CRN 38394, Spring term, Tuesday-Thursday 6:30-9 p.m. 345 MCK
Professor Julia Nemirovskaya
Office 219 PLC
Tel. 6-4043
E-mail nemro@darkwing.uoregon.edu
Open to all students. Any prior experience in Russian, Russian culture or history is appreciated.
Russian Through Theater is a unique course which combines elements of Russian language, culture and theater courses and allows you to participate (in any or many capacities, from costume design and acting to PR and directing) in a real show. It accommodates first through fourth year students of Russian, as well as upper level students, graduate students, native speakers and professors of Russian.
To meet the expectations of the American audience and the Russian community, our plays are bilingual. Whenever actors speak Russian on stage, a translation or summary of what is happening is provided on stage in a live synopsis. Action can be framed by English dialogues of two or more characters who are foreign or outlandish (the Devil and the Poet; the ``American director" and his American cast, the foreign-raised Russian Empress and her retinue). In some plays, parallel action takes part in Russia and the US, and the audience understands what is going on in the Russian scene because the American scene is similar to the Russian one (Doctor Seuss holds a party in New York while the Russian children's poet of the 1930s, Daniil Kharms, holds a similar "imaginary" party in his Moscow apartment). Thus, non-speakers can have real parts.
Before teaching and rehearsing, students
are handed a tape and
the text of the bilingual play where all Russian phrases
are translated into English and vice versa.
Both Russian and English are used in class.
At first, every direction is translated into English, and
later translations are omitted for several basic
commands. I use only Russian for the warm-ups.
Warm-ups teach basic Russian
and theater skills through games and play.
They are easy and can be learned even by students with no
prior experience in Russian. They
create an informal and warm atmosphere
at the rehearsals. The warm-ups combine
movements with one-word phrases
in Russian, Russian games, phonetic exercises,
elements of dance, and acting techniques.
GRADE is based solely on attendance. CAST has to be present at ALL rehearsals even if you are not involved in the scene indicated on that day's rehearsal schedule. Attendance is the core element of the theater ethic. If you attend all classes and follow the director's instructions, you get an A or A+.
The show is considered to be your FINAL. Just as it takes some extra time to prepare for the final, it will take you a few extra rehearsals to prepare for the show. After the show on May 20 and our guest show in Corvallis, you are free for the rest of the term.
May 17, 19 and 20: you have to come at 4:30 (3:00 on the 20th) and have a bagged dinner and water with you. We will set the stage, have a dinner break at 5:30 and then run the show.
In Spring, we will rehearse
a bilingual Russo-English play in two acts,
THE SCARLET FLOWER,
based on Russian and Gypsy traditional (folk) culture.