English II: Drama Project - Mr. Cahill

"Five Reasons January Looks Like a Scrumptious Month in Cincinnati"
The Cincinnati Enquirer previews the upcoming drama season
 

Check out these venues in the Cincinnati area:

TOURING & PROFESSIONAL COMPANIES

T H E  A R O N O F F

COMMUNITY THEATER
 

Cincinnati Black Theater Company

COLLEGE THEATER

College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati 

Northern Kentucky University current season
 

HIGH SCHOOL THEATER

Includes high school productions
as well as community theater

Local high school productions

Browse these aggregate sites:

• Cincinnati Region Performing Arts
• 15 Best Places for Theater in Cincinnati

All of the following are possible ways to complete this project.  Choose one that interests you most and start early.  For all the options, the experience of doing the reading or writing is the most important element of the assignment

1. Go see a play and write a drama review—not just a paper on the play, but a review.  Be sure to staple your ticket stub and program to the review.  Plays performed at another high school are acceptable.

1. Read the linked review as a model.  Note how it has a thesis that unifies it.
2. The review should have some sort of structure.

2. Research the controversy surrounding the authorship of Shakespeare’s works.  You may consult books, essays, or scholarly Internet sources (the St. X database has many).  Present your findings and develop your own stance on the debate.  You must provide a Works Cited page.

1. Find at least two articles from St. Xavier databases (listed to your right).  See search tip below on using keywords.
2. Read and annotate those articles.  They need to be turned in with your final essay.
3. Don’t simply report.  Take the reader through your opinion and experience.
4. Include quotes to support your investigation.
5. Consider delving into a particular element of the controversy in detail
   (ex, Why Francis Bacon is or is not the possible playwright.)

3. Read another play by Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, etc. -- Merchant of Venice is not an option since you read that last year.).  Take notes as you go. Then create a reaction essay.   In your essay, discuss the experience of reading the play and chronicle your reactions.  Do not simply summarize the work!

4.  Read another play by one of the other authors we cover this quarter (Tennessee Williams, Lorraine Hansberry), a play from Six Modern Plays that we don’t cover, or a play by a playwright you have always wanted to read.  (Fences by August Wilson, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, and All My Sons or The Crucible by Arthur Miller would all be worth your time.)  Take notes as you go.  Then create a reaction essay.  In your essay, discuss the experience of reading the play and chronicle your reactions.  Do not simply summarize the work!

5. Write your own original play.  Length, subject matter, and are all up to you.  However, it would be best if you could show your play to me as drafts-in-progress so I can make sure you are on the right track.  (You must meet with me at least one time prior to turning the play in!)

1. You may just submit a portion of the play with an outline for the rest.
2. Submit a short story table (posted below) with your play so I can see how well you’ve accomplished the theme you’re attempting to develop.

6. Come up with a new idea.  Must be confirmed by me at least three weeks before turn in. 

Ask the Right Questions

Option 2. Research the controversy surrounding the authorship of Shakespeare’s works.

You are essentially asking "Was Shakespeare Shakespeare?"
OR "Who was the real Shakespeare?
Where Google responds to natural language questions, databases work with keyword.
What keywords will work well for this query?

Try a basic GVRL or Bloom's Literature search
using these keywords: 
Shakespeare authorship

Want to narrow it down? Try adding
question / debate / controversy /dispute
Also try identity / attribution
ghost writer / non de plume / pseudonym

I searched using Shakespeare authorship question and got several excellent background articles that yielded even more possibilities.  Reading the background article helped generate additional keywords for further search. 

Sample speculation includes:

Stratfordian (Shakespeare was Shakespeare)

Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford / Oxfordians
Francis Bacon  /  Baconians
Christopher Marlowe
Sir Walter Raleigh
William Stanley, Earl of Derby / Derbyites
Roger Manners, Earl of Rutland / Rutlandians

Evolving theme:  concept of dramatic authorship

If you haven't already set up your NoodleTools account:  instructions
Need help?  email jdonahue@stxavier.org or stop by the library

Use NOODLETOOLS to create citations and generate a works cited page.

Select MLA format when you first set up your project. Select Advanced citation level.

NoodleTools will format a citation each of your article resources.  Works Cited should include only the articles/resources which you have cited in your paper. 

 Instructions for sources found in databases:

• Under the "Where Is It?" section, click "Databases"
• Under the "What Is It?" section, click Book, Magazine, Journal, Newspaper, etc.

You are required to submit a separate Works Cited page.

• NoodleTools will automatically format and alphabetize all your citations
• Once you have all your citations entered, NoodleTools will create a References page for you.  
  Click the Print/Export tab in the top toolbar.  Select the Print/Export to Word option in the drop-down.

• Depending on your browser, Word will either automatically open in a new window, or you will need to click Word in the tray to open.
  Click Enable Editing.  Now save your file and print/submit it.

Have More Questions about Works Cited?

The Purdue University Writing Lab
Superb Citation Tutorials!

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