COLLEGE OF

ARTS, COMMUNICATIONS AND DESIGN

DEPARTMENT OF
Theatre, Dance, & Arts Mgmt.

COURSE SYLLABUS:
Senior Acting Studio

AY 2020-2021

COURSE NUMBER: 192

NUMBER OF CREDITS: 3

COURSE TITLE: Senior Acting Studio

INSTRUCTOR: Porter

DATE SUBMITTED: 7-21-20

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 Theater 192: Senior Acting Studio

Maria Porter, Professor

Fall 2020
Section 002
M/W 12:30-1:50
Office Hours: Will be conducted online only. Fridays 9-12
e-mail: Maria.Porter@liu.edu

COVID-19
Students must wear masks in class at all times. Any student who fails to do so will be
asked to leave the classroom and be reported to the Dean.

Student accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please inform

your instructor if you would like to request accommodations.

Should for any reason your instructor be unable to teach in-person, you will be
informed and steps will be taken to ensure that your class continue uninterrupted.
Should you need to, you can contact the department chair at 516-299-4198 or
cara.gargano@liu.edu.

Please note: The material in this syllabus is subject to change, due to the changing
circumstances presented by COVID 19.

Class Objectives:
The goal of this class is to introduce other physical training methods and further advance
the students’ mastery of the Suzuki Method as a basis for text analysis and character
development. Students will also gain an understanding of how training methods are
created, the specific purposes they serve, and how to synthesize a personal process in the
interpretation of a role, or a creation of a performance.

Class Description:
The primary physical technique employed is a derivation of the Suzuki technique, as
developed by the instructor. It includes other techniques developed by ensembles such as
Viewpoints, Castrillo’s Language of Memory, and the Odin Theater. The basic structure
of the class will include physical training and composition work. IN STUDIO
PHYSICAL AND VOCAL TRAINING WILL BE MODIFIED GIVEN BEST
PRACTICES DEVELOPED AROUND PERFORMANCE PRACTICE IN THE TIME
OF THIS PANDEMIC. In class performance assignments must be prepared out of class,
in spaces that can accommodate safe practices. If these spaces are unavailable to the
student, they should inform the instructor and accomodations will be made.

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Required Materials:
Wood dowel. Length and kind of wood TBA.

Required Texts:
Scripts of material chosen for text-based projects TBA

Recommended Texts:

Barba, Eugenio. (1995). The Paper Canoe. New York, N.Y.: Routledge.

Bogart, Anne.; Landau, Tina. (2005). The Viewpoints Book: A Practical Guide to
Viewpoints and Composition. New York, N.Y.: Theatre Communications Group.

Waungh, Stephen. (2000). An Acrobat of the Heart: A Physical Approach to Acting

Inspired by the Work of Jerzy Grotowski. New York, N.Y.: Vintage Books.

Studio Laboratory Notebook

The student’s discoveries, notes, etc. should be kept in a notebook of a student’s

choosing. These notes and entries will serve as the students’ anecdotal reporting on the
process/discoveries made in class and more importantly, in free studio time. While I will
not collect the journal, it will be the source from which the Project Reports are derived.
While you can draft documentation in this journal, all documentation for assignments
should be included in the assignment notebook/binder. (Please see individual assignment
instructions).

Graded Assignments

Project Reports:
These papers document your process and discoveries made in and out of class for each
assigned project. Please do not describe what happened in class, unless it is to support a
particular discovery. Grammar and spelling will count. While similar to a reflection
paper, it’s important that you chronicle your process, questions and discoveries as they
happen, and summarize them within the paper. The paper should be between 5-6 pages in
length, 1.5 spacing, 12 pt. font- either Helvetica, Calibri or Times New Roman. The
papers must be submitted electronically as a Word Document (no PDF’s or Google
Drive docs). The papers will be due 48 hours after you complete the final showing of
each project.

Physical Compositions and Documentation:

Presentations of various stages of physical work based the texts noted below. Each stage
of the physical score should be documented. The methodology of documentation will be
outlined as each project is introduced. Please put the documentation in a composition
book, or a one subject notebook. You’ll need a couple of notebooks for the semester, plus
the journal detailed above.
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Performance assignments:

Project One: The Lyric Composition

Students will choose lyrics from a song they are not familiar with, to begin to learn the
process of physical scoring

Project Two: Modern/Absurdist Project

Students will choose scene/monologue from a list of playwrights writing in the style of
Samual Beckett or Eugene Ionesco. These playwrights may be chosen, but other
contemporary or modern authors might work. I am currently curating a list of possibilities
that will work for this genre.

Project Three: Post Modern Contemporary Text Project

Students will choose scene/monologue from contemporary playwrights writing outside
the genre of psychological realism. I am currently curating a list of writers to represent a
more diverse canon.

Quizzes
Two short answer quizzes will be given based on the vocabulary and concepts of this
methodology

Coursework Outline
Please note that the training modalities will be adjusted to comply with best practices for
performing arts in the COVID era

Week One: Rules of Body Composition

Concepts: Extrapolating from physical principles; interplay between Rules of Body &
Aesthetics

Week Two: Introduction to Rules of Composition

Concepts: Extrapolation from other methods; refining the physical composition

Week Three: Haiku Project

Concepts: Personal Sourcing; Physical Scoring

Weeks Four to Six: Lyric Comp Project

Concepts: Keywording/Bracketing; Real Action; Kinesthetic Response; Voice & Body
Presence and Progression
QUIZ # 1
Lyric Comp Project Report Due

Weeks Seven – Eleven: Absurdist/Modernist Project

Concepts: Chunking/Labeling; Drama Mapping, Reverse Scoring, Reduction, Character
Dance, Moment Before
QUIZ #2
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Absurdist/Modernist Project Report Due

Weeks Twelve- Final: Post Modern Project

Concepts: Assembling your own process and rationalizing the order of steps taken
Post Modern Project Report Due
Final Reflection Paper (due on day of Final which will be final presentation of this
project)

Attendance Policy: Please note that this will change as the department develops its
new policy based on the COVID situation
The student is allowed two unexcused absences, after which the final grade will be
lowered 1/2 grade per third absence. For example, if the student accrues three unexcused
absences, the grade is lowered 1/2; five absences result in a full grade deduction.
Protocols for entering and exiting the studio will be established that must be strictly
adhered to for safety reasons. Therefore if you are late, it may not be possible for you to
enter the studio. If you are displaying any symptoms of COVID please stay home and try
to contact the instructor and follow instructions laid out by the University. You can Zoom
into class, but we’ll need to know in advance. At this time, asynchronous instruction is
not planned. An excused absence is an illness documented by a medical professional or
family emergency.

“Sit Out” Policy:

You are allowed two classes during which you may “sit out”. In this instance, you may
come to class and sit in a designated area. You may not participate actively in any portion
of the class, and you should record your impressions and observations of the class in your
laboratory notebook.

Physical Concerns:
If you have any physical condition that will prevent you from participating fully in the
coursework given the new safety protocols, you are encouraged to discuss them with the
instructor before the semester begins.

Personal Belongings:
We are working to establish where personal belongings will be kept during studio time.
Only materials necessary for class will be allowed in the room, as well as water. NO
other food or drink is allowed in the studio.

Attire:
Plain t-shirts or leotards with short or long sleeves. The shirt must cover the entire torso,
and it must not have a logo. Bottoms- leggings, mid-thigh to knee length shorts, yoga
pants, or footless tights. I need to see your knees, so loose fitting bottoms are not ideal.
Footwear- socks for training and bare feet unless otherwise instructed. If you are not
properly dressed, you may not participate

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Grading:
The student’s grade will be based on the following components: (this is subject to
change based on the amount of work we may be able to actually cover given these
unpredictable circumstances.)

Lyric Composition Project

Staging/Documentation/Project Report 25%

Modern/Absurdist Project 30%

Staging/Documentation/Project Report

Post Modern Contemporary Text Project 25%

Staging/Documentation/Project Report

Quizzes 10%

Final Paper 10%

This course is comprised of 3 hours per week of studio work for fifteen weeks which
totals 45 hours. Additionally students should spend a minimum of 6 hours a week in
preparation for class assignments, and on documentation, which totals 90 hours.

Students with Disabilities

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and to facilitate
learning for all students, the instructor will make accommodations for students with
disabilities. It is necessary for those students to inform the instructor of these
accommodations by the end of the first week of classes. Please contact the Academic
Resource Center (299-2937) so that steps can be taken to develop an appropriate
educational plan.

If you are a student with a documented disability, medical condition, or think you
may have a disability, and will need accommodations, academic adjustments,
auxiliary aids, or other services, please contact Marie Fatscher in Disability Support
Services (Post Hall, Lower Level, C10) at 516-299-3057 or marie.fatscher@liu.edu to
request services, accommodations or for additional information.  Additional
information is also available on the DSS website: www.liu.edu/post/dss

Technology
If you have problems, please contact IT (Library 236A, M-Th 8am-8pm and F 9am-
5pm; it@liu.edu; 516-299-3300).

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You can access online tutorials for Blackboard as
needed: http://www.liu.edu/Information-Technology/Info-Tech/Tutorials (Step by
Step Guides and Videos)