(UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE PREPARATION –ADA4M- LEVEL WITH SEVERAL ADAPTATIONS FROM OPEN – ADA40 LEVEL)
This course requires students to experiment with forms and conventions in Deaf dramatic literature, and to create/adapt and present dramatic works. Students will present works by Deaf playwrights, and develop original material based on personal narratives, or Deaf community issues. Students will do research on dramatic forms, conventions, themes, and theories of acting and directing from different historical periods, and apply their knowledge of these in analysing and interpreting dramatic literature, including works by Deaf playwrights and works by hearing playwrights. Students will also examine the significance of dramatic arts in both cultures and examine the difference between adapted works and distinctly Deaf cultural dramatic works.
Note: The Deaf experience is distinctly different from the mainstream experience and it is reflected in the representation of the Deaf characters in the play. This presents an opportunity for students to analyze the differences between the Deaf and hearing experiences and its influence on the development of a play through different levels from the role itself, the playwrights to adaption and/or interpretation of an accomplished play.
Reference: For a list of links, please click on “Dramatic Arts Resources”.
Overall Expectations
By the end of this course, students will:
- describe historical and contemporary approaches to acting, directing, and play writing Deaf drama productions;
- describe how Deaf culture can be applied or considered when creating, presenting or analysing theatrical works (e.g., elements, principles, and techniques of dramatic arts);
- describe the origins and characteristics of different Deaf dramatic productions from a variety of dramatic forms and periods, including the late twentieth century;
- evaluate the contribution of dramatic arts to Deaf individuals and the Deaf community;
- create and sustain Deaf characters that are consistent with their interpretations and with the intentions of the script;
- describe how a variety of dramatic forms are used by hearing culture and communities to preserve and communicate aspects of culture;
- adapt or interpret a variety of dramatic works, focusing on works by Deaf playwrights;
- analyse and evaluate Deaf and hearing theatre presentations, using the terminology of dramatic arts correctly;
- analyse the personal, social, and cultural impact of dramatic arts;
Specific Expectations
By the end of this course, students will:
- describe the acting styles employed for different genres of theatre.
- describe a range of techniques used to train the signing style and facial expression of a role (e.g., articulation and projection of a young Deaf female character);
- describe and contrast the development of Canadian Deaf theatre, focusing on some specific aspects with other cultures’ theatre development (e.g., playwrights, works, regional theatres, docutheatre);
- describe how character and theme are communicated in different forms of theatre;
- describe the social and historical contexts of the plays studied;
- demonstrate an understanding of the function and importance of a Deaf playwright in the development and scripting of an original culturally Deaf scene or dramatic presentation;
- present a range of original or adapted Deaf dramatic works that address relevant student and/or community issues and concerns;
- demonstrate an understanding of the responsibility of all members of a theatre ensemble to develop and communicate the intended meaning or theme of a Deaf dramatic piece (e.g., portraying a Deaf character appropriately);
- create and present an original Deaf dramatic piece, choosing from a variety of dramatic forms, processes, and theories;
- take into account Deaf community interests and concerns when choosing dramatic works for presentation (e.g., opposition to presenting an issue-based drama to local elementary school students);
- explain how Deaf theatre can reflect and reinterpret issues, societal concerns, and the culture of the Deaf community;
- compare the contribution of Deaf theatre to the Deaf community, both past and present;
- explain how dramatic arts contribute to and represent Deaf culture and community;
- demonstrate an ability to review and contrast the differences between theatre performances created by Deaf and hearing playwrights with Deaf characters (e.g., Sign Me Alice by Deaf playwright, Gil Eastman and Children of a Lesser God by hearing playwright, Mark Medoff;
- select and prepare an adapted dramatic presentation expressing Deaf experience (e.g., scenes from Sign Me Alice and West Side story from the Broadway);
- describe the purposes & the hidden messages behind the plot, theme, texts and actions of the Deaf plays studied;
- describe and contrast the conventions of scripts developed by both Deaf and hearing playwrights for Deaf audience (e.g., Raymond Luczak, Willy Conley, Bernard Bragg, Gil Eastman, with contemporary hearing playwrights);
- describe the influence of historical period and type of audience on ways in which Deaf play writers have used the elements, principles, and techniques of dramatic arts to bring the Deaf experience to both the Deaf and hearing audience;
- identify and describe sources of conflict in a play (e.g., power relationships between the Deaf and hearing);
- identify the central metaphor of a Deaf production and connect it to their own lives;
- research and describe the career opportunities available in all aspects of production (e.g., careers in acting, designing, directing, writing) and related arts (eg film, television);
