The Spanish Language and Stage Practice II

elective courses

The Spanish Language and Stage Practice I 3305-JHPS-01

Classroom

The main objective of the course is to develop language skills through the use of acting techniques, improvisation and drama. In the two-semester cycle (The Spanish Language and Stage Practice I and II) students will prepare a theatrical performance in Spanish.

This cycle of theatre classes has an interdisciplinary character; it will consist of two blocks divided into two semesters (30 hrs during the winter semester and 60 hrs in the spring semester), and will conclude with a stage production in Spanish. The main aim of these drama classes is to develop language skills on different levels, to broaden students' grasp of literary studies, and to increase awareness of one's body and of its role in the communication process. These objectives will be achieved through the use of dramatic texts and script analysis, as well as the aid of acting techniques, improvisation and diction exercises.

In the first semester students will prepare an individual study, while the second semester is to conclude with a drama performance in Spanish presented jointly. The dramatic texts will include stage plays by Spanish-speaking dramatists and pieces by Polish writers translated into Spanish. The classes are designed as workshops, in order to improve skills which can be applied in professional work (e.g. diplomacy, teaching, commerce, tourism), and in official speeches and oral presentations, but they are intended to prepare students for a more conscious participation in culture as a whole, in addition to providing them with practical tools important in the job market.

Detailed subject matter of classes:

• Voice and diction

• Emotions, body consciousness and stress

• Improvisation and basic acting exercises

• The diversity of acting systems: Stanislavsky, Boleslawski, Lee Strasberg, Grotowski

• Acting essentials: concentration, affective memory, dramatic action, personalization, the skill of observation, rhythm

• Script analysis

• How the text transfers to the stage: analysis of the dramatic text as the starting point for work on the staging

Bibliography:

Aszyk, Urszula, La idea de regeneración del teatro español y la teoría del teatro moderno en Unamuno, L’Abadia de Montserrat, 1998.

Bolesławski, Ryszard, Lekcje aktorstwa. Teksty z lat 1923 – 1933, (Ewa Danuta Uniejewska trans.), Warszawa 2015.

Brook, Peter, Pusta przestrzeń, Warszawa 1981.

Grotowski, Jerzy, Ku teatrowi ubogiemu, (red. Eugenio Barba, tłum. Grzegorz Ziółkowski trans.), Wrocław, 2007.

Płusajska-Otto, Agnieszka, Podręcznik do pracy głosem, Łódź, 2017.

Shurtleff, Michael, Przesłuchanie. Wszystko, co aktor wiedzieć powinien, żeby dostać rolę, tłum. J. Bogdan Paszkiewicz, Poznań, 1998.

Święch, Jerzy, Elementarne zadania aktorskie (zapis metody), Warszawa, 2018.

Vega Carpi, Lope Félix de, El arte nuevo de escribir comedias en este tiempo, (red. Felipe Pedraza), Almagro, 2009.

Weston, Judith, Reżyserowanie aktorów. Tworzenie zapadających w pamięć ról w filmie i telewizji, (Tomasz Szafrański, trans.), Warszawa 2010.

Knowledge:

student has a basic knowledge of the history of Spanish and world theatre, and is familiar with basic Spanish-language terminology regarding the construction of dramatic text, acting methods, and staging process (K_W02, K_W03).

Abilities:

Student knows how to independently analyze a dramatic text indicating the most important elements for the construction of a role, read with understanding and recite a text in Spanish with appropriate intonation. They have a greater awareness of the body and body language, and is able to independently acquire knowledge of public speaking and develop it at ease. Recognizes the multifaceted nature of a literary work and can follow the relationship between text and performance, using basic theoretical approaches, and has the ability to develop, write and edit a stage script in Spanish, needed for further work on the performance. Has the ability to argue substantively and discusses with greater ease using advanced level Spanish. (K_U01, K_U02, K_U03, K_U04, K_U05, K_U06, K_U07)

Social skills:

Student is capable of critical assessment of their own knowledge and skills, as well as work in a team, assuming various roles and adequately determining the priorities for the realization of tasks set by them and others. They are aware of the level of their knowledge and language skills in Spanish, understand the need for constant professional and personal development, improve skills, determine the directions of their own development and education. Student is prepared to actively participate in culture and follow contemporary processes occurring in the culture and public life of Spanish-speaking countries. (K_K01, K_K02, K_K03, K_K04)

Teaching methods:

• Introductory lecture

• Discussion

• Study

• Theatre workshops

Assessment criteria:

Assessment will be based on attendance and active participation in classes. In the second semester students will work on the preparation of a theatrical presentation in Spanish. Details concerning assessment and deadlines will be given during classes.