End of Marking Period; End of Complete Works of W. Shakespeare (abridged); Education & Field Trip

Today we will be completing the Reduced Shakespeare Company's The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).

Please turn in your homework. See previous post for details.

Next class we will be leaving on our field trip (at 8:05--please be in the Commons at that time--do NOT be late) to MCC. Once there we will attend a college class, discuss issues in education, and take a tour of the campus. Lunch is provided. Please hand in your permission slip.

HOMEWORK: None.

The Complete Plays of Shakespeare: Abridged; Tudor England

This morning let's begin our examination of theatrical history with the Elizabethans. For a bit of background, please watch and take notes.

England's Kings & Queens (song)
Cos We're The Tudors
Henry VIII, Wives
Mary Tudor Song
The Catholic Report
Queen Elizabeth Dating
William Shakespeare song
Elizabethan Theatre (video)
England Civil War

Likely the most influential writer in all of English literature, and certainly the most important playwright of the English Renaissance, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England.

Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Public and critical success quickly followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part owner of the Globe Theater.

His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558-1603) and James I (ruled 1603-1625). Wealthy and renowned, Shakespeare retired to Stratford, and died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two.

Shakespeare's works were collected and printed in various editions in the century following his death, and by the early eighteenth century his reputation as the greatest poet ever to write in English was well established.

A contemporary example of Theater of the Ridiculous is the smash hit The Reduced Shakespeare Company Presents The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). 

As we watch this play, note:

• Elements of ridiculous theater
• Premise, Inciting Incident, MDQ, Complications, Conflict, Conflict, etc.

HOMEWORK: Please read two of the following three articles (you may read all three if you'd like) and take Cornell notes on two of the articles. We will discuss and turn in our notes for credit next class:

1. Daily Life in Elizabethan England
2. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
3. Shakespeare's Influence

Play Project Due!

Your projects are due today!

Before you turn in your plays, please make sure:

• Your play is written in the proper play script format (see handouts and previous links to double-check!)
• Refer to today's handout about punctuation and format...
• Your play draft should have a title and a character list. 

4 = Exemplary (A/A+): Play is written in correct (standard) playwriting format for actors/directors. Title is intriguing, symbolic, and/or original. Plot structure adheres to and enhances Aristotelian elements; Cause and effect is well done, logical and creative; conflict is intriguing and creative; the playwrights' message is universal and comments thoughtfully on the human condition; play has intriguing, original characters; setting is original and interesting, but also practical for theatrical space; stage directions are specific, producible, enhance the action of the play and do not get in the actor/reader's way; dialogue is original, compelling, appropriate for characters; characters have clear and appropriate motivation; there is a clear progression of conflict/events, leading to a dark moment (crisis), enlightenment, and climax for the protagonist; dialogue sounds natural; play follows the three unities of time, place, action (when appropriate); scenes are well developed, each ending with a climactic moment, constantly moving the plot forward; staging is creative, appropriate and play is clever and producible. Few or very minor grammar errors.

3 = Accomplished (B/B+): Play is written in standard publishing playwriting format, or format for actors/directors has a few mistakes. Title is appropriate, but may not be as clever or creative as 4 above. Plot is appropriate and uses several Aristotelian elements, but not to the same level as 4. Cause and effect is more or less appropriate for the situation; playwright has a message, but may not be as original or creative as 4. Setting is appropriate and practical, but not as clever or interesting as 4. Stage directions are used appropriately; dialogue is appropriate for verisimilitude of characters and setting; dialogue mostly sounds natural; play mostly follows unities, but may rely on one more than another; main characters have appropriate motivation, with some errors or lack of development; scenes are developed, but may not always progress the plot; staging is appropriate and producible, but not as clever as 4. Some grammar errors.

2 = Promising (C/C+): Play attempts standard playwriting format, but may have several errors. Title is present, but does not necessarily support theme, tone, or symbol. Plot borders on cliche or sentimentality; plot may lack some Aristotelian elements. Cause occurs without effect or there are errors in plotting; playwrights' message may be trite or melodramatic or over done; characters may be unoriginal, lacking motivation or development; setting is standard and largely uninteresting; dialogue sounds stilted or melodramatic, unreal; play does not always follow the unities; characters may lack motivation or play includes too many minor characters; scenes are sketchy or undeveloped, conflict is too easily resolved; scenes may not advance the plot; staging is awkward or expensive or cinematic; grammar errors distract the reader/actor.

1 = Beginning (D): Play is not in playwriting format. Title is absent or untitled. Play may be incomplete, plot and characters flat or undeveloped, or as a "2" but may also be late. Dialogue is awkward, unnatural, or non-specific. Work is not up to 11th grade level or standards. Grammar mistakes and writing errors make reading difficult.

The Mystery of Irma Vep; Play Project

This morning, please continue reading The Mystery of Irma Vep.

• As "theater of the ridiculous" you should identify how the play stands up to its name. Allusions to popular culture (this play, for example, borrows much from a variety of literary sources including Daphne DuMaurier's gothic novel Rebecca--made into a Hitchcock film in 1940), Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, and a variety of pop cultural horror films such as The Mummy, The Wolf Man, and Dracula. Most adult audiences would know these references. 
• Above all there is a sense of play or make-believe and, well, ridiculous situations. The quick change costumes and fact that only two actors play all the roles in this play make for some farcical situations.
• Some of the scenes (see the Irma Vep scene in the tomb) were improvised--another characteristic of this kind of play format. We will also screen The Complete Plays of Shakespeare: Unabridged as another example of the Ridiculous Theatre tradition next week.  

Once we're done, please return to the lab and work on your projects. These will be due Monday at the end of class. Please make sure you are ready to edit/revise your work on Monday (i.e., don't plan on finishing the play then--instead use your time in the lab to tweak, edit, and improve your script as opposed to writing it!) That means: finish your play script this weekend!

HOMEWORK: Finish your play script! Complete the reading of the Charles Ludlum article.

Play Project: Deadline Looming!

This morning, please work on your play projects. Use the time in the lab to work toward your climax and ending of your draft. You may find you need to complete this draft in your advisement periods or as homework if you are behind.

Aim to finish writing the play and turn it in Monday, Nov. 3.

• Give your characters a defining trait. What aspect of their personality shows up the most? How might props and actions help define these characters?
• Deepening your characterization (your characters' actions, thoughts, and speech) should be driven by strong emotions and the events, people, or situations that cause these strong emotions. If your characters have nothing to fear, get angry about, or get motivated about, consider how you might introduce a strong emotion into the scene. Consider your time lock and trap as stage conventions.
• Give your characters a backstory. What has your character experienced in the past that sheds new light on his/her behavior now? Go back into your earlier scenes and dig this backstory out! 

The Mystery of Irma Vep

One of the reasons people attend theater, as opposed to staying home watching TV or going to a movie is that through theatrical convention, we are often treated to a live-event that is intimate and "magical" in that what we witness on stage is a heightened exaggeration of life. Theater tends to be REPRESENTATIONAL and symbolic, rather than presentational. That is, the characters, plots, settings, props, etc. of a play REPRESENT reality, they are not reality. The viewer is likely to accept certain "unreal" actions, dialogue, characters, etc. while watching a stage play that he/she would not accept in film or in a novel.

Our case study will be the play The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam. Ludlam created the Ridiculous Theater Company in NY in 1967. Ludlam died of complications from AIDS in the 1980's.

Ludlam is best known for the theatrical movement: The Theatre of the Ridiculous.

""The Theatre of the Ridiculous" made a break with the dominant trends in theatre of naturalistic acting and realistic settings. It employed a very broad acting style, often with surrealistic stage settings and props, frequently making a conscious effort at being shocking or disturbing. "Ridiculous" theatre brought some elements of queer performance to avant-garde theater. Cross-gender casting was common, with players often recruited from non-professional sources, such as drag queens or other "street stars." [We can see this trend continue with the works of Charles Busch].

Plots in these "ridiculous" plays are often parodies or re-workings of pop-culture fiction, including humor and satire to comment on social issues. Improvisation plays a large role in the plays, with the script acting as a blueprint for the action.

HOMEWORK: Complete your Charles Busch play review. Complete the handout to turn in next class!

Vampire Lesbians of Sodom

This morning take 5-10 minutes to complete the round-table discussion of the articles on Pantomime, The Cross-Dressing Tradition, and the Commedia Dell'Arte. Turn in your graphic organizer notes for credit.

We will continue to read Vampire Lesbians of Sodom in class today. For students who do not have a part to read out loud, please note how Busch uses dialogue effectively in this play. Consider the points I covered last class. At the end of our reading of the play, please present your findings to the rest of the class. It will be YOUR turn to talk!

With time remaining in class, please retire to the lab to continue working on your play projects. Aim to complete a draft of your play by the end of next week. Actual deadline will be Nov. 3. The marking period ends on Friday, Nov. 7.

HOMEWORK: Please choose 1 other play from The Tale of the Allergist's Wife and Other Plays by Charles Busch and read it by Thursday, Oct. 30. Complete the play critique for this play (see handout).

Go see The Young Playwrights' Contest winners at Geva this weekend: Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 in the Next Stage (Geva Theater). Tickets are free and can be reserved here. 

The Building Blocks of Dialogue/Charles Busch

Dialogue isn't just talking. Dialogue HAPPENS. It happens when your characters' need to speak. It is also how they listen (or not listen), and the connotation, nuance, color and subtext of what they say, how they say it, and why they say it. Good dialogue is the result of well-defined characters in a well-structured plot. They may be compelled to speak (or not), but they should have a REASON for speaking.

Here are some tips to consider:

1. We usually talk because we want to communicate some need. If we want nothing, we say nothing, usually. We also speak when we want to: threaten, teach, explain, tease, joke, murmur, pontificate, defend ourselves, apologize, seduce, evade, pout, challenge, yell, scold, cry, motivate, convince, etc.

2. Dialogue is action. It is an action taken to satisfy a want or desire. What a character wants or desires moves them to speak and act. This is part of characterization--and the best way to build or develop your character(s).

3. When we don't get what we want (often immediately), humans tend to become shy, aggressive, or hide our agendas in our words. This is often our subtext (the meaning hidden in a line of dialogue; or saying one thing, but meaning another) and is very important to actors. It is often this subtext that a good actor will uncover in a performance.

4. Characters have to hear each other. Characters often do not listen the same way. Characters interpret what is being said, ask questions, ignore speech, get confused, miss a meaning and even read special meaning into something that has no meaning. Listening, therefore, will often help build the conflict and drama in your scene. A response reveals something important about the listener. How a character hears, then, is an important point to consider.

TODAY IN THE LAB: Please continue writing your plays with the dialogue advice in mind during period 1. Before the end of period 1, please read and take notes on the following:

Please take a look at Charles Busch's blog. He has placed a variety of play video clips here. Take a look at a few of these. His official website is located here.

Please watch a few video clips, read an interview or two with the author, and learn a little about his background. Please take about 10-15 minutes to view this material.

In period 2, please pick up our next play: The Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.

HOMEWORK: PLEASE READ (on index card, write a one-sentence summary of each article and 1 important fact or detail you think is essential or interesting):

• An article about cross-dressing and theatre
• Since theatre began, cross-dressing has been a common occurrence on the stage. As far back as ancient Greek theatre, male actors acted both male and female roles on stage. Later in pantomime, commedia dell'arte, and medieval theatre the tradition continued. Of course, Shakespeare and his contemporaries also used cross-dressing in Elizabethan theatre. Many of Shakespeare's funniest comedies use the trope of cross-dressing, for example: Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and even The Merchant of Venice.
• Read the Charles Busch's Introduction (ix-xix) 
• Continue to write your play scripts.
• Bring your Charles Busch collection of plays back with you to our next class!