A day to give thanks...

35 years ago today, the world was touched by genius, one whose indelible mark has been made upon hundreds and hundreds of students, all of whom I hope are working hard on their Practical Performance Proposal. A great birthday gift for Mrs. Cook would be questions/concerns for her to think about regarding your PPP or Independent Project while she in enjoying her husband-baked lemon cake...

Warning to Procrastinators!!!

About those Independent Projects....Think about your main interest in theatre. Think about what you love to do. Think about what you've learned this year. Think about something you WANT to spend hours doing. Writing? Acting? Designing? Directing? Model Making? Costume Construction? Running a workshop? A combination of some of these? This is the most fun you will have in IB, if you make it that. Think about this...you are being given the opportunity to create your own path and follow it. If it is theatre focused and done independently, is qualifies. Let's get it on! If you wait until the last minute, you will undoubtedly end up with something that is slapped together and sub par that is dissappointing to you. I know what all of you are capable of doing! I believe in the creativity and industry of this group! This is 25% of your IB experience (meaning 25% of your IB creadit); as you know, the journal for this project is one of two internal assessments. Make it count!!! Bring on your questions...

Practical Performance Proposal Choices!

Snow in Midsummer by Guan Hanqing
A Servant to Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni
Dona Rosita the Spinster by Federico Garcia Lorca

READ AND UNDERSTAND THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROJECT! Do not wait to get your hands on these books. I got all three on Amazon for $31.99; that was easiest for me. You folks can get them from the library, buy and share...whatever you need to do. Bring on the questions! DUE TO WALDEN MARCH 14TH!

On the journal...

Sorry I didn't see your post sooner, Rohan. I didn't think to look at the earlier entries for responses...I'm new at this blog thing. My apologies.
Use the journal to record your impressions of the text. How would you approach a certain moment in a scene, for example, or what emphasis you'd want the actor to put on a certain part in the scene and why etc. Of course you can record your ideas for technical aspects too, like the scene where the transformation happens...how would you want to approach that? How would you want to see the audience respond? Think of this as prethinking for a Practical Play Proposal, which we will be starting soon. Have a look at the Practical Play Proposal information I gave you. Incidentally, you will be geting your play choices on Thursday, so open that email immediatly and chose the piece you want to do as soon as possible. Remember, IB stipulates that you get one month for this project; so, as soon as you get the information, get cracking on buying/borrowing the texts so you can make your choice.

Buchner!?!

Can you provide us with any more insight into his life Mrs. Cook?

What I mean is, he died at what age 23, but was a huge political activist, formed some new philosophic notions and wrote insightful plays before his death?

He's easy the most interesting for me since Wedekind feels like a slightly more sane Freud and Meyerhold's cool but his interests for theater are pretty straightforward.

What did people think of Buchner ( I ask to the class and to Cook), he lived way earlier than any of these guys but he has glimpses of all sorts of modern ideas in his work.

Questions answered..

I think the long and detailed description is meant to serve the function of drawing in the reader of the text with a realistic environment, because what comes after is anything but realism. For Ionesco's purposes, this was how he begins to unsettle his reader, by laying this groundwork. Do you have to follow his vision? You know the answer; you're right. Take it as YOU see it, but keep in mind who's len's to view through...Brecht. In your journals you can definitly begin to see the scene and visualize how you would out it up...but again, don;t lose sight of the objective of the assignment. You are attempting to read Rhinocerous through the newly opened eyes of one who now knows about Brecht, alienation and his purpose for theatre, and communicate that new knowedge though your reflecitons on your reading. So, think about WHY you would make the choice you are pondering. For example, think baout how well it serves the script to have this extremely well defined, normal looking place, when what happens is anything but normal...and yet, the players reaction to the events...etc...I don't want to give the plot away if you haven't read the whole thing yet...Let me stop before I say too much.

Rhinocerous Journal

I toyed with doing the reflection on this blog, but I haven't recieved the response I needed to convince me, so, I sent you the formal assignment today. If you want to talk about your reflection ideas or reactions to the text, come talk to me in our little cyberclassroom. I'm here waiting!