Have you ever dreamt of starring in a period piece like Bridgerton? Playing a superhuman in a Marvel movie? Or a larger-than-life character in a musical? In TAPS 120B, students will learn how to expand character work beyond what is immediately familiar. We will build on existing acting skills and look beyond the strictly contemporary. We will approach roles with heightened language and circumstances from scripts that move beyond contemporary realism. We will learn how to build a complex character, with a focus on style, relationship, costume, atmosphere, subtext, sensory inspiration, and inner life. We will explore how a performing artist researches, and how that research can be used to enrich and deepen performance. We will practice how to act truthfully and vividly in a variety of theatrical styles. Students will practice techniques developed by Sanford Meisner, Jerzy Grotowski, Rudolph Laban, Stella Adler, and Michael Chekhov, among others, and will explore performance styles including commedia dell'arte, restoration comedy, and ballroom vogue. Students will use these lessons to perform scenes and monologues from classical and contemporary plays.
3 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit · GER: WAY-CE
Have you ever dreamt of starring in a period piece like Bridgerton? Playing a superhuman in a Marvel movie? Or a larger-than-life character in a musical? In TAPS 120B, students will learn how to expand character work beyond what is immediately familiar. We will build on existing acting skills and look beyond the strictly contemporary. We will approach roles with heightened language and circumstances from scripts that move beyond contemporary realism. We will learn how to build a complex character, with a focus on style, relationship, costume, atmosphere, subtext, sensory inspiration, and inner life. We will explore how a performing artist researches, and how that research can be used to enrich and deepen performance. We will practice how to act truthfully and vividly in a variety of theatrical styles. Students will practice techniques developed by Sanford Meisner, Jerzy Grotowski, Rudolph Laban, Stella Adler, and Michael Chekhov, among others, and will explore performance styles including commedia dell'arte, restoration comedy, and ballroom vogue. Students will use these lessons to perform scenes and monologues from classical and contemporary plays.
Offered in Spring 2027 at Stanford University.