Course syllabus

Drama 204B: History and Performance

Course Information 2017 – Semester 2

Class Times: Tuesday 10-11:30 and Friday 10-11:30

Drama Studio, Room 325, Level 3 Arts 1 Building

Convenor/Lecturer: Dr. Rina Kim (Room 641, Arts 1 Building)

Phone: 3737599 ext-87348

                                    Email: rina.kim@auckland.ac.nz

                                    Office Hours: Friday 12-1pm, or by appointment

Course Content:

Drama 204 explores a range of major plays from ancient Greek tragedy to contemporary New Zealand drama. This course aims to study plays in their historical context and as texts for performance. We examine plays with reference to the original staging conventions and to modern productions, and introduce different film and stage productions. More importantly, Drama 204 encourages students to develop skills in the staging of dramatic texts through practical sessions. These staging exercises are designed to help students build up necessary skills for our stage production in September. This course examines a number of theories of drama, with reference to their practical applications in play-texts and productions. We also explore dramatists’ engagement with the existing genres and traditions.

Aims and Outcomes:

By the end of the course you will be expected to have –

• good knowledge of the dramatic tradition and conventions and of the work of historically significant playwrights
• gained some familiarity with theoretical debates including Stanislavski and Brecht
• developed a sense of the expressive possibilities of different dramatic languages, such as naturalistic dialogue, poetic rhetoric, mise en scene and movement

Text List:

Frank Wedekind, Spring Awakening - Edition available from the bookshop. (Available Online: https://archive.org/stream/theawakeningofsp35242gut/35242-0.txt)

Bertolt Brecht, Life of Galileo –Also available online as an e-audio through Library

(Available Online: http://www.socialiststories.com/liberate/Life%20of%20Galileo%20-%20Bertolt%20Brecht.pdf)

Beckett, Endgame - Edition available from the bookshop. (Available Online: http://samuel-beckett.net/endgame.html)

* The texts below are for the New Zealand Theatre Project. You do not have to purchase the texts but I highly recommend you to read them.

Stella Jones, The Tree (Available Online)

Toa Fraser, Bare (included in Two Plays by Toa Fraser)

Briar Grace-Smith, When Sun and Moon Collide (Wellington 2008)

Robert Lord, Balance of Payments (Available Online)

LECTURE AND TUTORIAL TIMETABLE - Semester 2

Week 12: NZ Theatre Final Presentations 

Friday: Staging Exercises Presentations - 10am - 12pm 

10:05: The Tree (If it rains, Bare will start first)

10:45: When Sun and Moon Collide

11:20: Bare (or The Tree)