Circus Fire
Project Description: After studying modern theatre in The Zoo Story and contemporary theatre in the last two assignments including Doubt which is a period piece, you are ready to tackle a full production of contemporary theatre. The play for your final is Circus Fire by Janet Munsil. Munsil is a Canadian playwright who's bio on her website states:
Janet Munsil's plays include Influence, The Ugly Duchess, Emphysema (a love story) (UK title Smoking with Lulu), Be Still, Circus Fire, and That Elusive Spark. Her plays have have been produced across Canada and the UK, including Touchstone, Tarragon, ATP, Univeristy of Victoria Phoenix Theatres, and The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, and the Soho Theatre + Writers Centre, London. Her self-produced works, Circus Fire and The Ugly Duchess, have toured Ireland and the Czech Republic.
In 2012 she was commissioned to adapt Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice for a co-production with Theatre Calgary and Canada's National Arts Centre (Ottawa). The adaptation has been widely produced since.
Munsil studied directing and design at the University of Victoria's Phoenix Theatres. Since 1992, she has been the Artistic Director and Festival Producer of Intrepid Theatre in Victoria, BC, where she produces the annual Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival, Uno Fest, and Winterlab.
The influence of this play and being the the moment of the characters is the subject of this research/performance project.
Essential Questions: Why are historical tragedies frequently subject matters for plays? How can you portray something that happened far before your own birth? How can you apply what you have learned over the semester to this play?
Activity 1: Read the play Circus Fire by Janet Munsil and her commentary on the play in the preface. Take notes on the play and it's contents. Research the actual event.
Activity 2: Re-read the play concentrating on a character you would wish to play. Find audition materials in the form of a monologue that would relate to the character you wish to portray. Memorize that monologue.
Activity 3: In two sections, the class will be divided into production crew and cast. The production crew will audition the cast, then vice versa. The production crew will meet and form a consensus casting the show. In effect, each team is responsible for a role and a production job.
Activity 4: Produce the play Circus Fire for an in class performance to be judged by faculty and theatre professionals.
During the course of the production please keep a running record and discussion of the process on the Circus Fire Blog.
Rehearsal Schedule:
Group A Group B
Auditions May 11 Auditions May 11
May 12 May 13
May 14 May 15
May 18 May 19
May 20 May 21
May 22 May 26
May 27 May 28
May 29 June 1
June 2 June 3
June 4 Tech June 5 Tech
June 7 Tech June 8 Tech
June 9 Tech June 10 Tech
June 11 In Class + June 12 In Class +
Janet Munsil's plays include Influence, The Ugly Duchess, Emphysema (a love story) (UK title Smoking with Lulu), Be Still, Circus Fire, and That Elusive Spark. Her plays have have been produced across Canada and the UK, including Touchstone, Tarragon, ATP, Univeristy of Victoria Phoenix Theatres, and The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, and the Soho Theatre + Writers Centre, London. Her self-produced works, Circus Fire and The Ugly Duchess, have toured Ireland and the Czech Republic.
In 2012 she was commissioned to adapt Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice for a co-production with Theatre Calgary and Canada's National Arts Centre (Ottawa). The adaptation has been widely produced since.
Munsil studied directing and design at the University of Victoria's Phoenix Theatres. Since 1992, she has been the Artistic Director and Festival Producer of Intrepid Theatre in Victoria, BC, where she produces the annual Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival, Uno Fest, and Winterlab.
The influence of this play and being the the moment of the characters is the subject of this research/performance project.
Essential Questions: Why are historical tragedies frequently subject matters for plays? How can you portray something that happened far before your own birth? How can you apply what you have learned over the semester to this play?
Activity 1: Read the play Circus Fire by Janet Munsil and her commentary on the play in the preface. Take notes on the play and it's contents. Research the actual event.
Activity 2: Re-read the play concentrating on a character you would wish to play. Find audition materials in the form of a monologue that would relate to the character you wish to portray. Memorize that monologue.
Activity 3: In two sections, the class will be divided into production crew and cast. The production crew will audition the cast, then vice versa. The production crew will meet and form a consensus casting the show. In effect, each team is responsible for a role and a production job.
Activity 4: Produce the play Circus Fire for an in class performance to be judged by faculty and theatre professionals.
During the course of the production please keep a running record and discussion of the process on the Circus Fire Blog.
Rehearsal Schedule:
Group A Group B
Auditions May 11 Auditions May 11
May 12 May 13
May 14 May 15
May 18 May 19
May 20 May 21
May 22 May 26
May 27 May 28
May 29 June 1
June 2 June 3
June 4 Tech June 5 Tech
June 7 Tech June 8 Tech
June 9 Tech June 10 Tech
June 11 In Class + June 12 In Class +
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