“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our
darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you
not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t
feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory…that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do
the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-M arianne W illiam son
Script Analysis
Theatre 263
Course Syllabus, Spring 2015
Professor: Brad Dell
Course Time: Tuesday and Thursday
Office: Pearson Hall 2234
E-mail: dellbrad@iastate.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11-12; Monday – Thursday 1-2
Additional office hours can be scheduled by appointment.
Phone: 294-0184, 724.787.7639
Course Goals/Objectives:
- To master an understanding of Aristotle’s elements of drama as a result of thorough dramatic analysis
- To explore various approaches to analyzing plays, including conflict, character, theme, given circumstances, and
dramatic structure
- To establish an understanding of the specific analytical needs of actors, directors, and designers and how to work in
collaboration to create a final project
- To expose students to a wide variety of dramatic styles, forms, and texts
- To equip students with the practical tools to analyze any dramatic text with which they come into contact
- To cultivate the students’ written and verbal communication skills
- To apply analysis to a variety of hands on/in class exercises
- To celebrate the human right to be creative
- To work as an artistic community to break down and solve the problems of dramatic texts
After the completion of Theatre 263: Script Analysis, students will be able to:
-Analyze and identify the universal dramatic action, conflict, characters, given circumstances, main idea, and dramatic
structure of any play in which they come into contact
-Compare and contrast different types of theatrical styles
-Synthesize analytical findings with personal artistic aesthetics to develop production concepts
-Discuss the best strategies for working with other collaborators on theatrical creation
NOTE: This class should not be thought of as an academic/book course only. All of the analysis that we do should be directly applicable
to productions on stage. For the most part, we will not be analyzing as academics, but analyzing as theatre artists.
REQUIREMENTS:
Text: The Bedford Introduction to Drama
Angels in America: Perestroika
Play Attendance: You must attend the ISU Theatre mainstage productions of Love and Honor, Les Miserables, and One the Verge.
Quizzes and/or class discussions will be based on these plays. Tickets can be purchased at the Stephens box office. You can also see the
shows for free by signing up to usher in the Main Theatre Office (Pearson 2130).
Collaboration: It has been said that theatre is the most collaborative of art forms. In order for students to begin to understand this
concept, this class will be set up as an artistic community, dependent on the participation and enthusiasm of each member for the success
of the whole.
Participation: This class will be largely discussion based and every student’s opinions, ideas, and thoughts are always welcome and
encouraged. The more each student puts into this class, the more we will all get out of it. Participation will be a major part of your final
grade, and you will be evaluated based upon how much you contribute to the class. Bad attitudes and a lack of participation will result in
the loss of your participation points.
Disclaimer: The theatre explores the full range of the human experience. Therefore, some of the assigned plays and class discussions
will cover sensitive material that may offend some people. It is not the intention of this course or the instructor to change anyone’s
worldview, and students will be encouraged to share any and all opinions they may have.
Attendance: Attendance and promptness are a requirement for all theatre classes. The collaborative nature of theatre requires
commitment of all individuals to the group. Punctuality is also key to the health of your career in the professional theatre. Attendance is
taken for every class. You are allowed two absences without penalty (Two tardies are equivalent to one absence). Every absence after the
second will result in an automatic reduction of one letter grade for the class. Five total absences will result with you being asked to drop
the course.
Writing: Since this is a college level course, students are expected to write at a college level. Students are expected to hand in
assignments that are neatly typed, double spaced with proper margins, correctly spelled, grammatically correct, and stapled. Major points
will be deducted for incorrect spelling and grammatical errors (including comma splices, run on sentences, sentence fragments, etc.).
Public Speaking: The ability of students to be efficient verbal communicators is of paramount importance to their success. Therefore,
the many presentations included in this class will partly focus on cultivating the skill of verbal communication. Students will be expected
to speak and present in an enthusiastic, professional, passionate, and educated manner.
Late Work: Work must be turned in IN CLASS on the day that it is due. Assignments will drop one letter grade for each day that they
are late. An assignment turned in after the class period is over will be considered one day late.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Readings: In addition to plays from The Bedford Introduction to Drama and other sources, handout readings will also be assigned.
Students are expected to have read them and be ready to discuss them on the day they are listed on the class schedule.
Daily Assignments: Students will be assigned small daily assignments throughout the semester.
Quizzes: For each class-discussion and viewed play, students will take an essay-style quiz at the top of the hour. The quizzes are meant
to propel discussion about the analysis of the plays.
Minor Group/In Class Projects:
-Oedipus Dramatic Structure Tableaus
-Form and Style Project
-August Character Project
-Angels get to know you project
-Production Concept
Individual Major Papers:
-Paper #1 – Conflict/Protagonist/Antagonist/Given Circumstances
-Paper #2 – Structure/Main Idea/Form and Style Project
-Paper #3 – Character/Main Idea
For each of the above projects, students will choose a different play from the following list. All plays can be found in the
Bedford Anthology.
Specific instructions about the projects will be given when the projects are assigned.
Final Group Round Table Discussions: Students will be grouped as production teams and will together present how they will mount a
particular production. Skills and techniques learned throughout the semester will be utilized to analyze a script and come up with a unique
production plan. Everyone in the class will be responsible for reading all plays and participating in the round table discussion. Plays for
all projects must be chosen from the following list.
Play List
Death of a Salesman
The Bald Soprano
A Doll House
Glengarry Glenn Ross
Fences
Tentative Point Breakdown
Quizzes - 20 points Each
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Arcadia
Eurydice
Doubt
The Seafarer
100
Participation/Daily Assignments
Project #1
Project #2
Project #3
Final Group Project
Total Points Possible
100
100
100
150
50
500
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Cheating and Plagiarizing: Plagiarism is defined as copying or paraphrasing the ideas of others and passing them off as your own. Cheating and
plagiarism are very serious issues. Anyone caught cheating or plagiarizing in this class will automatically receive a “0” on the assignment and be turned
into the Academic Dishonesty Committee. Please see the student handbook for more information. If you have any question about whether you are
plagiarizing an assignment, please ask me about it before you turn it in. The class will follow Iowa State University’s policy on academic dishonesty.
Anyone suspected of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Students Office. http://www.dso.iastate.edu/ja/academic/misconduct.html
Disability Accommodation
Iowa State University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Sect 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If you have a disability and anticipate
needing accommodations in this course, please contact (instructor name) to set up a meeting within the first two weeks of the semester or as soon as you
become aware of your need. Before meeting with (instructor name), you will need to obtain a SAAR form with recommendations for accommodations
from the Disability Resources Office, located in Room 1076 on the main floor of the Student Services Building. Their telephone number is 515-294-7220
or email disabilityresources@iastate.edu . Retroactive requests for accommodations will not be honored.
Dead Week
This class follows the Iowa State University Dead Week guidelines as outlined in
http://catalog.iastate.edu/academiclife/#deadweek
Harassment and Discrimination
Iowa State University strives to maintain our campus as a place of work and study for faculty, staff, and students that is free of all forms of prohibited
discrimination and harassment based upon race, ethnicity, sex (including sexual assault), pregnancy, color, religion, national origin, physical or mental
disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or status as a U.S. veteran. Any student who has concerns about
such behavior should contact his/her instructor, Student Assistance at 515-294-1020 or email dso- sas@iastate.edu, or the Office of Equal Opportunity
and Compliance at 515-294-7612.
Religious Accommodation
If an academic or work requirement conflicts with your religious practices and/or observances, you may request reasonable accommodations. Your
request must be in writing, and your instructor or supervisor will review the request. You or your instructor may also seek assistance from the Dean of
Students Office or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance.
Contact Information
If you are experiencing, or have experienced, a problem with any of the above issues, email
academicissues@iastate.edu.
Script Analysis Class Schedule
Date
Topic
Tues. Jan 13
Intro to course/Creative Diagnostic Discussion
Thurs. Jan. 15
Action/Conflict/Verbs/Protagonist/Antagonist
Assignments
Read Conflict Handouts
And Read Bedford 95-101 and 15-22
Tues. Jan 20
READ August: Osage County
Brad at KCACTF
Thurs. Jan 22
READ August: Osage County
Brad at KCACTF
Tues. Jan 27
August: Osage County Intro
and Protagonist/Antagonist Debate
Quiz Due
Thurs. Jan. 29
Given Circumstances Discussion
Read Handout
Tues. Feb. 3
Given Circumstances Discussion
Thurs. Feb. 5
Given Circumstances Workshop
Assign Project 1
Tues. Feb. 10
Discuss The Cherry Orchard
Read Cherry Orchard/Quiz Due
Thurs. Feb. 12
Character Discussion
Assign Cherry Orchard Character Project
Tues. Feb. 17
Work on Cherry Orchard Character Project
Guest Teacher – Jane Cox
Thurs. Feb. 19
Work on Cherry Orchard Character Project
Guest Teacher – Jane Cox
Tues. Feb. 24
Present The Cherry Orchard Character Project
Thurs. Feb. 26
Oedipus Rex Intro
Read Oedipus/Quiz Due
Tues. Mar 3
Dramatic Structure
Read Dramatic Structure Handout
Thur. Mar 5
Do Oedipus Rex, Cherry Orchard & August Backwards
and Forwards
Tues. Mar 10
Work on/Present Structure Tableaus
Thurs. Mar. 12
Main Idea/Discuss Love and Honor
Tues. Mar 17
SPRING BREAK
Thurs. Mar. 19
SPRING BREAK
Tues. Mar 24
Present Main Ideas for Cat, Cherry Orchard, and Oedipus
Thurs. Mar 26
Saturday, March
28
TBA
Tues. March 31
Read Angels in America Millennium Approaches
and Perestroika - THIS IS A REALLY LONG
PLAY…DON'T WAIT!
Thurs. Apr. 2
Angels in America Get to Know You Project
Tues. Apr. 7
Angels in America Getting to Know You Project
Thurs. Apr. 9
Angels in America Getting to Know You Project
Project #1 Due
Assign Oedipus Tableau
Assign Project #2
Optional Reading of Angels in America at Brad’s House
Quiz
Go see Into the Woods
Project #2 Due
Tues., Apr. 14
Angels Wrap Up/Analysis for Directors
Assign Project #3
Quiz
Thurs. Apr. 16
Present Director’s Concepts
Tues. Apr. 21
Present Director’s Concepts
Thurs. Apr. 23
Work on Production Concepts
Tues. Apr. 28
Present Production Concepts
Thurs. Apr. 30
Present Production Concepts/Semester Wrap Up
FINAL – Round Table Discussions/Project # 3 Due – Wednesday May 7, 9:45-11:45 am