THEATRE 100
T/TH 9:30-10:45 AL101
Office hour’s 12:15 to 1:00 pm Tuesday and Thursday.
Mon by appointment office DA 207
Professor Peter James Cirino email: pcirino@mail.sdsu.edu Phone: 619-729-5549
Course Objectives
-Outline the properties of Theatre
-Find the meaning in how Theatre elements can evoke a multitude of emotions
-Investigate how a variety of artists come together to create a singular vision
-Write critiques on plays produced by The School of Theatre, Television and Film
-Participate in online and in classroom activities involving set design, stage construction,
directing, acting, film making and playwriting
-Appreciate Theatre as an art form and discover a reflection of society
-Define specific terms relating to the study of Theatre
-Distinguish between Theatre and drama
-This class will endeavor to find the relevance of Theatre in This age of massive amounts of
entertainment be funneled at you from every electronic device possible.
Assignments
Presentations
- Create a 5 to 10 minute piece of Theatre or film that can be done live or shown in class.
Groups of students will join together and create a production (play or film). Each student will
work in one of these specific areas Director, Playwright, Set Design, Costume Design, New
Media (projections, social networks, video, or any advanced technology), Lighting, Sound
Design or Dramaturgy. All students must participate in the producing portion as is required by
the script (outside performers may be used to augment the needs of the production). Each
student will write a paper including the research used for the specific area that you created for
the project. A template will be provided on blackboard.
Blogs
You are required to blog about the question that will be posted each Thursday (unless
otherwise indicated) by 10 am on Blackboard. Blogs should be Thoughtful, well written, cogent
and germane to the topic feel free to use any resource you would like. Please do not plagiarize,
as it will be grounds for failing the class. It is important that you write in your own vernacular.
Critiques
Critiques: Two SDSU plays and one SDSU film festival. All The productions will be subject to
questions on the blogs, midterm or final exam. You will need proof of purchase of your tickets.
If you purchase Season Semester pass The Box Office will supply your instructor with a list of
names. If you choose to purchase individual tickets (which I suggest you don’t do as the cost is
about more expensive) then you will need to show your proof of purchase to the GA. Obtain
your tickets online at Theatre.sdsu.edu
The Drowsy Chaperone-Don Powell Theatre
BFG- Experimental Theatre,
One of the three SDSU Film Festivals, SDSU Don Powell Theatre
One Theatre Student Organization production (ALTO, Vagina Monologues, Skull and
Dagger, DATA, The Archive, African American Drama Association or Iota Eta Pi- Improv Team)
Turn all proof of purchase in to the GA before Midnight the Monday after the closing of the
production.
Schedule
Week 1
Thursday January 22 Observe General Auditions in the Don Powell Theatre
Week 2
Tuesday January 26th
Intro to class and overview of syllabus/ Brief look at what Theatre/Film is and can be/Overview
of Blog work and presentations
Thursday January 28th Watch Eli Simons video and discuss
Week 3
Tuesday February 2nd Poetics
Thursday February 4th Blog#1 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
Week 4
Tuesday February 9th Theatre/Film
Thursday February 11th Blog#2 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
1. http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/01/the-future-of-theater
2. http://theatrewashington.org/content/7-reasons-why-theatre-makes-our-lives-better
3.http://www.elementsofcinema.com/cinema/definition-and-brief-history/
4. http://cohenmedia.net/films/what-is-cinema
Week 5
Tuesday February 16th Play/Screenplay/ Playwright/Screenwriter
Thursday February 18th Blog#3 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
1.http://www.articlesbase.com/screenplay-articles/what-is-a-screenplay-6700111.html
2. http://homepage.smc.edu/adair-lynch_terrin/TA%205/Elements.htm
3. http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/drama/
4. http://howlround.com/the-real-reasons-playwrights-fail
5. http://getinmedia.com/careers/screenwriter
6. http://creativescreenwriting.com/not-a-lottery-michael-ray-brown-on-screenwriting/
7. http://creativescreenwriting.com/meet-the-reader-jen-grisanti/
Week 6
Tuesday February 23rd Directors
Thursday February 25th Blog#4 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
1. https://www.questia.com/library/communication/media-studies/television/directing-film-andtelevision
2. http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/mar/15/why-film-directors-are-taking-over-tv
Week 7
Tuesday March 1st Actor
Thursday March 3rd Blog#5 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
1. https://www.sokanu.com/careers/actor/
2. http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/is-method-acting-destroying-actors
Week 8
Tuesday March 8th New Tech
Thursday March 10th Blog#6 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
1. http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/9-mind-blowing-technologies-changing-the-filmindustry%E2%80%99s-future--2
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-whitacre/tools-for-the-stage_b_4220134.html
Week 9
Tuesday March 15th Mid-term review
Thursday March 17th Mid-term
No Blog Day
Week 10
Tuesday March 15th Set Design/Production Design
Thursday March 17th
Blog#7 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
1. http://www.aact.org/set-designer
2. http://www.artsalive.ca/collections/imaginedspaces/index.php/en/learnabout/historyandinnovation
Week 11
Tuesday March 22nd Costume Design
Four types of costumes are used in theatrical design, Historical, fantastical, dance, and modern.
The earliest use of costume began as a ritual of sacrifice. The earliest mask was of a human skin
worn on the head after a sacrifice had been performed by a priest or priestess. Ritual sacrifices
were performed to honor Gods who would in turn provide fertility, health, and so on. The village
festivals and processions in honor of Dionysus "See also Dionysian amongst the ancient Greeks,
are believed to be the origin of theatre, and therefore theatre costume. The sculpture and vase
paintings provide the clearest evidence of this costume. [1] Because of their ritualized style of
theatre many masks were used giving each character a specific look and they varied depending if
they were used for comedic or dramatic purposes. Some masks were constructed with a cheerful
as well as a serious side on the same face in an attempt to indicate a change in emotion without
a change of mask. The same is true for the Romans, who continued the mask tradition, which
made the doubling of roles easier.
Thursday Match 24th
Blog#8 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
Week 12
Tuesday April 5th The Audience/Marketing/Sound Design
1.
2.
3.
4.
https://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=12235
http://www.performingartsnews.com/articles/production/theatremarketingideas
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2008/oct/03/theatre.sound.design
http://filmsound.org/articles/designing_for_sound.htm
Thursday April 7th Rehearsal
New ways of marketing websites how do know your audience for theatre productions, TV, film
Blog#9 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
Week 13
Tuesday April 12th Rehearsal
Thursday April 14th Final Presentation
Blog#10 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
Week 14
Tuesday April 19th Final Presentations
Thursday April 21th Final Presentations
No Blog due
Week 15
Tuesday April 26th
Thursday April 27th
No Blog due
Final Presentations
Final Presentation
Week 15
Tuesday May 3rd Final Presentations
Thursday May 5th Final Presentations
Final Exam Thursday May 12th 8am-10am
Grade
Mid-Term/Final
Critiques/ Participation
Blogs
Presentations
10%
10%
40%
40%
EXTRA CREDIT: Register to vote up and earn ten points on any single giving item in the syllabus
(Except the Blogs). Please send an email with proof of voter registration from the county
registrar of your specific county. Send it to the GA if you cannot register to vote you may
volunteer for one hour with any on campus student group that is of a political nature and have
them send an email to the GA. Additional extra credit will be offered throughout the semester.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity is one of the fundamental principles of a university community. San Diego
State University expects the highest standards of academic honesty from all students.
Violations of academic integrity include the following: (1) unauthorized assistance on an
examination, (2) falsification or invention of data, (3) unauthorized collaboration on an
academic exercise, (4) plagiarism, (5) misappropriation of research materials, (6) unauthorized
access of an instructor’s files or computer account, and (7) any other serious violation of
academic integrity as established by the instructor. If your academic integrity is not maintained
on a test or assignment, you will automatically receive a grade of zero for that test or
assignment and you will be reported to the Dean’s Office, in accordance with SDSU academic
integrity policy. Penalties can be severe. More specific information is available in The SDSU
Bulletin, both in print and on-line.
Student Disability Services:
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it
is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any
delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as
soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot
provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received cooperation is appreciated.