OFFICE HOURS:  Professor Gilliam: Tuesday & Thursday 3-5 & by appointment. Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am-Noon, Professor Gilliam can be reached in his SLG Design Studio at 494-7373. To schedule a meeting outside office hours, please contact Professor Gilliam in advance.

CLASS MEETING:  RTT ATTIC THEATRE  T R 9:55 - 11:10

COURSE CONTENT:  Drama 1304 satisfies the course requirement within the Common Curriculum entitled: Understanding Aesthetic Experience and Artistic Creativity . " Understanding the arts as one of the principal ways of expressing and enriching the human spirit, approached through involvement with artistic creation, performance, appreciation, history or criticism, or an integration of cognitive aims with the experience of artistic creation."

This course examines the lively art of theatre, and the multiple art forms involved in this creative discipline. Through our examination and experiential process, the art forms of acting, playwriting, theatrical design, and public performance will illuminate the collaborative art form of theatrical endeavor.

ATTENDANCE: Attendance and active participation in class sessions, at scheduled theatre events, in rehearsal and during the performance of the class production is required and will be noted. You are allowed a total of two class meeting cuts before it will affect your grade. Should you miss a class for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to cover the missed material and be prepared for the next class meeting or assignments. Failure to attend a scheduled theatre event will be reflected in the evaluation for that particular assignment. A large measure of your understanding of theatre centers around the class production. As a group assignment, you are expected to honor mutually agreed upon deadlines, crew calls and rehearsals. Failure to fully participate in the public performance of the class production will result in a full letter grade off the composite evaluation for the semester.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Whereas this course is a mixture of individual and collaborative creativity, it is assumed that each student can distinguish when it is proper to use and incorporate ideas and thoughts of others and when it would be ethically improper. Drama 1304 will follow the guideline set forth by the University regarding Academic Integrity and assumes students will follow the spirit of the Trinity University Honor System.  

TEXT: There is no required text for this course. When necessary, plays and other reading materials will be placed On Reserve at the Library.

PROJECTS: This course explores theatre both as audience members and as participating artists. The syllabus details projects and assigned productions for viewing. Please note show dates as attendance at these events will be required. All projects are due on the due date. Late projects will receive a full letter grade off. Projects submitted after two weeks of the due date will receive no credit.

THEATRE TICKETS: Students will be required to view one of two Drama department productions this semester. Season tickets and single tickets are available at the RTT Box Office. Spring Productions: BOY GETS GIRL and SHE LOVES ME.

DRAMA 2310: Students from the Principles of Design class, Drama 2310, we participate in several projects performed by members of Drama 1304. Theatre is a collaborative performance art and group activity. Your Mid-Term projects will serve as performance studies for Drama 2310 to create theoretical designs. Both classes will work together to produce the Matchbox Theatre Productions.

MATCHBOX THEATRE: A major focus of Drama 1304 is the preparation for public performances of a play written by William M. Razavi for the Ruth Taylor Attic Theatre.  As Executive Producer, Professor Gilliam will serve as casting director and artistic director. Ms. Rachel Spencer and Mr. Matthew Burnett will assist as acting coaches throughout the process. Mr. William Razavi will serve our Playwright and Production Director. Students from the Drama 2310 will serve as production designers. Students from Drama 1304 will act in, build and publicize these productions for public performances.

Public Performances of MATCHBOX THEATRE will be April 25 and 26. If you know you have a conflict on either of these dates, you should drop the course. Participation on these dates is mandatory to receive full credit for this project.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION: A large portion of the communications for this course will be conducted via e-mail and on Professor Gilliam's Web Site. Students will need to have access to electronic communications for classroom postings, individual comments from the professor and other important material. Failure to read posted announcements is not acceptable. Make it a practice to check your e-mail daily. If you bookmark a link, refresh it each time you log on.

EVALUATIONS: The final assessment for Drama 1304 will be based on evaluations of papers, written assignments and a course journal; participation in the MATCHBOX THEATRE production including crews and performance; the midterm presentation; and attendance, attitude and effort, participation in class, and team work on the projects.