Paris under Louis the 14th

Dramaturgy is a comprehensive exploration of the context in which the play resides. The dramaturg is the resident expert on the physical, social, political, and economic milieus in which the action takes place, the psychological underpinnings of the characters, the various metaphorical expressions in the play of thematic concerns; as well as on the technical consideration of the play as a piece of writing: structure, rhythm, flow, even individual word choices. Each student will be required to do the following: Students will individually research some salient aspect of the historical period in which their scene is set/staged. This should be pertinent to the character you are playing in the Historical Performance Project. For instance, if you are playing one of the Rude Mechanicals in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM you might want to research the life of laborers during the Renaissance, or if you are playing Tekmessa in AJAX you might research gender expectations/norms during Ancient Greece. The topic you choose is up to you, but I strongly encourage you to choose one that is exciting to you, and which will potentially enrich your onstage portrayal of the character. Submit a 4 to 6 page research paper detailing the research you’ve done on your chosen topic. The paper should be single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font with 1” margins. Please include a bibliography of the books, webpages, images and other sources you used when doing research for this project. Be sure to use full citations for each source (citation style is of your choosing, but should remain consistent). The bibliography must include at least five sources, three of which must be in print (i.e. not a website). The paper will be evaluated on the comprehensiveness of your research, the articulation of your findings, description of the contributions to your project from each source in the bibliography, spelling, mechanics and grammar. This assignment is scaffolded, such that you have to turn in work at various stages and will receive feedback from the instructor at each stage so that your process can be comprehensive and cogent. The following deadlines are in place for this project: WEEK TWO – All students should have chosen (or narrowed down choices) for their Dramaturgical Research Paper. Students must hand in a very short (one paragraph) explanation of their chosen topic and the rationale behind why this is a useful topic for an actor playing your character from the Historical Performance Project. WEEK FIVE – Students must submit a rough, first draft of their Dramaturgical Research Paper. WEEK TEN – Students must submit a final draft of their Dramaturgical Research Paper.