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Drama 303.3 Advanced Studies in Theatre History I
Intended for students who have acquired some background in the theatre from 600
BCE to 1850 CE. The course will involve more intensive study of the aesthetic,
literary and production/performance aspects of the past, integrating theoretical and
practical approaches to the material.
Instructor
Moira Day
Rm. 187, John Mitchell
966 - 5193 (Office)
653 - 4729 (Home)
moira.day@usask.ca
http://www.ualberta.ca/~normang/Pika.html
Office Hours: Tues– 2:30-4:00, Wed- 11:30-1:
Booklist
Paphnutius or The Conversion of Thais
http://archive.org/details/playsofroswitha00hrotuoft (p. 93)
Ordo Virtutum
http://www.oxfordgirlschoir.co.uk/hildegard/ordovirtutumtext.pdf
The Rover
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21339/21339-h/files/rover.html
The Search After Happiness
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-search-after-happiness-a-pastoral-drama/
The Sweet Girl Graduate
http://www.uwo.ca/english/canadianpoetry/closet_dramas/Curzon/index.html
Drama 303 Readings Package
Recommended
Brockett, Oscar. History of the Theatre (9th edition). 2003
Theatre History Notes Package. Bookstore
**Grades Critiques 15 % Seminar 20 % Essay (1500- 2000 words each) 15 % Bibliography 5% Individual annotated bib 10% And research notes Participation 5 % Final Exam 30%
100%** Outside of class and office hours, I am usually most accessible by e-mail. Be sure to include the name of the course in the subject line so I know this is high priority and I will respond as quickly as possible either by e-mail or when I see you in class. Class participation requires regular attendance. A student who misses for more than three unexcused absences a term will be docked 50% of the participation grade for that term. If you miss more than 1/3 of the classes in any term for any reason other than certifiable illness you will, at minimum, lose the full participation grade for that term. (Please review the Attendance Requirement in All Drama Courses.) Please phone or e-mail if you are unable to attend, preferably in advance of the absence. Attendance at student class seminars is compulsory because (1) these are graded "live" performances that can be negatively affected by poor audience and participation. For this reason, 5% OF YOUR OWN INDIVIDUAL GROUP GRADE WILL BE DOCKED FOR EVERY UNEXCUSED ABSENCE FROM A STUDENT SEMINAR. IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY IN THE SEMINAR, YOU WILL LOSE 50 % OF YOUR GROUP GRADE FOR AN UNEXCUSED NO-SHOW. UNEXCUSED NO-SHOWS AT GROUP PROJECT WORK SESSIONS SCHEDULED DURING CLASS HOURS WILL RESULT IN 5% BEING DEDUCTED FROM YOUR PERSONAL GROUP GRADE FOR EACH NO-SHOW. Students are expected to be punctual and to submit all class work on time. Any requests for an extension must be submitted one week in advance of the formal deadline. Unexcused late assignments, except in the case of certifiable illness or death in the family, will be heavily penalized (10% per day deducted). NO CLASS WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED BEYOND THE FINAL EXAM EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF AN OFFICIAL INCOMPLETE GRANTED BECAUSE OF ILLNESS OR DEATH IN THE FAMILY. Fees Students should be aware that there is a $5.00 photocopy fee per term to be paid to the instructor by September 1 8. Important Deadlines If you find yourself in difficulties and are considering dropping the course late in the term, please come and talk to me first. If you decide to drop the course, please come and notify me so I can take your name off my record book. ( Sept. 16: Last day to change classes or withdraw without financial penalty. Sept 23: Last day to withdraw with 75% tuition credit. Sept. 30 Last day to withdraw with 50% tuition credit. Nov. 15. Last day to withdraw without academic penalty.) Instructors are NOT permitted to reschedule final exams at their own discretion. Please take heed of the final exam dates ( Dec. 6 - 23 ) and do not schedule other activities at that time. Welcome on Board!
Important Dates and Deadlines
Critiques
Sept. 25 The Conversion of Thais (Hrosvitha)
30 The Play of the Virtues (Hildegard of Bingen)
Oct 16 The Rover (Behn)
Oct 28 The Search After Happiness (More)
Nov 27 The Sweet Girl Graduate (Curzon)
Group Seminars and Group Seminar-related Essays and Interviews
Group 1 Men Re-imagining Women in the Enlightenment and Romantic Era
Oct 30 1 week meeting. Initial bibliography due. AV requests due
Nov. 20 Seminar and individual essays
Nov. 27 Submission of individual annotated bibliographies, and research notes and
essays.
Dec 2 - 4 Interview with instructor
Group 2 Uncle Tom’s Cabin : From Novel to Melodrama. Compromising the Female Vision
Nov 18 1 week meeting. Initial bibliography due. AV requests due
Nov 25 Seminar and individual essays
Nov. 27 Submission of individual annotated bibliographies, and research notes
Dec 2- 4 Interview with instructor
Group Projects
Group One Nov 20 Men Re-imagining Women in the Enlightenment and Romantic Era The social and educational reforms of the Enlightenment working hand in hand with the impact of the Romantic movement, produced a new generation of male playwrights who viewed the socially marginalized, downtrodden, and outcast in a sympathetic new light. This change also extended to a new sympathy for the “bad” or “fallen woman”, often seen as either the butt of bawdy humour or the justifiable target of moral outrage and contempt in earlier dramatic traditions. When good or great-spirited men could be transformed into rebels and outlaws by the injustices of a deeply flawed society run by deeply flawed rulers, then was it not possible for a woman condemned as a “criminal” to also be less of a monster than the society that created then presumed to judge her? To what extent, did the stage writing of such men as George Lillo, Friedrich Schiller and Percy Shelley help pave the way for Ibsen and the feminist reforms of the late 19th century? To what extent did the new genre of “she-tragedy”, and domestic tragedy, especially in less skilled hands, simply contribute to sentimental views of women that continued to discourage them from writing professionally for the stage themselves? Discuss with particular reference to George Lillo’s The London Merchant (1731), Friedrich Schiller’s The Maid of Orleans (1801), Shelley’s The Cenci (1819) and Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler (1890). Jodan Cunningham, Eben O’Doherty, Kashtin Moen Group Two Nov. 25 Uncle Tom’s Cabin : From Novel to Melodrama. Compromising the Female Vision Driven away by both the tight censorship imposed on the stage after 1721, and the theatre’s increasingly commercial nature, many women, like their male counterparts, embraced the novel and short story as the better literary form for expressing the social, political and psychological complexities of the age. While British reformers, like Hannah More (1745-1833) and William Wilburforce (1759-1833) lived just long enough to see their campaign to end the slave trade in Britain and its dominions end in victory, the fight was far from over in the States, and played its own role in breaking up the marriage of Fanny Kemble (1809-1893) to her American husband, and linking the career of America’s first woman theatre manager , Laura Keene (1826-1873), indelibly to a national tragedy. Whatever its literary merits or limitations, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s (1811-1896) novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) documenting and decrying the evils of slavery in the name of true Christianity and humanity, made an enormous impact on the nation, and played a strong role in turning public sentiment against slavery. American playwright and actor George Aikens (1830-1876) wrote a wildly successful and popular dramatization of the play in 1852, that on one level, could be seen as the largely male-run, commercial theatre’s tribute to the book. Arguably it spread Stowe’s powerful message to a wider, more popular and accessible audience than the book alone could have reached. But while many women – as well as male writers - were flattered to have their work adapted for stage, Stowe had grave misgivings about transforming the book into even a “reforming” play, feeling “the world is not good enough yet for it to succeed.” Discussing both versions of Uncle Tom’s Cabin , the reasons they were written, the form they took and the critical and popular response both received, to what extent was Aikens correct in assuming that his drama added to the power of the original and completed the job it started. To what extent was Stowe correct in feeling her work and message had been compromised in the process of turning it into a suitable stage vehicle for the 19th century commercial stage and the world around it. Jenna Berenbaum, Jillian Borrowman, Wade Klassen
Guidelines for Group Presentations
Outlines for Group Projects
Objectives
The purpose of this project is to help students apply the general knowledge of theatre history they
have acquired in the lectures and readings to a more focused in-depth study of one aspect of theatre history.
This project will involve
(I) A group presentation of the group’s research into the subject.
Each speaker will talk 20 - 25 minutes on an area of the topic they have individually researched.
(II) A practical application and demonstration and demonstration of that research.
This should occupy 5-10 minutes of the period. It can involve (1) a live reading or staging of a
scene or part of a scene or (2) the use of audio or visual materials to demonstrate elements of the
lecture or (3) any combination of the same. It can be placed at the start or the end of the seminar
or dispersed throughout it.
(III) A bibliography of the research sources consulted in the project
This should include all primary and secondary sources – in terms of plays, books, articles,
websites, audio-visual materials consulted in the researching the topic – organized into proper
MLA format.
By doing this exercise you will:
(1) deepen your own knowledge of an important aspect of theatre history by finding and accessing a wide
variety of library, archival and electronic sources on the subject
(2) sharpen your ability to recognize, analyse and understand the relationship between theatre and the larger
technical, social, political, economic and cultural forces shaping and being shaped by it
(3) sharpen your ability to communicate that knowledge to others by:
- working effectively with others within the context of a research/production team to divide up the
topic, share information as you find it, then organize and present it effectively in an oral situation
- effectively share your research and insights with your fellow students in an interesting, engaging
fashion that both teaches them about the subject and intrigues them to want to know even more
about it.
- creating an informed bibliography on the subject so that others can pursue the topic further on
their own
Time Frame
Sample schedule
3 weeks Establish overall schedule. Exchange phone numbers and e-addresses. General areas of
research for group members established
2 weeks Research your individual areas. Keep track of overall research. Adjust people’s
assignments or areas of research as needed. If you have any questions or concerns be sure
to raise them with the instructor. She is more than willing to give you help or guidance
with the topic.
1 week Group meeting with the instructor. Everyone should be present, and you should be able
to outline for me how the whole presentation is going to work and what sources you are
using to research it. A preliminary bibliography (worth 2% of the seminar mark)
should be submitted to me to check over for completeness and stylistic accuracy. This is
the time to voice any needs or concerns you have going into the home stretch, double-
check with me that my lecture materials won’t overlap with yours, and that you’re aware
of all the materials at your disposal. This is also the time to tell me about any a-v needs
you may have.
2 days Arrange to have any handouts given to the instructor if you need them run off for the
seminar. Finalize any changes to a-v arrangements
Seminar Preliminary bibliography returned. Essay and bibliography due
2 - 3 weeks Individual research materials, and personal annotated bibliography submitted. Oral
interview by instructor with every group member for wrap-up and assessment.
3 - 4 week Written group critique with letter grade. Research materials returned
Selection of Students
Students will work in pairs or small groups. While students will be allowed to choose their own
group, it is suggested that they try to strike a balance between production and academically-oriented
members in their group, since skills in both areas will be needed. It is also wise to try to co-ordinate
schedules with other group members well in advance.
Evaluation:
Each student will be evaluated according to their individual contribution to the project and by the
effectiveness and quality of the team results. Teamwork marks are distributed evenly to each member of a
group. Individual marks will be assigned separately.
Teamwork:
Group work (50% of term mark)
Seminar 2 0%
All students are expected to contribute to and take part in the group seminar. 50% of the grade will
be assigned to content (accuracy, depth and comprehensiveness of material presented) and 40% to
presentation (effective organization and structuring of the material, pacing of the presentation, and clarity,
variety and expressiveness of delivery) 10% to effective use of handouts and other illustrative aids.
Essay 15 %
This should be a composite essay assembled by the group out of their own research for the topic.,
that will become part of the study guide. While it is acceptable to divide the article into separately-authored
subsections that define and contain a particular person’s individual research, each section should still read
as a coherent whole with a clearly defined introduction, clearly defined throughlines and conclusion, and be
co-ordinated with the other sections. It should also be referenced properly with a properly organized and
your material will help you to be a more relaxed, confident speaker capable of making effective eye contact with your audience. Also time your talk before you give it. Inexperienced presenters are often surprised either at how much time is left over at the end of their material - or more commonly - how much material is left at the end of their time.
- A "live" audience often has to be "cued" more clearly and more often as to where the presentation is going, than a reading audience. A reader can return to puzzle out obscure or difficult passages he/she missed on the first read-through, or was too hurried to absorb properly; a "live" audience has to "get it" the first time or it's gone. So organize well, making your key points or thesis clear early on in the talk, and don't be afraid to highlight or reinforce them as you go on.
- Humor is fine, but avoid flippancy ; if you don't appear to take your subject and yourself seriously and with some enthusiasm, your audience won't take it and you seriously either. At the same time, be careful of being overly dry and emotionally "distanced" from your material. What registers as a desirable state of "objectivity" in the written medium can register on a live audience as disinterest, flatness or lack of engagement with them and/or your subject.
- Review all your notes before you go in to the presentation and practical assignment, and have them close at hand when you go in. If people get interested in what you've said in the talk they will probably want to ask larger, more general questions about the subject or ask you to elaborate on specifics or details. Also, let people know if questions are welcome during the talk, or if you would prefer them to wait until afterwards.
- The same plethora of facts, figures, statistics, dates and names that may delight a reader, may leave a listener numb and reeling. These are often better included in the handout for quick reference, or chalked up on the board.
- Be considerate of your fellow-presenters and remember to function as a team. Review and be familiar with each other's material so you can eliminate unnecessary repetition of information and draw larger connections and links between each other's individual research sections. Listen attentively while your fellow- presenters are talking and be considerate of time limits.
The Critique
The critique should serve as a considered response to the material you are reading for class. It is meant to
(a) clarify and focus your own thinking about the material and (b) help initiate class discussion. It should
about 250-500 words long and not exceed two pages in length. It can expand on one point at length or deal
with two or three smaller ones (much more than that and you may be spreading yourself too thin) It can
also include an application of the theory to aspects of the play we’re studying. It should be submitted at the
end of the class when it is due, and will be returned at the time of the next class. If you are unable to attend
the class in person, please arrange for the critique to appear even you can't.
Things you may want to comment on:
(1) how the reading illuminates or clarifies for you certain historical, literary or social themes and concerns
we have raised in class.
(2) where you find interesting comparisons or contrasts between what you see here and what you have
discovered in other of your areas of study or experience.
(3) how this reading sheds a new light on other literary material we have studied in the class.
(4) something about the reading that particularly excited or interested you and you would like to share with
others.
(5) something that particularly intrigued or puzzled you and you would like to know more about
(6) something that particularly bothered you or that you disagreed with, and would like to see addressed by
the class as a group.
At its best, it should read as an informal but short personal essay that develops your idea, thesis, argument,
query or quibble in a clear, articulate and concise fashion. Humor, and poetic or metaphoric personal
touches are fine - it is a personal essay after all - but only as long as they support and advance the ideas you
are trying to express and do not become a substitute for them. As with an exam or quiz, I will not be putting
a high premium on formal style and mechanics, but I do expect the critique to be clear, neat and legible,
and will be paying close attention to how well you express, develop and argue your thoughts in writing.
Departmental Attendance Requirements
All of the courses in the Department are in varying degrees developmental in approach and experiential in
nature. That is, if classes are missed, there is no way that you can make up certain elements of the work by
independent study. Looking at someone else’s lecture notes or reading the appropriate texts will not cover
up the gap in a course that is based on direct experience of the practice problems and solutions at the next
stage of development. If this is true of the academic courses in the department which usually involve a
grade for regular class participation in seminar, project and discussion work, it is even more true of the
performance-oriented courses which place a much higher emphasis on the practical application of data or
theory within a laboratory context and on students learning the craft in the classroom through hands-on
experience and experimentation. Thus, there is a more formal and exacting attendance requirement in all
acting, directing, technical theatre and design courses. In these latter courses:
You will be permitted three unexcused absences per term. Any further absents without permission of the
instructor (This is more than just telling your instructor that you will be absent) or proper documentation
from your doctor, etc. will result in a 5% reduction in your grade for each unexcused absence. ( In this
particular course, you will instantly lose 50% of your participation grade if you exceed three unexcused
absences and be assessed a further penalty of 5% from your own individual group grade for each
unexcused absence from a scheduled in-class work session and/or group project presentation day.
Even with excused absences, there does come a point at which you have missed so much work that you are
unable to adequately understand or satisfactorily accomplish the work of a course. A passing grade in a
course is really an official accreditation that you have achieved a required level of competence in a
particular area of knowledge and, for performance oriented courses, are at that level a capable practitioner
of the art. If you miss too much, even for very legitimate reasons such as extended illness or family
problems, you will not be able to gain the level of competence required to pass. As a department, we are
sympathetic and try to accommodate those students who must miss classes despite their best intentions, but
there does come a point at which we are unable to say that this student has done enough developmental
work to be accredited by a passing grade. And so, if you miss more than one-third of the classes in any
term or one-third of the classes through the year, for any reason whatsoever, you will be asked to
withdraw from the class, if possible, or your teacher will have to give you a failing grade. (In this
particular course, you will at the very least receive a 0% on your participation grade, and be asked to
withdraw if you cannot fulfill your group project responsibilities.)
There are no unexcused absences from rehearsals. If you are called you must be there or you will
detrimentally affect not only your own but everyone else’s creative work. If you must be absent for
legitimate reasons, you should inform your stage manager at least 48 hours in advance, when possible. ( In
this course, note again that 5% will be deducted from your own individual group grade for each
unexcused absence from a scheduled in-class work sessions and/or group project presentation day.)
For all classes in the department, including academic classes, habitual lateness will not be tolerated. If a
student is habitually late in a particular class, he/she will be invited to discuss the problems with the
Department Head. If the problem is not rectified, the student will be asked to withdraw from the class. (In
this course, if you know you will be late please let me know in advance and why. If it was unexpected,
make sure that you let me know what happened. The same rules apply if you need to leave early for
some reason.)
Brockett Readings – Section Titles – Women and theatre
The Classical Period
The Greeks
Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece
The Hellenistic Theatre
Tragedy Theatre and Drama in Ancient Greece The Origin of Tragedy The City Dionysia in the Sixth Century Tragedy in the Fifth Century Play Selection and Financing Actors and Acting The Chorus Music and Dance Costumes and masks Auditorium and Audience Looking at Theatre History Comedy The Satyr Plays Greek Comedy in the Fifth Century Athenian Theatre After the Fifth Century The Hellenistic Theatre Dramatic Theory New Comedy Actors and Acting Costumes
The Roman and Byzantine Theatre
The Roman Theatre
Greek Mimes The Roman Theatre Etruscan Antecedents The Roman Context Roman Festivals Drama Under Romans Other Entertainments Productions Arrangements Actors and Acting Masks and Costumes Music The Decline of the Theatre in Rome
Theatre in the Eastern Empire, Byzantium
Theatre in the Eastern Empire, Byzantium
The Byzantine Theatre
The Rise of Islam
Looking at Theatre History
Italian Theatre to 1700
Italian Theatre to 1700
Renaissance Drama
Mannerism and the Beginnings of the Baroque
The Neoclassical Ideal
Intermezzi and Opera
Music and Dance
The Festival Context
Stage Lighting
Commedia dell’arte
The Decline of Italy
Looking at Theatre History
The Triumph of the Neo-Classical Ideal
Restoration and 18th^ Century England
English Theatre to 1800
The Restoration
Theatrical Activity 1642- 1660
The Reestablishment of the Theatre
Acting Companies 1600- 1700
English 1660- 1700
English Drama 1700- 1750
Government Regulation of the Theatre
The 18th^ Century – The Enlightenment in England
English Drama 1750- 1800
The Playwright
Financial Policies
Actors and Acting 1660- 1800
Audiences and Performances
The 18th^ Century - The Enlightenment in France and Germany
French Drama of the Eighteenth Century
Goethe, Schiller and Weimar Classicism
Revolt and Revolution – Romanticism and Early Realism
The Romantics
Continental European Theatre in the Early Nineteenth Century
Continental European Theatre in the Early Nineteenth Century
Theoretical Foundations of Romanticism
Romantic Drama in Germany
Postromantic German-Language Drama
The French Theatre 1879- 1815
French Drama to the 1850s
Directing and Acting in France to the 1850s
Looking at Theatre History
19 th^ Century England
English-Language Theatre in the Early Nineteenth Century
England
Trends in English Theatre 1800- 1843
English Drama to the 1850s
English Theatrical Conditions 18 00 - 1843
British Theatre to 1990
Macready and Vestris
America
The Provincial Theatre
Theatre of Colonial North America
Theatre in North America 1781- 1815
The Expanding American Theatre 1815- 1850
Theatrical Conditions in the United States and Canada
Looking at Theatre History
