Advanced Acting


In Class:


 August 18
  1. 1. Syllabus
    2. Year at a Glance
get syllabus signed
permission slips and
money for field trip
 August 22
  1. 1. Collect Syllabus
    2. Write your goal statement for the year and the steps you'll take to be responsible for achieving that goal.
    3. Begin initial monologue work. How do you approach a monologue? Work through the first three of Shurtleff's guideposts: Relationship, Conflict, The Moment Before
1. Get contract and driving permission form signed
August 24
  1. 1. Collect contracts and driving forms
    2. Receive Shurtleff Handout
    3. Go through the steps to working the monologue. 
    4. Grab a partner and run through it on it's feet three times. Three times only. Pay attention to the specific physical adjustments you make each time.
    5. Creating Truth in your character: on your own, answer questions (get from classmate).
    6. Coach two or three volunteers
 1. Write monologue/dialogue for your piece. Remember to add a line preceding your opening line.
 August 28
  1. 1. Work through your monologue (off book) with a partner doing the monologue/dialogue (three times), then run it by yourself (three times)
    2. Break the class into groups of 4. In your small group, work through the steps instructed in class (get from classmate)
    3. Volunteers for whole group coaching
1. Bring in something you can do in front of the class in a complete and honest manner. Make it active.
August 30
  1. 1. Check off Personal Activities
    2. Presence and Awareness Exercise
    3. Stanislavski hand out. Discuss his influence throughout the Group Theatre
    4. Personal Q&A: What are your strengths as an actor? Weaknesses? Where/how would you want someone to fill the gaps of your "shortcomings?"
September 1
  1. 1. Finish Presence and Awareness
    2. Shurtleff in Focus, Exercise 1: In groups of two or three, create a moment, driven by action, where we can clearly see the relationship between your characters. Don't worry about anything but relationship and action at this point. Add Conflict. Add The Moment Before.
    3. Watch scenes

September 6
  1. Finish Watching Scenes from last class
  2. Humor: Brainstorm a series of negative situations in one column and negative verbal reactions in a second column. Choose one thing from each column. 
  3. Take 10 minutes to put yourself in that situation and say the line as it is motivated, but say it with humor. Find the love. What are the different levels?
 September 8
  1. Community Talk
  2. Review rubric for Monologues
  3. Duet Scenes
September 12
  1. Opposites: In column A, brainstorm events/things you are fighting for. In Column B, brainstorm relationships. Get with a partner. Each of you choose your objective from column A and agree on your relationship (column B). Create a 2 minute scene using all of the Guideposts we've looked at so far. Then, play the scene the opposite way once you've made a discovery.
  2. Reflection: How can you apply the first of Shurtleff's Guideposts to your monologue work? (turn in)
  3. Monologue Work: Review Rubric. Due Performance Day:  Monologue/dialogue, objective, emotional essence, beats with names, tactic for each beat, relationship to other and how you feel about him/her



September 14
  1. Monologue Work Day
 September 18
  1. See Monologues
September 22
  1. Dramaturgy on Edward Albee and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
  2. Receive Duet Scene Partners and begin 
September 26
  1. Finish Monologue performances
  2. Collect duet scenes -- receive partners
September 28
  1. A Chorus Line Field Trip
September 29
  1. Discuss the show 
  2. Finish "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
October 2
  1. Stanislavski handout -- line up of the Group Theatre
  2. Video explaining the difference between Strasberg and Adler
  3. Chekhov notes
October 4
  1. Chekhov Exercise 1 -- expand and contract
October 6
  1. Chekhov Exercise 2 -- 
  2. Work on Duet Scene
October 10
  1. Chekhov Exercise 3 -- psychological gesture (PG)
  2. Work on Duet Scene
October 12
  1. Rehearse duet. Begin scoring script-- objective, tactics, superobjective, moment before, conflict and color
October 27
  1. Scene Coaching
October 31
  1. Guest Artist: Working in the business
November 2
  1. Scene Coachings
November 6
  1. Final Coachings
November 8
  1. Final Duet Scene Performances
  • Script
  • Emotional Essence
  • Quality of Movement that leads to title of beats
  • Objective and Super Objective
  • Verbs (for lines and beats)
  • Inner Monologue
November 10
  1. Reflection and finish duets (as needed)
  2. Prep for Jeffco Theatre Festival
  3. Have an Actor's Choice project for the next two class periods
  • What do you want to focus on?
  • Why?
  • What do you hope to learn from your choice project?
  • What technique to you hope to practice and apply to your choice project?
  • How would you like to be assessed on the project?
November 14
  1. Final work day
November 16
  1. Duet Scene performances
  2. Collect paperwork
November 27
  1. Complete Duet Scenes
  2. Reflection on Duet Acting Work
  3. Introduce Independent Performance Project and review requirements for each choice
  4. Begin looking for material 
1. IP choices due by Friday
November 29
  1. Initial work on IP
  2. Find/order material or begin initial paperwork/rehearsal
December 1
  1. Report on IP of your choice
  2. Individual work time on ThesCon material
December 5
  1. ThesCon small group feedback
  2. ThesCon individual work time
December 7
  1. ThesCON!
December 11
  1. ThesCon Reflection
  2. IP work time/rehearsal time
  1. Complete all IP paperwork at home (unless you're doing a writing based IP in class)
December 13
  1. IP Work time
  2. Draw numbers for presentations beginning next class
  3. Sign up for finals day pot luck

December 15
  1. Begin IP Presentations
December 20
  1. Finish IP Presentations
  2. Pot Luck!
January 8
  1. Finish the Dramaturgy presentations from last semester
  2. Hand back grades on IPPs from semester 1
January 10
  1. Finish two staged readings from first semester
  2. Review the possible roles for the production of the Actor's Showcase
  3. Hand Out "Producing a Show" and review
  4. Round Table brainstorm session and idea generator for Showcase
January 12
  1.  Define roles of the Production Team
  2. Begin mapping out the production of the Showcase, each person taking on individual roles 
  3. Committee Report to Executive Producer at the end of Session 
January 17
  1. Work on Actor's Showcase Production
  2. Rehearse performances for Showcase
January 19
  1. Actor's Showcase Outline
  2. Fill out Committee Report and turn in to supervisor
 1. Start looking at One Acts
January 23
  1. Actor's Showcase Work
January 25
  1. Actor's Showcase Work
  2. Fill out Committee Report and turn in to supervisor
January 29
  1. Actor's Showcase Work
  2. Rehearse scenes for Actor's Showcase
January 31
  1. Actor's Showcase Work
February 2
  1. Actor's Showcase Work
  2. Fill out Committee Report and turn in to supervisor 
February 6
  1. Run Showcase performances
  2. Run Showcase
February 8
  1. Showcase Dress Rehearsal
February 12
  1. Reflection on Showcase
  2. Beginning Directing Notes
February 23
  1. Reflect on Matinee
  2. Creating your Director's Vision:           *Listen to two songs. Brainstorm how you see the production coming to life. The colors, the shapes, the levels. What is it that you want the audience to experience? 
  3. Notes: Directing 101 (get from instructor)
  4. Handout Concept Packet
February 27
  1. What's the difference between Concept and Vision?
  2. How to give the Play tempo: Title each scene, do an EKG. What is the moment of crisis? Is there one?
  3. In groups: Work on Character Descriptions and Concept Packet
March 1
  1. Work on Concept Packet in Groups
  2. Begin sketching costumes or set as needed
March 5
  1. Work Day
April 3
  1. Last minute One Act details
  2. Promptbook finalization 
  3. Run out and pick up food?
April 5
  1. Reflection on casting process
  2. Receive Styles Group
  3. Playwright presentation assignment
  4. Work on presentation 
April 13
  1. Playwright presentations
  2. Receive performance partner and scene
 1. choose an article from the news and write a monologue from the perspective of one of the people in the event
April 17
  1. Chekhov/Ibsen playlist
  2. Chekhov manners exercise and subtext exercise
1. monologues due next time
April 19
  1. Williams  Environment Work
April 23
  1. Pinter Pauses
April 25
  1. Duet Scene work
  2. Tech Work on One Acts
  3. Promptbooks due next class
April 27
  1. Duet Scene work
  2. Prep for One Acts
  3. Promptbooks due
May 1
  1. Recap of One Acts 
  2. Duet scene work and coaching
May 3
  1. Duet Scene work and coaching
May 7
  1. Final Duet Scene work
  2. Paperwork Due: Scored script (objective, verbs, beats or moments), Character backstory, one paragraph on what acting technique you're trying to apply to the scene, examining your successes and struggles
May 9
  1. Final Duet Scene performances
  2. Paperwork Due
May 11
  1. Final Celebration with Seniors
 May 15
  1. Begin Re-set for next school year
