Syllabus
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Children’s Theatre 465
Spring 2006
Associate Professor Richard Kalinoski
W-18 moving to the experimental theatre
11:30 to 1:00 Tuesdays and Thursdays
Text:
Theatre for Children by David Wood published by Ivan R. Dee
Other
texts: Performances of plays on campus. The Visit,
Desdemona: A Play about a Handkerchief (student
directed),
student written play, Zombies from the Beyond
Theatre as a part of the Liberal Arts
The liberal arts engage students in the study of the human condition by exploring the disciplines broadly defined by the sciences, the arts, culture, literature and history. THEATRE is a small component of these human endeavors but its reach is ambitious. Theatre has been historically dedicated to the act of imitating, replicating and representing our lives. In many ways it is the ultimate “liberal” art if one understands the word “liberal” to mean generous or broadly encompassing.
Theatre’s mandate is to explore any and all facets of lives—it demands intellectual rigor and multfarious artistic abilities because theatre is primarily interested in uncovering the truth about how we live. It is this search for truth that puts theatre into the very core of liberal pursuits. Theatre is a geniune liberal art.
OFFICE
HOURS:
3:00
to 4:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays in office at 218 Arts and
Communication West
Other
hours by appointment
e-mail:
kalinosk@uwosh.edu
Phone: 920 424 0937
CLASSROOM:
(may change) ACW 18 (lower level)
Objectives of the class:
The primary objective of this class is to engage students in the creative process through exercises, study, playwriting and performance. The following are some sub-objectives:
Notes about the class:
This is a highly participatory class and it is a theatre class. It is not a class which has been fashioned to help would-be educators in their eventual classrooms. The fundamental task of this class will be to create a play which will challenge everyone in the class to perform at their best. The intention is to find an audience for the play to be produced….students in the class will take on organizational as well as creative roles. An additional objective of this class is management based; most or all of the students in the class will be expected to aid in the organization of a production of a play.
Grades in this class will derive from appropriate levels of participation. Engagement in the creative process is paramount.
Grades: This is a creative class and therefore difficult to grade. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS VITAL TO THE CLASS AND VITAL TO YOUR GRADE . YOU WILL HAVE TO SELF-EVALUATE YOUR PARTICIPATION
Grades:
PARTICIPATION
-- 20%
Quizzes ----------------- 20%
Critiques/responses
to plays----35%
Final
presentation ----------------25%
Your
presence in class will be rewarded—your absence will not be.
If you
miss more than two classes without a legitimate excuse (illness or
family crisis) you will lose 1 whole point for every class beyond two
(that you miss). Hence if you miss 3 classes (unexcused) your course
grade will be one grade lower. Don’t miss and you
won’t have to
worry.
The schedule for Spring 2006:
Jan. 31 Introduction to the idea of Children’s Theatre; student profiles assign part 1 of text
February
2 discussion of part 1 of text; introduction exercise; assign THE
VISIT
February
7 Guidelines for THE VISIT and other. Quiz on part 1 assign pages
13—38
February
9 Introduction to exercises/games; discuss 13--38
February
14 Outlines assigned; teams determined quiz 13-38 ; assign 39-62
February
16 games explored; discuss 39--62; assign 65--88
February
21 games explored quiz 39—62; discuss 65--88
February
23 Discussion of THE VISIT; quiz 65-68 groups meet; The Visit
responses due
February
28 groups meet to decide plans; theatre games; assign Desdemona
March
2 Writing project--outlines
March
7 Writing project—outlines and first scene
March
9 Outlines and first scenes due; TBA student writen play;
Desdemona due ; SELF-EVALS DUE
March
14 No class spring break
March
16 No class spring break
March
21 Playwriting for small group; theatre games for large group
March
23 Playwriting for small group and theatre games for large
March
28 Play due
March
30 Rehearsal ; search for audience begins
April
4 Rehearsal
April
6 Rehearsal
April
11 Rehearsal
April
13 Rehearsal
April
18 Rehearsal
April
20 Rehearsal; assign Zombies
April
25 Rehearsal
April
27 Rehearsal
May
2 Dress rehearsal ; Zombies responses due
May
4 Dress rehearsal/performance
May
9 Performance self evals due
May
11 Performance