If you participated in these classes and wish to receive credit you need to have fulfilled (or addressed) these requirements.

1. Class attendance -- List the classes you attended.

2. Material Read -- List material you read (in or outside of class)

3. Writing Requirements: See this blog link from the end of the first quarter.

Writing Requirements

Bring your essays (or creative material) in all three drafts.

4. Vocabulary Words: 18 weeks of vocabulary words ~ 10 words per week.

(For the brave few who did "Reading Notes" with vocabulary -- hurrah! -- bring these reading notes as well -- these notes go a long way for speeding the plow in this requirement -- as they should)

Pull me aside with your material and I will report your earned credit to Renee.

MONDAY: Shakespeare monologues (see Erin or this post).

No set schedule rest of the week -- Ideas? Needs? Wants?

ENGLISH B: MONDAY: "Way of the World" -- Completed.

I will bring a copy of "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift (Congreve's buddy) if there is any interest in pursuing this great satiric essay.

ENGLISH D:
MONDAY: "Vanya" -- Act III
WEDNESDAY; "Vanya" -- Complete.

I finally found a copy of the Olivier/Redgrave production on Vanya -- in Chicago no less and only on VHS -- so hopefully it will be here in time. Otherwise.....?

Supplementally and excusing the terrible copy -- let's read Act 2 of "Uncle Vanya" (getting as far as you can or dare)

There is an excellent series from the BBC with John Barton a director of the Royal Shakespeare Company -- he works with (great) actors illustrating "Playing Shakespeare" -- I see the first hour of this series is on Youtube and I sent to Netflix for the 2nd hour disc. We could use class time to watch this together or you (yous) could watch this on your own time....

ENGLISH B: "Way of the World" -- Acts I - IV

ENGLISH D: "Uncle Vanya" -- ACT I.

Who are these people? Who talks like this? What do we think of people who talk like this? What is happening on stage as people are speaking? What are others in the room feeling? Chekhov is a master of the unspoken.....

Two ideas to continue our discussion of reading Shakespeare as actors...

1. Here are three monoluges -- two from Shakespeare -- that we could discuss (attempt) in class. Here's the link to a file with these monologues

2. There is an excellent series from the BBC with John Barton a director of the Royal Shakespeare Company -- he works with (great) actors illustrating "Playing Shakespeare" -- I see the first hour of this series is on Youtube and I sent to Netflix for the 2nd hour disc. We could use class time to watch this together or you (yous) could watch this on your own time....

ENGLISH B: "Way of the World" -- Acts I, II, and III

ENGLISH D: "Ward No. 6" -- complete. We'll start discussion with Sections 9 and 10 (the discussion between Ivan and Andrey -- perhaps when we all know the outcome -- like Julia -- we'll see this discussion in a fresh light)

ENGLISH B: "Way of the World" -- Acts I and II

ENGLISH D: "Ward No. 6" -- through chapter 10 (page 11)

Decide how you would play each character. What lines would you emphasize and which lines would you underplay? If you are Lady Anne where do you make the decision to "go along" with Gloucester and how do you show this transition in your line readings? Think how you would move/block Lady Anne's "What do you tremble" monologue -- be prepared to shore your ideas (or better, act this monologue out).

How would you play Gloucester (Richard)? What lines are you hard; which are you soft? How would you move (when? a lot? a little?)

Think like both actor and director to make this scene "come to life"

ENGLISH B:

William Congreve's "The Way of the World" -- we will discuss at least through page 5 (all of Act I) -- I am reading through Act II scene VI middle of page 9.

Reading a play is only done well if you read like three persons -- the actor(s), the director, and the observer -- if you have the capacity to read like all three of these types at once you can read the play at the speed it would be played on stage but if you want to develop this capacity read slowly and question:

1. ACTOR: How would I say this line if on stage (what is my tone and meaning)? What kind of person says a line like this? What kind of person has this line said to them (and how do they respond)?

2. DIRECTOR: What does the set look like? What props are used? How do the actors move? What is each characters motivation (what are they after)? When/how/why (specifically) do these motivations change?

In every play there are "boring" parts -- exposition, dated material, inside jokes that no one cold get anymore are examples -- how would you, producing this play handle these parts and make them interesting?

3. OBSERVER: What do we know and when do we know it? Where is the humor (why is the humor)? What is the reactions we would expect (from the character(s)) and how are these reactions different from our expectations?

Make reading notes right on your script!

Come prepared -- more prepared than a 15 minute reading can prepare you and with more of you put into discovering this play and these characters than reading the words and understanding the plot.

ENGLISH C:

End of regular class meetings -- feel free to join other class discussions.

ENGLISH D:

Chekhov's "Ward No. 6" -- read to section "XI" -- middle of page 11.

Copies are in the the grey box -- if you take the last copy; make a copy to leave behind.

ENGLISH B:

MONDAY: Frost's "Death of a Hired Man"

ENGLISH C:

End of regular class meetings -- feel free to join other class discussions.

ENGLISH D:

MONDAY: "Chrysanthemums"