Assignment task:
Pick one of the following scenes from either Oedipus Rex or Romeo and Juliet: Oedipus the King, lines 1-176 Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 1 (the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt) Pick one of the following staging options: Proscenium-arch stage Thrust stage with seats on three sides Arena stage Grassy area in a park in daytime An alternative space of your own choosing Imagine you are directing this scene. What choices would you make to help realize and communicate your vision of the scene or the meanings you would like to find in it or use it to express? What challenges and opportunities are presented by the scene and the staging? Explain some things you would want to accomplish in directing this scene and how you would use some of the theatrical resources at your disposal to accomplish these things. Your paper should do the following: Briefly explain (one paragraph) your goals in directing the scene. These might include, for example, Helping the audience understand the characters' motives, what they are thinking and feeling during the scene (be specific about these motives, thoughts or feelings). Making these older plays more relevant or meaningful to modern audiences. Solving practical dramatic problems presented by the scene. For instance, in Oedipus, how do you enliven the theatrical experience when most of the "action" is simply conversation? In Romeo and Juliet 3.1, how do you keep the fight scene from being too confusing to the audience? Explain how you would use at least three of the following theatrical resources to accomplish this, keeping in mind the limitations and opportunities of the staging option you have chosen (at least one paragraph each). Use lines or line numbers to identify specific points in the scene:
- Acting: what instructions would you give the actors for moving around the stage, entering or exiting, using their bodies expressively (including gestures and facial expressions), and using their voices expressively in delivering specific lines.
- Scene design: what props or other features of the scenic design would you incorporate, and how would you have the actors interact with them at specific points in the scene?
- Costuming: indicate costumes for the major characters and your rationale for choosing them.
- Sound design: indicate sound effects or musical accompaniment used at specific points in the scene.
- Lighting design (note that this might not be relevant for the outdoor daytime production): indicate lighting effects used at specific points in the scene.
Be sure that it is clear to your reader how your specific directing decisions support the goals you hope to accomplish in directing the scene. If you would like to add visual elements to your paper, such as sketches or diagrams, you may, but it is not required. You should try to make the scene as vivid to your reader as you can with words.
Criteria for success: Your paper should demonstrate
- Familiarity with concepts and terminology of theatrical production
- An understanding of how specific directorial choices work together to create the overall effect or meaning of a scene
- Creativity in solving directorial challenges and a willingness to try innovative ways of doing so.