THTR 7: INTRODUCTION TO DIRECTING
Foothill College Course Outline of Record
| Heading | Value |
|---|---|
| Units: | 4 |
| Hours: | 3 lecture, 3 laboratory per week (72 total per quarter) |
| Advisory: | THTR 20A or equivalent beginning-level acting course; not open to students with credit in DRAM 7 or 52. |
| Degree & Credit Status: | Degree-Applicable Credit Course |
| Foothill GE: | Non-GE |
| Transferable: | CSU/UC |
| Grade Type: | Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass) |
| Repeatability: | Not Repeatable |
Student Learning Outcomes
- A successful student can demonstrate an understanding of the relationship of the director to the total theatrical production.
- A successful student will analyze and prepare a script for production.
- A successful student will assemble actors for production through the audition and casting process.
- A successful student will dramatize a theatrical scene utilizing the fundamentals of composition, movement, business and characterization.
Description
Course Objectives
The student will be able to:
A. compare and contrast the role and responsibilities of the director to the other production members, including actors, designers and technicians, offering guidance and insight, and effective stage direction.
B. survey and identify plays to direct that are appropriate for a given space and a multicultural world.
C. develop and prepare a script for the direction of a production.
D. organize an audition and assemble the cast of a play.
E. demonstrate the direction of a play through recognizing and applying all necessary procedures and requirements from rehearsal to production.
Course Content
A. Identify and define the role of a director in a theatrical production.
1. Study the historical development of the director, analyzing how the role has changed from past to present.
2. Interpretation and vision.
3. Responsibilities to the production team in the overall process.
4. Communication tactics and effective, constructive collaboration.
5. Individuality of style.
B. Develop criteria for choosing a play for production.
1. Analyze elements of technical complications.
2. Casting demands and community standards.
3. Emphasis in the importance of selecting scripts that represent a wide range of cultural, social, racial and sexual backgrounds.
C. Study script analysis and develop the process of script preparation for rehearsal and performance.
1. Structure, plot, theme interpretation.
2. Character.
3. Language and dialogue structure.
4. Notation and building a prompt book.
D. Understand efficient audition and casting processes.
1. Casting of type vs. talent.
2. Process of auditioning, callbacks and final casting.
3. Awareness of non-traditional casting (multi-ethnic, cross-age, etc.).
E. Direct scenes with a focus on the communication of script elements.
1. Communicate cohesive directorial concept and how it translates into production.
2. Stage composition.
3. Stage movement and business.
4. Unity and style.
5. Characterization.
6. Develop and use rehearsal schedules.
7. Rehearse from a prompt book.
8. Acquire production experience.
Lab Content
A. Field research through attending live performance.
B. Development and rehearsal of student performance presentation projects.
Special Facilities and/or Equipment
B. Appropriate rehearsal furniture, including chairs and tables.
Method(s) of Evaluation
A. Directing projects will be observed and graded.
B. Auditions, casting, blocking, laboratory rehearsals, performances will be observed and graded.
C. Lighting, settings, costumes, sound and other technical aspects will be observed and graded.
D. A midterm and final examination will also be given.
Method(s) of Instruction
A. Lecture
B. Discussion
C. Cooperative learning exercises
D. Oral presentations
E. Laboratory
F. Demonstration
G. Field trips
Representative Text(s) and Other Materials
Vaughan, Stuart. The Art and Craft of Directing Plays. New York: Vaughan Press, 2015.
Hodge, Francis, and Michael Mclain. Play Directing: Analysis, Communication and Style. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2009.
Although one or more of these texts are older than the suggested "5 years or newer" standard, they remain seminal texts in this area of study.
Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments
A. Noted director research oral presentations with supporting written analysis.
B. Reading quizzes and discussion presentations.
C. Post performance analysis and summation.
D. Live performance critique.