 FULL pages.
Complete Two Peer Reviews for you classmates
Submit Final Draft online to the proper D2L Folder
See the attached Rubric for grading information
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
ALL D2L turned-in assignments must follow MLA format, and be a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx). A PDF file would also be acceptable. However, no other format will be accepted as my computer will not be able to access it properly (NO .wks, .rtf, etc).
All papers will be checked through Turnitin for AI usage. Any paper that receives a 20% AI score or higher will result in a discussion with the instructor and, to receive a grade for the essay, will need to be rewritten again from the start.

Take-home Reading Quiz #5 – Poetry
Please write a short paragraph as a response to the poem. Your paragraph should include a short summary (1-2 sentences max.), analysis (2-3 sentences min.) and a personal response/reaction/opinion (2-3 sentences min.).
Please write one paragraph for each of the following texts:
Choose 1 of the 2 Asian-American poems (Mirikitani, Majmudar).
Choose 1 of the 2 poems by Hughes.
Choose 2 of the 3 poems African-American poems (Angelou, Brooks, Cullen).
Choose 1 of the 2 Latinx poets (Anzaldua, Cofer).
Choose 1 of 2 poems by Alexie.
Choose 1 poem by Doty or Polamalu.
This is a total of 7 short paragraphs.

Introduction to Drama
Final assignment (stage a scene) | spring 2024
From one of the plays we’ve read for class [*], choose an act or a scene & write a summary of it. In addition to explaining what happens in the act, your summary should explain how the act works in the play. 200 – 300 words.
[* if you really enjoy the reading we’re doing & have the energy, you may choose an act or scene from one of the two plays in our texts we didn’t read for class: Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler or Yukio Mishima’s The Lady Aoi.]
Break down the act’s action—i.e., describe, as simply as possible, what happens.
You may write this as a list.
How would you stage the act?
Be as literal or abstract as you please. Your goal, aside from thrilling your audience, is to convey the play’s meaning using your actors, set design, lighting, sound, & costume. 2 pages. 2 full pages, please.
If you want to include concept sketches, you may—but as an appendix, not in the body of your 2-page staging description.
For inspiration, don’t hesitate to watch films of staged plays.
Organize your one-act assignment as follows:
First sheet = the summary you wrote,
with your name, etc. in the upper left-hand corner; page # & your last name in the upper right-hand corner (as per MLA),
the title of the play & the act number centered above the summary.
Second sheet = the act breakdown with the page # & your last name in the upper right-hand corner (as per MLA).
Third & fourth sheets = Your staging, MLA formatted.
Fifth sheet = only If including concept sketches. MLA format for images. 
Assignment Criteria
Use standard MLA format.
Use Times New Roman, 12-point.
Yes, double spaced.
Due May 07, via email, by noon. 

Essay assignment: Write a fully-developed (7-13 sentences) paragraph analyzing rhetoric (persuasive tactics) used in Antony’s speech. Your paragraph should identify TWO different rhetorical appeals / devices used AND explain HOW the speaker uses these rhetorical tactics to achieve his purpose (HOW are they effective in persuading the audience).