Theatre Criticism and Festival Dramaturgy in the Digital Age
In our course students have engaged with different types of writing and critical analysis.
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First, students responded to five thematically different clusters of course readings from each of which they could choose freely a minimum of two readings. Students then applied what they have learned to their own writing of theatre and/or festival criticism.
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Second, students practiced how to write annotations of documents and scholarly writings while also discussing the major course themes. For this students would research and choose readings and documents, not included in the course readings.
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Third, students identified a special area of research, worked on a oral presentation, involving physical objects or multi-media projection and finally presented their research in a course symposium at the end of the course.
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Fourth, students wrote comprehensive research papers based on their oral presentations and critical feedback. Some essays were submitted as multi-media online essay or website.
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Students' media content production In addition, students produced a video diary along the way and photos for the course instagram platform.
Final Essays
Abigail
Four Case Studies in Stage Design through the Lens of Postdramatic Theatre, Performance Analysis, and Dramaturgy. LINK
Emma
The Business of Theatre Festivals. LINK
Jacob
A Festival at the Cultural Fringes: A Comparative Look at Eventifying Toronto Fringe Festival
Frosina
Don’t Speak: Production of Meaning Without Reliance on Verbal Communication Through Abstract Languages
Maher
Metaphysics vs the Digital Age in Theatre
Samantha
Sound and Silence: Experimental Sound Design and the Theatre Festival of Avignon. LINK
Shannon
Popularizing theatre. LINK
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Blog posts - Multi-media Annotations
Sound documents
Abigail: Site-Specificity and Freedom for Stage Designers - Annotation (sound document) Aug.8, 2017
Emma: Five Truths - Annotation (sound document) July 23, 2017
Frosina: Johann Strauss II, “An der schönen blauen Donau, Op. 314.” (Blue Danube) 1866.- Annotation (sound document) July 30, 2017
Jacob: Toronto Fringe’s executive director, Kelly Straughan - Annotation (sound document) July 29, 2017
Maher: Sound in “La Fiesta” video trailer - Annotation (sound document)Aug.4, 2017
Samantha: “Music” (Ibsen House) Stefan Gregory - Annotation (sound document) July 26, 2017
Shannon: Sound Oddity - Annotation (sound document) July 30, 2017
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Image documents
Abigail: Lighting in Separation and Unity - Annotation (image document) July 30, 2017
Emma: Toronto Fringe Rebranding Collage - Annotation (image document) July 23, 2017
Frosina: Danielle Son photographs Sepideh Shariati - Annotation (image document) July 30, 2017
Maher: Surgeons alongside physician Tulp - Annotation (image document) Aug.4, 2017
Samantha: La Fiesta (photo gallery) - Annotation (image document) July 25, 2017
Shannon: Photo-Gallery: Voyerism. - Annotation (image document) July 30, 2017
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Text documents
Abigail: Critiquing and Reimaging Stage Design - Annotation (scholarly article) July 30, 2017
Abigail: When Words Do Not Match Reality - Annotation (text document) July 29, 2017
Emma: De Meiden - Annotation (text document) July 23, 2017
Emma: Avignon Festival History - Annotation (scholarly article) July 23, 2017
Frosina: Die Kabale der Scheinheiligen (program) - Annotation (text document) July 30, 2017
Frosina: Theory: Towards a materialist semiotic - Annotation (scholarly article) July 30, 2017
Jacob: Fringe Strategy Plan 2015 - Annotation (text document) Aug.1, 2017
Jacob: Fringe Fest 2017 was one for the record books - Annotation (text document) July 29, 2017
Jacob: This beer festival has a theatre problem - Annotation (scholarly article) July 26, 2017
Maher: Les Parisiens. - Annotation (text document) July 30, 2017
Maher: The Great Tamer En Images - Annotation (text document) Aug.4, 2017
Samantha: Interview with Dimitris Papaioannou - Annotation (text document) July 29, 2017
Samantha: "La Fiesta" d'Israël Galvan enflamme la Cour d'honneur." - Annotation (text document) July 25, 2017
Shannon: Dramaturgy and Artistry - Annotation (scholarly article) July 30, 2017
Shannon: Critical Making and Theatre - Annotation (scholarly article) July 29, 2017
Video documents
Abigail: Dictating Focus and Feeling - Annotation (video document) July 30, 2017
Emma: Behind the Scenes of Festival d’Avignon - Annotation (video document) July 23, 2017
Frosina: Dimitris Papaioannou discusses "The Great Tamer" - Annotation (video document) July 30, 2017
Jacob: Unleash Your Inner Artist at the Toronto Fringe Festival - Annotation (video document) July 29, 2017
Maher: Kabale der Scheinheiligen (video) - Annotation (video document) Aug.4, 2017
Samantha: Trailer “The Great Tamer” - Annotation (video document) July 26, 2017
Shannon: Festival d'Avignon: Comparative Historical Record - Annotation (video document) July 29, 2017
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Blog posts - Critical analysis
Abigail
Ignorance is not Absence - Emma Dante’s "Bestie di Scena”, Aug.16, 2017
Everything is radical - Kabale der Scheinheiligen (The Cabal of Hypocrites), Aug.16, 2017
Holy Theatre in a Holy Space - Israel Galván’s production “La Fiesta”, Aug.16, 2017
Drawing Parallels between Unparalleled Positions, July 17, 2017
“In Sundry Language”: An Analysis of Identity and Multimedia Space, July 13, 2017
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Emma
The Case for a Dramaturg, Aug. 10, 2017
Perceiving The Maids - Katie Mitchell’s production of Jean Genet's De Meiden, Aug. 10, 2017
Exposed Theatre - Castorf’s spectacle "Die Kabale der Scheinheiligen”, Aug. 10, 2017
The Economics of Festivals July 20, 2017
The Digital Age of Relationships - Toronto Fringe, July 17, 2017
Jacob
Evaluating Toronto Fringe’s Artistic Structure Aug.4, 2017
Site-particular Dramaturgy in Theatre Festivals Aug.3, 2017
Stereotyping Trans Representation in Theatre - Toronto Fringe and Festival d’Avignon Aug.2, 2017
Culturally Appropriating Space through Festival Identities Aug.1, 2017
Toronto’s Marginalized Artists Sidelined on the Fringes July 17, 2017
Frosina
How not to use Digital Media in Theatre. July 28, 2017
Galván’s La Fiesta: A Celebration of Upheaval July 25, 2017
Hierarchies Be Gone!: Collaboration and Dramaturgy in Castorf’s Die Kabale der Scheinheiligen July 25, 2017
Apples and Oranges: Comparison of a Fringe Festival to Government Subsidized Performance Art Event July 25, 2017
Diversity at the Toronto Fringe: Gender! Sexuality! Race! (Just not Languages of Eradicated Cultures!) July 24, 2017
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Maher
Future - Where we go from here. Aug.18, 2017
Identity 2 - Love and Information. Aug.10, 2017
Identity 1 – Who We Are. July 17, 2017
Background 2: History&Hope. July 17, 2017
Background 1: Where We Come From. - Toronto Fringe. July 15, 2017
Samantha
The Great Tamer (directed by Dimitris Papaioannou) and the Absurdity of Contemporary Life, July 23, 2017
Multilingual Theatre at Toronto Fringe: A Focus on In Sundry Languages, July 19, 2017
Sounding “La Fiesta” Festival d’Avignon, July 19, 2017
Die Kabale der Scheinheiligen. Das Leben des Herrn de Moliere. - Festival d”Avignon, July 16, 2017
Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons - Toronto Fringe July 13, 2017
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Shannon
Dramaturgy and Curation, Aug.7, 2017
Activism and Theatre - Festival d'Avignon, July 26, 2017
Analyzing "In Sundry Languages" dir. Art Babayants July 19, 2017
Empathy - "Algonquin Highway" (Toronto Fringe) and "Les Parisiens" (Festival d'Avignon), July 17, 2017
Festivals and Spaces, July 16, 2017