Paper #2: Due October 25th (new due date)!

Option #1: The Sonnet Drama

I want you to arrange, edit, and shape the Sonnets into a short play for one or more actors.  To do this, you have to consider what ‘story’ you want to tell with the Sonnets, and how you can pick and choose (or even edit) sonnets to tell this story.  Ideally, you only want to use between 10-12 sonnets.  You should create an actual playscript which uses the sonnets as a monologue (or dialogue, or trialogue!) with stage directions, etc.  Consider if you want to use the entire sonnet, only part of it, or have different people speak different sonnets or different parts of a sonnet.  However you do it, by reading your drama, we should have a sense of a story unfolding, characters interacting with each other (even if the other characters are off-stage) and some kind of resolution: is this a tragedy, comedy, or something in-between? 

In addition, you must act as a ‘dramaturg,’ which is someone who works with a theatrical production to explain history, culture, and language to the actors.  To do this, your drama will be accompanied by a 4-5 page paper which explains why you chose the sonnets you did, how you read/understand them, and how the language advances a specific story.  Again, we might not ‘see’ this story without your analysis, so be very specific and show us exactly what you see in the language.  You should have at least 2 outside sources to help you read/interpret the Sonnets—and we have many resources in our library, such as Helen Vendler’s and Mark Mirsky’s excellent books on the sonnets (but don’t forget about JSTOR!). 

Option #2: The Battle of the Sexes

You are a ‘dramaturg,’ which is someone who works with a theatrical production to explain history, culture, and language to the actors.  Oklahoma Shakespeare In the Park has hired you to prepare a new version of The Way of the World for its audience—an audience, mind you, that knows very little about late 17^th century drama!  Your task is to ‘modernize’ the play for 2013 audiences without changing anything substantial about the play.  The words and the characters must remain the same, but you can stage it however you like—in 1920’s Chicago, etc.—to help us ‘see’ the relationships and ideas in the play.  Consider what will lessen the ‘period drama’ sting of the work and help us appreciate the comedy and the satire of Congreve’s language. 

Your paper should to do 3 main things: (1) explain how you intend to stage the play and what ‘ideas’ you hope the play should exhibit; (2) how we should read/portray specific actors in the play—help us understand who they are and how they relate to their historical period; and (3) close read 2 pivotal scenes so we understand how to act them and why they are important to the period and to the drama itself.  You should have at least 2 outside sources to help you read/interpret the play which you can find either in our library or on JSTOR, etc. 

REQUIREMENTS

·         For the Sonnet Drama: at least 10-12 Sonnets in a playscript, plus a 4-5 page dramaturgical paper

·         For the Congreve Production: at 4-5 page dramaturgical paper

·         At least 2 outside sources for both papers

·         Analysis, close reading, and specific ideas: avoid summary and losing your own voice in the paper—show us what you see and think

·         DUE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25th