TAMALPAIS UNION HIGH SCHOOL  DISTRICT
                                               Larkspur, California

Course of Study
HONORS THEATRE DIRECTING

I. INTRODUCTION 

Theatre Directing is a project-based course, which provides advanced drama students (grades 11-12) exposure to the theory and practices of theatre directing. Students in this course will study directing under the guidance of adult mentors (drama teachers, guest artists) and apply their learning by working as teaching assistants in beginning and   intermediate drama courses. Finally, they will direct a one-act play performed by beginning drama students for a public audience. 

This course is designed to provide students with an extension of their previous drama course work as they begin to explore the role of director. By working closely with adult directors/ drama teachers within existing classes ,  these novice directors will develop the skills and self-confidence to see themselves in a leadership role. They expand their awareness of the career opportunities within the worlds of theatre and teaching, extend their interpersonal and group skills as they develop strategies for guiding their "cast" from rehearsal to performance. Organizational skills are key to a successful performance and the novice director learns how to move a project from original concept to finished production. 

This course can be viewed as the "capstone" of the Drama program for those students who are intending to follow a drama pathway or concentration in preparation for post-secondary studies.  
Theatre Directing provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate the following student learning outcomes: 

#1:  Communicate articulately, effectively, and persuasively when speaking and writing.
#2:  Read and analyze material in a variety of disciplines. 
#11:  Interpret, experience, create, and/or perform artistic work. 
#12:  Demonstrate school-to-work post-secondary transition skills and knowledge. 

This course enables more students to actively participate in an in-depth artistic experience because it allows more beginning students to work as active members of a performance group than would be possible if only the drama teacher and guest artists were present. The course also provides a different experience for drama students as part of the individual school's drama production company, a school-based enterprise providing workplace experience. 

As an Honors course, Theatre Directing requires students to go beyond the requirements for Advanced Drama in several ways. Specifically, Theatre Directing requires portfolio preparation (see outcome #10 below), participation in an on-going seminar after school, additional out-of-school time for technical rehearsal and performances, and demonstrated leadership in the directing role. 

II. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

A. Within this course, students will: 
1. Communicate effectively with peers and adult mentors in the classroom and rehearsal settings. 

2. Provide leadership in short-term creative projects. 

3. Analyze scripts: choose from classic to contemporary material. 

4. Demonstrate rehearsal techniques such as teamwork, ensemble skills, staying on task, concentrating 

5. Apply knowledge of behavior to the analysis and creation of characters (character theory). 

6. Teach small groups of drama students within a classroom setting under the guidance of the drama teacher or guest artist. 

7. Work  with a group of beginning drama students, carry out the director' s role from original conception of a one-act play to its final public performance. 

8. Critique the work of beginning drama students and provide specific feedback about how to improve performance. 

9. Critique his/her own work as a novice director. 

10. Prepare a portfolio suitable for inclusion in an application to post-secondary Drama schools, which may include a video of performances, rehearsals, and an evaluative interview with the directing student (and, when appropriate, the student cast); design sketches for costume and sets which demonstrate in-depth understanding of the text, an analysis of the play, and a biography of the playwright. 
	
	These student learning outcomes address the following state content standards for  Visual and Performing Arts:

	Standard I-Artistic Perception:
Processing, analyzing, and responding to sensory information through the language and skills unique to the arts. Benchmarks 1: 1 through 1: 3

Standard II- Creative Expression:
Creating, performing and participating in the arts. Benchmarks 2:1 and 2: 3

Standard III- Historical and Cultural Context:
Understanding historical contributions and cultural dimensions of the arts. Benchmark 3: 2 through 3: 4

Standard IV- Aesthetic Valuing:
Responding to, analyzing and making  judgments about artworks. Benchmarks 
4: 1 and 4: 2

Standard V- Connections, Relations, Applications:
Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in Theatre, Film/Video, and Electronic Media to Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers. Benchmarks 5: 1 through 5: 4

III. ASSESSMENT

A. Student Assessment

Students will be assessed through a written mid-term, compilation portfolio (see #10 above), and public performance. and written and interviewed self-evaluations. Rehearsals will be observed and evaluated by faculty and guest artist mentors. 
Expectations and grading criteria will be explained, preferably in writing, at the beginning of the course. 

B. Course Assessment

The course will be evaluated by using student exit surveys, audience surveys, video archives, and evaluations by beginning/ intermediate students. As a part of the directing process, student directors will, with the instructor, prepare and complete a rubric for evaluation of both the process and the product since different productions present distinct problems and "mastery" looks different in each circumstance. 

IV.    METHODS AND MATERIALS 

A. Activities 

Students attend a weekly seminar and receive formal instruction in Directing history, philosophy, and techniques. They then use each other as actors to demonstrate their mastery of the concepts. This ten-week period of afternoon seminars is concurrent with attendance in either a beginning or intermediate drama class as a directing student. More experienced students who are repeating this course for credit are expected to assume increased responsibilities in these seminars and work on new techniques/content as their skills evolve. 

During the first grading period of each semester, the students function as studio director/peer teacher for the class, which is broken down into studio groups. Depending upon class size, there will be 4-6 studio groups led by one or two directing students who would help them with class instruction and integration into the school community if they are transfer students. Each student in beginning/intermediate drama would then do ongoing work with a group of 6-8 other students under the guidance of a junior or senior Drama student. During the afternoon directing tutorials, student directors would also meet with instructors to plan all of the class activities: theatre games, warm-ups, movement voice exercises, etc. Activities might be planned in studio groups, medium size groups of combined studio groups, or the whole class. 

For the second grading period of the semester, directors who have successfully demonstrated their leadership abilities and have passed the midterm-directing exam may direct a one-act play. Students who have not satisfactorily passed the midterm or demonstrated the necessary peer teaching skills may stage manage or work on other of the various and demanding aspects of the one-act festival, the culminating performances for the semester. They would be encouraged to try again the next semester if they are not ready to direct in the current semester. In afternoon seminars, students would solve problems, plan their rehearsal processes, implement design choices, and coordinate technical aspects of production. Additionally, students will prepare their script analysis and research the context and style of each play chosen.

B. Materials 

There is no single text, but many references and sources will be used including: 
"On Directing"---------------- ----------------Harold Clurman
"Directing for the Theatre"----------------W. David Sievers et al 
"Play Directing”------------------------------Francis Hodges
"Improv"---------------------------------------Keith Johnstone
"Improvisation of the Theatre"---------- Viola Spolin
"Games for Actors and Non-Actors" ------Augusto Baol 
“The Director At Work”-------------------Robert Benedetti
Videos: “Blocking a Scene: Basic Staging with Actors”
Peter Brook:  “The Empty Space" 
“Story Theater “
David Mamet: “The Art of Directing “
“Peter Brook” 

Students enrolled in Advanced Drama are concurrently involved in projects with professional directors who provide significant mentoring in addition to individual work with course instructors. 

C. Technology 

While general technology skills are not central to this course, students will be expected to use computers with appropriate software. video equipment and lighting instrument technology as they carry out their learning. Students who are familiar with AutoCAD drafting will have the opportunity to apply their skills when drafting set plans. 

V. GENERAL INFORMATION

A.	Prerequisites

Completion of Drama 1-4 with a grade of A or B is required. Concurrent enrollment in Advanced Drama is required. Class size will be limited to 30. If more than 30 students request this course, the teacher will establish a process for selecting the most qualified 30 students and clearly communicate the selection process to interested students/parents before making the decision. 

B.	Requirements Met

Theatre Directing is a one-semester, five unit elective course, which can be used in partial fulfillment of the district's 220 unit requirement for graduation. It does not meet any one of the specific course requirements for graduation. Students may, with instructor' s permission, reenroll for up to three additional semesters (20 credits maximum). 

This course is a district-designed Honors course and carries a weighed grade as specified in the district Honors AP guidelines. 

Students are advised to check with specific colleges and universities to determine how this course will be viewed in relationship to Fine Arts requirements and/or honors c1assification. 

This course is approved for the  UC/CSU "f”  and “g” requirements, but not as an Honors course. 

Approved:  3/26/96
Revised:      6/23/04