THEA 284: Acting Shakespeare

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2021
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 72
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 18
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 101.
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Approved
Grading Method: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass

Catalog Course Description

An exploration of Shakespeare's plays and poetry through scene study, monologues, rehearsal, and performance. This course aims to introduce a process and technique for analyzing play scripts and poetry for performance. 54 lecture hours, 18 lab hours.

Course Objectives

  • Demonstrate an understanding of scansion as an interpretive analysis of the verse.
  • Perform a sonnet, scene and monologue using classical acting techniques as introduced in class.
  • Demonstrate the ability to read, discuss and analyze the imagery and vocabulary of a Shakespearean play.

Major Course Content

  1. Shakespeare’s England
    1. Elizabethan life
    2. The Elizabethan theater
    3. The Elizabethan audience
    4. Elizabethan acting
  2. Shakespeare’s Text
    1. Folios, quartos, and other editions
    2. Vocabulary
    3. Rhetoric
    4. Imagery
    5. Form
      1. Verse
      2. Prose
      3. Verse/Prose alternation
  3. Text Into Performance
    1. Speaking the text
      1. Language as emotion
        1. Vowels
        2. Consonants
      2. Clarifying Imagery
      3. Builds
      4. Using the Verse
        1. Stress
        2. Meter
        3. Rhyme
        4. Line endings
      5. Soliloquy and Sonnet

Lab Content

  1. Rehearse and perform sonnets, monologues and scenes.
  2. Various classical acting exercises.
  3. In-class exercises using scansion

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

A two - three page critical analysis of a Shakespearean play is required.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Read assigned plays. Memorize scenes and monologues. Critically analyze scenes and monologues through scansion.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Lab, Online Education Lecture, Online Education Lab