Alex Draper
Associate Professor of Theatre
Email: adraper@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.5806
Office Hours: Mon 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, Wed 12:30 - 2:00 pm & Fri by appt.
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Alex Draper is a professional stage, film and television actor. Highlights in his twenty-year career include performing with the Mabou Mines in Paris, France, filming the Bollywood extravaganza Kalapani in the Andeman Islands, and co-founding the Blue Light Theatre in New York. Blue Light as a company and Mr. Draper as a performer received crtitical acclaim for revivals of Odet’s Golden Boy and Waiting for Lefty, both directed by Joanne Woodward, as well as for the New York premieres of Dare Clubb’s Obie Award winning Oedipus, starring Billy Crudup and Frances McDormand, and Howard Barker’s Scenes from an Execution, directed by Richard Romagnoli and produced in association with Middlebury’s Potomac Theatre Project. Alex has appeared in the world premieres of Get What You Need (Atlantic), Saint Crispin’s Day (Rattlestick), Wilderness of Mirrors (George Street), and Endpapers (Variety Arts), as well as the New York premieres of Terrorism (New Group), Rose’s Dilemma (Manhattan Theatre Club) and The Pitchfork Disney (Blue Light). Regional work includes productions at Arena Stage, Yale Rep, the McCarter, Williamstown, the Potomac Theatre Project, the Westport Playhouse, the Huntington, and the Berkshire Theatre Festival. He received his BA from Middlebury, and his MFA from the Yale School of Drama, where he was the recipient of the Oliver Thorndike Acting Award. Alex has worked as a teacher and director with the 52nd Street Project, and taught acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Courses
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
FYSE 1222 - Playing the Part
Playing the Part: Text Analysis and the Revelation of Character
In this seminar we will apply the actor’s techniques of text analysis and character development to the study of dramatic literature in the hopes that these tools can illuminate the texts in ways conventional approaches might not. This is not a performance class nor is acting experience a prerequisite. We will read six plays, and, using the technical tenets of Stanislavsky-based method acting, chart the characters’ progress through the script. We will watch plays on film, and travel to see a professional production. 3 hrs. sem.
Fall 2012
THEA 0102 - Acting I: Beginning Acting ▹
Acting I: Beginning Acting
Rigorous physical and psychophysical exercises attempt to break through the cultural and psychological barriers that inhibit an open responsiveness to impulses, to the environment, and to others. Attempt is made to free personal response within improvised scenes and, eventually, within the narrative structure of a naturalistic scene. Attention is given to various theories of acting technique. Students are expected to audition for departmental shows. (First- and second-year students only) 3 hrs. lect./individual labs
Spring 2013, Fall 2014, Spring 2015
THEA 0126 - 20th Century Amer. Drama
Analyzing Characters in Twentieth-Century American Drama
This is a dramatic literature course that analyzes characters' emotional and psychological motivations from the perspective of the actor. It is not an acting course and there will be no performance component, although reading scenes will occur to make clear those choices arrived at through textual analysis. In addition, the course will provide students with analytical tools to aid in the appreciation of dramatic literature. We will read and analyze eight plays from the twentieth century American canon using methods derived from an essentially subjective perspective. 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2014
THEA 0202 - Acting II: Voice for the Actor
Acting II: Voice for the Actor
Using the Linklater technique for the voice, students will study the physiological foundations of voice and alignment. By means of interrelated physical and vocal exercises, students will discover ways of changing patterns that restrict a full range of physical and vocal expressiveness. Students will study and present passages from Shakespeare to explore ways in which their new physical and vocal skills may be used to express a greater range of intellectual and emotional understanding. (THEA 0102 and ARDV 0116; Approval required) 4 hrs. lect.
Fall 2013, Fall 2014
THEA 0210 - Fall Production Studio: Acting
Fall Production Studio: Acting
The cast works as part of a company interpreting, rehearsing, and performing a play. Productions for Fall 2014 include Vampire by Snoo Wilson and Mendel, Inc. by David Freedman. Those receiving credit can expect to rehearse four to six nights a week. Appropriate written work is required. Participation in the course is determined by auditions held the previous term. (Approval required) 3 hrs. lect.
Fall 2012, Fall 2013
THEA 0220 - Spring Production Studio: Act ▹
Spring Production Studio: Acting
The cast works as part of a company, interpreting, rehearsing, and performing a play. Those receiving credit can expect to rehearse four to six nights a week. Appropriate written work is required. Participation in the course is determined by auditions held during the term prior to the performance. (Approval required) 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2011, Spring 2015
THEA 0302 - Acting III: Monologue & Scenes
Acting III: Scene and Monologue Study
Designed primarily for majors who have had experience on stage or have otherwise demonstrated a serious interest in performance. The skills introduced in Acting I and Acting II are given intensive application to different kinds of dramatic texts, primarily realistic in nature. Attention will be given to expanding the performer's range of emotional and intellectual expressiveness. (Approval required) 4 hrs. lect.
Spring 2011, Spring 2013, Spring 2014
THEA 0500 - Intermediate Indep Project ▲ ▹
Intermediate Independent Project
In consultation with their advisors, theatre majors in design may propose a THEA 0500 Intermediate Independent Project. Preliminary proposal forms approved by the student's advisor will be submitted to the program by March 1st of the preceding academic year for those wanting credit in the fall or winter terms and by October 1st for those wanting credit in the spring term. Projects will conform to the guidelines that are available in the theatre office. Students are required to attend a weekly THEA 0500/0700 seminar.
Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2016
THEA 0505 - Intermediate Ind. Project ▲ ▹
Intermediate Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2016
THEA 0700 - Senior Project ▲ ▹
Senior Independent Project
Senior work is required. In consultation with their advisors, theatre majors may propose a THEA 0700 Independent Project. Preliminary proposal forms approved by the student's advisor will be submitted to the program by March 1st of the preceding academic year for those wanting credit in the fall or winter terms and by October 1st for those wanting credit in the spring term. Projects will conform to the guidelines that are available in the theatre office. Students are required to attend a weekly THEA 0500/0700 seminar.
Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2016
THEA 1005 - Closing Arguments: Court Stage ▲
Closing Arguments: The Courtroom on Stage
In this course we will examine the relationship between the courtroom and the theatre: what is it about the trial setting that makes it so intrinsically dramatic? Starting with four great plays (Inherit the Wind, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, A Few Good Men, and Twelve Angry Men), we will chart components of a court case (opening arguments, presentation of evidence, examination and cross examination of witnesses, etc.), and assess the degree to which “performance” can contribute to a good prosecution or defense, focusing specifically on that ubiquitously dramatized legal aria, the closing argument. Additional source material will include court transcripts, Supreme Court opinions, films and excerpts of televised trials, as well as a selection of famous closing arguments.
Winter 2015
THEA 1015 - Art/Science of Preparation
The Art and Science of Preparation
In this course we will introduce students of theatre to various areas of the discipline, including audition techniques, portfolio preparation, critical analysis of text, and appropriate research for plays and characters. Our work will include readings, practice auditions, interviews, and on-camera work for those students with an acting focus. Students will be required to keep a journal of their process and research. Specific opportunities may arise for off campus work in the areas of acting, directing, dramaturgy, and criticism. (THEA 0102; Approval Required)
Winter 2013
