Final Examination:
Choose one of the following questions.
1) Which of the two characters in August Strindberg’s The Stronger is actually “the stronger.” Provide at least two strong pieces of evidence in support of your position, and bring up one counterargument (best argument that the OTHER character is “The Stronger”) and show the flaws in it.
2) Here is a theater website that discusses how directors help an actor find a character.
Read it and choose a major character from either Trifles or Miss Julie and write a letter to an actor you’ve hired discussing how that actor can “find the character” using the techniques discussed on this webpage. So this one is a little more offbeat and lets you try on the hat of director, but it does involve reading the additional source. You don’t write this one as a traditional term paper, write it as a director communicating to an actor, trying to get in her head and help her create the character as you want it portrayed on your stage.
Here is the website: https://www.ernestgoodmanstudio.com/tool-2-characterization-building-a-character/
3) Props are the physical objects used on stage in drama productions. Used correctly, they can add to a theatre performance in a unique and profound way,
• Props can be used as either literal items, such as a characters putting their keys on a table, or they can be symbolic- metaphors used to indicate something else.
• Using literal props, and actions to go with them, create a visceral quality. This makes the plot spring to life, and can emphasize important movements.
• By using props symbolically, you can create powerful and profound images in the heads of audience members. For example, if you wanted to demonstrate the separation of two people, a knife could be used to solemnly cut the air. You could also have a picture of the two characters torn apart.
Discuss three props used in Trifles and Miss Julie and how they could be seen as symbols that enhance the meaning of the play. Use two from one play and one from the other (you choose which play you cite twice, and which play you cite once).
Here is a website that talks a bit about the significance of props in theatre: https://www.spurcreative.co.uk/ways-theatre-props-can-enhance-your-performance/
So the first and third essay are five paragraph traditional essays with intros, conclusiions, titles, etc.
The second is a letter written to an actor, so you have an “intro” the way you would begin a letter to draw your reader in, and you will reach a conclusion at the end of your letter, but you don’t need a title.
You must quote from the texts for all three responses.
You do not need any citations or works cited page.