Monday, November 4, 2013

Titus Andronicus; eLearning & Strucutral Types for Plays

Today we will complete our viewing of Titus Andronicus. Please turn in your handout questions at the end of the film for credit.

In the lab, please continue to work on the eLearning lessons in Module 2: Theater History.

Contemporary plays come in the following structural types:
  • Two-Act (full length) plays
  • Full length One-Act play (usually shorter than two act plays, they clock in around an hour and a half or less).
  • Short one-act plays (these are usually about 45 minutes or less in length)
  • 10-minute plays (these are--shocker!--about 10 minutes or less)
These forms are so last century. They have typically fallen out of favor in the theater (although are alive and well in other places...)
  • The three-act play was popular in the late Victorian to the end of the modern period, but you will occasionally see it around. MOVIES and television are generally written in the 3-act format.
  • The four-act play was popular in Russia in the 19 to early 20th century--particularly in the works of Chekhov. 
  • The five-act play was popular in the Elizabethan (Shakespeare) period. 
HOMEWORK: Complete lessons 02.03, 02.04, and 02.05 if you have not already done so. Please turn in your permission slips to see Geva's The 39 Steps on Thursday. If you do not have your permission slip by next class, you cannot attend the field trip. Period. No exceptions.

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