Perfa 136: Theatre Special Studies Spring 2013
Modern Theories of Acting
T-Th 1:10-2:40 PM
FAH 145
Professor Rebecca Engle
LeFevre 6
Phone: 925-631-4159
E-mail: rengle@stmarys-ca.edu
Office Hours: T-Th 3-4 PM
and M-W by appt.
“For the actor the central paradox of acting is always the way in which her real body is used to represent a
virtual body. No matter what aesthetic forms are employed, or how abstract the conception of the
performing body is, the actor’s body must be cultivated as an [expressive] instrument. All theories of
acting start from this point, but each proposes a different solution, according to what each aims to
represent, and for what purpose the representation is being made.”
The Purpose of Playing: Modern Acting Theories in Perspective, Robert Gordon
COURSE INTRODUCTION:
In this seminar-style course we'll explore the varied aesthetic and theoretical possibilities available to
today’s actors. Readings and discussions will explore in-depth the major developments in 20th C. Western
acting theory, and their relationships to one another. Our texts will include seminal writings by
Stanislavski, Chekhov, Appia, Craig, Meyerhold, Brecht, Artaud, and Grotowski, among others. Analysis,
research and writing are key components of the course.
Our selected readings forward no single ideology or agenda, “Method” or otherwise. Rather, the course is
structured as an open-ended inquiry, inviting you to formulate your own ideas about the evolving
relationship between modern/contemporary theories of representation, approaches to characterization and
theatrical praxis. By the end of the semester, expect to articulate your own position on the question of
commonalities and divergences in the performance practices available to the 21st century actor.
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES:
“Theatre; Special Studies” is the only required course in the theatre curriculum offering an in-depth
investigation of a particular theatrical era, genre, style or theoretical approach. This semester, through
reading, discussion and a major research project, you will gain insight into the alternative traditions which
have shaped and reshaped acting in the modern era.
The seminar style-format of the course will also allow you to investigate key theoretical questions related
to our topic:
 What is the relationship between the actor’s Self and the dramatic role? Between the
actor’s body and the “virtual” body of the character?
 What is the relationship between the performer and the spectator?
 Is the actor preeminent in the theatre-making process, or is she primarily an instrument
manipulated by the director to produce “signs” that signify to the audience.
 How can we identify the cultural values, norms or ideologies inherent in different
training approaches?
You will gain perspective on these issues through the writings of several modern seminal theatre artists
(both actors and directors), as well as theatre historians and theorists.
A central goal of “Theatre Special Studies” is to hone your writing and research skills, with special
attention to the discipline-specific uses of writing by theatre scholars and practitioners. An individualized
final project will allow you to investigate a research question that emerges from our class readings and
discussions, as well as from your own theatre training and experiences. You will pursue this question
using theatre-specific search strategies and scholarly sources, to produce a 12-page critical research paper
which persuasively answers your thesis question.
As the capstone writing-intensive course for the theatre major, Perfa 136 builds explicitly on the
outcomes of English 5 and Collegiate Seminar, and on writing outcomes in other theatre courses. The
specific writing/information literacy outcomes for Theatre Special Studies include:
1. composing readable prose (characterized by clear and careful organization, coherent paragraphs
and well-constructed sentences that employ the conventions of Standard Written English and
appropriate diction.)
2. giving appropriate consideration to audience, context and format in order to communicate
effectively as both a speaker and writer.
3. constructing arguments that are well supported, well reasoned, and controlled by intellectually
substantive questions or theses.
4. using the process of writing to enhance intellectual discovery and unravel complexities of
thought.
5. developing search strategies and using library catalogs and databases to find discipline-specific
scholarly resources.
6. critically evaluating sources using the SEER rubric Identifying contexts in which credible, nonscholarly sources are appropriate.
7. integrating and citing evidence appropriately, using current MLA guidelines.
8. understanding the concept of intellectual property and practicing academic honesty.
KEY COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
A) Participation: This course emphasizes the value of shared inquiry and intellectual community. Our
discussions of the assigned texts form the core of the course, and your consistent and thoughtful
participation in every class is essential. Faithful attendance is assumed. NOTE: For courses meeting twice
a week, College policy allows two discretionary absences per semester. Missed classes cannot be made up
with substitute or “extra credit” assignments, and excessive absences [for any reason] will result in a
grade penalty. A pattern of lateness will also lower your overall course grade.
B) Reading Assignments: We will be studying an assigned primary text per class meeting. In addition,
short supplementary readings will sometimes be required, to provide context and stimulate deeper
inquiry. It is your responsibility to prepare carefully for each class: read actively, seek connections, pose
questions, and make notes. Then come to class ready to share your questions and insights, and to listen.
Periodic unannounced quizzes are a possibility, especially if discussion energy begins to falter. Due
to the ‘surprise factor,’ pop quizzes cannot be made up if you are late or absent when one is given.
NOTE: The College expects you to budget on average six hours of preparatory time a week for each
course. Plan carefully to make sure you have time for completion of all readings and written assignments
before class.
C) Writing/Research Assignments: Writing goes hand-in-hand with critical inquiry, and is a central
component of this course.
Periodic informal writing (in and out-of-class) will allow you to organize and clarify your ideas about a
particular text or set of readings, and encourage you to track larger connections and emerging questions
across the semester. Your final portfolio will include this informal writing, along with a summative
“position paper” synthesizing your insights on one such line of inquiry. In addition, each student will
present two short oral reports, modeled on those assigned in Perfa 36. These mini-research assignments
allow you to review skills developed in that course and English 5, including: locating scholarly sources,
selecting sources appropriate to your purpose, and citing them correctly; and organizing and summarizing
information into a concise and clear written outline and oral presentation.
You will also complete a series of brief self-diagnostic exercises focused on your own writing
development. These exercises, in tandem with individual student-professor conferences, will help you
assess your strengths as a writer, identify personal goals for your writing in this course, review writing
and research standards, and “tune up” areas of individual concern.
Formal writing for the course: A 5 page research paper, due mid-semester, will allow you to review
discipline-specific research methods and formal writing standards used in English 5, as well as in theatre
courses like Acting I: Principles of Performance, and Foundations I and II. Students will select from a
menu of primary texts, each offering one account of how Stanislavski’s “System” was translated into the
American “Method.” To shape a thesis and develop an argument, students will draw not only on the
primary text and two secondary sources, but also on class discussions and informal writing about readings
assigned in the first month of the course.
Your final project will also be research-based. The first step will be developing an individualized, courserelevant research question, based on a modern acting theorist, training system, theatre practitioner or
performance which you find intriguing. Through exploratory writing, peer feedback, drafting, revising
and final editing, you will produce a polished, cohesive and persuasive 12-page critical research paper.
D) Mandatory Special Event: As a group we will attend one professional production this semester:
Stuck Elevator, at American Conservatory Theatre. (The cost of the ticket has already been included in
your class fee). Missing this required event will have a significant grade impact.
BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:
1. Class contribution
[consistent and thoughtful participation; quizzes;
classroom and performance etiquette, including punctuality ]
35 %
2. Portfolio of informal writing
 Context reports [written outline; oral presenation]
 Comparative analyses/ article summaries
 Writing self-diagnostics
 Summative position paper
15%
3. 5 page mid-term essay [draft required]
20 %
4. Final research project [12 page research paper, draft required]
30 %
Free Writing Advising at the Center for Writing Across the Curriculum:
Students of all levels and disciplines are welcome to drop in or make appointments for one-on-one
sessions with CWAC Writing Advisers. Students may request weekly or biweekly sessions with the same
peer student Adviser. The Center, in Dante 202, is open 5-8 p.m. Sunday and 2-8 p.m. Monday through
Thursday. The phone number is 925.631.4684.
Through collaborative engagement, Advisers guide their peers toward expressing ideas clearly and
revising their own papers with an eye toward audience and purpose. Writers should bring their
assignments, texts, and related material. Writers visit the Center to brainstorm ideas, revise drafts, or work
on specific aspects of writing, such as grammar, citation, thesis development, organization, critical
reading, or research methods. Discussions may involve any type of writing, including poetry, science lab
reports, argument-driven research, or professional application letters.
Statement on student with disabilities:
Saint Mary’s Student Disability Services is committed to reaching out to students with disabilities and
providing access to educational, social and emotional advancement. Reasonable and appropriate
accommodations are extended to eligible students in an effort to create an equal opportunity to enjoy and
participate in Saint Mary’s College’s educational programs and campus life.
Classroom accommodations are extended through the office of Student Disability Services. Students with
disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Services Coordinator at (925) 631-4164
A final word on academic integrity and the SMC Honor Code:
As students at Saint Mary’s, you share with your professors the responsibility for upholding the College’s
Honor Code. When you act with integrity, and expect the same from each other, you are contributing to
the value of our intellectual work and to the honor of our community. Because we will sometimes draw
on secondary sources in this course, it is particularly important that you avoid “plagia-phrasing” by
following agreed-upon guidelines whenever you respond to, paraphrase, or cite directly the ideas or words
of others.
Schedule of Major Assignments
Note: This proposed syllabus is subject to the process and progress of the group. Always check
MOODLE for updates when you miss a class.
Unit ONE: Setting the Stage for the Modern Actor
Date Day
2-12
T
2-14
Th
Reading/Assignments
Topic/Discussion Focus
Course intro and overview
Read: Diderot,
The Paradox of the Actor
Theatre and the Enlightenment
2-18
T
NO CLASS MEETING
American College Theatre Festival
2-20
Th
NO CLASS MEETING
American College Theatre Festival
2-25
T
Read: Goethe,
Rules for Actors
From Neo-classicism to
Romanticism
and Irving,
Preface to Diderot’s Paradox
2-28
Th Informal writing: comparative From Neo-classicism to
analysis (Diderot, Goethe, and Romanticism
Irving)
2-29
F
Individual conferences
Unit TWO: Acting as Search for Psychological Truth
3-5
T
Read: Zola, On Naturalism
Realism and Stanislavski
Co-leaders/ Context report: Adam (1)
Read: Stanisvlaski,
My Life in Art (selection)
Informal writing: essay/article
summary (see guidelines)
3-7
Th Read: Stanislavksi,
Early Stanislavski
An Actor Prepares (selections) Co-leaders/ Context reports: Caitlin (1) and
Joseph (1)
3-12
T
Read: Stanislavksi,
Theory of Physical Action
An Actor Prepares (selections) Co-leaders/Context reports: Michael (1)
and Giuliana (1)
Bring: research article
summary( see guidelines)
Unit THREE: The Moving Body – Expression, Freedom, Control
3-14
Th
Read: Michael Chekhov,
To the Actor (selection)
Chekhov/ Psychological Gesture
Co-leaders/Context reports: Adam (2) and
Kevin (1)
3-19
T
View: Appia,
The Design of Modern Theatre:
Adolphe Appia’s Innovations
Symbolism
and the new
scenography
Co-leaders/Context reports: Giuliana (2)
and Megan (1)
Bring: draft first essay (two
copies for in-class peer editing)
3-21
3-22
Th Read: Appia, Man is the
Measure of all Things
Craig,
The Actor and the UberMarionette
F
3-25 to 4-1
From Craig to the Bauhaus
Co-leaders/Context reports: Kevin (2) and
Michael (2)
Hand in: Revised first essay
[LeFevre 6, hard copy only]
NO CLASS MEETINGS
Spring Break
Unit FOUR: Performance as Political Praxis
4-2
T
Read: Meyerhold, (selections) Meyerhold
Prepare: Comparative analysis
(Chekhov, Appia and Craig)
4-4
Th
Read: Meyerhold, (selections)
Co-leaders/ Context reports: Haley (1) and
Caitlin (2)
Guest speaker: Director Mark
Jackson on Meyerhold
Prepare: Brainstorm final
project options [typed]
4-9
T
LIBRARY PRESENTATION
Research methods and resources
MLA citation guidelines
4-11
Th
Read: Piscator, The Political
Theatre (selection)
From Piscator to Brecht
Co-leaders/Context reports: Haley (2) and
Adam (3)
4-13
S
Attend: Stuck Elevator
@ ACT, 2PM
4-16
T
Read: Brecht, New Technique Brecht
Co-leaders/ Context reports: Adam (4) and
of Acting
Caitlin (3)
Prepare: final project
working bibliography (see
guidelines)
4-18
Th
Read: Boal, Theatre of the
Oppressed (selections)
Boal
Co-leaders/ Context reports: Michael (3)
and Joseph (2)
Unit FIVE: Performance as Sacred Encounter
4-23
T
Read: Artaud,
The Theatre and Its Double
(selections)
Artaud
Co-leaders/ Context reports: Megan (2) and
Haley (3)
Prepare: final project
Research article summary (see
guidelines)
4-25
4-30
Th
T
Read: Grotowoski,
Towards a Poor Theatre
(selections)
Grotowski
Co-leaders/ Context reports: Caitlin (4) and
Giuliana (3)
Read: Chaiken, The Presence Reviving rituals: Chaiken and the
of the Actor (selection)
Living Theatre
Co-leaders/context reports: Haley (4) and
Michael (4)
Unit SIX: Performance as Play-making
5-2
Th
Read: Copeau (selection)
Copeau
Co-leader/ Context report: Megan (3)
5-7
T
Read: Spolin (selection)
Improv structures
Co-leader/ Context report: Giuliana (4)
5-9
Th
Read: Devising Performance
(selection)
The post-modern performer
Co-leader/ Context reports: Megan (4) and
Kevin (3)
Bogart,
And Then You Act (selection)
5-11
T
Prepare: final project
first draft (bring two hard
copies)
Peer editing facilitated by CWAC
5-16
Th
Present: position paper
Hand in: informal portfolio
Discussion: summative reflections
and emerging issues
5-23
Th
Hand in: Final research paper Discussion: research findings
(11:30- [with outline, bibliography,
1:30) article summary, peer-edited
first draft]
SELECTED WRITING ASSIGNMENTS FOLLOW:
Perfa 136: Modern Theories of Acting
Guidelines for Research Article/Chapter Summary
Format: Typed, standard 1 inch margins, 12 point font
Include: the full bibliographic citation, in MLA format
Writing to comprehend what you read: The act of highlighting or taking notes the first
time you read a text can distract you from the activity of comprehending the text as a
coherent whole, and encourage you to see it as a collection of specific details and facts.
Instead, the first time you read, try using writing to capture the overall shape and larger
picture of the work. Because grasping what an author is doing provides an important
framework for understanding what the author is saying, answer the first set of question
first.
1. Specific questions about what the author is doing:
 What, specifically and concretely, is the subject matter of this text? What exactly
is the author looking at? How much “territory” does the author cover? What
type of evidence does she examine?

What does the author tell you about where she stands in relation to other
experts/theories/approaches in the field? What does she say about her
agreement/disagreement with other people’s work? Theories?

Consider the general approach or methods the author uses in examining the
evidence. What does the author tell you about these matters? What do you know
about this approach?

What are some of the author’s assumptions or premises? Make a list of the
general ideas the author seems to accept as “true” or “given,” things she simply
alludes to rather than explaining them.

Using what you know about this subject (from class lectures, other readings etc.)
where does the author stand? Pay attention to her technical vocabulary and
explicit references to specific theories or experts.

What does the “site of publication” reveal about what the author is doing? For
example, if the site is a journal, consider the title of the journal and what you can
determine about the particular interests of its readers. If it is in a collection of
essays, what does the title of the collection and the preface suggest about why
this essay was included in it?
Now, using the answers you have given to these questions, write a paragraph
summarizing what the author is doing in this text.
2. Questions to ask about what an author is saying
Once you have some understanding of what an author is doing in a text, you have a
context for understanding what the author is saying.
 What major conclusions has the author drawn? If he is making an argument,
what is this thesis? What has he decided the facts mean?

How did the author arrive at this conclusion or thesis? What is the general
outline of his argument, or what specific procedures did he follow?
Putting aside the text and drawing on what you remember reading, what topic does the
author spend most of his time talking about? Why? Summarize in a few sentences the
general points he want to make about his topic. Then, in a single sentence, write out
the author’s central and specific conclusion.
Now consider the general pattern of organization: how is the book or article laid out?
How does the order in which the author raises points fit his main conclusion? From
memory, write a paragraph encapsulating the author’s main line of reasoning. (Ignore
details and concentrate on major points.) Now read over what you’ve written. Can you
see the logic in this progression of thinking? If not, write another version, making these
logical connections clearer.
Now you are ready to reread the text. You’ll probably find that the second reading goes
very quickly, and you’ll be surprised at how much sense it makes.
(Adapted from Writing Research Papers across the Curriculum by Susan M. Hubbuch)
Perfa 136: Modern Theories of Acting
Guidelines for Final Research Paper
Professor Rebecca Engle
DUE: Thursday May 23rd: A hard copy of the final draft of your paper is due at the final class
meeting during finals week. (Points will be deducted for submission after this date.)
LENGTH/FORMAT: A 12+ page critical research paper, 12 point font, 1 inch margins in MLA
style (see below). Include a separate title page, and number the subsequent pages. Make sure to
carefully proofread, spellcheck and format your final draft.
RESEARCH FOCUS: A central goal of “Theatre Special Studies ” is to hone your writing
skills, with special attention to the discipline-specific uses of writing by theatre artists and
scholars. This individualized final research project is the most substantial writing assignment for
the major. The assignment provides the opportunity to investigate a topic that really interests
you, using theatre-specific research methods and sources available through the library and library
data bases, to produce a 12-page critical research paper.
A critical research paper is a carefully constructed presentation of an argument that relies on
primary and secondary sources for clarification and verification to support YOUR statements,
theories and ideas. The paper’s goal is to persuasively present an original insight or discovery
which answers an important interpretive question about your topic. (As in seminar, factual
questions ask “Who, when, or what;” analytic questions, on the other hand, usually ask “why, or
how?)” You answer to this thesis question is your thesis.
You will conduct research using primary sources (such as historical documents, archival
photographs, and works of literature and art) as well as secondary sources (studies by other
researchers on this subject). Examples of secondary sources are books and articles about a
performance genre, dramatic work, theoretical question or cultural context of a movement, trend
or style. Your research must include at least five secondary scholarly sources. In using these
secondary sources, you are expected to do more than simply quote the work of others. Instead,
aim to identify, locate, assess and assimilate others’ research and then develop and express your
own ideas clearly and persuasively.
Please contact Theatre reference librarian Sharon Walters (swalters@stmarys-ca.edu) or refer to
the library website tutorials for conducting research using ALBERT:
http://library.stmarysca.edu/tutorials/composition/tutorial/albert/Tutorial02a_Albert.html
and the Dewey system:
http://library.stmarysca.edu/tutorials/composition/tutorial/dewey/Tutorial02aa_dewey.html
and for tips on how to locate and recognize scholarly articles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDGJ2CYfY9A&NR=1
INTERIM DUE DATES:
Thursday April 4th: Your first assignment is to brainstorm: what topics related to this course
would you like to investigate in depth? You may focus on a particular artist, genre, historical
movement, theoretical question or performance practice in order to reveal some new insight into
the evolution of acting (for example, training, approaches to characterization, theories of
representation, or theatrical praxis) in the modern era. Hand in a typed paragraph explaining
what questions interest you about these topics.
Tuesday April 16th: By now, you should by now have narrowed your original question, by
honing in one aspect of it. This is your thesis question. In a typed paragraph, demonstrate the
“researchability” of this thesis question, as it now stands. Attach a working bibliography of
primary and secondary sources, using the prompt distributed during the library presentation.
Date tbd: Individual paper conference, at any stage of the development of your first draft.
Tuesday May 11th: Bring two copies of your first draft essay to class. You will meet with me
and a peer editor to discuss the further development of your research and paper.
ORGANIZATION:
These required components will help you organize and focus the different sections of your paper.
You may modify the order slightly to suit the needs of your particular argument.
•
Introduction: The opening paragraph orients the reader and draws her into the paper’s
central issue or thesis question. The thesis itself should be clearly stated.
•
Context: This section helps your reader locate your investigation in a “bigger picture.” It
is your responsibility as a writer to choose the contextual frame/s which will best illuminate and
support your inquiry.
As examples, here are some contextualizing questions.
Social/cultural events: What social forces, historical events or cultural trends are
important
“background” for your study?
Theatrical history: What theatrical developments influenced your subject? What other
theatre artists were part of this movement, trend or style?
Critical reception: How have audiences and critics responded to the artist or artistic trend
you
examine? [It may be useful to look at changing critical reception over time.]
Aesthetic trends: What artistic issues, experiments or trends drove other artists or
artforms of
this era?
•
Analysis: Develop your argument step by step, in a series of body paragraphs.
Remember that “examples” are the material through which you explore your ideas; while
essential, they should not be confused with the points in your argument.
This will probably be the longest section of your paper.
•
Counter-argument: Find a theatre theorist or practitioner who broadens, complicates or
challenges your main argument. Anticipate their possible objections to your thesis, and
effectively refute them.
•
Conclusion: This section answers the reader’s question: “So what?” A good conclusion
does not simply restate the main points of the paper; rather it leaves the reader thinking about the
wider implications of the argument presented.
Paragraph construction
A paragraph is a series of sentences that are organized and coherent, and are all related to a
single topic. Paragraphs show a reader where the subdivisions of an essay begin and end, and
thus help the reader see the organization of the essay and grasp its main points. A well-organized
paragraph supports or develops a single controlling idea, which is expressed in a topic sentence.
A topic sentence has several important functions: it substantiates or supports an essay’s thesis
statement; it unifies the content of a paragraph and directs the order of the sentences; and it
advises the reader of the subject to be discussed and how the paragraph will discuss it.
Most paragraphs in an essay have a three-part structure—introduction, body, and conclusion.
You can see this structure in paragraphs whether they are narrating, describing, comparing,
contrasting, or analyzing information. Each part of the paragraph plays an important role in
communicating your meaning to your reader.
•
Introduction: the first section of a paragraph; should include the topic sentence and any
other sentences at the beginning of the paragraph that give background information or provide a
transition.
•
Body: follows the introduction; discusses the controlling idea, using facts, arguments,
analysis, examples, and other information.
•
Conclusion: the final section; summarizes the connections between the information
discussed in the body of the paragraph and the paragraph’s controlling idea.
(source: Indiana University at Bloomington)
When revising your first draft, refer to Guidelines for Peer Editing.
Here is an additional checklist to help you strengthen your paper:
1. Did I begin each paragraph with a proper topic sentence?
2. Have I supported my arguments with documented proof or examples?
3. Are there run-on or unfinished sentences?
4. Are there unnecessary or repetitious words?
5. Do I vary the lengths of my sentences?
6. Does one paragraph or idea flow smoothly into the next?
7. Are there any spelling or grammatical errors?
8. Are quotes accurate in source, spelling, and punctuation? 9. Are all my citations accurate and correctly formatted?
10. Do I avoid using contractions? (Use "cannot" instead of "can't", "do not" instead of "don't"?)
11. Do I avoid tentative phrases such as "I think", "I guess", "I suppose"?
12. Have I made points clear and interesting while remaining objective?
13. Did I leave a sense of completion for my reader(s) at the end of the paper?