Theater Arts
Each student will be responsible for writing four (4) papers responding to a film that corresponds with a specific theatrical form studied. These pages must be at least two (2) pages in length, and must adhere to the following format: Times New Roman 12 point font, 1 inch margins for left, right, top and bottom, double spaced, your name and N number in top left corner, along with the title of the movie. Failure to adhere to these guidelines will result in a deduction of points. Each of the titles you have to choose from are readily available in public libraries, at video rental stores, or through Netflix. I encourage you to obtain a copy early, however, so that you don’t get to a particular due date and find someone else has checked the film out. The purpose of these papers is to get you thinking about the films as more than just “good” or “bad”. Each film has been chosen for a specific reason many are film versions of play texts. Some, like those from the last assignment, focus on a particular style found in theatre. Using the information found on pages 94-96 of your text (Goethe and Aristotle’s methods of analyzing a play) you are to write your response. Remember, these papers are YOUR response to a particular piece. As such, there is not really a right or wrong answer; the only way to get the assignment “wrong” is to plagiarize, or to fail to follow the format or answer the questions. I do NOT want you to summarize the movie for me—I have watched each of these movies and know exactly what they are about. Remember to support your claims with specific examples from the movie, and to use the names of the actors, directors, designers, etc, rather than the names of characters. ALL WRITTEN WORK IS TO BE DELIVERED TO ME VIA EMAIL FROM YOUR NSU ACCOUNT TO MINE. See below for policy on late work.
· Response Paper #2
(choose ONE of the following films):
· Romeo and Juliet (Leonardo DiCaprio and Clair Danes)
· Hamlet (Laurence Olivier or Kenneth Branagh versions only)
· Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson)
· Titus (Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange)
· Macbeth (Roman Polanski version)