Shakespeare From Page to Stage

English/Theatre Arts 256
Spring, 2004

Gino DiIorio and Virginia Vaughan

Texts: Richard III, ed. John Jowett (Oxford)
Twelfth Night, ed. Bruce R. Smith (Bedford)
Macbeth, ed. William Carroll (Bedford)
The Winter's Tale, ed. Stephen Orgel (Oxford)

This seminar will provide a forum for what director John Barton describes as the opening up and narrowing down of four of Shakespeare's most commonly performed plays. Barton contends that ģIn rehearsal we open ourselves to as many possibilities as we can but in performance we have to define and be specificē (p. 190 in Playing Shakespeare [London, 1984]). In classroom discussions of each text, we will seek to open up the widest possible range of interpretations of each play; in the performance of individual scenes, however, each student will define the role for him or herself and make specific choices.

The ultimate goal of the course is for students to gain and understanding of the text through performance. All students are therefore required to participate fully in Monday evening laboratory sessions and in our Monday-Wednesday discussion sessions.

Assignments:

The final grade will be based on three factors:

1. (40%, 20% each)
2. Two 8 pp. papers on a particular character, scene or issue, one due Feb. 25, the other April 26. Graduate student
3. papers should be 10-12 pp. and include research.
4. (40%) Performance
5. Regular attendance at performance workshops and participation on a final presentation
6. (20%) Classroom participation
7. Since this is a seminar, it is crucial that students attend regularly and participate with their own questions and observations.