Plessy 2008 Fall Syllabus

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PLESSY FERGUSON: THE v.

PLAY

FIRST YEAR SEMINAR SYLLABUS ________________________________

Political Science 51 FALL 2008

LeFebvre

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Professor: Donna LeFebvre, J.D. http://www.unc.edu/depts/polisci/faculty_pages/lefebvre.html Office Hours: Thursdays: 3:30-5 pm, or by appt. Office: 306 Hamilton Hall Address: CB #3265, UNC-CH, 27599 Email: [email protected] Tel.: 962-0429 (office); 933-6822 (home) Class Listserv: TAs: Cameran Hebb Tel: 360-701-2483 _________________________ Address: 519 Senlac Road Jake Reardon <[email protected]> Tel: 336-583-4020 ______________________ Address: 322 Joyner Dorm

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________________________________________ IMPORTANT DATES – Mark your calendars!! 2 Weeks-Down-Pizza-Get-Together: Cameran’s house

6:30-9 pm, Sept. 4, 5, or 11th

Turn in LIST of Play-Writing-Group-Members

EXAM

Thurs., Oct. 2 Tues., Oct. 7

Your Group Play Draft is due

Tues., Oct. 21

Your Group's Final Play- Finished Script Due

Tues., Oct. 28

Halloween Party 

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Thurs., Oct. 30, 6:30-9:30

 Please Note:

Roles Cast, Production Assts [PAs], TA Directors assigned info emailed to listserv by lead TA.

Thurs., Oct. 30

First Revision, by Cast and Director

Tues., Nov. 4

Final Revisions, by Cast and Director-clean scripts

Tues., Nov. 11

REHEARSAL Schedule (on, at least, 3 different days)

FRi,-- Nov. 14 to Sat.- Nov. 22

DRESS Rehearsal

Sunday, Nov. 23, 5:30-9 pm

PERFORMANCE !!!!! Cast Party- -9-10:30 pm, after performance; transportation provided

Monday, Nov 24, at 7pm

Thanksgiving Holiday

Wed., Nov. 26, thru Sun., Nov. 30

Last Day this Class

Tuesday, Dec. 2

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You will NOT be cast in the Play you helped write

Be there at 5:30 pm

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I. PURPOSE and SCOPE OF COURSE

The purpose of this seminar is to introduce you to the law, civil rights, Southern history, politics, moral questions, and culture surrounding the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, a case that has had an impact on every part of our life in America. You'll learn all about the legal issues and then bring them and the case to life by researching, writing, producing, and performing a play about some aspect of this case. In Plessy v. Ferguson, the United States Supreme Court created the "separate but equal" doctrine, allowing the legal segregation of citizens of America, based solely on their race. This case is one of the most important ones in our legal and cultural history; it marked a dreadful turning point in American constitutional law and civil rights, and it created a moral and legal catastrophe from which we have never fully recovered. In Plessy, the United States Supreme Court gave its stamp of approval to "Jim Crow" laws, race discrimination, segregation, and second class citizenship for African Americans. With this case, as one historian said, "Permission to hate had been granted." It took the Supreme Court nearly 60 years to reverse Plessy, in Brown v. Board of Education, in 1954. However, despite the Brown case, the legacy of Plessy v. Ferguson endures into the twenty-first century, and it continues to have an impact on the lives of all Americans. This course is multidisciplinary in content. Therefore, the materials that you'll be studying and reading are diverse and cover a variety of disciplines— political science; law; African-American studies; Southern culture and politics; history; philosophy; sociology; literature; and dramatic arts. By looking at the Plessy case from the points of view of various disciplines, you'll be able to see the connections that occur between them. In this seminar, we'll look at how society and the legal system both created and reacted to the social, moral, and legal dilemmas of the Plessy case. You will critically examine those moral issues through the eyes of the law and through the lenses of race, economics, class, history, and culture, and then discuss and compare these different perspectives. Why are the Brown and Plessy cases different? Why is the dissent in Plessy famous? In what ways are you different from and the same as the people you're studying? Students will read and learn about the social, cultural, political, racial, religious, and economic traditions and realities of New Orleans, before and after the Civil War, from 1800 to 1900.You'll meet and get to know the major characters in the Plessy case, including the members of the New Orleans Citizens' Committee, who decided in 1892 to take the state of Louisiana to court and challenge the law that made it a crime for whites and African Americans to sit in the same train car, and Homer Plessy, the New Orleans shoemaker, "seven-eighths white and one-eighth black", who "looked white" and who agreed to board the "white" train and break the law. You will also get to know Homer Plessy's lawyers: Albion Tourgee, a well-known, controversial “carpetbagger” lawyer, novelist, businessman, newspaper writer, judge, and civil rights activist in post-Civil War North Carolina; Sam Phillips, a Chapel Hill lawyer who became an outcast in Chapel Hill and North Carolina for his civil rights views and cases, his prosecution of KKK members, and for his relationship to President Ulysses S. Grant, who made Phillips Solicitor General of the United States. You'll learn, as well, about U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, the iconoclastic, former slave-holder, who in his famous dissent in the case, correctly predicted the future of U.S. race relations, and about Henry Billings Brown, the Justice -

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who penned the Plessy opinion and who, during the Civil War, paid someone else to take his place as a soldier. In this course, I want you to see the Plessy case through the eyes of those who lived it. You will then translate your new knowledge of the times, the people, and the historical, moral, legal, and social context of Plessy into the medium of drama. You'll read about and have workshops on playwriting and acting. You'll then collaborate with a group of classmates on writing, producing, and performing your play. You'll have a lot of flexibility in creating this dramatic piece, as long as the play is meaningfully connected to the Plessy case; effectively communicates the problems and issues presented in that case, as well as the difficulties those issues continue to present for all of us; and reflects substantial knowledge and serious research. Some groups may want to create a play, or a "playlet", that is stark and minimalist, with a twenty-first century —or even later— setting. Other students may be more interested in a nineteenth century period piece, or a musical. Towards the end of the semester, each group will present its play to a larger audience. Other important purposes of this course are as follows: to allow you to perfect your research skill and writing skills through the researching, writing—and rewritings— of your plays; to develop your speaking skills through informal discussions and informal and formal dramatic presentations; and to encourage you to go to plays, with the hope that participation in the dramatic arts will become for you a lifetime habit. You will accomplish the purposes of the course through reading books, articles, and court cases; by attending plays in the community; by class and group oral presentations, discussions, group work, through role-playing, and simulations; through local field trips; and by writing, producing, and performing a dramatic work. ** NOTE: *No prior drama or play-writing experience is expected or required! II. COURSE METHODS

We will accomplish the purposes of the course through reading books, articles, and court cases; attending plays; by class and group oral presentations, discussions, group work, role-playing, and simulations; field trips; and by writing, producing, and performing a dramatic work. III. FIELD TRIP

We'll go on a short field trip to Sam Phillips' law office; his house; to the houses of his brother and father; to his family's graves; and to Phillips Hall, all on or next to campus. III. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

A. Books and Course Pack: The main text is the Plessy Course Pack, composed of articles and readings for this course, plus a Supplement of articles about New Orleans that I will put on E-Reserve. The other books for the course are Perfect Ten: Writing and Producing the 10 Minute Play, by Gary Garrison; We As Free Men: Plessy v. Ferguson, by Keith Weldon Medley; and Life On the Color Line, by Greg Williams. All are available at Student Stores.

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B. The Plays: Writing and Acting as part of Small Groups: Much of the work in this course will take place in small groups. Interaction and collaboration are important—in your future careers, whatever they are, most projects are done with at least one other person. Working as a member of a group, you'll be able to contribute your particular talents and knowledge to the project, but it takes patience, hard work, and cooperation to make a group succeed. Guidelines for Groups: READ!!! • Meet Early and Often. • Divide Up the Work - Each person should know clearly what his/her job is. You also need to make sure that the work is divided up fairly and equally. • Share Your Work Regularly - Exchange your work with your partner or team members often for input and as a way of staying on track. • Set Deadlines, and then meet them. Don’t miss meetings with your group! • Evaluate Yourselves Regularly - You should ask yourselves and each other the following questions a few times during your work together: (1) What is each member of the group contributing? (2) What more can each member do? (3) What part of the group process is working well? (4) What part of the group process is not working well? (5) How does each member propose to improve the process? C. In-Class Team Dramatic Presentations-- You will write and perform short plays during class on topics from our readings. Each student will be part of a team. Instructions and the dates for the presentations are on the assignment sheet at the end of the syllabus D. Class Participation and Commitment: The success of the course depends on you—on your participation in class, as well as on your commitment to being open, tolerant of others' work and opinions, enthusiastic about your work and the work of your classmates, and being on time and present for all rehearsals, etc. I'm relying on each of you to make this class a success. If you decide to take this seminar, I'll take that to mean that you've agreed to commit yourself to both the spirit and the substance of this course. E. Seating Chart and Attendance -- Please choose your seat carefully and sit in that seat until we all know each other's names. I will pass out a copy of the seating chart to everyone. Class attendance is required. F. Grading: • Exam: 30% of your grade—Covers class notes, class presentations, books, Course Pack readings, and any other assignments and handouts. • Class Participation: 20% of your grade. This includes contributions to your playwriting group and to the play you’re cast in; cooperation with your director and other cast members; being on time and present at all rehearsals and other class meetings; and general participation in the class. • Group In-Class Plays/Dramatic Presentations: see send of syllabus: 20% of total grade • THE PLAY-Dramatic Work: Creation and Public Performance-30% of your grade (includes your written work): -

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Grading Scale –Grading is on a 10-point scale, as follows: A = 93 - 100; A- = 90 - 92; B+ = 87 - 89; B = 83 - 86; B- = 80 - 82; etc.

G. The Honor Code– The Honor Code is very important to UNC and to me; you should adhere to it scrupulously. .

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ASSiGNMENTS & OUTLINE POLI. 51- Plessy v. Ferguson: The Play •

Assignments- IMP. NOTE!- I will let you know when you should move on to the next assignment.

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Exam: Includes all class notes, readings, and handouts; and all other assigned materials.

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2 Sets of READINGS: You have 2 Sets of Assignment Readings, below: -Poli. Readings and -Drama Readings. The course readings are divided between these 2 sets. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Set 1~ POLI. Readings Assignment 1  Assignment 1. Read the course syllabus, including this outline, carefully. 2. Autobiography: Type and staple a 2-3-page autobiography. Include your activities, hobbies, goals, and anything else you would like to say about yourself. THESE WILL NOT BE SHARED. Assignment 2- New Orleans Before and During the Civil War  Assignment --Readings: N.O. (New Orleans Supplement) pp.1-41  Discussion Topics: New Orleans, 1800-1893: The Lives and Times of Its Citizens; Free Persons of Color; Background of Plessy case. Assignment 3-N.O. Before and During the Civil War (con’t)  Assignment - Medley: Chap.1, and bottom of p.68 to middle of 78  Discussion Topics: New Orleans before and during the War. Assignment 4- Reconstruction, Separate Car Law, & Plessy Actors  Assignment: N.O: pp. 42-51; Medley: middle of p.78 to 87; bottom of p.95 to bottom of p.107; Course Pack pp 1-42.  Discussion Topics: New Orleans during and after Reconstruction; Who Were These People? Major characters in Plessy: The New Orleans Citizens' Committee; Homer Plessy; Albion Tourgee; Sam Phillips; the Phillips Family (Cornelia , James, and Charles; the secret past of James Phillips, AKA James Postlethwaite, bigamist, deserter, UNC professor and pillar of community). Assignment 5- (Con’t) Reconstruction, Separate Car Law, & Plessy Actors.  Assignment: Medley: bottom of p.117 to top of p.149; middle of p.158 to168; middle of p.179 to 183; first full paragraph of p.190 to 208.  Discussion Topics: New Orleans during and after Reconstruction: President Ulysses S. Grant; Justices John Marshall Harlan, and Henry Billings Brown, etc.; how to read and brief a legal case. -

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Assignment 6- Plessy v. Ferguson and Jim Crow  Assignment: Medley: pp.214-223; CP-read Plessy v. Ferguson, pp. 43-59  Field Trip: To Sam Phillips' law office, house, and grave in Chapel Hill; Phillips Hall. Assignment 7- Plessy v.Ferguson and Jim Crow (con’t)  Assignment: Brief Plessy v. Ferguson and bring your case brief to class; read CP-pp.6080  Discussion Topics: The Court's rationale in Plessy; Harlan's dissenting opinion—did his predictions come true? Assignment 8- Brown v. Board of Education; The Legacy of Plessy  Assignments and Readings: Read all of Life On the Color Line; CP- read pp. 81 to end of CP, including briefing Brown v. Board of Education  Discussion Topics: Brown v. Board of Education: Plessy is repudiated, segregation is illegal, but not abandoned, and racism persists. Brown I and Brown II: what was going on here?; enforcing the case. The career and impact of Thurgood Marshall. Assignment 9- Brown v. Board of Education; The Legacy of Plessy (con’t)  Discussion Topic: More than a century later, the legacy of Plessy: Is race bias still present? How do we know? *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Set 2~ DRAMA Readings: Creating and Performing in a Dramatic Work

ASsignment #1- Overview of a Play  Discussion Topic: -Overview of the elements of a successful play-Read: Play Elements sheet at the end of this syllabus ASsignment #2- Acting • Class activities: Acting in a Play; elements of good acting- Read: Acting Elements sheet at the end of this syllabus ASsignment #3- Acting (Con’t) • Class activities: Applying the elements of good acting; acting exercises. ASsignment #4- Acting (Con’t) • Class activities: acting exercises. ASsignment #5- Writing a Play  Assignments and Readings: 10 Minute Play: Chapters 1, 2  Discussion Topics: Writing a Play; playwriting exercises. ASsignment #6- Writing a Play (con’t)  Assignments and Readings: 10 Minute Play: Chapters 7 & 8  Discussion Topics: Applying elements of good playwriting; playwriting exercises. - Writing a Play (con’t) Class activities: Applying elements of good playwriting to plays; playwriting exercises. -

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ASsignment #8- Writing & Acting together  Class activities: Writing and acting in a scene; playwriting groups ASsignment #9-Beginning the Writing of the FIRST DRAFT of Seminar Plays NOTE: Plays must be about one of the topics on the Play Topic Hand-out • Class activities: assignment to play-writing groups; brainstorming with your group; laying the groundwork for your first draft. ASsignment #10-Writing Your FIRST DRAFT (Con’t) • Assignments and Readings: From 10 Minute Play: Chap. 3 and 4, producing and directing a play  Class: playwriting group work ASsignment #11-GROUP PLAYS-Finishing the FIRST DRAFT • Assignment: Bring the first draft of your group’s play to class; be prepared to read it ASsignment #12--THE SECOND DRAFT and First Reading  Assignment: each group brings a 10 minute play; bring copies of your play for every member of the class.  Class: Each group reads its 10 minute play; critique by class. ASsignment #13--THE THIRD DRAFT: Last Reading  Assignments: bring copies of your play for every member of the class.  Read and Print Out Plays: Entire class should read and print out on Wed. all plays sent to them, for class Thurs.

ASsignment #14 : Making a List of Jobs, etc.  Assignment: Read all the plays and decide which roles you would like to be considered for and out those first choices on a list—make sure you include the name of the play for each; set out your second choices, as well. REMEMBER: you cannot act in a play that you helped write.  In Class: Each group should make a list of the props, etc., that they need for their play and assign a person to get each prop.

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ASsignment #15: CAST Names; Production Assistants; Rehearsal Schedule; and FINAL, FINAL Scripts  Assignment due: Clean up your script and put it in its final, formal format; bring copies for each actor in your group’s play  First Read Through- in class for all plays ASsignment #16- The Plays: Rehearsals; publicity ASsignment #17- Dress RehearSal ASsignment #18- THE PERFORMANCES

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Plessy : Directions- Group

In-Class PLAYS

[ 20% of gra de ]: R E A D

Carefully 1) TIME: Each team has about 35 minutes total only for your plays AND the discussion.: 3-4 persons

per group. 2) CONTENT: I expect your presentations to be as imaginative as you like, as long as what you do is a play incorporating your class readings AND that you follow the outline of “Elements of a Play” [attached]. After your play, you should lead a short discussion on your topic. 3) LENGTH: Your play should not be shorter than 10 minutes and no longer than 15 minutes. 4) ACTING and PROPS: you should use/bring props and be in costume as much as possible. Make sure that you follow carefully the “Principles of Acting”, attached. 5) REHEARSALS-2: Each group is required to rehearse the entire presentation at least twice before you present to the class, the last one with a TA, to make sure you meet the time constraints, have reviewed the work as a whole, and fine-tuned it. The TA will provide feedback, but she/he is not the director—YOU are.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// DATE~Tues., Sept. 9_______ *GROUP # 1: Dramatic Presentation TOPIC: “Free Persons of Color in New Orleans and as Slave Owners in Louisiana in the 1800s.” Include: Where did they come from? What was a white Creole in nineteenth century NO? A Black Creole? Other African Americans? What other countries had FPC lived in? Why did they leave those countries? How did they become free? What were their trades, professions, and other jobs in New Orleans? What were some example of laws in NO that discriminated against them? Who were these people? How many slaves did they own? Why didn’t they feel conflict about owning slaves? What happened to them during the Civil War? How were they treated? What happened to them in the Civil War and afterwards?”

Members of Group: 4_____________________________________________________ Members of Group__________________________ *GROUP # 2: Dramatic Presentation TOPIC: “Nineteenth Century Voodoo in New Orleans.” Where did it come from? What were the practices? Who believed? Who were the important leaders? What was its role in Black Creole, white Creole, and African American society? What was the role of Congo Square? Why was it important? To whom? Is it still around today? Members of Group: 4 ______________________________________________________________

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DATE~Tues., Sept. 16________

*GROUP # 3: ? Dramatic Presentation TOPIC: Cholera, Yellow Fever, Riot, Politics, Immigrants, Slaves, FPC, Whites in New Orleans from 1800-1860: What Were the Most Important Events in the Lives of the People?

If you had lived in NO in the 1800s, up until the CVivil War, and you looked back over your life, what would you list as the most important things that happened there, with the most impact on your life and the lives of others? Members of Group: 4___________________________________________________________ *GROUP # 4: Presentation TOPIC: “The Quadroon Balls.” Where did they come from? What were the practices? Why were they important? To whom? Why did the women participate? Why did the men participate? What were these Balls like? Why didn’t they survive -

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the Civil War? Members of Group: 3 ________________________________________________________________

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DATE~Thurs., Sept. 23__________ *GROUP # 5: Dramatic Presentation TOPIC: “The Phillips Family in Nineteenth Century Chapel Hill”: What was James, the father, like? What was his deep, dark secret and why did he do what he did in deserting his family and creating a new identity? Do you think he was afraid of being found out? What was Cornelia like? Why is she controversial at UNC? Why did Sam break away from his family’s attitudes? Was it hard for someone like Sam Phillips to have the courage of his convictions, to stand up for what he believed in? Why? What impact do you think Albion Tourgee had on Sam? Members of Group: 3_________________________________________________________ *GROUP # 6: Dramatic Presentation TOPIC: “The Plessy Family in Nineteenth Century New Orleans”: What was Homer Plessy like, do you think? What was his life like, growing up? What about his wife? Was it hard being a shoemaker then? Why do you think he volunteered for this case? How you you think did he felt being arrested, convicted, losing ultimately? How do you think he lived his life later? Was it hard for him to have the courage of his convictions, to stand up for what he believed in? Members of Group: 3_________________________________________________________

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E LEMENTS In Every SHORT PLAY VERY IMPORTANT: Before you write each play, read this sheet EVERY time. After you write it, check your play against this list to make sure ALL these elements are present.

*YOUR PLAYS MUST HAVE ALL OF THESE, in order to get a good grade: 1- The STRUCTURE ~ Create a Defined Structure: Your play must have A BEGINNING, A MIDDLE, and AN END—but you need to start writing towards The Middle! -This is a short play. Ask yourselves—what can I leave out? SO-get to the Heart of the Play asap--get to the central point of it all fast, to get and keep the audience interested. 2- The CONFLICT/TENSION 1. SHE/HE . . . NEEDS!~ The Central Character(s) Really Need/Want/Desire/GOT-to-have Something—you must create that thing she/he has got to have—the audience quickly need to know what this is--what is it that creates his/her emotional struggle? AND 2. The OBSTACLES! ~ What are the Obstacles You are creating to the Central Character's Getting what He/She Really Needs/Wants/Desires/GOT to Have? You need to set these up right away. You need to create things, or people, or whatever, that stand in the central character’s way, keeping that character from getting what he/she wants. 3. OVERCOMING THOSE OBSTACLES ~ or not. Next, you need next to create ways that the central character tries to get around/past those things standing in his/her way—what does she/he DO to TRY to WIN what she/he wants?? 4. OTHERS ALSO NEED BUT HAVE TROUBLE GETTING!~ What do the Other 5. 6. Characters in the Play Really Need/Want/Desire/GOT to Have? You need to create DESIRES for them, too, AND you need to create OBSTACLES to those folks getting what they want. 7. EVERYONE in your play WANTS something—but not everyone has to get it—that’s up to you. You have to decide how those characters WIN, LOSE, or DRAW/TIE. SO-by the end of the play, you need to make sure that each character either GETS what he/she wants or FAILS. 3- The RESOLUTION 1. RESOLVE the CONFLICT/TENSION, in your Ending~ By The End, you must make sure in that your Main Character(s) in your play: (1) GETS what she/he really wants/got to have; OR (2) CAN’T GET what she/he really wants/got to have; OR (3) CANT get it, BUT comes up w/ a PLAN B to deal with it. 4. THE CHARACTERS~ Miscellaneous:

1. NUMBER~Don’t have more than 3-4 characters—this is a short play. 2. DIALOGUE~ Remember—different characters talk differently from each other and have different quirks and different ways of putting words together—just like you. SOwhen you read your play, if you can’t tell who is talking because they all talk like each other—then you need to revise your play so that each has a different style. 5. THE INTRODUCTION to your Play ~ In the Beginning, before the dialogue starts, be sure to set up your Play's World: WHO? ~Name and describe the characters—names, ages, gender, physical description, clothes, etc. WHERE?~ Where is the locale, the setting? WHEN?~The year, month, season, or whatever you think is important for the audience to know WHAT?~What is going on that you want the audience to know, if anything, before the characters speak? -

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Poli.51. Plessy

Acting

1. “Given Circumstances”- What just happened to you the character BEFORE the play/action started? “Given Circumstances” are the backstory to what is going on. For example, my “givens” right now as I write this are that I had a good day, I just talked to some friends, and I’m wearing long pants, and I just drank orange juice. 2. Relationships-What are your relationships to the other characters in the play? 3. Objectives- What do you, the character, want--past, present, and future? These objectives can be broken down into scene objectives, play objectives, and super objectiveswhat you want in the grand scheme of life. 3. Obstacles- What is in your way of achieving your objective? These can be literal—such as somebody’s marriage, or figurative, such as lack of motivation.

Uta Hagen’s 9 Questions + 1

ALWAYS ask these questions about your character and KNOW THE ANSWERS (most of which you’ve created) BEFORE you learn your lines: 1. Who am I? 2. What time is it? (century, year, season, day, minute) 3. Where am I? (Country, city, neighborhood, house, room, area of room) 4. What surrounds me? (Animate and Inanim ate objects) 5. What are the given circumstances? (past, present, future, and EVENTS) 6. What is my relationship? (relation to total events, other characters, things) 7. What do I want? (Character, main and immediate objectives) 8. What is in my way? (Obstacles) 9. What do I have to do to get what I want? 10. Do I have siblings, what ages, gender; how much school do I have; how old am I; am I single, married, live with someone, have a partner; what do I do for a living; what kind of house did I grow up in; what are my hobbies; where was I raised; what did my parents do and what were they like; am I happy; do I have pets, if so, what and their names; etc., etc.

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