Time Schedule:
Sunny Parrott
GERMAN 304
Seattle Campus
Reading, analysis, and performance of one play by a contemporary German author. Taught in German. Performance scheduled for last week of quarter. Prerequisite: GERMAN 203.
Class description
Remember the comic absurdity of Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream"? "Absurda Comica oder Herr Peter Squenz" is also a play within a play based on Ovid's myth of "Pyramus and Thisbe." It offers much situational, slapstick humor. The characters decide to perform a play written by the town's schoolmaster-playwright. Once they perform for the Royal Court, they constantly fall out of character and their acting skills are incorrigible. Good, clean fun!
Purpose of the Course: This course prepares students to perform Gryphius's Absurda Comica oder Herr Peter Squenz in German. The preparation for and performance of a German play not only involves memorization of lines in a foreign language, but also understanding the cultural norms and customs reflected in the play, gaining a good feeling for the foreign language in terms of pronunciation and intonation, and being able to react to potential spontaneous (unexpected) situations while on stage. Thus in a sense, the development of all of these skills in this course mimics what it is like to live abroad in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. The instructors will provide a fun-filled class-environment in which the students are encouraged to express themselves creatively in German. Just as foreign-students abroad refine their communication skills by a combination of trial-and-error and willingness to try out new situations, so too will we as a class take an experimental approach to language-learning. This course is unique opportunity for students to improve their language skills through physical movement and imaginative invention. This course is open to student both with and without acting experience.
Also seeking 1-2 students who prefer to learn about/ run stage lighting during performances
Course and performances conducted in German.
Course meets MWF: 1:30-2:20 and T: 1:30-3:20 in Denny 317; Taught by Sunny Parrott ***You must also be able to meet beyond the regular course hours during "Hell-Week" for dress rehearsals (last week in May) and to perform the play on the evening of Wednesday June 3rd and the afternoon of Sunday, June 7th (week before finals).
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Completion of German 203 or higher is strongly recommended; exceptions on a case-by-case basis, please contact instructor
Class assignments and grading
Course Grade: 70% based on attendance, class participation, dedication to learning role (creative input in character- and scene development), participating in performances (pronunciation, intonation, and enthusiasm, but not “great acting skills” per se: this is primarily a German course, not a theater course!)
30% based on one quiz, two essays (and essay-rewrites), one short presentation, two group projects
