Props through first third

Hello all,

Here's the list of items mentioned through the first third of the play. Thanks to Jasmine and Mandy for providing the list below. Someone else should post additional items needed for the rest of the play, and then ya'll should decide amongst yourselves who will fashion which props.



Blanket
Pillows
Cloak (w/ phallus)
Astronomy tool
Geometry tool (i.e book)
map of the world
sacred bed
wreath (p.84)
flour bag

Paper Prompt (45 pts.)

Prompt as presented in Poulakos's syllabus: "A 5-6 page paper discussing the ways in which some rhetorical concepts function within the play that you will be assigned." --> 45/200 points

Prompt as particularly designed for you, Cloudlings: With the text explicitly in mind (and the context of its writing implicitly so), write a 5-6 page paper (with standard margins) about how the following terms play/interplay in Aristophanes' "The Clouds":

1) ethopoeia: a) description of natural propensities, manners, affections; b) putting oneself in the place of another, so as to both understand and express the other person's feelings more vividly.
2) fictio: attributing rational actions and speech to nonrational creatures.
3) mempsis: complaining against injuries and pleading for help.

These terms (and longer definitions of them) can be found in Richard Lanham's excellent little reference book "A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms." If you are or intend to be a COMMRC major, you may want to acquire your own copy. Otherwise, you can view mine during my office hours. Please email me to let me know if you're coming by to flip through it.

You MUST write on at least two terms, but will be rewarded accordingly for writing thoughtfully on all three terms. Remember that it will serve you well to refer to the Poulakos and Poulakos textbook. You may also see "in's" for such related terms as "ethos", "dissoi logoi", &c. However, you should focus most of your analytical attention on the above two/three terms. Your paper is due Wed, April 12, WITHOUT EXCEPTION. You must bring the paper to class yourself and on time, as I will subtract just as many points from the paper as minutes you are late turning it in.

Grading Criteria: You'll be evaluated on the quality of your ideas and the soundness of your thesis and argument(s). Grammar and spelling are not in and of themselves a grade, but poor grammar and inaccurate spelling affect meaning and can sometimes effect one you don't intend; therefore, points will be deducted when awkwardness or ambiguity arise from an error. Be not discouraged, though, from employing a little playful irony.

Good luck!

Post your lines here, if you please

Hello, cloudlings!

If everyone attaches her/his lines to this post, then ordering them should be a cinch for the lovely person who volunteers to do so (and thereby endear her-/himself to the whole class). Make sure to include p#s, and to enter your name EACH TIME before the line starts (this will make compiling and knowing whose lines are whose easier). For the sake of example:

p 345, Chorus (Michele): "Get thee to a thinkery!"

Sometime scarily soon I'll be posting your paper prompt. Your paper is still due on April 12 (or whatever day on which the Wednesday of that week falls).


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Updated Syllabus

***Two posts back or so are some recommended changes that NEED to go into effect during the read-through. If, when we're reading, your lines don't reflect the changes, you will LOSE participation points. Seriously. Also, my own copy of the play is in my mailbox (11th floor by the copy machines) for your reference and edification. ***


This syllabus reflects our altered performance date:

March 1: Read-through (concentrate on your voice; in a few weeks ye'll have to stand up and do full gestures/facial expressions, etc.)

March 8: Spring break...a leg; try to go over your part a couple of times.

March 15: Complete the read-through; costuming ideas (be brainstorming/sketching/experimenting with these)

March 22: Class time viewing of Aristophanes' "The Birds"; we are mining this play for stagecraft/costume ideas mostly, so we'll probably watch only 25 mins and then deliberate on our own staging/costuming.

March 29: Rehearsal

April 5: Rehearsal with as many props and stage items as possible

April 12: Dress Rehearsal

April 19: Dress Rehearsal (perhaps in G8). If we can't do it in G8 during our class time, would ye be willing to do it in the evening or on Saturday instead?

MONDAY, APRIL 24: The spotlight's on us, yinzers.

If any of ye have suggestions (esp. if ye feel I've forgotten some essential or another), COMMENT. Ye don't lose points for not doing so, but ye gain them when ye do.

Best,
Michele

Changes to the Rest of the Play

Four announcements:
1) Our play has been scootched back to Monday, April 24th, during the first hour of the final exam period. Unfortunately, this placement is non-negotiable. Though I had hoped to be rid of the lot of ye after March 30, it now seems that we will be spending almost a month more in each others' company. Drats!
2) We need to rehaul the syllabus, therefore. I will come up with a revised version soon-ish.
3) Relatedly, since we have some time to work with, we will do an in-class viewing of an Aristophanes play. The Hillman media library has two pieces, _Frogs_ and _Birds_...neither of which are nature plays. _Birds_ is more comparable to our play, so I reckon we'll watch that one. If you want to watch _Frogs_ on your own, all the better.
4) We need to appoint understudies for all the large-ish parts...as a precaution. If Strep develops strep, we don't want to be completely SOL. However, understudies shouldn't be naughty in a shameless attempt to get into the spotlight. You're all stars!

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So now to the rest of our play...since we aren't rushing any more (though let's not get too lax), let's go over it tomorrow (Feb. 22). I've marked the chorus parts, so I will allot those tomorrow, and we'll also discuss things to trash or alter within the text. Then we'll start a read-through next week. If we have time tomorrow, we should also discuss costuming and props a bit, as I plan to do a bit of craftstore pricing over the weekend.

Best,
Michele

More Emendations and Suggestions

Hello, friends, here are some more minor adjustments.

**make sure to change every Right/Wrong in the text to Strong/Weak**

We stopped on page 104...
Nina: Leader parts on that page
John M.: Chorus, "How greatly...Swiftly is obeyed"
105:
Percy: "You see how...Luck don't always last"
Strep: At line 816, change "and nibble at Megacles' pillared portico" to "eat cheetos at your uncle's."; line 831: get rid of "of Melos"
106:
Pheid: At line 853, change "sons of the soil" to "loonies"
107:
Strep: line 864, change "obol" to "dollar" and "little toy cart for the Diasia" to "little toy car"
Soc: ling 876: change "Hyperbolus" to "John Kerry" (maybe?)
Strep: change Right to Strong and Wrong to Weak in that mid-page monologue
108:
Strong: line 891, change "bold as brass" to "such a show-off"
Strong: line 897, change "contrive" to "manage"
WeaK: line 907, get rid of "foghound" and change "a" to "an"
109:
Strong and Weak: cut lines 921-927
110:
Weak: get rid of "How redolent of cicada brooches, oxslaugter trials, and Cedeides" at line 985
111:
Strong: line 997, change "antediluvian" to "old fogey"
Weak: line 1001, get rid of "just like the sons of Hippocrates and be called"
112:
Lyndi: Chorus lines "O how sweet...real Golden Age!"
Dana: Chorus lines "He's impressed us...showcase your sexiest Muse."
Sydney: leader lines toward the bottom
113:
Right: line 1050, change Heracles to Hercules
Strong and Weak: delete "Many people. For example" through Weak's lines before [to Pheidippides] at 1072 (about 11 and a bit lines total deleted there)
114:
We'll be changing this a bit, or in the very least getting rid of "faggot"


***Mandy, playing Weak, posted a couple of changes to her part at my "Inaugural Post"***

And I'll post the rest later. Each of you should start compiling your lines so that we can make an 8.5 x 11 size script for our rehearsals. We will be doing a read-through next week. We're probably WAY over time and will need to cut more.

Carpe diem!
Michele

Tickling Their Ears x 2

Before I get to allotting the chorus their lines, I wanted to see if any of ye had given thought to musical soundbytes that we could insert during scenes that wouldn't suffer from some light sterephonics. After doing a "cloud" search of my itunes, I think that the Tori Amos song that came up won't work, but that the Stones hit "Get Off of My Cloud" might get some mileage as the song played while Socrates (Frank) descends the stairs with the clouds on his feet. Also, the Prodigy song "Firestarter" would be an incendiary addition to Strep (Ryan) burning down the Thinkery. Any other ideas?

Michele