Project Traditional vs. Contemporary Theater

The Project: Contents For this project, you will be analyzing and comparing two different playwrights and their plays from different time periods… …This includes every playwright from Sophocles to any contemporary writer.

The Project: Required Work You will be providing a brief bio for each playwright along with a sample of their work represented by a performance, an essay or through artwork.

Student Goals for the Project 1. To learn about Playwrights from different time periods 2. To become familiar with works from different time periods 3. To focus on, and analyze, individual or multiple elements within a play 4. To compare plays from different time periods 5. To represent these comparisons through a piece of written work, a piece of artwork or through a performance

The Project: Focus The focus of this project is not on the Playwrights’ themselves but the plays they have written. For this project, you will present a single written portion of their work in the form of a dialogue or monologue There will be several different elements to choose from and analyze….

Elements to Analyze and Compare between Playwrights: Language (old English, Latin, British English, American English etc…) Themes (ex. Love, hate, coming of age, discovery etc…) Use of Metaphors or Similes (the author’s use of similes and metaphors) Societal references or Political References (how did the time period in which the play was written influence the work?) Writing Style (Is there something unique about each author’s writing style?) Characters (What unique or interesting characters are involved?) Anything as long as it’s approved by Mr. O!

Option 1: Create a poster representing one traditional playwright and one contemporary playwright. This option should focus on a visual representation of the differences between the playwrights. You could include pictures, drawings, artwork or anything that you think represents the each playwright and the differences in their works.

Option 2 Perform a piece of work from a traditional and contemporary playwright. This option is performance based. You will be presenting plays from two different playwrights, similar to our monologue performances. This could be a monologue or small scene. The idea is to physically represent the differences in the playwrights through a performance.

Option 3 Write an essay contrasting a contemporary and traditional playwright. For this option, you will be writing an essay comparing one or more elements of playwrights you have chosen. You must develop a thesis statement and prove it through your paper.

Requirements: Each option will have their own requirements, but there are basic requirements that all projects must meet: Each project must compare at least two playwrights The pieces of work you choose from each playwright must be at least 100 years apart Each project must contain a short biography of the author including name, birthplace and best known works Some element of their writing or piece of work from their play MUST appear in the project, whether written or performed

Basic Steps for Completion: Step 1: Choose two Playwrights REMEMBER: the time difference between the playwrights themselves does not matter, it’s the time between their plays (100 years) Step 2:Choose a play written by each one (100 years apart) Step 3: Choose which element you would like to analyze or focus on (language, characters, themes etc…) Step 4: Decide on a single part from the play to present or analyze Step 5: Decide which option will fit your project the best (performance, essay or poster/picture/artwork) Step 6: Begin mapping out your project