THEATRE 100
T/TH 9:30-10:45 DA 102
Office hours 1:45 to 2:45 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 that can be done live or shown in class. Groups of 5
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 acting 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: Three 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 ticket to the GA. Obtain your tickets
online at Theatre.sdsu.edu
Sylvia -Experimental Theatre, September 25-October 4
Into the Woods- Experimental Theatre, October 30-November 8
Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights -SDSU Don Powell Theatre, December 2-December 6
3. One of the two SDSU Film Festivals, SDSU Don Powell Theatre
4. 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.
Tuesday August 25 Intro to class, add codes and overview of syllabus/ Brief look at what
Theatre/Film is and can be/Overview of Blog work and presentations
August 27th Thursday Observe General Auditions in the Experimental
Week 2
Tuesday Poetics
Thurs
Blog#1 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
Week 3
Tues Theatre/Film
Thurs Blog#2 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/01/the-future-of-theater
http://theatrewashington.org/content/7-reasons-why-theatre-makes-our-lives-better
http://www.elementsofcinema.com/cinema/definition-and-brief-history/
http://cohenmedia.net/films/what-is-cinema
Week 4
Tues Play/Screenplay
Thurs Blog#3 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
http://www.articlesbase.com/screenplay-articles/what-is-a-screenplay-6700111.html
http://homepage.smc.edu/adair-lynch_terrin/TA%205/Elements.htm
Week 5
Tues Playwright/Screenwriter
Thurs Blog#4 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/drama/
http://howlround.com/the-real-reasons-playwrights-fail
http://getinmedia.com/careers/screenwriter
http://creativescreenwriting.com/not-a-lottery-michael-ray-brown-on-screenwriting/
http://creativescreenwriting.com/meet-the-reader-jen-grisanti/
Week 6
Tues Actor
Thurs 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 7
Tues Directors
1. https://www.questia.com/library/communication/media-studies/television/directingfilm-and-television
2. http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/mar/15/why-film-directors-aretaking-over-tv
Thurs Blog#6 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
Week 8
Tues Set Design/Production Design
1. http://www.aact.org/set-designer
2. http://www.artsalive.ca/collections/imaginedspaces/index.php/en/learnabout/historyandinnovation
Thurs New Tech projections
Blog#7 (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
Tues October 20 Mid-term review
Thurs October 22 Mid-term
No Blog Day
Week 10
Tues 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 Dionysia 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.
Thurs Sound Design
Blog#8 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
1. http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2008/oct/03/theatre.sound.design
2. http://filmsound.org/articles/designing_for_sound.htm
Week 11
Tues The Audience/Marketing
1. https://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=12235
2. http://www.performingartsnews.com/articles/production/theatremarketingideas
Thurs 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 12
Tues Rehearsal
Thurs Final Presentation
Blog#10 (question will be posted on Blackboard at 10 am).
Week 13
Tues Final Presentations
Thurs THANKSGIVING
No Blog due
Week 14
Tues Final Presentations
Thurs Final Presentation
No Blog due
Week 15
Tues Final Presentations
Thurs Final Presentations
Final Exam Thursday December 17th 10:30-12:30
Grade
Mid-Term/Final
Critiques/ Participation
10%
20%
Blogs
Presentations
30%
40%
EXTRA CREDIT: Register to vote up and earn ten points on any single giving item in the syllabus.
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.