Play Reading and Analysis Notes
 First written assignment is a French Scene Chart (Quizzes before it). Owl at
(@?) Purdue is a website with the MLA format down.
September 9, 2011
 Presentation Component. First presentations are September 19th. 2 or 3
topics per play. There’s a sign-up sheet on Gail’s door and we go and sign-up
for a spot. YOU MUST SIGN-UP OR RISK FAILING. When doing a presentation,
read the play you have an assignment on EVEN THOUGH the presentations
won’t be talking about THAT PARTICULAR PLAY (no specifics on the play
you read). If you talk about the play at all, you’re going to be stopped. Don’t
encroach on someone elses’ topic. Evaluation is based on 50% information
and 50% presentation. It’s an oral presentation (even though you can hand
out a sheet of paper for reference). Also looking for definitions in the
presentations (if something sounds unfamiliar to the people you present it to,
define it for them). You should be somewhat passionate about your topic.
You are the presenter of the oral information but you PICK what makes sense
to read off to the class in relation to your topic. Context for some information
is important (e.g. if your topic is on a playwright and you list plays, put them
in context and why they are important). Often looking for the topic’s
influence on theatre, including quality and ideas, how plays are produced etc.
Presentation minimum of 7 minutes and a maximum of 10 minutes. Sign-up
early so you can start early. There’s about 60-65 people to have handouts for
if you want to use handouts. YOU NEED A BIBLIOGRAPHY (which is to also be
handed in to Gail).
September 12, 2011
 Prior to the 70s, there was no Canadian theatre in English Canada. There
were theatre productions (written plays) but were no Canadian scripts. The
authors were often British or American. There were indigenous Quebec plays
before English Canada had plays written. Michelle Tremble was the first
Quebec playwright and wrote in a language that many did not speak (the
“people’s language” French that was only known to some Quebecers).
 The Factory Lab Theatre was the first company ever to do EXCLUSIVELY
Canadian content. It started in 1970 exactly. The founding artistic director
was Kevin Gaz.
 25th Street Theatre in Saskatoon was a collective of artists. Were doing
collectives (plays written by a handful of people) at the beginning as opposed
to plays written by one playwright. Linda Griffiths was a founder of 25th
Street Theatre in 1972.
 Linda Griffiths first collaboration was Paper Wheat which is a big event in
Canadian theatre. A lot of young people were going back to the farm in the
70s and these ideals came out. Paper Wheat came out as a collective and was
based on actual interviews and events of farmers.
 The collective were not just writers, they were “Creator-performers” where
they write their own work.

There is a distinction between Actor and Character. The actor is the
performer and the character is portrayed by the actor. There can be more
than one character to an actor.
 One-person shows are beneficial in many ways, including the fact that it’s
cheaper, it’s very exciting for the actor who is showcasing their talent.
 The Betty-Mitchell awards are given in Calgary and Linda Griffiths won for
Age of Arousal in 2007 for Best New Play. Every big city in Canada DoraMaverwar awards in Toronto. The Chalmers Award comes from the Canada
Council for the Arts and is a literary awards. The Governor General award
was awarded to the Darling Family.
 Canada Council fund all arts and theatre in Canada.
 Alberta has the AFA (Alberta Foundation for the Arts).
 After Paper Wheat which was a big event in Canadian Theatre, Linda Griffiths
career started off from this and her first solos success as a writer was from a
play called Maggie and Pierre (take away the politics and Pierre was an elitist
and his wife was eye candy). She played all 3 characters but set it up to have
dialogues despite the fact she played all 3 roles.
 Linda Griffiths career is where process and product meet. Process is the
creation of whatever will be put on stage and what the audience sees is the
product.
September 14, 2011
Age of Arousal
 Ensemble play: there is no real protagonist.
 Thought Speak: expressing subtext through ACTUAL text.
 Character Arc or journey is when the characters change over time.
 A polar attitude suggests there is a transition from the character at the
beginning of the play and at the end of the play.
 You have to read the play that IS not the play that you WANT. Develop and
openness to whatever is coming. You can sit in a play and focus on what you
ARE understanding as opposed to what you’re NOT.
 There are topics, themes, and plots of plays.
 The theme is the overriding idea where everything in the play fits. Themes of
Age of Arousal: sexuality, independence, feminism,
September 16, 2011
Linda Griffiths is in!
 Thought-speak has to be done more like a musical (rehearsed and
memorized). It is not organic like any other play. Having it be technical
without showing it being technical.
 Writer’s block  conscious flow (writing without thinking continuously for a
while).
 This idea of husband getting all of the property in the Victorian era is a
central part of the play George Sand we read later.
September 19, 2011
Presentations
Contemporary Canadian Female Playwrights of Colour



D’Bi Young was born in Jamaica and moved to Canada in 1993.
Lisa Codrington who is first generation Canadian.
Maxine Bailey was born in England but resides in Toronto. Co-founder of
Sugar and Spice Productions.
 Sharon Lewis majored in Political Science but landed a part-time job for a
theatre company and got involved.
 Marie Clements is a woman with Metis background.
 Cheryl Foggo.
Janet Sears
 Studied at York University.
 Visited Africa and added a “D” to her name after visitn the town of Djanet.
 Co-founded Obsidian Theatre Company.
 Teaches playwriting at the University of Toronto.
 Afrika Solo is her first published play. A one person play about being a
minority and an outcast.
 Harlem Duet second published play if hers. About a modern man who leaves
his wife for a fellow University professor. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Othello.
First debut at the Blue Heron Theatre.
 The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God was put on for the first time
at the Mirvish Productions in Toronto.
 Harlem Duet performed at Shakespearean Festival. First black production
presented at the festival, first production to be directed by a black director
and performed by an all black cast.
 Her main influences or her writing is African culture and by Shakespeare and
George Bernard Shaw.
 Was a driving force behind starting the AfroCanadian Playwrights festival.
 She greatly affects the writing of younger people.
Presentations (EXTRA info)
 Talk about what some playwrights “bring to the table”.
 May need to talk about content.
 Always assume that everything in a play is in there AS IT SHOULD BE. There
are parts you may not like but everything is possible. It may be challenging.
September 21, 2011
French Scene Chart (look at handout!)
 French Scenes are whenever a new character ENTERS or EXITS.
 Read the play OUT LOUD to average out the amount of time it takes to go
through each page (DO NOT write down that 1 page = 1 minute because for
your play it won’t)
 In the “Event” Column, you want to see what that scene is about and what is
significant. You want to know what’s going on. Specific lines of dialogue could
be used to help tell what’s going on (but can only use occasionally).
 “Location” is the location on-stage, NOT in the setting.
 “Specials” are things that are slightly out of the ordinary that are used in the
scene that should be mentioned.

You don’t have to put “character x enters” for the event unless it is the
significant event of the scene.
 There must be a LEGEND on this chart.
 For this particular assignment, you’re not doing the entire play.
September 23, 2011
Leslie visits!
 Costumes in productions (specifically Djanet Sears’ play The Adventures of a
Black Woman In Search of God).
 There is no right way to do costumes.
 You don’t want to do something so it’s “cute” (i.e the guy in the pink shirt gets
with the pink dress girl). Sometimes it’s ok depending on the play.
 Costumes can help reflect the feelings of the character and the themes of the
play (i.e. earth-like tones used for The Adventures… because of all the earthy
ideas)
September 26, 2011
The Adventures of a Black Woman in Search of God
 Chorus acts to create the setting of this play. The fact that there is a chorus is
a remarkable aspect of the play. Generally create the “natural” aspect of the
world.
 The play starts with a real “bang” because of the death of a child. It
immediately engages the audience.
 Symbols of the play: oppression and liberation symbolized by the lawn
gnomes, the military jacket symbolizing freedom and history, the river
symbolizes the flow of time and history, the dirt is a symbol of ancestry and
the connection to the land (where the connection to the land is a connection
to God), Rainey’s daughter’s dolls, the toilet (where her daughter died).
 This play is highly symbolic. There’s a lot of comedy with the older
generation (but it’s not a comedy). It is a dramatic, political, theatrical play.
The events are generally realistic but elements (such as the chorus) are all
symbolic and highly theatrical.
 How would you sum up this play in one sentence?
 The story of the play is NOT the play. For example, if you pick a topic for a
film (such as the Vietnam War). The story (being in Vietnam) is not the
movie. The plot and events of the play are do not make the play. You must
know the content and the STYLE (the “how”) in which the content is
presented.
 Willing suspension of disbelief: you accept the world of the play for what it is
(such as people breaking out into random dance numbers).
September 28, 2011
 Every little bit of knowledge you gain contributes to a broader base of
information which will enhance your abilities to do well in this career (or
others).
September 30, 2011
Sean.guist@uleth.ca (e-mail him about this particular assignment)
Character Analysis


Do this for Drawer Boy. And only for 1 of 2 characters (Morgan or Angus).
Everything in this assignment needs EVIDENCE. Put the page number you
found it on (use parentheses at the end of the sentence with the page) or
write the line that is said or the action that happens or the moment that
shows this “fact”. Make sure to cite it in SOME WAY!
 BE VERY SPECIFIC! (about the “facts” from the play and the evidence you use
for the facts).You can’t take anything from the text that isn’t there (don’t
make inferences).
October 3, 2011
Presentations
Canadian Collective Creations of the 1970s
 Process in which a group of artists create a piece of work.
 The Farm Show. First major collective in Canada. Produced in 1972.
Characterized theatre in 1970s. Somewhat of a prototype. The creation of
many different actors that went and lived with farmers in the Ontario region.
The Theatre Passe Muraille, “beyond walls”, a Toronto based theatre
company. Believed in theatre without walls and other types of theatre.
 Paper Wheat. About harsh lives of early Saskatchewan settles and co-op
movement in the prairies. Presented by 26th Street House Players in
Saskatoon. Linda Griffiths co-wrote. Premiered in 1978.
 Ten Lost Years. Based on book by Barry Barefoot. Based on the interviews of
the lives of people in the Great Depression. Premiered IN 1974. Toronto
Workshop Productions founded in 1959 by George Luscombe. Performed in
100 seat factory basement.
Bio and Chronology of Michael Healy
 Born on August 25, 1963 in Toronto.
 Acting Career: The League of Nathans, Reading Hebron, Three in the Back
Two in the Head, The End of Civilization, Better Living.
 Writing Career: Monologue called “Kicked” in 1996 which he performed at
Fringe of Toronto Festival. Next he wrote “Yodellers” in 1997 with Kate
Lynch. The Drawer Boy (in 1999) one several awards and was based off the
Farm Show. Plan B appeared in 2002 at Terragon Theatre and discusses the
separation of Quebec from Canada. The Innocent Eye Test (2006). Generous
(2007) regards the question about the “selfless act”. Courageous (2010).
 Influence: Directed and performed in many plays in his career and has
written many plays that qualify for the “Best Play” award.
Canadian Plays Being Produced: (1998-2004)
See Worksheet
Notes
 Don’t just talk about the content of the plays (TALK ABOUT HOW THINGS
ARE PRESENTED; how did it look?)
 Style and theatricality is what we’re exploring.
 For quizzes, write down what you know (even if you don’t know specifics).
October 5, 2011
Drawer Boy




Always talk about a character and how they relate to the world around them.
Is Morgan Nice or Kind?
One of the most popular Canadian plays ever produced.
Why? Relatable: urban and rural contrast. The stakes are high (how much
you care). Low budget play to create. It’s very engaging and very touching
with plenty of humor as well.
 All the characters of this play go through a transition that significantly affects
them.
October 7, 2011
 The Drawer Boy is a realistic play that uses a humerous and dramatic
approach to reflect ideas of what it means to be kind and the, sometimes,
difficult task of living with past decisions. It also contrasts between rural and
urban life and their influence on how one perceives what is acceptable.
What Needs to Be in a Description of the Drawer Boy? (don’t want to talk about
characters but still be specific without plot)
 Urban vs. Rural ideas
 Post-war Farm life
 Popular Canadian Play
 Psychological Drama
 Some Drama, Some Comedy
 Small Play
 Contemporary
 Accessible
 Colloquial (speaking in everyday English)
 Only 2 acts, with 10 scenes (7 in the first, 3 in the last)
 Play driven by the characters
 Clash of Generations
 Chronological
 Could be ensemble (all 3 people on-stage almost all the time)
Notes
 When looking at a play, where is the action taking place? Conflict can take
many forms. There are types of conflicts: human vs. human, human vs.
machine, human vs. self, human vs. supernatural, human vs. nature. In the
case of the Drawer Boy, most of the action or conflict occurs off-stage.
 Images: the double wedding with the double house (blueprints), burning
bread, counting of stars, Angus looking at the empty wall, sandwich, the story
(and how it changes), produce or die idea, the poem that was never read,
spoon with water.
 Motifs: Repetition of symbols.
October 12, 2011
Presentations
Nicolai Gogol
 Born on March 20, 1809 in Sorochintsy Ukraine. Grew up on a small ancestral
estate. His father practiced amateur theatre in the home.

Arrived in St. Petersburgh at age 19 in 1828. Worked as a clerk for a
government but was paid to little. His first published book turned out badly
so he bought all copies and burned them so they couldn’t tarnish his
reputation.
 In 1835 he published 2 short stores. Wrote the Government Inspector in
1836.
 Significant work “The Overcoat” was published in 1842.
 Fell into depression and madness and died of self-imposed malnutrition and
general debilitation in February of 1852.
 Key Literary works: “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” is about Ukrainian
folklore. “Government Inspector” based on corruption of government. “The
Overcoat” is an enormous influence on Russian literature.
 Considered the father of Prose Fiction (or Realism) in Russia.
Morris Panych
 Born on june 30, 1952 in Calgary Alberta.
 Diploma in Radion, TV and Arts at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
 First play: “Last Call- A Postnuclear Cabaret”. A black comedy about postnuclear war.
 “7 Stories”. Another Black Comedy.
 “Vigil”. Yet another black comedy!
 “The Overcoat” was a physical theatre piece that was adapted from Nicolai
Gogol.
 “Girl in the Goldfish Bowl”. Set at the beginning of the Cold War. Won the
Governor General’s Award.
 His Satires take aim at the worst traits of human nature and being able to
laugh at the,
 Influence on theatre: created many black comedies, going back and forth
between hope and despair
Translation vs. Adaptation (The Government Inspector)
 LOOK AT THE HAND OUT
READ AND SEE “The Government Inspector”
October 14, 2011
The Government Inspector
 There’s a production/play clue in the last scene the shows that it’s not a play
within a play. FIND IT.
 Comedy of errors, political, satire, farce.
 Themes: Greed, Progress vs. Regress, Abuse of Power, Poverty and
Corruption, Deception, Urban (or what’s believed to be urban) vs. Rural.
October 17, 2011
Bertold Brecht
 Initially enrolled as a medical student at the University of Munich.
 Conscripted as a medical orderly in WWI where he wrote his second play,
Drums in the Night.
 In 1924 he moved to Berlin to improve his career. Became communist in
1927.

Fled from Germany and from the Nazi powers. He was exiled for 15 years and
when that time was up, in 1948, he returned to Germany. Founded his own
company called the Berlin Ensemble
 He died in 1956.
 Awards: Drums in the Night earned Kleist Prize. Brecht also won Stalin Peace
Prize.
 Many of the women of his life helped him write his plays BUT he never gave
them credit.
 Mother Courage, The Good Woman of Szechuan are some of the plays he
wrote.
 Influence. The Threepenny Opera would go on to be one of the biggest
theatrical hits in Berlin. He didn’t want audiences to feel emotion but to
think.
Mother Courage (and Epic Theatre)
 Brecht’s Philosophy: Cynical towards war and the only ones who benefit
from war are the upper classes. Fear of wars based on religion. Well known
Marxist.
 Epic Theatre. A form of theatre where he would get a message across and
detach emotionally from characters.
 Alienation Effect. It is a technique that got the audience completely detached.
Wanted no one to identify with characters in the play. For example, would
use very bright light to help reinforce the idea that you were literally
watching a play.
 Brecht believed that an actor should not impersonate a character but rather
narrate a character. The actors, as well with the audience, should NOT be
relating to the character. The actor should be aware of the audience and
sometimes address it. The actors were made to rehearse in third person. Also
“alienated” the audience through song because we don’t naturally burst out
into song and dance in real life. The set was not supposed to be realistic but
really simple (e.g. one tree on a stage to represent an entire forest).
Konstantin Stanislavski and Brecht
 Co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre in 1897.
 Practitioner of the naturalist school of thought which became the catalyst for
method acting.
 Sometimes used emotional memory to help access authentic emotions for
characters but because it sometimes made people crazy he decided to take
away emotional recall for the most part.
 Brecht’s ideas and techniques are still used in some work today.
October 19, 2011
French Scene Chart (Final Remarks)
 You forgot the summary! The summary should always be about what you’ve
done in the project.
 You must always have to support what you’re saying by quoting/using the
script.
Mother Courage and Her Children

The whole play is about gaining form the war (meaning that Brecht was quite
against capitalism).
 Brecht not only wants you to think about the play but also be so
outraged/encouraged to go out in the street and act upon those feelings.
 The title somewhat ironic as her children are courageous yet Mother Courage
is not. Could be that she “birthed” courage.
October 21, 2011
Mother Courage (Epic Theatre)
 Epic Theatre is a little bit more like what we might call an Epic Movie. It is
often over a very long period of time. There’s lots of space where the events
occur. There’s a main character which is often the hero but also it follows
many other people. Has a clear line of thought that is also quite logical
(dialectical).
 Brecht is very interested in content (the themes, the lines of the play, the
structure of the genre), form (how content is presented), functionality (he
wanted his plays to be functional, to be able to think and not to feel).
 The Dramatic Spectator (the realist) might say: “Yes. I have felt like that too.”
“It’s just like me.” “It’s only natural.” “It’ll never change.” “I weep when they
weep, I laugh when they laugh.” This is called identifying with the characters.
 The Epic Spectator might say: “I’d never have thought about that.” “That’s not
the way.” “That’s extraordinarily hard to believe.” “It’s got to stop.” “The
suffering of this man are awful because no man suffers through this.” “I laugh
when they weep and weep when they laugh.”
 Brecht is omnipresent in all contemporary theatre (i.e. elements of Brecht’s
theatre can be found in almost all contemporary plays). For example, we take
for granted that there is a non-realistic set.
 Children’s Theatre follows Brechtian theatre quite a bit. There’s often a moral
to the story, there’s often a “distance” between the actor and the character,
the fourth wall is often broken, and just generally not realistic.
 We should know where things come from (the history)!
 Generally today, we are asked to believe in the character we’re acting, not
COMMENT on him/her.
 Epic Theatre is supposed to be subjective. Brecht would have a very strong
opinion. But Realist Theatre is giving the illusion of objective which portrays
real life and you pick and choose what stays with you.
 Ways that the audience is alienated in Mother Courage: song, action occurs
off-stage, the set is very simple, signs/projections would show the time of
scenes and how time has passed, you are told ahead of time what will happen
so you can focus on the ideas.
 Anything that reminds you that you’re in the theatre while watching a play,
it’s Brechtian.
October 28, 2011
Judith Thompson Presentations
“I Write for the theatre because I am electrified by the human voice, in all its
musicality and particularity, and the corporal presence of the actor; drama is freeing
in all its constraints, like a fourteen line sonnet, or a haiku. I also love the challenges
of finding new structures to explore human interaction.”
 Born in Montreal 1954. Graduated from Queen’s in 1976 and National
Theatre School of Canadian 1979. Ontario Arts Council playwright.
 The Crackwalker (1980), White Biting Dog (1984), Tornado (a radio play,
1987) The Other Side of the Dark (1989), I Am Yours (1987), White Sand
(radio play, 1991), Lion in the Streets (1991), Perfect Pie and more…
 Walter Carsen Prize is only given every four years. Very rare but Judith won
in 2007.
 Judith writes plays that are noted for being political and psychological
dramas. There are generally 6 or less characters per play. She has adapted
Shakespeare in the past which portrays her knowledge and use of poetic
language.
 Playwright of the Nightwood Theatre is one of the oldest women’s
production company in the country. Produce more difficult or challenging
plays. More tied to Taragon Theatre.
 Judith writes about things that most playwrights wouldn’t normally write
about (e.g. things you would see in the news).
Hyperrealism in the Arts
 Hyperrealism. Hyper refers to over, above or beyond and realism is an
attachment to what is real. Therefore, hyperrealism is VERY realistic
portrayal of art. Was first coined by Isy Brachot.
 In the performing arts: portraying something so extremely that it may
actually be real.
Judith Thompson’s Use of Monologues
 Monologues are speeches presented by a single character to express
thoughts or to address other characters or the audience. Distinct from a
soliloquy or an apostophe where someone addresses and inanimate object or
idea.
 Judith uses monologues for different purposes. Has created entire plays
made up of character’s monologues. Use monologues to delve deeper into the
psychology of her characters and why they do or feel certain things rather
than focusing on their actions.
 She has a dark and violent nature to most of her plays, which is important to
describe their behaviour and emotions. The character acts the way they do
because that’s who they are, not their reaction to what other do.
 She refers to her work to be “magic realism”. Magic part comes from seeing
the inner workings of the character. Perfect Pie is a good example of her use
of monologues.
October 31, 2011
A Perfect Pie
 There’s a difference between the main event of the play and the main event
in a character’s life.
 Uses incredible amount of quantity and quality of images that relate to our
senses and only later do we think about what it means.

Where does hyperrealism appear: food (and the making thereof), being in the
character’s flashbacks,
 In visual art, hyperrealism appears in a 3-dimensional format. Things come
out and have specifically made to come out. Interacting with her younger self,
monologues at the parts of the play make ideas 3-dimensiona (e.g.
monologue on epilepsy with the stalker), some set or prop elements that
would be incredibly real (e.g. the wall paper that’s been there for years, little
comic strip on the wall) being so concrete and real that it would BRING OUT
the imagery of the play.
 Think about what makes Judith Thompson’s play inherently different from
other plays (i.e. what makes her play HER play)?
November 2, 2011
A Perfect Pie
 The plot is the series of events comes from the conflict. In a plot driven play,
there would be a resolution to the plot. The conflict here is a person vs.
society. Plot also has a narrative structure. Events occur in a plot that require
In Perfect Pie there are no real events! She sends a tape and has a seizure but
that’s it. They talk about the past but it’s not involved in the action of the
present.
 If we know that the dramatic action occurs in the events of the play and that
the event build the plot, what is a topic and what is a theme?
 Themes are the main ideas that drive the play forwards. The affect of loss on
childhood memories is a more specific theme. You need to be able to narrow
down what you’re talking about and, when discussing theme, it is better to
have a sentence about the theme than just a single word. If you want to talk
about war, you want to talk about peace.
 The Topic will express the theme. We could have a topic that is WWII but the
theme would differ between other plays about WWII (such as courage, trust,
brotherhood, value of human life or lack of value of human life, sacrifice,
man’s extent of cruelty against each other). Now we can take these themes
and even apply them to another play. The topic needs to be there to be able
to investigate the themes, not necessarily from the playwrights perspective.
 Theme, generally, deals with the human condition and the broad questions
about humanity.
 If a play is topical, it generally isn’t considered a compliment. It is too specific
to the time period or something else and will generally not make sense and
be discarded in 2-4 years.
 What defines Judith Thompson Plays? The use of monologues, smaller cast,
the use of imagery that describes the more “underbelly” and disturbing
aspects of human life (avoiding the façade we put on), often humor and
especially in the dark aspects of the play, the characters are quite odd, not
plot driven, character is very important, they are also “magic” realism but
they are never just realism, makes things that are not concrete ideas a 3dimensional and concrete image, the characters are always flawed (there are
no heroes, just very human), the “rawness” of the true human experience,
time and memory are recurring motifs in her work (SHOULD BE IN YOUR
PAPER), all characters are very needy.
 There’s a difference between memories and flashbacks! When thinking about
it, think about whose memories they are.
 Magic Realism. Elements of the supernatural come into play and it happens
as honestly as if it WERE possible. An element here is that there’s interaction
and movement between the past memories and the present in A Perfect Pie.
 In order to find the themes, examine and find the imagery in the play. We
often talk about the imagery in the dialogue, not the imagery of the set.
 Iconography creates something that is iconic. In A Perfect Pie, it is the
representation of a farmhouse as it is universally (in a particular society)
understood. So when the lights come up, you say, “Oh! I’m in farmhouse.”
Based on this, our values come into play and we show our expectations.
November 4, 2011
Anna Deavere Smith Biography
 Born in Baltimore, Maryland. Parents where a coffee maker and an
elementary school principal. Oldest of 5 children. Middle class, probably had
to grow up faster, political correctness wouldn’t have existed at this time,
aware of race and how it affects how you fit into society. Her brother was
completely Caucasian, helping her recognize racial discrimination and it’s
influence in society (main points of her work).
 2 of her most influential works: Twilight: Los Angeles, Fires in the Mirror.
Doesn’t perform in her shoes because “she want to walk in their shoes” (their
being the people who she has interviewed). She is very effective at becoming
the characters.
 Won and nominate many awards includeing: Tony Awards, Matrix Award,
Dora Award.
 She has created 2 foundations Anna Deavere Works Inc. and Institute on the
Arts and Civic Dialogue at Harvard University (directing the students to
express issues that affect society through her works).
 Has also done a few television and film works.
Los Angeles Riots of 1992
 April 29, 1992 and was one of the bloodiest riots in history.
 Rodney King was driving drunk and was pulled over. Tried to resist the
officers and was beaten brutally.
 Man with a camcorder caught the whole thing.
 The Trial after the video was released. Held in Sini Valley in Ventura County.
The officers were not charged!
 Community thought this racially charged act was not properly addressed.
Violence first erupted at a street corner.
 6 days of rioting. Arson was a popular violent act (worth 1 billion dollars
worth of property damage).
 Reginal Denny. A white truck driver was pulled from his truck and beat him
senseless.

Looting came next. There were more than 100 stores being looted.
Shopkeepers prevented looting by sitting on their roofs with guns.
 Police Control. During the rioting, they had very little control of different
areas. Had very little rioting gear. Senior Officers were not in LA at the time,
the police chief was attending a fundraiser, and both sides (officers and the
chief) were not on “cooperating” terms due to partisan.
 Requested National Guard intervention. However, the 6000 some soldier or
more did not show up at first because more gear was required.
The Laramie Project
 SEE HANDOUT
November 9, 2011
Doctor’s Appointment
November 14, 2011
Michel Marc Bouchard
 Born February 2nd, 1958. Born in Alma, a city in Quebec.
 Started at Mantane College and studied tourism. Went to University of
Ottawa for a Bachelor of Arts.
 Author of 20-25 plays. The Doll Pelopia, A Visit or Above All, you Note Feel
Obliged to Come, The Feluttes or Repetition of Romantic Drama are all
popular plays.
 Majority of the plays veer towards melo-drama with touches of humor
despite the subject being somber. The subject is often about sexuality and
relationships.
 The International Association of Theatre Critics is very closely related to the
awards of which he has earned. Started in Paris.
Contemporary Quebec Playwrights
 Grattien Gelinas. First play came out in 1948 and was a key moment in the
history of Quebec drama. Also involved in CFDC. Has received nine
honorarium doctorates. Translated the musical Hair.
 Claude Gauvreau. Suffered from a lot of depression and ended up committing
suicide. Inspired by his brother, a painter. Referred to as a “Damned Poet”.
Was an unconditional advocate for the automatist movement, which later
became a key component of Quebec. Explodien (?), invented words and
verbal collages (a type of language he used).
 Michel Tremblay. One of the most well produced playwright in the nation.
Wanted to recognize the language of the working class in his plays.
 Rejean Ducharme. Novelist and playwright. Lives mostly in seclusion but has
works about children or young adults that refuse or separate themselves
from society. Believed that his isolation make his work more intimate.
 Carole Frechette. Studied acting with the National Theatre School. Themes
she uses are a fear of dying, time passing too quickly and a search for peace
in the world or in one’s life. Most produced author from Canada in France.
 Normand Chaurette. Themes he tends to use involve monstrosity, death,
childhood, and time. The language is very poetic, direct, and very melodic. His
writing is compared to music.
Religion In Quebec Plays
 Religious plays were often tied closely to homosexuality. Many of the plays
were frowned upon because they show conflicts with religion.
 Mainly Christianity was used as the target or subject.
 Same sex relationships, denial (living the way we are expected to), feminism,
rejections of homosexuality are all themes which arise in plays about religion
in Quebec.
 Hosana is a popular play where a man, wanting to be woman, goes to a ball
and acts so vain that he is targeted and mocked. He is then forced to question
“her” identity.
 Jonathas et Davis is a play about David, who struck down Goliath, forming a
bond verging on a full love relationship with the son of the King’s son,
Jonathon.
 La Nef Des Sorcieres portrays a mad actress who uses monologues to attempt
to remember lines from previous plays she had done throughout her life.
Concepts and Incidences of Plays within a Play
 A play within a play is a lot like a dream within a dream (INCEPTION!) and
you have to accept different realities for each.
 Examples: Hamlet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Spanish Tragedy, The
Seagull, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Kiss Me Kate, Noises Off.
November 16, 2011
Lilies
PLAY ANALYSIS DUE MONDAY
 Romanticism vs. Structure.
 Billidou’s conflict: what is good vs. what he really wants. His moral stance,
based in religion, which constrains him.
 Sexual Politics. Which of the prisoners acting out the play is the toughest
(sexually)? Probably Simon because he casted the play and is in charge. The
weakest prisoner is most likely the one who plays Billidou.
November 18, 2011
Theatricality vs. Cinematic
 The objective in theatre is to get the audience on your side, to understand
your point of view and what you’re doing.
 The thing that separates theatre from cinema is that we often wonder about
the actors. If we start to think about the actor and their choices, we leave the
world of the play but if we continue to think about the character, even when
something intense happens (e.g. nudity) then you’re in the world of the play.
 The theatre can be a completely created and imagined world but cinema is
what you see is real (even if the setting is in a place of fantasy).
 In theatre, it is much easier to suspend disbelief in what is happening as
opposed to cinema.
 The concept is what theatre people are interested in, not necessarily the
logistics. There is always something that can be done to portray the concept
in a production on-stage.

Theatre is not completely real. When you think about it, you have to act
bigger and with more energy than real life because you have to be able to
reach out and affect every member of an audience, whether it in a small room
or in a huge auditorium.
 Cinema has its own benefits, too!
November 21, 2011
DAVID MAMET! LOOK EM UP
David Mamet (Language)
 Language is his dramatic action. The dialogue creates the shape of the play.
 “If you have to use narration, you’re not doing your job.”
 It’s not actually spoken speech, it merely has the right rhythms of speech. It is
more closesly related to free verse.
Famous American Playwrights of the 1980s
 Sam Shepard. Born in Illinous. Father was alcoholoic army officer. Travelled a
lot. Has a lot of dark themes. Worked on Avant-Garde tragedy plays in New
York. Uses inventive language, symbolism, and non-linear story telling.
 Lee Blessing. Born in Minnesota. Runs a graduate playwriting program in
New Jersey. Reached stardom via the play A Walk in the Woods. Plays that
deal with humanity and politics although he does jump all over the place.
Written over 30 plays and over 20 screenplays.
 August Wilson. Born in Pittsburg. Constantly harassed. Famous play Ma
Rainey’s Black Bottom in 1985. Really enjoys the use of blues as a way of
portraying black history and culture. Wanted to be influenced by all black
history and culture, denies any influence by famous American white
playwrights.
Important American Playwrights in the 90s.
 Tony Kushner was born in New York in April. A gay playwright that wrote
plays about sexual themes. Angels in America is a well known example.
 Horton Foote. Wrote the screenplay for To Kill a Mockingbird.
 Terrance McNally. Corpus Christi is a play about Jesus and his disciples being
homosexual.
 Arthur Miller.
 Victor Bumbalo. “What Are Tuesdays Like?” is about the waiting room in an
AIDS treatment centre.
 Marc Wolf. “Another American” about homosexual soldiers and the “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the US army.
 Jonathon Larson. Wrote “Rent”. Died before the opening night of Rent.
November 23, 2011
You can prepare a chunk of 1 minute text that rivals David Mamet’s and read it
aloud.
GlenGary Glenross
 Topic (what is the play about?). Real estate is the topic.
 Theme. Greed, the American Dream, Morality (the means justifying the ends),
be careful who you step on (because they can step on you in the future),
financial pressure is unhealthy, where Greed meets Necessity.

What’s different from every other play we read? There’s not a lot of stage
direction, little description of setting, no description of character, very few
descriptors in dialogue (it’s very people based and very immediate), don’t
know the context, EXPOSITION (very different, always in the middle of the
conversation, does not lead you by the hand to understand).
 Voyeuristic theatre. Jumping in at a point that’s in the middle and barely
anything makes sense.
November 25, 2011
GlenGary Glenross (cont.)
 An actor makes sense out of text.
 It’s always about what going on between the characters. Though the content
may be about selling real estate, the relationships between the characters
and the action determine the dramatic action and make it interesting to
watch!
November 28, 2011
Samuel Beckett
 Born April 13th 1906. Mother was Mary and Father was Frank. Exceptional
academic records in his youth. He was stabbed on a Parisian street and met
his wife in the hospital. Moved to Paris which influences his works.
 Exposed to many theatre forms that all influences his works.
 Came out with absurdism.
 Some famous works: Le Kid, More Pricks than Kicks, Murphy, Echoe’s Bones,
Malloy, Waiting for Godot, Endgame, Happy Days.
Absurdism
 Meaningless, pursuit of value, irrational, isolation, contradictory.
 Came mainly from nihilism (no meaning to find) and existentialism (there is
meaning).
 The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is an example of absurdist literature.
 A ritual-like, mythological, archetypal, allegorical vision closely related to the
world of dreams. Absurdism is supposed to make you think outside the box.
 WWII marked the beginning of the absurdist movement. The first few
productions of absurdist theatre were received poorly and caused hostility.
 Absurdist Style. Characters are often stereotypical, flat characters (like
Comedia D’el Arte). Design is very minimal (minimalistic). Language in
absurdist theatre is often made up of clichés and questioning whether what
we know really exists or still applies.
 The Secret Lives of Umbrellas is an example of an absurdist play.
Irish Playwrights
 Conor Mcpherson. Born in Dublin 1970. Named by the New York Times as
“the finest playwright of his generation.”
 Some of his plays: Rum and Vodka, This Lime Tree Bower, The Good Thief St.
Nicholas, The Weir, Port Authority, Shining City, The Seafarer, the Birds, The
Vail. Has also written plays for different movies.
 Marina Carr. Born in 1964.

Some of her plays include: Low in the Dark, The Deer Surrender, This Love
Thing, Ullaloo, The Mai, Portia Coughlan, On Rafter’s Hill, Ariel, Women and
Scarecrow, The Cordelia Dream, Marble and The Giant Blue Hand.
 Tom Murphy. Born in Tuam, County Galway in 1935. Considered one of
Ireland’s greatest living playwrights.
 Some examples of his plays include: The Orphans, On the Inside, Famine, A
Crucial Week in the life of a Grocer’s Assistant.
 Martin McDonagh. Born in London in 1971. Of Irish decent despite not being
in Ireland.
 Won 4 awards for The Beauty of Queen of Leenane.
 Other works: Pillowman, A Skull in Connemara.
November 30, 2011
Absurdism (continued)
Absurdist Playwrights
 Usually invoking considerable humor. Exist in a ridiculous world that is
unjust and illogical (so not always funny). Like a dream world. Verbal
nonsense that does NOT make sense.
 Eugene Ionesco. Main focus on the futility of human communication.
Described language as “nothing but clichés, empty formulas and slogans.”
Criticized by Kenneth Tynan, which sparked a debate and brought absurdist
movement to light. Became a playwright by accident (was learning English
and was enthralled by English non-sensical phrases).
 Harold Pinter. Lack of exposition in his plays. Events take place where they
are, no question. Esslin describes his work as “the uncannily crueld accuracy
of the reproduction of the inflections and rambling irrelevancy of every day
speech…”
 A NOTE FOR THE STYLE ANALYSIS: IF you don’t freak out EVERYTHING
WILL BE FINE.
December 2, 2011
Contemporary German Playwrights
 Nis-Momme Stockman. University of Arts Berlin. Since 2002, he’s worked as
a freelance artist. The Man Who Ate the World was his first play which one a
few awards.
 Elfriede Jelinek. Known for her corrosive themes that deal with the past of
the Nazis.
 Franz Xavier Kroetz. Neo-fascists disrupted many of his performances
because they depicted scenes of masturbation and abortion. Tries to show a
very real play on-stage. Became a member of the German Communist Party
for a while. Some plays described as “super-naturalist”.
 Ginka Steinwachs. Author as well as a playwright. Deals with her own
feminist definitions. Works are surrealist.
Post-modernism
 Easiest to understand when you think about architecture.
 Subverting and elevating history.

So George Sand is a contemporary take on history while subverting the
history.
 IRONY is a huge part of all post-modernism.
 The past, at once subverted and elevated.
 Self-reflective of the person who created the play.
 Often a humorous side to it.
 It’s a lot of fun and pokes fun at a lot of things.
Style Analysis
 Giving the WHOLE thing, not just the 400 word essay.
 The play makes reference to George Sand and Gertrude Stein (American
Writer living in Paris) so keep that in mind.
 Analyzing what is important , not a focus on content really.
 There’s a historical context!
 You don’t have to have a firm answer to everything but have an inquiry.
INVESTIGATE.
 It is difficult to tell who says what.
December 5, 2011
Post-Modernism Feminism
 Defending equal social and economic rights.
 Post-Modern Feminism emerged in the 1980s. Challenged the idea that
problems faced by a women are NOT universal.
 There was no single cause of subordination so there was no single solution.
 Some Post-modernist Female Writers
 Judith Butler. Author of Gender Trouble. Came up with gender performativity
characterizes gender.
 Luce Irigaray. Author of Speculum of the Other Woman and This Sex Which is
Not One. Gender neutral language and engage in homoerotic actions.
 Julia Kristeva. Stands out as one of the most foremost structuralists.
Regarded as a key proponent of French feminism.
George Sand
 Wore pants in her time. Practical solution to the problem of being vulnerable
in a time where feminine clothing hampered women’s ability to escape any
dangers. A practical solution.
 Women desire to be people, not property. When she marries in the play, she
had lots of money and the husband is divorcing just to keep the money.
 The husband in the play is a fool but not necessarily a true villain.
 Some of the footnotes are THEATRE COMPANIES. Adaptations and
translations.
 Everything in the play is culturally relevant.
 Liberally uses French.
 “The play is made up of 7 hallucinatory tableaus that are intoxicating and
impressionistic. The one thing you don’t want to when watching this play:
think.” The STYLE of hallucination and dreams. They don’t need cause and
effect!


The final scene diverges from “her” story,
It’s a sensory journey. It is meant to be poetic and imagistic. That is why it is
important NOT to think.
 READ THIS PLAY FOR WHAT IT IS. You get into problems when you read it
for what it isn’t. In this play, focus on the images.
 Don’t come in THINKING ONE THING ONLY. Have an open attitude when you
read a play, see a play, see a painting etc.
 George Sand is NOT the lead character of the play, she is a SYMBOL of
FEMINISM and REVOLUTIONARY THOUGHT/CHANGE. Revolution of the
masses that the historical figure was part of even though she was not part of
the class that was revolting.
December 7, 2011
George Sand (cont)
 Narrator might say the preface. Does the audience need to hear it in order
understand it? Reminder of Mother Courage in that it tells you what happens
in the scene. It’s very Brechtian. Questions in Tableau 5 helps to create
tension and not know what happens next despite descriptive exposition.
 Directors have to analyze plays. They can’t overlay an interpretation the
doesn’t come from a play. It’s not about seeing what you like to see!
 Super 8 sequences on film were staged LIVE. Which meant that it wasn’t
REAL. Super 8 is a form of film sequence.
Description of People’s Style in Class
 Patricia. A purple dress with an exact same colored waist-band/belt with a
bow for a buckle, no sleeves, can see shoulders. Black stockings, medium see
trhough. Her shoes are black leather with laces that are tied in a pretty bow
and are toeless for her 3 toes. Fur neck warmer, reminiscent of a scarf with a
tail. Hair in a tight bun. Amber framed glasses. NO JEWLERY, no nail polish,
natural/light make-up. Professionally eye-catching is my description of her
style. She thinks: film-noir, some glam, COULD have worn jewelry. What was
being said by what she was wearing was her style!(sometimes what is NOT
there describes the style)
 A combination of styles can be used to form one ULTIMATE style (a feature of
post-modernism). What is NOT present is significant statement about style
(something that is not there but is normally there). A general idea of the
original style would be important to see what change in style has occurred.
The reason for the style, if talking about a play, is to unify the theme. The
theme brings everything together. THEREFORE, you must think about the
theme.
 NOTE: ALWAYS BEST TO MAKE A DECISION (don’t be vague!). In the
simplest way to help describe theme would be to add a verb and a challenge
to the theme. (e.g. love gained after wrestling with death of a family
member).
 The style of the play is subverting theatre to subvert known truths (generally
accepted notions in the real world such as “Man has evolved”).