DRAMA 490 C: Special Studies in Acting-Directing

DRAMA 490C Advanced Acting

Winter Quarter 2025

Mondays 9:30a-12:20p & Wednesdays 9:30-11:20a

Hutchinson Hall 218

Instructor:    Leah Adcock-Starr

Email:   ladstarr@uw.edu (this is the best way to contact me)

Office Hours:    By appointment.  

Course Description:

Antonin Artaud described the actor as ‘an athlete of the soul..’

Actors in 490 should approach this course as if it is a gym - to get their reps in - a lab - to experiment and discover.  This is a process and practice-centered course. This is a space for theatrical exploration and discovery in which actors will expand upon and refine their craft and grow their actor toolbox, further develop and claim their own artistic process, and engage as collaborators in the generative and vital storytelling craft of acting. 

Through a practical application of skills; actors will develop their craft and expand their toolbox through hands-on practice and engagement with the acting process in dedicated scripted scene work directed by their peers; including text analysis, creating and developing characters within the structure of scripted text, and engaging in process as empowered creative collaborators.

Actors will be expected to create, rehearse, and perform a role(s) in scripted text, establish a repeatable practice of preparation, engage in clear and compassionate communication with their collaborators, and effectively build a character from text analysis to embodied performance. 

Development, growth, and learning in this course will be assessed through a combination of written, oral, and hands-on work followed by peer feedback and instructor critique.  

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 

• Articulate a clear creative vision for their goals and interests as actors

• Establish a standard practice for their preparation in the creative process

• Engage in ethical communication practices within a creative process.

• Effectively develop a character from research, through rehearsal, and into performance.

• Identify areas of growth and strength in their artistic work as actors and engage in practice

Teaching Methods and Philosophy

This is a lab, and as such this course will achieve its objectives through practice: in-class and out-of-class rehearsals, discussion of readings, exchange of feedback, in-class oral and written presentation, and performance. Some rehearsals will take place with the instructor for feedback, some without.

Required Materials:

All readings will be handed out in class or made available via Canvas. 

Attendance/Lateness Policy:

This course is designed so that you may learn by doing - through collaborative and experimental practice. 

It is essential for your learning, growth, and success and for the learning, growth, and success of your classmates that you are present, prepared, and on time for class.  

It is also true that we all have complicated lives and unexpected events and circumstances can arise, life can be unpredictable. Therefore, all students will have one no-questions-asked excused absence per quarter before their participation grade will be impacted.

Required Class Work:

Weekly Artist Reflection (50 total available points)

• A personal/individual reflection in response to a provided set of specific prompts and questions relevant to the focus of that week's creative work
• Due on Sunday evenings by 11:59 pm via Canvas
• written or recorded audio response accepted
• Each weekly reflection is worth 5pts (for a total of 50pts in a 10-week course)
• 10 total written or recorded reflections
• Full points are earned for reflection responses that are complete (ie an answer for every question/prompt) and considered.

Performance Projects (30 total available points)

• Scene Project #1
• 10pts
• A memorized, rehearsed performance of a scene directed by a peer
• Scene Project #2
• 10pts
• A memorized, rehearsed performance of a scene directed by a peer
• Scene Project #3
• 10pts
• A memorized, rehearsed performance of a scene directed by a peer

Presence & Participation Points (20 total available points)

• 1 pt afforded per class (with freebee points awarded on days that are holidays and have no scheduled classtime) for a total of 20pts.
• All students will have one excused absence per quarter. For every absence beyond this, you’ll be marked with a 0 for a missed day.
• Please communicate with me and your scene partners/group partners if you know you will be absent so that we may plan accordingly.

Total points for this class add up to 100.

Grading Scale:

4.0-3.9: A    3.8-3.5: A-  3.4-3.2: B+ 3.1-2.9: B    2.8-2.5: B-   2.4-2.2: C+

2.1-1.9: C    1.8-1.5: C-  1.4-1.2: D+ 1.1-0.9: D    0.8-0.7: D-     

Any student under 0.7 points will receive a failing (E) grade. 

Please email me if you are unsure about your progress in class or want feedback about your work.

Conduct In Class:

Making art is hard; let us approach the work with care, kindness, and our best intentions and efforts individually and collectively.  

We will work together as a group during the first week of class to establish our community agreements and build consent and care based practices to support our work. 

Be on time and ready to work. Period. 

Consider this class a rehearsal schedule. 

Limit distractions - take responsibility for the quality of your attention to one another and the work. 

It is important that you check Canvas regularly - outside of class it will be our primary communication tool  Please double-check your Canvas notification settings so you don’t miss any announcements or assignment reminders.

COURSE CALENDAR

Week One 

Jan 6 -  Syllabus Review, Introductions & Consent Practices

Jan 8 - Composition Workshop 

Week Two

Jan 13 - Open Text Scene Project

Jan 15 - Text Discussion & Prep for Text Project #1

Week Three

Jan 20 - MLK Jr. Day (no class)

Jan 22 - First Rehearsal for Text Project #1

Week Four

Jan 27 - Rehearsal

Jan 29 - Rehearsal

Week Five

Feb 3 - Rehearsal

Feb 5 - Rehearsal

Week Six

Feb 10 - Rehearsal & Monologue Selection

Feb 12 -Project #1 Sharing, Reflection & Feedback

Week Seven

Feb 17 - President’s Day (no class)

Feb 19 - Monologue Rehearsal

Week Eight

Feb 24 - Project #2 Sharing, Reflection & Feedback

Feb 26 - Prep for Project #3

Week Nine

Mar 3 - First Rehearsal for Project #3

Mar 5 - Rehearsal

Week Ten

Mar 10 - Rehearsal

Mar 12 - Rehearsal

Finals Week

Mar 17-21 - Final TBD, Project #3 Sharing

Note: This calendar is subject to change and is only an approximation.

Academic Honesty:

Students at the University of Washington are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic conduct. Cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct are considered serious offenses and could result in a variety of disciplinary actions, including suspension or permanent dismissal from the University.

• Please note that submitting material produced by AI essay generating apps as your work, without explicitly naming it as such, also counts as academic dishonesty. If AI is used to generate some or all of an essay or reflection, it must be explicitly stated and not violate the core principle that this writing is intended to be a reflection of your individual response and understanding of course material.  

For more information on Academic Honesty (Cheating and Plagiarism) see:

http://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf

For information on Student Standards of Conduct see:

https://www.washington.edu/cssc/for-students/student-code-of-conduct/

http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/WAC/478-121TOC.html

Academic Accommodations and Wellbeing:

Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.

 If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at disability.uw.edu.

Similarly, if you are experiencing mental health issues, please alert me to discuss how to move forward in the best fashion. The university has resources or health and wellness, please take advantage of them if you want or need to. https://wellbeing.uw.edu/ 

The UW Food Pantry:

A student should never have to make the choice between buying food or textbooks. The UW Food Pantry helps mitigate the social and academic effects of campus food insecurity. We aim to lessen the financial burden of purchasing food by providing students with access to food and hygiene products at no-cost. Students can expect to receive 4 to 5 days’ worth of supplemental food support when they visit the Pantry. For information including operating hours, location, and additional food support resources visit https://www.washington.edu/anyhungryhusky/the-uw-food-pantry/

Religious Accommodations:

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Safety:

Safe Campus:  https://www.washington.edu/safecampus/

Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others. SafeCampus’s team of caring professionals will provide individualized support, while discussing short- and long-term solutions and connecting you with additional resources when requested.