MIDDLESEX COMMUNITY COLLEGE
FALL 2001 COURSE DESCRIPTION
INTRODUCTION TO ACTING  HU4111

Instructor: Professor Jean Trounstine
Email: jean@trounstine.com         Phone: (978)656-3121
Office: 5th floor, cubby #30  Hours: W/F 1:15-2:15 &T/Th 12:00-1:00

            �True acting depends upon one main principle which 
         ascertains its true artistry whether or not   it is real.�
              Edward Dwight Easty in On Method Acting

             �To lose oneself and to find the character can be achieved 
                      only by finding oneself.�
               I. Sudakov in Acting: A Stanislavski Handbook

            �The theatre is the strongest pulpit for the modern man.�
                                    Leo Tolstoy

            In order to act, in order to create truthful behavior on stage,
 we need to become skilled in areas that we often ignore in our busy 
workaday world.  We need to begin to open ourselves up, to notice 
the world around us with all our senses, to understand a bit more 
about human behavior and our environment through observation, 
and to practice, practice, practice.
    In this course, you will have the opportunity to lay a foundation, 
to begin the first steps towards acting.  You will study and practice 
techniques of:
            -relaxation
            -vocal, physical, emotional freedom
            -concentration
            -observation
            -sense memory, affective memory
             -improvisation
            -textual analysis
            -character work
            -researching the part
            -rehearsal

            After you gain some mastery of these techniques as 
measured through classwork, your journal responses and 
acting assignments on stage, you will be ready for more advanced 
scenework.  Most importantly, you will develop a greater sense of 
yourself and more freedom on stage, and recapture a sense of play 
that always is a part of the actor�s art.

 Texts and               -a journal or soft binder with loose-leaf paper
 Materials:               -2 plays(Loss of Roses and 
                                   The Glass Menagerie)
                                   -comfortable clothing to work in
                                   -Uta Hagen�s A Challenge for the Actor

Requirements
                                   Exercises:  Assignments given out each class
                                   to be practiced at home. Expect to devote a 
                                   couple of hrs./week

                                  Journal:  Writing about each class in detail -- 
                                  what you learn about acting and details of your 
                                  experience with practice and exercises as well 
                                  as responses to texts. (Journal collected 3 x)

                                Attendance: Since this is a workshop class, 
                                attendance is most important to your progress:  
                                learning by watching and by practice with others 
                                and getting class feedback. You will be asked  
                                to drop the class if you miss more than three 
                                classes before the first ten weeks. Also, you 
                                must come on time as we start exercises 
                                promptly and since interruptions are distracting.  
                                3 lates=1 absence  No cell phones/beepers
                                on in class please!

                                Reading:  You will be expected to read text and to
                                keep up with discussion and study 2 plays for our 
                                monologue work.

                                Evaluation:  Classwork/Attendance             30%
                                                      Journal(textbook;class log
                                                              & acting exercises)          30%
                                                       Midterm                                   20%
                                                       Final                                         20%
                                                                                                       100%

  CLICK HERE FOR SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS

Questions or comments? Send email to jean@trounstine.com