Decoding Text

Join Voice and Speech Artist Eva Breneman for a class focused on breaking down the structure of thought in theatrical text. While this sort of work is more easily understood through the careful building of heightened text, the ideas behind this class easily translate to all kinds of writing. In this 8-week class, students will work deeply on two pieces they select – one heightened text, and a second piece that can either be heightened text or a contemporary piece.

We will discuss how to break down pieces into bite-sized chunks, to find the rhetorical forms that help lift the argument of the piece, and, most importantly, to discover the all-important “why” behind each idea and word the playwright wrote. Continually asking and answering the “why” helps us get behind, under, and within each word and idea. This in turn creates the vital sense of ownership we must have to fully inhabit a role.

DATES: 8 sessions, February 28, March 7, 14, 21, 28, April 11, 18, 25

TIME: 12:00-3:00 pm

COST: $480

CAP: 12 students