Drama 252: Acting II - Intermediate Acting Spring Quarter 2017

Andrew Tsao, Associate ProfessorHead, Undergraduate Drama Program

(tsao@uw.edu)

Hutchinson Hall, 103

Office Hours: By appointment for spring quarter.

Lecture – Mondays 11:30 – 12:50, Hutchinson Hall 205 / Cabaret Theatre

(No lecture on UW holiday May 29th)

Texts:

RESPECT FOR ACTING by Uta Hagen Macmillan, ISBN 0-02-547390-5

VARIATION PRACTICE FOR ACTORS a handbook by Andrew Tsao (provided free of

Course content:

Building on the foundations of the prerequisite Drama 251: Acting I, the expectations are
that the student has a grasp of the core methodology of Stanislavsky based acting
technique.

These include, but are not limited to: “Doing with Authenticity" as a fundamental
premise of Acting.

Superobjective: The desired outcome for character above and beyond the scope of the
text.

Objective / Through Action: The overarching goal of a character within a given dramatic
text.

Action: What the character does to initiate change in another character or situation.

Tactic: How the character goes about fulfilling the Action.

Given Circumstances: The context, relationships and facts that govern a dramatic
situation a character is placed in.

Conflict: That drama is based on conflict and opposing agendas by characters as

Dramatic Narrative: That units of dramatic action contain a beginning, a middle and an
end, with a central EVENT which is at the center of the unit’s identity.
Event: That a dramatic event is defined as a specific moment in time and space when
circumstances change due to conflict, causing discovery in characters and permanent
change in character relationships.

Drama 252: Intermediate Acting will focus on three specific areas of study: An
introduction to Technique, and introduction to Process, and an improvisational
method of combining Technique and Process called "Jumps"

TECHNIQUE: Variation Practice for Actors

Once the beginning actor understands the fundamental aspects of playing a dramatic
action, it is important to develop technique (physical tools) in order to better deliver
creative acting choices onstage. Vocal, physical, psychological and emotional facility are
the foundations of technique, but the art and craft of acting also provides opportunities
for actors to command time, space, sound through scene work itself.

In this class, we will explore the building blocks of technique: through the text of
Variation Practice for Actors, we will engage in specific exercises that are designed to
expand the actor’s vocabulary as it applies to stage presence.

Variation Practice for Actors focuses on repeatable units of dramatic action where the
actor is challenged to offer an evolving and increasing complex series of combinations.
These combinations ask the actor to explore variations in tempo, rhythm, duration, space,
shape, landscape, silence, volume, pitch and range.

In this sense, Variation Practice for Actors owes much to The Viewpoints, a movement
and composition approach first developed by Mary Overlie and refined by Anne Bogart
and Tina Landau. It is, in essence, a beginner's guide to The Viewpoints, which is one
physical technique for actors that is a significant part of the training in the School of
Drama Professional Actor Training Program.

PROCESS: Beyond the Nine Questions

Uta Hagen’s methodology for acting contains a central premise: that an actor must
answer nine questions for a given character, and that the choices involved in the answers
must be justified and translatable into playable actions onstage.

Who am I?
What time is it?
Where am I?
What surrounds me?
What are the given
circumstances?
 What is my relationship?
What do I want?
What’s in my way?
What do I do
to get what I want?


In the first phase, students will be introduced to specific acting techniques that enhance
this methodology through exercises which build on the nine questions via work in
connecting the actor to time, space and sound onstage. These lecture / demonstrations
will draw from the text Variation Practice for Actors. Students should read the text and be
prepared to work on the techniques in sections.
In the second phase of the course, each lecture and demonstration will address the nine
questions in depth, and focus on how these questions can be translated into playable
actions onstage. This is the foundation of technique. Students should read Hagen’s book
and be prepared to explore the methods for translating the choices made in terms of the
questions into playable actions onstage in sections. There are many texts that address the
fundamental process elements an actor must understand in order to create truthful
characters. Uta Hagen herself, later in her career, saw The Nine Questions as an
oversimplification. However, these questions can still serve as crucial keys to unlocking
the concept of 'process'.

JUMPS: Combining Technique and Process

During the quarter, we will use short improvisations called "Jumps" in order to work on
combining Technique and Process.

"Jumps" include two or more actors, each of whom has been given a private "task" to
accomplish. One's task can only be accomplished by changing the tasks of the other
person or persons in the Jump.

The purpose of Jumps are to give beginning actors occasion to respond honestly to
moment to moment situations, think on their feet and explore time/space/sound potentials
in an evolving reality.

Schedule:

Lecture 1: March 27 - Review of Acting I foundations. Introduction to Technique,

Week One Sections: Jumps, Intro to Variations

Lecture 2: April 3– Text and Language: Analysis and Interpretation

Week Two Sections: Jumps, Variation Practice, Monologue selection, scene selection.

Lecture 3: April 10 - Uta Hagen: The Nine Questions, 1-3: Who am I? What time is it?
Where am I? – Lecture - How does biography and lived experience inform character?
How does the present moment inform biography and vice- versa?

Week Three Sections: Monologue and Scene work: Questions 1-3

Lecture 4: April 17 – The Nine Questions 4-6: What surrounds me? What are the Given
Circumstances? What is my relationship? – Lecture - How do the physical circumstances
inform character and action? How do sensory / relationship circumstances inform action?
Who are the key relationships in a unit of action, what defines them?

Week Four Sections: Questions 1-6, scenework, monologue work.

Week Five Sections: Questions 1-9 (Midterm assignment, turn into TA)

Lecture 6: May 1 – Event and the Scene: Telling the story

Week Six Sections: Scenework: identifying the Event.

Lecture 7: May 8 – Language and character.

Week Seven Sections: Scenework and analysis.

Lecture 8: May 15 - The psychology of action and character: Fear, Shame, Guilt

Week Eight Sections: Scenework and analysis

Lecture 9: May 22 - The actor's work. (Final lecture)

Week Nine Sections: Scenework and analysis.

Finals: As scheduled, section finals will occur during finals week.

Grading

TA’s assigned to the sections will be grading the course. TA’s will contribute their own
point based assessment of student learning that correlates with the principles outlined
below. This may include: written assignments, text analysis assignments as well as studio
work and application of principles.

Students enrolled should understand that lectures and sections are specific units
that build on the previous units, and that missing lectures or sections will mean the
lessons prescribed for that week are not available to the student. This will affect the
student’s ability to remain current in the coursework, and will impact a student's
ability to participate effectively.

Students are expected to present one monologue and perform in one scene as assigned by
your TA. Students may also be assigned journal, reflection or text analysis assignments,
especially as they might pertain to articulating The Nine Questions.

The criterion for grading this course is based on the Teaching Assistant's perception of
their student's level of understanding and application of the syllabus lectures,
demonstration elements, textual assignments, scene work and monologue work, week one
through ten as well as for finals.
Grading excellence in the study of an art form cannot be done by a strict system.
However, points for effort, understanding, articulation, application and participation are
assigned to students by the teaching assistants with the approval and support of the
lecturer. It is our intention try and assess each student honestly, transparently and clearly.
Questions about the grading rubric can be directed to Professor Tsao.

4.0 – 3.9: The ability to accurately describe all the lecture/demo topics and apply them to
a given piece of dramatic text, with justifications for creative choices based on the
principles of the course and a clear ability to master the creative connection of
methodologies to practice. Completion of all written assignments, including journaling,
text analysis and / or reflection papers at an outstanding level. Full participation points
regarding scene or monologue work and rehearsals for scene work with other students.

3.8 – 3.6: Missing the application or understanding one element in the principles and
methodologies as applied to given exercises and dramatic texts. Completion of all written
assigments, including journaling, text analysis and / or reflection papers at an outstanding
level. Full participation points regarding scene or monologue work and rehearsals for
scene work with other students.

3.5 – 3.3: Missing the application two or three elements in the principles and
methodologies as applied to given exercises and dramatic texts. Completion of all written
assigments, including journaling, text analysis and / or reflection papers at an above
average level. Close to full participation points regarding scene or monologue work and
rehearsals for scene work with other students.

3.2 – 3.0: Missing the application and /or understanding of four elements in the principles
and methodologies as applied to given exercises and dramatic texts and / or lack of active
participation in classes. Completion of all written assigments, including journaling, text
analysis and / or reflection papers at an above average level.

Grades below 3.0 are the result of moderate application / understanding of more than four
elements in the principles and methodologies as applied to given exercises and dramatic
texts, and some lack of participation, along with incomplete participation and / or average
written work.

Grades below 2.8 are the result of lack of participation in lecture/demos, sections and the
criterion for a grade of 3.0, along with only satisfactory written work.

Grades below a 2.6 are the result of the above combined with an apparent lack of
preparation in sections. Preparation includes being “off-book”, present and committed to
fellow actors and the class and being able to present work when called on in sections.
Also, average written work.

Grades below a 2.4 are the result of the above combined with a clear lack of preparation
and inability to apply and/or define the foundational course methodology to assigned
exercises. Also, poor written work.
Grades below a 2.0 are the result of the above combined with a clear disregard for or
inability to apply the methodology and foundational principles of the course. Substandard
written work, lack of participation also are factors for grades below a 2.0.

Important note from the instructor:

The study of the dramatic arts is the study of human conflict. The range of
characterizations, topics, themes, language, ideas and styles in drama are a representation
of the range of the human experience.

Students should understand that when studying the dramatic arts, they might encounter
material that could be deemed offensive, traumatic, racist, sexist, intolerant, politically
incorrect and otherwise difficult or challenging.

Any student who does not feel comfortable with this concept has the right to and is
encouraged to withdraw from this course.

Access and Accommodations: Your experience in this class is important to me. If you
have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS),
please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience
so we can discuss your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health
condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but
not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or
health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or
disability.uw.edu. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for
students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable
accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your
instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to
create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state
law.