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Unit Two: Theatre of the Absurd

THE FINAL COPY OF YOUR PAPERWORK IS DUE

 ON THE DAY OF THE GRADED PERFORMANCE

 

UNIT TWO CHECKLIST

Theatre History Study Guide (25)

Theatre History Quiz (55) 

Worksheets (7 @ 10-15 = approximately 100)

Video Guide [Back 15/Front 15] (30)

Nonsense Poem (20)

Waiting for Godot: Quiz (45)

Waiting for Godot: Study Guide (25)  

Student Evaluations[two] (20)

Participation (40)

 

CHARACTER AND SCENE ANALYSIS (100)

PERFORMANCE (100)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paperwork Requirements

  1. Character Analysis Sheet and Character History

  2. Notated Text  (with objectives, obstacles, and tactic written in)

  3. Interpretation of the Text: What does it mean?( One Page per Group)

  4. Close Reading Sheet (20)

* - Missing any requirements on the list will result in an automatic 50% taken off your paperwork Grade.

 

 

 

Actor Checklist Absurd/Non-Realistic Style

  • Voice:  Heightened word emphasis; precise diction; varied tone qualities; close to declamatory, rhetorical, oratorical, lyrical, or sung mode during the key emotional or lyrical moments.

  • Movement: Generally slow, suggestive, and rhythmic; rare use of sitting positions; rare use of physical contact with other characters; predominately presentational mode.

  • Gestures: Restrained, large, fluid, and complete; highly selective and mostly in the upper portion of the body.

  • Pantomimic Dramatization: Clear, appropriate, limited, and highly selective; rare use of hand props such as staffs, and emblems; use of full masks, half-masks, or makeup simulating a mask.

  • Character Emotion:  Truthful, though somewhat larger than life; almost exclusively of high rank including gods.  Complex and penetrating, particularly Sophocles and Euripides; clearly established and projected; somewhat larger than life; rooted in human psychology, particularly Euripides.

  • Ideas: Lofty, complex, clear; effectively theatricalized.

  • Language: Complex, clear, lyric, and rhythmic.

  • Mood and Atmosphere: Serious, restrained, lofty, passionate, and intense.

  • Pace and Tempo: Controlled, disciplined, rhythmic, and generally moderate to deliberate.   

  • Special Techniques: Training in singing and dancing highly recommended, particularly for chorus members.

Unit Two Final Scene:  Everybody in the class will perform a five-minute cutting of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame.  The purpose of this is twofold.  The first is to see how different actors portray the same role.  The second reason is to give an absurd experience to finish an absurd unit.

 

 

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