Category: Drama and Theatre

Attached you will find the instructions to the powerpoint. I have provided you with the powerpoint and slides with the questions that need to be answered.

The Full Prompt is Listed Below:
Speeches provide a rich opportunity for us to examine and practice rhetorical analysis and argumentation. Remember, our working definition of rhetoric is: “The study and/or use of persuasive language.” In this essay, you will be utilizing both sides of this definition (i.e., “study and use”).
The speech you choose could be historical, political, relevant in the media, or even inspirational. Write an essay in which you evaluate the effectiveness of the speech. You could even argue the ineffectiveness of a speech, but make sure to provide examples and explanations as to why. Your research should inform your understanding of the target demographic; you do not get to guess what the demographic may be. What are the intentions of the speech and who is the speech intended for? In the same thesis, you will argue for the speech’s efficacy. Thus, your research will also include an examination of delivery techniques. Make sure to analyze the speech’s use of ethos, logos, and or pathos. It may be helpful to choose a speech in which you are able to watch the speaker deliver their speech. What was their tone and how did it change? What was their body language like throughout the speech?
If you choose a speech in which you cannot visually analyze the speaker, consider what kind of delivery would’ve been the most compelling.
A sample thesis will look like: “The speech for X effectively uses X, Y, Z (no limit here) to reach X speaker’s target demographic of 18-39 year-old, college educated women.”
The best essays will:
Analyzation of the speech’s use of ethos, logos, and pathos
Contain a logical organization of clear, distinct and unified paragraphs, each with a single clear topic.
Be supported with specific pieces of objective evidence.
Have few typographical, spelling, grammatical or sentence errors, and few awkward word choices.
Have sentences with clear syntax and are easy to understand.
Have a tone properly elevated and professional.
Meet all MLA formatting requirements.
Essay parameters:
Analyzes rhetoric for efficacy.
1,200-1,500 words minimum.
Minimum four works cited with some combination of quoting and paraphrasing.
At least one source must be from an academic journal.
Appropriate MLA formatting. Must include a Works Cited Page

RESEARCH-BASED RESPONSE
How did westward expansion influence theatre in the US?
(The Research-based Response should be treated like an incredibly short research paper. It should be a minimum of 500 words, written in your own words, checked for grammar and spelling, and contain and CITE at least three external sources. Please follow the MLA Guidelines to create a Works Cited and insert parenthetical citations.)
External Sources:  Not coming from the class materials (i.e. PowerPoints, Videos, and Textbook).

Part 1 | Introduction (1-3 paragraphs)
In general, your introduction should provide an overview of the films and the main elements you will be analyzing in the rest of the paper. Think of it as a way to introduce your reader to these films and walk them through your main focus within the paper. After reading the introduction, the reader should know exactly what films, cinematic elements, and specific movie moments you will be discussing.
Your introduction will have four small components: (story + plot, style + tone, formal elements/sequence + justification, thesis statement).
Story + Plot:
Briefly describe the stories being told, as well as how the film arranges story information for viewers through the plot. Be sure to include: the settings, the main characters, the amount of time covered in the films’ narrative, and the types of film (comedy, drama, fantasy, etc.). You should explain briefly how the films’ stories are being presented and/or the general sense of the film’s narrative arc.
Example: City of God tells the story of the City of God, a place where young people have few options. Told through flashbacks and voiceover narration from City of God resident, Rocket, the film follows multiple characters lives’ leading up to a tense final showdown in order to show how the need to survive leads young people into a life of crime and/or gang participation, from which very few are able to escape.
Style + Tone:
Here, you will identify and describe the overall style (Stylized? Realistic? Whimsical? Futuristic?) and tone (Light? Heavy? Dark? Emotional? Ethereal? Political?) of your selected film. You will also describe the way your selected elements contributes to the overall style and storytelling mode of the film. Remember: the tone of the film refers to the overall feeling and the atmosphere of the narrative world, and the style refers to the unique way that atmosphere is created.
This part should answer the following for your selected film:
What is the visual style and tone of the overall film world? How do your selected elements (such as cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing, acting, or sound) help create or add to this visual style and overall tone?
Formal Elements & Sequence + Justification:
Next, you will identify the three formal elements you have chosen to analyze and pick a specific sequence you will be discussing in your paper.
Example: This analysis will explore how cinematography, mise-en-scene, and performance operate in the The Graduate sequence “Ben’s Party + Mrs. Robinson’s Seduction.”
After you identify your formal elements and specific sequence, you will provide a brief justification or explanation for why you have chosen this film and elements to analyze.
Example: Examining cinematography, mise-en-scene, and performance in The Graduate will reveal how the film explores themes of disenfranchisement and solitude amongst young people figuring out the rest of their lives.
Thesis Statement:
Your larger thesis statement should be bolded at the end of your introductory paragraphs. This statement includes all the elements of your paper in one place and shows your interpretation of how the elements work together to create layers of meaning. This sentence will include: the films and elements you will be analyzing and the meanings you think they create in the film.
Example: Cinematography, mise-en-scene, and editing in The Graduate create a cinematic in world in which tense or anxious scenarios and disillusioned characters dramatize the familiar struggle to find one’s purpose and stay true to one’s self.
Part 2 | Analysis: Elements & Sequence (3-4 pages)
This is the main part of your paper. This is where you will bring in a lot of detail and examples from the films and sequences to show that you understand how formal elements work to create meaning, mood, and tone. You will closely analyze your selected sequence for how your selected formal elements work together to create meanings for viewers.
Set Up Your Sequence (2 paragraphs):
Briefly describe the sequence you will be analyzing. Where does it take place in the film? What occurs in the sequence? How does it relate to the broader plot of the film? This should take no more than 2 paragraphs.
Analyze your Element & Sequence (5-7 paragraphs):
Here you will analyze your elements in your selected sequence. Remember, you are picking three elements (mise-en-scene, sound, performance, editing, cinematography) to analyze deeply in one sequence. You want to include as much detail as you can about how these elements operate in the film sequence and the film more broadly.
You can think about whether your sequence maintains established formal patterns in the film, or if it breaks from these established patterns and/or introduces news patterns. You should also think about why the filmmakers utilize these formal choices (as opposed to others), and how they add to or clash with the narrative action happening in the sequence. Try to write your analysis so that the reader can “see” and “hear” your sequence as they read about it.
Suggested format:
Paragraph 1: Set Up Sequence 
Paragraph 2: Description of Element 1
Paragraph 3: Analysis of Element 1
Paragraph 4: Description of Element 2
Paragraph 5: Analysis of Element 2
Paragraph 6: Description of Element 3
Paragraph 7: Analysis of Element 3
Paragraph 8-9: Compare and contrast elements in the scene and their relationship to the narrative/action
Part 3 | Interpretation + Meaning (1-2 paragraphs)
Here you will analyze how you think your analyzed elements function in the sequence to create meaning. You will do so through engaging with two levels of meaning: 1. Literal and 2. Inferred (symbolic) or Latent (cultural).
1. Literal meaning (plot or story meaning) – MUST INCLUDE
For the first part of this section, you will interpret and summarize the literal meanings in your selected sequences. This level of meaning explores the plot and story meanings. Here, you will be summarizing the basic interpretation of what you see on the screen, how it is presented, and what it means to the story and the themes presented. Highlight specific moments in your sequence analyses and discuss how they create ideas, set moods, and advance the plot.
Example: In The Graduate, elements of mise-en-scene works together with cinematography to make Ben appear as if he is being trapped by a predatory animal during Mrs. Robinson’s seduction. Mrs. Robinson’s animal print decor and tendency to be framed by a jungle-like setting in the background shows her control and power in the scene. While Mrs. Robinson stays in one place, Ben, wearing a plain suit that feels out of place in this environment, paces slowly. His anxious movements are tracked with long takes and tracking shots that create the feeling that he is trapped. The slow editing pattern also echoes the slow-building tension in the sequence, which then quickens and disorients the viewer when Ben is confronted with Mrs. Robinson’s naked body.
2. Select ONE (1) of the following:
Inferred meaning (symbolic or metaphorical meaning) 
This level of meaning explores the characters and story elements as broader metaphors or symbols. Think about what bigger ideas the elements are communicating such as innocence, corruption, humanity, disobedience, judgment, etc. What might sounds, colors, characters, props, or images mean beyond their literal meaning in the film? This and the next section should be where you take time to explore the deeper meanings in your thesis statement.
Example: In The Graduate, Ben’s character represents the disillusionment of young adulthood. After leaving the imposed regimen of school and college, Ben’s singular question is: What do I want to do with my life? Throughout the film, we watch Ben literally and figuratively float through life in a daze-like fashion. This sequence shows Ben’s powerlessness at home and in his relationship with Mrs. Robinson. The montage sequences later on in the film showcase this same lack of direction and the existential purgatory that Ben finds himself in after graduation and in his relationship with Mrs. Robinson.
Latent meaning (social or cultural meaning)
This level of meaning explores larger social meanings and cultural values. One way to think about latent meaning is to think about why the film was made in society at the time? What might the film be commenting on in culture and society?
Example: In The Graduate, Ben embodies the existential crises faced by many young people during the 1960’s. Disillusioned by the promises of 1950’s suburban utopias because of the social and cultural turmoil of the civil rights era and the anti-Vietnam war movement, young people in the 1960’s were also facing this bigger question of: if the society we were raised to participate in no longer promising, what do we do with our lives?
Part 4 | Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs)
Your concluding paragraph(s) should summarize everything you have explored in the paper. You want to briefly give the reader an overview of how the films relate to each other, how the formal elements operate, and your broader conclusions about the films and their multifaceted meanings. A well-written conclusion is a powerful way to close out your paper. Don’t gloss over it!
After you have written the majority of your paper and your conclusion, now is a good time to go back to your introduction and make sure that it sets up everything you discussed and explored. Often when we write a first draft, we are also writing through our ideas and discovering what they are along the way! A good check to see if you have a cohesive paper is to re-read your introduction and conclusion side-by-side. Do they make the same arguments and outline the same points? Do they accidentally introduce new and/or conflicting ideas that aren’t developed in the rest of the paper? You should expect to re-write parts of your introduction and/or conclusion after you have finished drafting the paper!
I also recommend using highlighters or highlighted text to match the arguments and ideas in your introduction and conclusion with their location in the paper. Does every idea introduced in the introduction appear in the body of the paper? Is that idea fully developed and explained to your reader in a way that walks them through your thought process?

RESEARCH-BASED RESPONSE
Discuss Sarah Bernhardt and her contributions to the field of acting.
(The Research-based Response should be treated like an incredibly short research paper. It should be a minimum of 500 words, written in your own words, checked for grammar and spelling, and contain and CITE at least three external sources. Please follow the MLA Guidelines to create a Works Cited and insert parenthetical citations.)
External Sources:  Not coming from the class materials (i.e. PowerPoints, Videos, and Textbook).

Please make up an interview for me. It can be an actor/screenwriter/editor/producer. The class went through some questions, and it may help your writing. For example, you can ask about the first movie the interviewer remembers./ The major/Did he go to grad school? Is it necessary?/ What will he say if he meet the 20 years old him. will be

Final Paper- 4 – 7 Pages Total.
Here are the guidelines.
1) Premise – what is the idea for your project? What is the genre? Where/ when is it set and who do you see in the cast of characters?
2) Production concept – apply the concepts of theatrical design to conceive of sets, lighting, costumes and sound. What type of theater should it be in? Or is it site specific?
3) Write a crucial scene – this should be a minimum of one page of dialog with your main character and should be at the heart of the plot (even if you haven’t figured out everything that’s going to happen in the play).
I encourage you to use you imagination, to have fun and to see where your creative impulse takes you. Do what pleases you. I will be uploading an essay on playwriting. Feel free to read it as supplementary inspiration.
I will also post this under assignments.
Due may 17

This is a design course so be thoughtful about the look of your portfolio – it should be cohesive and “flow”
Much of the material will relate to the script you’ve been using for many of the module topics.
Design an opening page – including:
Your name, the course (MPT285OL) and the name of the script – this can be the Title Treatment 
Your Initial Presentation (Module 4) of your ideas for the story – Vision Board & statement about your approach to visual style of the project.
Color Palette – the colors and a simple statement about your choices of colors (emotional tone, etc.)
Set Decorations
Props
An original Design of a Graphic or Sign to be used in the movie
Technical Drawings (floor plan, optional elevations)
Concept Sketch/Perspective Drawing/Images showing Depth
Your Business Card – name, title (“filmmaker” is ok), email, phone number (you can use generic email & phone number)
check attachments for some of the script, template for project, and others.

Your name here
Play Review
Instructor name here
Today’s date here                                                                                                       
Essay title here, for example: Play Review of Hamlet at Boston Court Theatre
Indent each new paragraph apart from your very first one. Your essay should be typed, double-spaced and use 12-point Times New
Roman font just like the example you’re reading right now. Number your pages just I have. The play review should be five sides long.
Use spell check and good grammar throughout. Your essay needs to be printed and handed in by the due date. No electronic
submissions will be accepted.
In the first paragraph briefly outline what you saw, when, and who directed it.
Briefly outline the plot in a couple of sentences. For example, if I wanted to summarize Romeo and Juliet I could say: ‘Set in the
Italian city of Verona it tells of a long-running hatred between two families, which results in the tragic death of the two young lovers,
Romeo and Juliet.’
The strange thing is that although it’s called a ‘play review’ you should be reviewing a production of a play not the play itself,
so don’t fall into the trap of explaining what happens in the story by exploring the plot, themes, or language of the drama. Those
things are fixed and never change. Write instead about what the production did with the play. Talk about the acting, lighting,
costume, set, music and any other element of the production and explain if they did a good or bad job. Feel free to share your
opinion and make bold statements about what you’ve seen. For example, I could that ‘I thought the Romeo actor was terrible,’ BUT
because a critical essay is about demonstrating your ability to build a strong argument, YOU NEED TO SUPPORT YOUR
STATEMENT with a clear and well-argued explanation. For example, explain how and why the Romeo actor was so terrible and if you
have any suggestions about how to fix this problem. For example, ‘I thought the Romeo actor was terrible because the character of
Romeo is supposed to be torn apart by love. We didn’t see that in actor’s physicality because the Romeo actor in this production was
too relaxed to make his performance believable. An example was in the scene where Romeo is banished and must leave the city
forever. The character talks about wanting to commit suicide and he’s furious he’ll never see Juliet again, but the Romeo actor
delivered the lines in a such a relaxed way that Romeo didn’t appear to care about his predicament. Also, the actor didn’t speak
clearly or loudly enough and I missed much of what he was saying. A simple solution to this would have been to mic the actors or for
the director to simply tell the actors to speak louder.’
Talking about specific moments like that will improve your essay and demonstrate that you engaged critically with the
production. But don’t just make one point and spend the entire essay talking about it. Aim for ten clear points about the acting and
other production elements. Consider how design and lighting helped or hindered the production. Did the costumes and set work well
or not? How did all the separate parts of the production fit together? Did some parts work better than others?
When writing your essay tell us what you thought AND always back it up with a strong argument then move on to the next
point. Do this again and again throughout your essay and you’ll maximize your grade. You might want to focus on the two or three
most successful aspects of the production and then counter this with what you thought were the worst parts.
What is the main theme or idea of the play and did the production put that across well? You should also write about how the
play is relevant to audiences today. Is the play relevant to your life? Explain why or why not.
Include some of the key terms from our book such as suspension of disbelief, fourth wall, climactic, episodic, Realism etc. That
will also improve your grade.
Finish your essay by summing up your overall response to the production and remember, your essay needs to be 5 sides long.
If your page count is slightly short or long (less than half a page) your grade won’t be affected but 5 sides is your target so that is
what you should aim to hand in. If your essay is more than half a page short or long, points will be deducted.
If, due to Covid-19, we cannot go and see a live theatre production, I will provide links to two theatre productions by Week 5.
Choose ONE and write your essay on that production.
Overview of Instructor Grading Methodology
All papers that include plagiarized materials will be graded zero.
5 point deductions to be made for the following errors:
The essay does not meet the requirements regarding word count i.e. the essay is either too long or too short (5 points may be deducted)
The layout does not conform to the suggested parameters as set out in the Play Review Guidelines and Outline (5 points may be deducted for each)
Spelling errors (5 points may be deducted for each)
Poor syntax, word choice, and grammar (5 points may be deducted for each)
Insufficient critical argument (5 points deducted for each missing argument)
Lack of clarity and/or detail in each of the critical arguments made (1 – 5 points deducted as per the instructor’s critical judgement)
Failure to include any of the key theatre terms from the program (5 points deducted)
Here are notes from the play: Peter and the Starcatcher which Im writing about in this play review: 
What stood out for me:
The gag of Captain Tash smashing the mirror.
Stage lighting and how it helped tell the story effectively.
The use of parasols to create the ocean.
The set 
based in 1885
the stage was a Proscenium stage
And here are some questions I had about the show?
The performance was full of energy and everyone was loud but I still couldn’t understand about 50% of what was being said. Why? And what could have been done to improve that?
Were moments when the 4th wall was broken effective? If so, why? If not, why? How could it be fixed if needed?
Did you like the way the actors helped change the scene by shifting bits of the set around or the use of parasols to create the effect of the sea? Was it effective?
How did lighting, set, costume help tell the story? 
What specific moments stood out for you? Why?
What about costume?
What about the direction? It’s not easy to organize such a large cast. 
How was the staging effective/ineffective in the telling of the story? Think about the tableaux that were made and the movement of actors across the stage. 
Inevitably, some actors were stronger than others. Who were they and why were their performances stronger? What could have been done to help those actors who were struggling in their roles? 
My notes (I was scribbling away during the performance). You may not agree/understand with any/all but this is what stood out for me as I watched the show:
Very first line lost (couldn’t hear the last word, didn’t get the meaning)
Diction bad, can’t understand what they are saying
giant sheets above stage like billowing sails
how they showed the orphans behind bars
staging — use of boxes to create different levels
lighting – sunshine, danger, blue skies
miming pulling the ropes 
recorded piano odd, not live, singing weak/out of tune etc
toy ships
SFX of creaking ship and ocean sounds
can’t see/hear when actors facing upstage, dialogue lost
SFX fart sounds, why not actor make sound?
scenes behind doors in various parts of ship
flashback to orphanage done with white screens and silhouettes
actors as narrators/break 4th wall/talk to audience
one of the orphans is really good
God save the Queen! Gag. Everyone stands and shouts God Save Her!
sick bucket, comic timing
Tash – crack mirror gag
Smee and the severed hand
parasol waves, ship’s wheel, lighting used to show switch from one ship to other
red light, chase scene
costume/one actor wear brand new Doc Martens / my suspension of disbelief shattered
the croc sounds more like a lion / use of silhouette
use of spotlights
use of gobo lighting at intermission to project stars on stage floor
gender and casting 
suddenly live music Smee and ukulele…why? Seems at odds with the recorded music
Peter flying 

Production History 8-10 Pages
Choose a play from history. You may include modern plays and musicals that started on the stage. NO MOVIES!
rInclude 3-4 productions. You may include visuals in your report. 
Be Organized! Include a summary about the play and playwright. Why is it important in theatre history? Use sources that are reliable! Use the library!
Use MLA Style!
Include a thesis statement in your introduction.
Make sure you support your claims with evidence from the text—use quotes.  
Underline your thesis statement in the first  paragraph
Pages typed double spaced—12point times new roman
Quoting Evidence from Sources
Quoting is one of the ways you can incorporate evidence from a source into your research paperor other writing assignment.
Quoting means using the exact words of the source, rather than a summary or paraphrase in yourown words. This is also called a direct quote.
To incorporate a direct quote effectively, you need three things:
1.    Introduction
This tells the reader that a quote is coming up.
2.    Quoted text
This is the actual text reproduced exactly as it appears in the original source.
3.    Explanation of relevance
This tells the reader why the quoted text is important for your argument.
In the following example, the introduction is marked (1), the quoted text is marked
(2)  and the explanation of relevance is marked (3). (The numbers are just forclarification; you would not use them in an actual writing assignment.)
(1)  In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson includes a list of god-givenrights, including (2) “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
(3) These words indicate an important shift in emphasis from the First ContinentalCongress of 1774, which had issued a declaration of rights in which stated that thecolonists were entitled to life, liberty and property.
How to Format Direct Quotes
Brief quotes should be set off from the surrounding text with double quotation marks as inthe example above. If your quoted text is more than four lines, use a block quote. A div begins on a new line, doesn’t have quotation marks, and is indented about one inchfrom the left margin.
Quoted evidence must come from reliable sources and be properly cited. In additionto using direct quotes, you can also iincorporate evidence by
paraphrasing or summarizing.