Plays will be based on/inspired by/or otherwise generated out of our Trio of Texts (see below). Each troupe will be assigned a Text, though they are free to (indeed, encouraged to) draw upon the other texts we have read this quarter as they create their play.
Each play will have 1–3 acts and run for 8–12 minutes. You’re encouraged to be experimental, i.e., to weave together basic elements of drama (see below) with whatever other theatrical forms seem exciting and appropriate, including any improv techniques you saw at Grafenberg.
Requirements
We need to work together closely and reliably. So don’t miss class.
Again: Each troupe’s play should be 8–12 minutes long.
If you want to use props, you’ll need to make them. If you want to play music or a project a visual backdrop, provide it to John in computer-ready form well in advance. And please keep it simple.
Each troupe will designate a Troupe Writer, who’ll be responsible for turning in the written homework each week. To keep things fair, the Troupe Writer may elect to take on a smaller acting role.
Each troupe can count on meeting as a troupe at least once a week between classes.
You don’t need to memorize your lines; you can work from the script. But don’t just read the lines — perform them!
Basic Elements of Drama
- Drama: a story written to be acted for an audience. In a drama, the story is told through the action and dialogue of characters.
- Characters are defined by their goals.
- Stories are organized around a conflict in goals — within a character, between characters, and/or between a character or characters and their world.
- Whether a play is one act, two acts, or more, it should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning establishes the characters and initiates the conflict; the end resolves the conflict (however tentatively).
Getting started
- Read your troupe's text and list all the potential dramatic conflicts you can find. Note which are concrete (i.e., that describe actual, specific people and actions) and which are more abstract (that describe broader groups and trends).
- Discuss as a troupe the dramatic possibilities of each conflict. Which conflicts most powerfully bring out underlying systemic conflicts in the social order? How might you turn each conflict into a dramatic story, with characters and a beginning, a middle, and an end? Please note that while your drama can be nonfictional (i.e., a representation of actual events described in your text), it can also be fictional (e.g., a story you've made up on the basis of the text) or even symbolic (a representation of ideas found in your text).
- Decide as a group which story idea you like best and appoint a Troupe Writer. Then as a group, start to rough out the premise for your piece. (See calendar below -- and note that there's an option for doing improv instead of scripted drama.)
Troupes and the Trio of Texts
- A Troupe: “Denver Is Not 'Happily Gentrifying' for Me” - Mimi Madrid, a queer Two-Spirit Indigenous Mexica Xicanx, explains why she’s fighting gentrification.
- B Troupe: “Denver’s Crackdown on Being Homeless” - About how the city has been attempting to “sweep” the homeless off the streets.
- C Troupe: “Homelessness in Denver: The Cold, Hard Facts Behind Six Myths” - Common misconceptions about homelessness and the homeless, along with the actual facts.
Calendar
Tues., Feb. 26: Beginning to create
- Premise: By the beginning of next class (3/5), each troupe is to turn in their premise, which will (1) briefly name and describe the characters in the play; (2) state the major conflict at its heart; (3) briefly describe the incident that sets the play in motion; (4) and briefly describe how the play concludes.
The Troupe Writer should share the premise this way: Create a new doc and name it: SJUS 2020 – Troupe # - Premise. Your premise should be clearly written, adequately detailed, carefully proofread, and at least 250 words long.
- ***Alternative premise: If your group would prefer to do straight-up improv rather than scripted drama, then the Troupe Writer should write a paragraph in which you explain how the improv piece will get off the ground. (For example, you might begin by asking your audience/classmates to read aloud a random paragraph from your story, or to assign each of you a character from your Text, or you might simply ask us for a word having to do with economic justice.)
Tues., March 5: Rehearsal
- By the beginning of next class (3/12), each troupe is to share its completed script with John via Google Drive (unless the troupe is doing straight-up improv). The Troupe Writer should create a new doc and name it this way: SJUS 2020 – Troupe # - Script. Your script should be completely stage-ready. If there are improvised portions, or important stage directions, include them in brackets where they occur.
Tues., March 12: Showtime!
