Overview
In this unit you will learn how to analyse various theatrical texts from a variety of dramatic genres. You will analyse important primary source material for meaning and functionality, exploring the concept that plays are designed to be performed and are therefore constructed in specific ways to maximise their effect onstage.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2019
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
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This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Unit evaluations.
No feedback.
Overall improvement in unit satisfaction. Maintain teaching methodologies, resources, assessment tasks and criteria.
- Analyse selected play scripts to identify important elements relating to character, action, dialogue and language within the context of the whole work
- Identify and discuss specific examples from primary sources that influence the practical staging choices for each play
- Relate the selected scripts to the broader, social and cultural contexts of their respective historical periods.
N/A
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Research Assignment - 50% | |||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 50% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Research Assignment - 50% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 50% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays
Edition: 1st (1983)
Authors: Ball, David
Southern Illinois University Press
Evansville Evansville , IL , USA
ISBN: 978-0809311101
Binding: Paperback
Four Great Plays of Heinrik Ibsen
Edition: 1st (2016)
Authors: Ibsen, Heinrik
Simon & Schuster
New York New York , NY , USA
ISBN: ISBN: 9781451685671 ISBN-10: 145168567X
Binding: eBook
Script Analysis for Actors, Directors and Designers
(2013)
Authors: James Thomas
Focal Press
GB
ISBN: 978-0415663250.
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
e-book can be purchased online via https://www.booktopia.com.au/four-great-plays-of-henrik-ibsen-henrik-ibsen/prod9781416500384.html
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.lorenza@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Topic Topic 1: Action analysis (versus formalist analysis)
Chapter
James Thomas, Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers : Introduction and Chapter 1, pages 1-40
David Ball, Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays: Introduction and Part One: Shape (sections 1 and 2) pages 1-14
Shakespeare, Hamlet
Washburn, Mr Burns
Events and Submissions/Topic
Answer the questions at the end of Thomas Chapter 1 in Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers using Hamlet as a reference. Repeat activity on Mr Burns Act 1.
Module/Topic
Topic 2: Action Analysis: Internal and External action
Chapter
Thomas, Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers: Introduction and Chapter 2 pp 41-72 and Chapter 4, pages 96-132
Shakespeare, Hamlet
Events and Submissions/Topic
Answer questions 1-9 at the end of Thomas Chapter 2 pp 70-72 and 1-3 at end of Thomas Chapter 4 pp131-132 in Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers using Hamlet as a reference.
Repeat activity on Anne Washburn, Mr Burns Act 1.
Additional reading:
Tony Kushner, Angels in America
Sam Shepard, A Lie of the Mind
Moliere, Tartuffe
Ibsen, The Wild Duck
Tom Stoppard, Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Maria Irene Fornes, Fefu and Her Friends
Module/Topic
Topic 3: Idea & Dialogue
Chapter
Thomas, Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers: Chapter 7, pp 204-232 and Chapter 8, pp 324-369.
Donald Margulies Time Stands Still Moodle videos.
Shakespeare, Hamlet
Washburn, Mr Burns
Moodle videos
Events and Submissions/Topic
Answer questions end of Chapter 7 and 8 in Thomas, Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, using Time Stands Still and Mr Burns as references
ASSESSMENT 1 Part 1 due by Monday 29 July
Additional reading:
Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
Sam Shepard A Lie of the Mind
Module/Topic
Topic 4: Tempo, Rhythm & Mood
Chapter
James Thomas' Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers: Chapter 9, pp 271-294
Moodle videos
Events and Submissions/Topic
Answer the questions at the end of Chapter 9 in Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers using Hamlet and Time Stands Still as references
ASSESSMENT 1 Part 2 due by Monday 5 August
Action Analysis Due: Week 4 Monday (5 Aug 2019) 9:00 am AEST
Module/Topic
Topic 5: The Style of the Play
Chapter
Read James Thomas' Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers: Chapter 10, pp 295-391
Re-read Shakespeare's Hamlet
Re-read Marguiles' Time Stands Still
Read Ball, David. (1983) Backwards and forwards: A technical manual for
reading plays.
Chapter 1: Shape, and Chapter 2: Methods
Events and Submissions/Topic
Answer the questions at the end of Thomas, Chapter 10 in Script Analysis for
Actors, Directors, and Designers using Time Stands Still and Hamlet as references
Module/Topic
Topic 6: Character
Chapter
Read James Thomas' Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers: Chapter 6, pp 172-203
Read Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler
Events and Submissions/Topic
Answer the questions at the end of Thomas, Chapter 6 in Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers using Hedda Gabler as a reference.
ASSESSMENT 2 Part 1 due by Monday 19 August
Module/Topic
Topic 7: Shape
Chapter
Read David Ball's Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays: Introduction and Part One: Shape pages 1-44.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Do a basic analysis of Hamlet from the perspective of the role of Hamlet using Mr. Ball's techniques
Module/Topic
Topic 8: Methods
Chapter
Re-read Shakespeare's Hamlet
Read David Ball's Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays: Introduction and Part Two: Methods and Part Three: Tricks of the Trade, pages 39-96
Events and Submissions/Topic
Do a basic analysis of Hamlet from the perspective of the role of Hamlet using Mr. Ball's techniques.
Module/Topic
Self-directed study to complete research assignment
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
ASSESSMENT 2 Part 2 due by Monday 9 September.
Text analysis: Idea and dialogue Due: Week 8 Monday (9 Sept 2019) 9:00 am AEST
Module/Topic
Self-directed study to complete research assignment
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Self-directed study to complete research assignment
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Self-directed study to complete research assignment
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Self-directed study to complete research assignment
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
This unit is designed to help you learn how to read drama as a performance based art form and imagine the transition from page to stage. This unit builds on concepts and techniques introduced in THTR11121 - Theatre Studies 2. Script analysis is a reading technique that allows you, as a theatre artist, to fully understand the meaning and functionality of a play; to understand that plays are designed to be performed, and that, as such, they are constructed in specific ways to maximize their effect onstage.
For Semester 2 2019 the schedule has been designed to accommodate the timetable for the
intensive production period for the Bachelor of Theatre students in
Mackay. Distance students may apply for alternative due dates for the
assessments. Distance students must apply for alternative dates before the listed due date. Please contact Dr Linda Lorenza l.lorenza@cqu.edu.au to arrange alternative submission dates.
1 Research Assignment
Task Description: Action analysis
Part 1: Analysis table
Due Date: Week 3 Monday 29 July 2019, 9am.
Part 2: Short essay
Due Date: Week 4 Monday 5 August 2019, 9am.
Length: 1000-1500-words
Task details:
Complete an action text analysis of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Choose one scene from the play to analyse. Examine the dramatic potential of all external and internal events in the scene. Comment on the significance of the seed, super-objective and through-action of your chosen scene. Please analyse the scene from the character perspective of Hamlet. Use references from the primary source to inform your analysis. Remember to focus your analysis on the practical purpose of the text, i.e. staging the play rather than from the perspective of dramatic literature.
PART 1: Analysis table
Complete the provided table to analyse text identifying internal and external action of one scene from William Shakespeare's Hamlet and one section of Act 1 from Anne Washburn’s Mr Burns.
Complete this initial analysis in the table and submit by Monday 29 July 2019, 9am.
PART 2: Short essay
Length: 1000-1500-words
The word count is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, contents page, reference page and appendices. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.
Revisit the analysis table. Examine the dramatic potential of all external and internal events in the scene. Comment on the significance of the seed, super-objective and through-action of your chosen scene. Please analyse the scene from the character perspective of Hamlet. Use references from the primary source to inform your analysis. Remember to focus your analysis on the practical purpose of the text, i.e. staging the play rather than from the perspective of dramatic literature.
Complete Part 2 and submit by Monday, 5 August 2019, 9am
Presentation:
- This assignment is to be saved as a Word document and submitted online through the course website.
- Use 12 point Times New Roman font.
- Text analysis (Part 2) must 1.5 spacing throughout
- Sub-headings may be used as appropriate.
- Please include your name on the submission, either on a title page or as a header or footer.
- Failure to follow format guidelines will result in a points deduction from presentation and layout.
- Documentation and in-text referencing must follow the APA style. Please see CQU Library Guide site for assistance.
- All excerpts from primary sources, including diagrams and pictures should include an in-text reference, and full details included in the Reference List. Do not rely solely on web-based sources. On-line research sources obtained from peer reviewed journals or academic databases are acceptable. Any internet sources used must be scholarly and accredited. Citations from Wikipedia, Sparknotes, or similar websites are not to be used under any circumstances.
Week 4 Monday (5 Aug 2019) 9:00 am AEST
Analysis table by Monday 29 July; short essay by Monday 5 August 2019.
Week 6 Monday (26 Aug 2019)
- Clear identification of external and internal actions in analysis table (20%)
- Clear and connected introduction and conclusion (5%)
- Clear examination of each internal and external event, as well as seed, super-objective and through-action (20%)
- Effective connection of each internal and external event, as well as seed, super-objective and through-action to the character of Hamlet 15%)
- Depth and quality of analysis (20%)
- Inclusion of documentation and in-text referencing (APA format) from the primary source (5%)
- Correct spelling, grammar, and word usage (10%)
- Presentation and clear layout (5%)
Weighting: 50%
- Analyse selected play scripts to identify important elements relating to character, action, dialogue and language within the context of the whole work
- Identify and discuss specific examples from primary sources that influence the practical staging choices for each play
- Relate the selected scripts to the broader, social and cultural contexts of their respective historical periods.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
2 Research Assignment
Task Description: Text
Analysis
Part 1 Analysis table
Due date: Monday 19 August, 2019, 9am.
Part 2: Short essay
Length: 1000-1500-words
Due date: Monday 9 September 2019, 9am.
Task details:
Complete a formalist text analysis of Donald Margulies' Time Stands Still.
Part 1
Complete the table of given circumstances and additional analysis to prepare your notes.
Examine the dramatic potential of each given circumstance: Time, Place, Society, Economics, Politics and Law, Learning and the Arts, Spirituality, and the World of the Play. Where possible, explore each given circumstance from the character perspective of a major character (James, Sarah) from the play. If a particular given circumstance does not have a strong impact on the dramatic potential of the text, either in the scene or the play as a whole, identify why this is the case. Your analysis table also includes the following concepts: backstory, character, idea, dialogue or atmosphere. Identify the concept that you believe most supports the active playing of the character, James and the character, Sarah. Use references from the primary source (the script) to inform your analysis. Remember to focus your analysis on the practical purpose of the text, i.e. staging the play rather than from the perspective of dramatic literature.
Part 2: Short essay
Length: 1000-1500-words
The
word count is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last
word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, contents page,
reference page and appendices. It includes in-text references and direct
quotations.
Complete a formalist text analysis of Donald Margulies' Time Stands Still, focusing on idea and dialogue.
Examine the concept of idea in script analysis by discussing the ideas in words in the dialogue (including language structure, literary quality and theatricality), character, plot and the main idea as a whole. Choose one scene from the play on which to focus your analysis. Refer to your analysis table from Part 1.
Where possible, explore the concepts of idea and dialogue from the perspective of one of the main characters (Sarah or James) in Time Stands Still. Use references from the primary source to inform your analysis. Remember to focus your analysis on the practical purpose of the text, i.e. staging the play rather than from the perspective of dramatic literature.
Presentation:
- This assignment is to be saved as a Word document and submitted online through the course website.
- Use 12 point Times New Roman font.
- Text analysis (Part 2) must 1.5 spacing throughout
- Sub-headings may be used as appropriate.
- Please include your name on the submission, either on a title page or as a header or footer.
- Failure to follow format guidelines will result in a points deduction from presentation and layout.
- Documentation and in-text referencing
must follow the APA style. Please see CQU Library Guide site for
assistance. All excerpts from primary sources, including diagrams
and pictures should include an in-text reference, and full details included in
the Reference List. Do not rely solely on web-based sources. On-line research
sources obtained from peer reviewed journals or academic databases are
acceptable. Any internet sources used must be scholarly and accredited.
Citations from Wikipedia, Sparknotes, or similar websites are not to be used
under any circumstances.
Week 8 Monday (9 Sept 2019) 9:00 am AEST
Part 1 is to be save as an xl document and Part 2 is to be saved as a Word document. Each Part is to be submitted online through the course website.
Week 11 Monday (30 Sept 2019)
- Effective connection of given circumstances to the main characters in the play (10%)
- Effective connection of an additional analysis element (backstory, character, atmosphere, etc.) to the active playing of a main character (10%)
- Clear and connected introduction and conclusion (5%)
- Clear examination of idea and dialogue (25%)
- Effective connection of the concepts of idea and dialogue to the actions of a character from the play (10%)
- Depth and quality of analysis (20%)
- Inclusion of documentation and in-text referencing (APA format) from the primary source (5%)
- Correct spelling, grammar, and word usage (10%)
- Presentation and clear layout (5%)
Weighting: 50%
- Analyse selected play scripts to identify important elements relating to character, action, dialogue and language within the context of the whole work
- Identify and discuss specific examples from primary sources that influence the practical staging choices for each play
- Relate the selected scripts to the broader, social and cultural contexts of their respective historical periods.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
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