THR 352 - Experiments in Acting

Course unit(s): 1
Prerequisite(s): THR 251 - Acting II: Scene Study .
This course is designed to explore the extremes of tragedy and comedy, and to combine them in the specific style of Samuel Beckett, as “tragi-comic.” With readings from Sophocles, Friederich Nietzche, Antonin Artaud, Joseph Chaikin, and Peter Hall, the class discovers the dynamics of Greek chorus, the presence of the neutral mask and the building of a clowning act. Texts from Electra and Waiting for Godot are studied in depth and serve as inspiration for writing a scene in a tragi-comic style. Films are assigned every week.