Associate Professor Tom Isbell
Office: 148 MPAC
Phone: 726-6313
Home Page: http://www.d.umn.edu/~tisbell/Office Hours: Tues/Thurs. 12:00-1:00
E-Mail: tisbell@d.umn.edu/
COURSE OBJECTIVE: To acquire and develop a greater sense of truth while acting. To grow increasingly comfortable on stage while exploring heightened material. To broaden one's acting range.
COURSE ACTIVITIES:
- Perform two scenes of heightened material.
- Perform two monologues of heightened material.
- Explore various acting techniques through daily exercises.
- Discuss current topics related to acting.
- Read and discuss Robert Brustein's book on acting.
REQUIRED READING:
- Letters to a Young Actor, by Robert Brustein.
IF INTERESTED:
- Actors on Acting, edited by Toby Cole and Helen Chinoy. Crown Paperbacks.
- Sanford Meisner on Acting, by Sanford Meisner & Dennis Longwell. Vintage Books.
- True and False, by David Mamet, Vintage Books.
- Tips: Ideas for Actors, by Jon Jory. Smith & Kraus.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
- Attendance is mandatory. No more than two absences are allowed. Each absence beyond two will automatically lower the final letter grade one third of a letter. Chronic absentees will be dropped from the course.
- Each student will perform two scenes (provided by the instructor) as well as two monologues. The scenes and monologues will be workshopped in class, and presented a final time for a grade.
- Please be on time. Two late arrivals (by ten minutes or more) equal one absence.
Assignment
Point Value
Scenes 20 points (10 each) Monologues 10 points (5 each) Book discussion 5 points Exercises 5 points Attitude, improvement, desire 10 points At the end of the semester, points will be totaled and graded on the following scale:
Grading Scale Letter Grade
Percentage
A 91-100 A- 88-90 B+ 85-87 B 81-84 B- 78-80 C+ 75-77 C 72-74 C- 69-71 D+ 66-68 D 62-65
Course Outline Day
Date
Assignment
Mon. May 16 Expectations. 1st Monologues. Neutral Scenes. Scene assignments. 1st exercises. Tues. May 17 Improvs. 1st Monologues. Neutral Scenes. Wed. May 18 1st Monologues performed. Talking & Listening exercises. Thurs. May 19 1st Scenes. Monologue evaluations due. Fri. May 20 1st Scenes. Mon. May 23 1st Scenes. Book discussion. Tues. May 24 1st Scenes. 2nd Monologues. Wed. May 25 2nd Monologues. Objective exercises. Thurs. May 26 1st Scenes performed. Fri. May 27 2nd Scenes. Scene evaluations due. Mon. May 30 No Class - Holiday Tues. May 31 2nd Scenes. Objective exercises. Wed. June 1 2nd Scenes. Personalization exercises. Thurs. June 2 2nd Monologues performed. Fri. June 3 2nd Scenes performed. Monologue evaluations due. EVALUATIONS:
Students will be responsible for evaluating their own work (following a guide provided by the instructor). Students who fail to turn in evaluations will have points deducted from their final score.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
There will be regular class discussions throughout the course to discuss various issues that pertain to acting. Both students and the instructor will create these discussions.
The final evaluations must be sent to the instructor via e-mail by noon, Saturday, June 4th.
This is a floating syllabus. Dates and assignments may change, based on schedules, conflicts, and the progress of the class. There may also be other assignments throughout the semester. Point total possibilities will be announced when the new assignment is given.
I invite individuals who have any legitimate disability, either permanent or temporary, which might affect their ability to perform in this class, to inform the instructor at the start of the semester. Adaptations of methods, materials or testing may be made as required to provide equitable participation.