Instructor: John O'Connell                                                    Williams Theatre 128A
                Phone: 481-6550

Office Hours: Mon thru Thurs. 9:00 - 11:00, 3:00-4:00
Fri. 1:00 - 3:00. Or by Appt.                 Web Page: http://users.ipfw.edu/oconnelj/
                        E-Mail: oconnelj@ipfw.edu

Text: Hodge, Francis, Play Directing: Analysis, Communication and Style. 6th Ed.,
Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall, 1994

Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire.

Course Description:
Theatre 440 is a beginning course in the art of stage direction. Through the study of directing theory and practical application students will gain the fundamental skills necessary for basic stage direction.

Course Objectives:
To develop a basic understanding of the theories which govern stage direction.
To develop a working vocabulary for staging contemporary realistic plays.
To gain a thorough understanding of the processes of pre-production play analysis, staging tools and guidelines, rehearsal techniques, actor communication and
post production evaluation.
To experience and develop basic directing techniques through practical application.

Course Requirements and Policies:
The following is a list of the course assignments, followed by a breakdown of the relative value of these assignments in regard to grading.

1. Final Showing of Scene 1 (5-8 minutes) 10%
2. Two Written Play Critiques - 10% each 20%
3. Written play analysis for Scene #1. 10%
4. Exam 1 5%
5. Exam 2 5%
6. Final Showing of Scene 2 10%
7. Prompt Book for Scene 2 25%
8. Final Written Exam 10%
9. Attendance/Class Participation 5%

Assignments in Detail:

1. Class scene - You will present 2 in class scenes. These will be shown to the class on two or three occasions. The first showing is in "rough" shape, ie. all blocked but actors do not need to be off book for this showing. There will be two grades for this scene; one in progress the other for the Final Scene. Ground Plans are due upon first showing. The first scene will have a full play analysis and the second scene will have the full prompt book.

2. Written play critiques - You are required to see both IPFW productions and write a critique of these productions only from a directing standpoint. If you are acting in either, or both of these productions, you will be required to write a "critique" from the standpoint of that actor-director process. 3-5 pages.

Written Material Guidelines:
All written material must follow the guidelines listed below:
- Papers must be 3-5 typewritten, double spaced pages. (Unless otherwise discussed)
- Papers must have a cover page with name and title not included in the 3-5.
- One inch margins all around.
- Nothing larger than 12 pitch print.
- Always Italicize name(s) of plays.
- No paper will be accepted late.
- Free of spelling, grammar and composition errors.
- Specific content requirements will be discussed in class.

3. Exams - Two exams will be administered including subjective and objective material.

4. Final Scene - Scene 2 should demonstrate all that we have covered in this beginning course. This will be the play from which you are to create a prompt book. The Final Scene grade will be the last showing of this scene.

5. Final Exam - A comprehensive final exam including subjective and objective material

6. Prompt Book - An extensive prompt book of the play that is your final scene. Included in this prompt book is play analysis, character analysis, scene breakdowns, sound and light possibilities, beat breakdowns for your scene, groundplans, prop list, etc, etc. etc. (YIKES! it's not that bad)

Scene Work
Scene 1- Must be 5-8 minutes in length at minimum and no longer than 10 minutes. It must have only two characters.
Realistic setting with multiple acting areas, 2 characters, must have inherent movement
Scene must be climatic!
Scene 2 - Must be 8-12 minutes in length. 15 minutes is too long! It must have at LEAST three characters and no more than 6.

Both Scenes should be preferably an American or English play from after 1920. All plays should be approved in advance by the instructor. Ibsen and Chekhov are not allowed. Scenes with older characters should be avoided (50+). The scenes may be comic, dramatic or both. No original or short plays allowed.

Attendance:
Due to the nature and size of this course, excellent attendance is expected. The attendance policy will reflect the policy listed in the Theatre Department Student Handbook. If a student misses a day they are to present material, they will not be given the opportunity to makeup that assignment.

Academic Misconduct:
The performance of and/or involvement in any acts of misconduct will be addressed as per regulations set forth in the IPFW Student Handbook . This includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresentation, and plagiarism.

CLASS SCHEDULE
Class Objectives Readings

Week 1:
8/20 Introduction, syllabus, policies, etc.
READ STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE IMMEDIATELY!
8/22 Historical Perspective

Week 2:
8/27 Why The Director Chapts 1
8/29 The Foundations of Play Analysis Chapts 2&3
Quiz on Streetcar Named Desire
Week 3:
9/3 LABOR DAY OFF
9/5 The Foundations of Play Analysis - Exercise Chapts 4
9/9 ROUGH DRAFT OF SCENE 1 ANALYSIS DUE BY NOON

Week 4:
9/10 Dramatic Action, The Director Prepares Chapt. 5, 6, 7, 8
Communicating, Visual Perception
9/12 Groundplan and Composition Chapts. 9 & 10

Week 5:
9/17 Exam 1
9/19 Scene 1 - First Showing - Group A

Week 6:
9/24 Scene 1 - First Showing - Group B
9/26 Scene 1 - First Showing - Group C

Week 7:
10/1 GROUND PLAN FOR STREETCAR DUE
Gestures/Movement Chapt. 11, 13
10/3 Exercises of Chapters 5-8
Prompt Book Handout

Week 8:
10/8 FALL RECESS - YEAH!
10/10 Scene 1 - Second Showing - Group A
The Lark - Paper Due

Week 9:
10/15 Scene 1 - Second Showing - Group B
10/17 Scene 1 - Second Showing - Group C

Class Objectives Readings

Week 10:
10/22 Scene 1 - Final Showing - Group A/B
10/24 Scene 1 - Final Showing - Group B/C

Week 11:
10/29 Picturization Chapt 12
ROUGH DRAFT OF SCENE 2 ANALYSIS DUE
10/31 Exercises - Picturization

Week 12:
11/5 Scene 2 - First Showing - Group A
11/7 Scene 2 - First Showing - Group B

Week 13:
11/12 Scene 2 - First Showing - Group C
11/14 Exam 2

Week 14:
11/19 Careers in Directing
11/21 THANKSGIVING BREAK

Week 15:
11/26 Scene 2 - Second Showing - Group A/B
11/28 Scene 2 - Second Showing - Group B/C

Week 16:
12/3 Scene 2 - FINAL SHOWING - Group A/B
12/5 Scene 2 - FINAL SHOWING - Group A/B

Finals Week:
12/10 FINAL WRITTEN EXAM - Monday, 12/10 1-3:00pm
Waiting for Godot - Paper Due

Prompt Book due by NOON on Friday, 12/7.
NONE WILL BE ACCEPTED LATE. Early is a BIG PLUS!