SYLLABUS
ATHR 240Y-0004 Acting I
Instructor: Eileen Schuyler
Office: PAC 346 Phone: 810-7610 (before 10:30pm)
Email: [email protected]
Section 8930
T-TH 10:15-11:35 PC53
Office Hours: Tuesdays by appt.
ATHR 240Y (3) Development of an actor’s instrument through the use of voice, body and
imagination to create realistic behavior under given circumstances. Concepts taught include creative
work habits, ensemble development, use of self, acting as interacting, rehearsal skills and action
analysis. Exercises include improvisation and scripted. This course does not require previous acting
experience and encourages students to take artistic risks as a first step in the department’s acting
sequence.
…at the theatre, we are truly and only moved by ordinary men or women doing their best under
extraordinary circumstances, forced to act in an extraordinary way in order to achieve their goal. –
David Mamet
Skills we will be working toward
Creating an ensemble
Using and sharing the space
Developing concentration, listening and communication skills
Practicing detailed observation
Cultivating respect for fellow artists
Mastering a basic working vocabulary of theater terms and concepts
Experiencing privacy in a public space
Living in the moment
Defining and using actions, tactics, obstacles
Developing rehearsal techniques
Adhering to a work ethic for the theater
Course Activities
Acting 1 is a lab class. Whether you are onstage or in the audience, you must always take an active part in
the process. Passivity has no place in an acting class. The work of the class includes:
Warm-ups
Theater games and improvisations
Exercises
Written work
Reading
Vocabulary development
Monologue and scene work
Attending, discussing and evaluating theatrical performances.
Home preparation is part of many of these activities. You will receive written worksheets or directions,
which you responsible for turning in on the date due.
Following is a brief description of these activities:
Warm-ups
We begin each class with a warm-up. Warming up before an acting class or performance is an essential part
of theater discipline. The warm-up is intended to release physical tension, deepen breathing, exercise voice
and articulators, and improve posture. As well, it helps put the outside world away, enabling us to be more
focused, relaxed and ready to work. Everyone participates together in this part of the class.
Theater Games and Improvisations
Many classes also include a theater game or improvisation. Besides helping us to get to know and trust one
another, these activities free up our imaginations, establish rapport and mutual respect, and help us to feel
more comfortable moving through the space and expressing ourselves physically and vocally. Through this
work, we can build an ensemble.
Exercises
We will do a series of exercises intended to establish the building blocks of an actor’s technique. Most
of these exercises must be prepared at home—both in writing and with rehearsal--and then brought to
class to share. These exercises are worth 10% of your grade.
Opening/Closing the Door exercise
Three Calls exercise
Written Work
True Stories will be your first written assignment, due on September 14. Instructions are on the last
page of this syllabus. Other written work includes exercise preparation, background preparation for
scene work, and a performance response paper. Written work is worth 15% of your grade.
Reading
The work of this class is based upon experience and the information found in a variety of acting texts.
Although there is no assigned text, you will receive excerpts from a variety of texts, which either
articulate concepts clearly or explain exercises succinctly. You are responsible for careful reading of
these handouts. Some have exercises that you will be required to complete. As well, the concepts
in these handouts are considered part of your vocabulary.
You will also be required to read the complete play from which your scene is taken.
Vocabulary Development
Throughout the semester, we will be developing a working vocabulary of acting concepts and theater
terms. You will be tested on your working knowledge of these concepts.
Monologue and Scenework
You will rehearse and perform a solo piece, learning to find the unique ―voice‖ in a written work, and
exploring ways to address an audience in an honest, confident and compelling way. Your monologue is
worth 10% of your grade.
Our scenework will begin with very short ―open‖ scenes, rehearsed and performed with a partner.
Through them, you will learn to apply many of the building blocks we will have covered in the
exercises.
The last third of the semester will be devoted to work on a scripted scene, rehearsed and performed with
a partner. There will be several showings of the scene: 1)a read-thru and brief discussion; 2)a blocking
rehearsal, 3)a nonstop rehearsal without scripts, making use of props, rehearsal furniture and appropriate
clothing, and 4)a final showing final showing. The scene process and performance are worth 25% of
your grade.
The development of any performance is only possible with sufficient rehearsal. You should plan on at
least 2 focused rehearsals outside of class per week—1 to 1-1/2 hours each—once we get to the
scripted scene. Even if you have a very demanding work/school/activity schedule, you will still be
required to plan—and attend!—out-of-class rehearsals with your partner. Rehearsal means doing the
material, not just thinking or talking about it. As we get to the scenework, we will develop a rehearsal
plan and protocol. A detailed log of all out-of-class rehearsals will be collected on performance day.
Attending Performances
UAlbany’s Theatre Department has two theater offerings this semester:
Plays in Process
This play development laboratory provides student playwrights the opportunity to develop their writing
with actors and directors, culminating in a staged reading. In an ongoing commitment to showcase
emerging student voices, several exciting and diverse plays are chosen to be part of the festival each
term.
Friday & Saturday, October 8 & 9 at 8pm
Saturday and Sunday, October 9 & 10 at 2pm
STUDIO THEATRE - $4
Dear Harvey by Patricia Loughrey
Relive the achievements and vision of the first openly gay man elected to major public office in the US.
This is a celebration of the Harvey Milk not found in history books; stories of a love that reached
beyond fear and a hope that remains with each of us today.
Friday & Saturday, November 5 & 6 at 8pm
Sunday, November 7 at 2pm* Panel discussion follows show
Thursday & Friday, November 11 & 12 at 8pm
Saturday, November 13 at 8pm
Thursday & Friday, November 18 & 19 at 8pm
Saturday, November 20 at 2pm
STUDIO THEATRE
$8 from Nov. 5-7 and $10 Nov. 11-20 for students, faculty-staff & seniors
You are required to attend Dear Harvey--though I would encourage you to attend both productions, as
they involve your fellow Theatre Department students. You will have a writing assignment for the
performance you attend.
It’s a good idea to purchase tickets for the UAlbany shows well in advance, as they sell out quickly.
Tickets are available at the box office in the lobby of Performing Arts Center (PAC). You will need to
keep the ticket and program for each show and attach it to your paper.
We will also attend a professional production together as a class.
Work Ethic
The content of this class is predicated upon the careful creation of an ensemble of interested, respectful,
and courageous artists-in-training. Unlike many of the academic subjects offered at the university,
success in acting class depends upon ACTIVE skills rather than more passive ones. An actor’s work
absolutely requires being there, regardless of stomachaches, colds, hangovers, personal crises, bad
moods. Whether or not you plan to pursue an acting career, for the purposes of this class you will need
to display an actor’s work ethic. If you are not sick enough to go to the doctor, you are well enough to
come to class. Rehearsals of scenes with a partner outside of class are subject to the same professional
requirements—arriving on time and working diligently. Although many of the activities we do for class
will be fun, students should not presume that expectations for their work are not high. This class has a
strict attendance policy. Attendance will be taken at each class, and your attendance and punctuality are
part of your grade. The development of the work ethic required for the practice of theater requires that
stringent standards be applied. Your class participation, including attendance and punctuality, is
worth 40% of your grade.
House Rules
The rules of this lab are meant to insure your safety and comfort and to enable you to do your best.
Also, rules are in place to help foster manners and mutual respect. Part of developing an ensemble is the
awareness that what you do affects those around you.
Clothing: Please come to class dressed appropriately: low-heeled shoes, sneakers or boots that stay on,
comfortable clothes in which you can move and sit on the floor, When you are working in front of the
class, you must remove gum and tongue studs, as they interfere with your speech. If you wear your hair
long, bring something you can use to clip or tie your hair back.
Cellphones: If you are focused on your cellphone, you are not really present. It is distracting and
disrespectful. Cellphones must be off during class. They must not ring, buzz or flash. No texting or
checking texts during class. VIOLATION OF CELLPHONE RULES WILL RESULT IN YOUR
BEING MARKED ABSENT FOR THE DAY.
Food: You may bring water, but no eating is permitted during class.
Attendance:
1) Excused absences require written documentation.
2) You are only allowed two unexcused absences. After that, each additional unexcused absence
will lower your grade by one-half grade. As the semester moves forward, students’ obligations
tend to increase. So, don’t waste those precious unexcused absences early in the term.
3) Be on time! Two unexcused late arrivals equal one unexcused absence.
4) Out-of-class rehearsals are part of your graded work. Show respect for your partner, and be in
touch with him/her. If your partner’s attendance at out-of-class rehearsals becomes a problem,
notify me. Failure to show up for out-of-class scene rehearsal counts as an unexcused absence.
5) If you have a scheduled scene showing that you are unable to attend, it is essential that you
inform both your scene partner and me. An unexcused absence for a scheduled scene showing
will lower your grade on the scene by one full grade.
Expenses (in lieu of a purchased textbook)
1) It will be your responsibility to obtain a copy the play from which you are doing your scene. If
the script is not available in the library, or you cannot borrow one, you must purchase a copy.
2) Xeroxing of scene scripts is your responsibility, and must be done at your own expense.
3) You will be required to purchase tickets for the required performances. (If ticket purchases will
present a financial hardship, speak with me directly.)
Policy Regarding Academic Integrity
This class adheres to the university policy regarding standards of academic integrity. Any student
engaging in academically dishonest activities will either be dismissed from this course, or will receive a
failing grade for this course.
General Education Requirements
This course is approved as a General Education course in the Arts and Oral discourse.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ALL GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES
General Education courses offer introductions to the central topics of disciplines and interdisciplinary
fields.
General Education courses offer explicit rather than tacit understandings of the procedures, practices,
methodology, and fundamental assumptions of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields.
General Education courses recognize multiple perspectives on the subject matter.
General Education courses emphasize active learning in an engaged environment that enables students to
be producers as well as consumers of knowledge.
General Education courses promote critical inquiry into the assumptions, goals, and methods of various
fields of academic study; they aim to develop the interpretive, analytic, and evaluative competencies
characteristic of critical thinking.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR GENERAL EDUCATION ARTS COURSES
Arts courses enable students to demonstrate an understanding of the history and/or practice of one form of
artistic expression.
Arts courses enable students to demonstrate recognition of the difference and overlap between creative
and critical thinking.
Arts courses enable students to demonstrate an understanding of the function and meaning of form.
Arts courses enable students to demonstrate that they have the vocabulary they need to continue to learn
about how art is made and interpreted.
Depending on the nature of the course, arts courses enable students to demonstrate an understanding of
how art works are embedded within different cultures at different times and places.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR ORAL DISCOURSE
Students will
Communicate ideas (creative, expressive, intuitive, intellectual) according to a specific set of criteria.
Establish and maintain an appropriate performer/audience relationship in a given oral exercise, and
actively engage with listeners/audience.
Respond to and, where appropriate, incorporate listener's comments and questions.
Critique, orally or in writing, an oral performance
Grading
You will not be graded for talent in Acting 1. Instead, enthusiasm, courage, preparation, active
participation, respect for fellow actors, work ethic, clear and thoughtful written work, application of the
concepts taught and improvement are all factors. The following formula will be used to determine your
grade:
Participation
40%
Exercises and monologue
20%
Written work
15%
Scenework
25%
"Without wonder and insight, acting is just a business. With it, it becomes creation."
-- Bette Davis