THTR 335 Advanced Contemporary Scene Study: Comedy
This course builds on the theoretical concepts and foundational skills acquired from the freshmen and sophomore levels of the Acting/Theatre Performance curriculum, and offers students the opportunity to choose further study to inform their individual development as actors. Students will further develop their abilities to use a variety of research sources and the information and clues in their analysis of text to choose acting styles, make informed choices and build characters. This course will examine the work of such playwrights as Alan Ayckbourn, Charles Busch, The Five Lesbian Brothers, Caryl Churchill, Christopher Durang, David Ives, Charles Ludlam, Nicky Silver and Wendy Wasserstein, among others. Through an emphasis on rhythm (the music of the text) and letting words and images fill the body and awaken the imagination, actors will learn how to bring the world of the play and its images to life onstage. Students will gain a broad knowledge of contemporary playwrights and texts, actor flexibility (character development, the clear and decisive playing of actions and emotional, psychological and physical depth), the ability to discover a variety of circumstances and to perform “style.” Additional lab fee applies.