TEACHING

This course is a practical, analytical and theoretical class structure as collaboration lab examining all elements of composition in performances arts. Class will have strong homework assignments of reading, writing and research. For the class students will be divided in three groups creating original work on all elements of composition. Work has to be presented as live performance; each piece will have public presentation and critical feedback. The role of audiences is composed from the whole class as well drama school students, faculty and audiences outside of The New School for Drama. Student’s assignment is to invite audiences, announce presentations.

Students will develop short performance pieces drawn from a variety of theatrical and non-theatrical sources, through which they will explore the fullest extent and possibility of performance, building skills as creators, developers, and performers.

CMP2 (Collaborative Making Process 2) continues the students’ exploration and understanding of the collaborative dynamics between actors, writers and directors in the creation, rehearsal and production of new work. By the end of the course participants should have a more sophisticated, experiential knowledge of the development process and be ready to engage their talent in more challenging, ambitious pieces. Writers will have prepared a draft of the plays that each actor and director will work on for the entire semester. Directors and writers will be matched with plays for the rehearsal, development and presentation of the new pieces. At the end of the semester the pieces will be performed for the public.

This course is designed to serve as the central ‘hub’ for MFA directors in their third year. This course focuses on the preparatory creative work required for directors to direct full-length projects, and will also incorporate paper projects tied to related investigations into directors and dramatists. This course takes the form of a close mentorship-based relationship through which third year directors will have their developing creative ideas pushed and challenged as each director hones their unique creative process and style. The course includes pre-production work, based on the play Antigone by Sophocles. Detailed text analysis, casting process, design costumes, set, lights, sounds, projection, directors pitch, budget, production meetings, scene work.