Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2021 - CA 350 D100

Acting V: Text in Dramatic Forms (3)

Class Number: 7266

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 8 – Dec 7, 2021: Tue, Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    GOLDCORP

  • Instructor:

    James Long
    jelong@sfu.ca
    Office Hours: Thursdays // 9:30-11:20pm and by appointment. Please email in advance.

  • Prerequisites:

    CA (or FPA) 149, 186, 251, 255 and 285. Corequisite: CA 354.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

The fifth Performance acting course. Work focuses on text from various sources in relation to established theatrical forms. Students with credit for FPA 350 may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

This class focuses on text as a tool for play, action and performance. In addition to exploring two plays, Everybody by Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins and its 15th century precursor, Everyone by anonymous sources, this course will ask students to engage with their own personal curiosities, research and archives to develop individual texts and performances. As an umbrella theme for the course we will be looking at ‘old things’ (a subjective term that might include physical objects, ideas, buildings, institutions, social constructs, people, etc.) and how we engage with them. Over the semester, students will be asked to choose some “old things” of their interest and be led through a series of investigations, extrapolations and ‘troublings’ of these chosen materials, including speculative writing, interviews, performance reports and other creative research. We will be making a lot of material, showing that work, feeding back and making more.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • To accumulate methods for developing and using text in performance.
  • To test, negotiate and trouble the concepts of nostalgia and the archive.
  • To develop a heightened sense of presence in the performer.
  • To embrace research as a creative act.

Grading

  • Group presentation on assigned reading 10%
  • General participation* 20%
  • Performative Report One: Oral Histories 25%
  • Performative Report Two: Presence in Performance 20%
  • Final Group Project: A Museum of Old Things 25%

NOTES:

*Includes full completion of assignments and exercises, attitude, punctuality, thoughtful participation in discussions, concentration, attendance, playfulness, risk, generosity, leadership, collaborative spirit, etc.

This is a process driven, creative research lab; each participant is responsible for the production and maintenance of its trajectory. This requires full attendance and participation in scheduled classes and presentations

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

• Access to personal computers, internet, and Zoom.
• Access to digital recording devices (broadly considered).
• Appropriate studio clothing – we will be moving in class.

REQUIRED READING:

Everybody by Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins. This may be late in arriving to bookstore. We will not be working in it until late September/early October

• All other readings are provided by the instructor and available on Canvas as PDFs.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2021

Teaching at SFU in fall 2021 will involve primarily in-person instruction, with approximately 70 to 80 per cent of classes in person/on campus, with safety plans in place.  Whether your course will be in-person or through remote methods will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes.  You will also know at enrollment whether remote course components will be “live” (synchronous) or at your own pace (asynchronous).

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the fall 2021 term.