THEA 430, Acting 3, Studio 7

Fall 2018

Instructor: Emily Rogge Tzucker

Email: ertzucker@bsu.edu
Class Time: MWF 11-1pm and 2-4pm
Classroom: AR 217
Office: AC303d (NEW OFFICE)
Office Hrs: MWF 9-950am in Carmichael 202 and 1-2pm in office.

Required Texts:

1. Acting In Shakespeare by Robert Cohen, ISBN-13: 978-1575254227, ISBN-10: 1575254220

2. A Shakespeare Glossary by C.T. Onions, ISBN-13: 978-0198125211, ISBN-10: 0198125216
3. Webster’s Pocket Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation, ISBN-13: 978-0375719677, ISBN-10: 0375719679
4. A notebook (digital or physical), dated, with notes from each day of class.

Grading Policy:
This course will include in-class participation, 3 memorized performances and movement study—please see below for definitions of
these items.

• Participation 30%
2 Participation grades of 100 points each distributed at midterm and final (200pts)
Overall Grade includes at least one 15-minute office visit with the instructor during the semester
Overall Grade includes your Acting 3 Notebook
• Performances and Written Work 40%
3 Performances with written portions
• Movement Training 30%
2 Movement grades of 100 points each distributed at midterm and final (200pts)
Participation in the CLOWN SHOW is required to pass the Movement portion of this class.

Office ‘Hour’ Appointments:

On blackboard you will find a link to a google doc with the instructor’s office hours. Please sign up for an appointment by 9pm of the
day PRIOR to that appointment. SPECIAL APPOINTMENTS (appointments outside the allotted times) must be agreed upon by the
student and instructor via email PRIOR to the student placing their name on the google doc in the Special Appointment Section.
Appointments are in 30 minute blocks. I cannot do regular weekly appointments with students unless there is a reason agreed upon by
the Option Head or a Probation Letter. Weekly appointments equate an Independent Study and must be agreed upon before the
semester begins.

Credit-Time Statement:
This studio performance course is worth 3 credit hours. Each hour of credit requires 110 minutes of in-class work per week as well as
an expected 60 minutes of out-of-class work per week reading, rehearsal, research, group projects, and individual work by students.

Monday and Wednesdays are reserved for acting/performance study. Fridays are reserved for Movement Study.

Course Learning Outcomes:

This class will focus on connecting all work done in previous acting, movement, and voice classes helping the actor to have a clear
sense of process, text, working in-the-moment, and dynamic physicalization.

• Learning to live in and believe in the world of the play

• Finding relevant, actable given circumstances and learning to personalize the information
• Understanding grammar, usage, punctuation, and poetic forms in text and how to activate them in performance
• Integrating all intellectual, vocal, and physical training into a fully realized performance
• Beginning the exploration of period and genre in performance.
Teaching Assistants:
You will have 1-2 teaching assistants for your section. They will lead warm-up, grade non-performance related work, and provide out
of class coaching and assistance for your section. They are awesome and generally not getting credit or paid, but doing this because
they want to learn. Please respect that this is a learning process for them as well.

Attendance:
• You are allowed to miss THREE unexcused classes for whatever reason. After that ALL absences must go through the
university and THEY must provide documentation. Excused Absences are ONLY allowed for the following: religious
holiday, pregnancy, jury duty, death in the family (amount of days per University handbook); and an EXTENDED and
DOCUMENTED absence related to illness or health issues (mono, broken leg, pneumonia, etc.).
• Colds, flu bugs, and other common illness issues are not excused. Rather, they are part of your allotted unexcused absences
for each course.
• In addition, no grade of “W” will be given to a student after midterm, unless he/she is earning a grade of “C” at the time of
withdrawal. No grade of “I” will be given to a student who is flunking.
• THREE TARDIES EQUAL ONE ABSENCE. Doors close at 11am and 2pm
• The instructor will not catch you up if you are unexcused.
• If you miss a performance during an UNEXCUSED ABSENCE you will get a zero for that portion of the assignment.
• Should a situation arise that will require extended excused absences from the course an incomplete or withdrawal from the
course may be necessary as this studio course is experiential and information is acquired by taking part in class. This will be
decided on a case-by-case basis between the student and instructor.

Participation Grade:
• Actors Notebook: You must keep a ‘notebook’ physical or digital, dated, with notes from each day of class, work sessions,
and meetings. I reserve the right to collect this notebook at any moment during the semester. Lateness or lack of completion
will result in loss of points in your participation grade for that portion of the semester. Amount of point loss is at my
discretion and in relation to lack of work completed.
• Office Visit: You are required to meet with the instructor in an office visit of at least 15 minutes during the semester.
• Participation encompasses not only your willingness to work in class but also your incorporation of class concepts into your
performances. Grades depend on a combination of effort and attitude in proportion with technical achievement.
• ALL WORK MUST BE PREPARED FOR THE DAY IT IS DUE!
• I hope and expect you will find this class a safe place to share, learn, and discover. Therefore I ask that when class begins
you come ready to have a good time, keep an open mind and ALWAYS respect your classmates, teaching assistants, and
teacher. I measure participation based on what each individual contributes to class environment and discussion, I accept
each person may do this in different ways and will be looking at your personal growth. You are graded on your process as
much as any final product.
• CELL PHONES OFF. If your ringer goes off or if you answer a call or check a cell phone message in class, I will mark down
your final grade one-half letter and you will need to write a paper on the negative impact of mobile communications on
society.
• EMAIL: Check it everyday. Twice even.
• No disruptive or intolerant behavior or will be tolerated.

Participation Grade: 1st 8 weeks Grade, 2nd 8 weeks grade. Actors Notebook and Office Visit required.

Performance Assignments:
Class progression is reliant on students’ development and thus performance assignments will be given throughout the semester. All
due dates and requirements will be included in the assignment sheet as assignments are specifically molded to meet the students’
needs in accomplishing the Course Learning Outcomes.

Performance Assignments: Speech Acts, Shakespeare Scene, Period/Genre Scene

Movement Assignments:
In this course we will be studying two movement ‘traditions’: Viewpoints and Clowning. Class progression is reliant on the students’
participation, discussion, and completion of assignments. All due dates and requirements will be included in the assignment sheet as
assignments are specifically molded to meet the students’ needs in accomplishing the Course Learning Outcomes.

Movement Assignments: Viewpoints, Clowning. Participation in the Clown Show is required in order to pass the Clowning portion of
this course.

Feedback from the Instructor:

All grades will come with brief feedback. 1-2 sentences in regards to performances and participation and notes/marks in regards to
written work. If you would like further feedback, please make an office appointment with the instructor.
Disability Services:
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please contact me as soon as possible. Ball State’s
Disability Services office coordinates services for students with disabilities; documentation of a disability needs to be on file in that
office before any accommodations can be provided. Disability Services can be contacted at 765-285-5293 or dsd@bsu.edu.

Academic Dishonesty:
Academic dishonesty includes cheating, fabricating or falsifying information or sources, improper collaboration, submitting the same
paper for different classes without permission, and plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when writers deliberately or unintentionally use
another person's language, ideas, or materials and present them as their own without properly acknowledging and citing the source.

Minimum Grade Policy:

The lowest acceptable grade in a course for credit toward a major or minor in Theatre or Dance is C. Any student receiving a C- or
lower must retake the course in order to receive credit towards a major or minor in the department.

Sexually Explicit/Physically Intimate/Violent Material:

All difficult material and stage violence will be approached with the priority on clear communication of expectations and respect for
students’ safety. No student or group of students may work on any violent or physically intimate material without the permission of
the instructor and when this material is rehearsed the instructor or Teaching Assistant must be present. There must be a clear
outline/choreography of any violent or intimate work—this must be cleared by the instructor.

Diversity Statement:
As a group of diverse individuals with various backgrounds including those influenced by ethnicity, gender, physical abilities,
religious and political beliefs, national origins, and sexual orientations, we will strive to learn from each other in an atmosphere of
positive engagement and mutual respect. The use of offensive language or terms regarding these various backgrounds damages such
an atmosphere, and its use will not go unchallenged. I stress that this policy does not discourage the contribution of any and all
opinions to the classroom environment, but rather is designed to encourage an environment of civility and mutual respect.

Ball State University aspires to be a university that attracts and retains a diverse faculty, staff and student body. We are committed to
ensuring that all members of the campus community are welcome through our practice of valuing the various experiences and world
views of those we serve. We promote a culture of respect and civil discourse as evident in our Beneficence Pledge. For Bias Incident
Response service information, go to bsu.edu/multiculturalcenter/bias or e-mail mc2@bsu.edu.