By studying the vocabulary of such critics as George Jean Nathan, Robert Benchley, Harold Clurman, Walter Kerr, Robert Brustein and others, students discover their voice as dramatic critics. Students will view liver performances on and off campus, video and film, learning to substantiate subjective opinion with objective reason. Besides next day reviews, students are expected to write overnight reviews as well as second-thought and think pieces. Offered every spring. An introduction to playwriting where students explore the fundamentals of character, action, conflict and structure through writing exercises.
Students continuously revise their work, hear it read aloud and critique the work of their peers.
Though the work consists primarily of writing, students also analyze the dramatic structure of both new and classic plays. The objective of the workshop is to present a finished one-act play in a public performance at semester's end. Offered every spring. This course may be repeated for credit for different topics. Topics to be determined by the theatre faculty.