Ms. Loucks (Hawryschuk)

11 Regents, British Literature Honors, English 12: Theater Arts

 Email: kelli_hawryschuk@pittsford.monroe.edu

English 12: Theater Arts Presents: The Laramie Project

Please join us for an informational meeting Wednesday, 3/24, at 2pm on Zoom.  We will discuss the show, our "performance" platform, rehearsal requirements, and audition information.

Use the Zoom link to join: https://zoom.us/j/97794569938

***Please be sure you use your full name to sign into our meeting.***

The English 12: Theater Arts class is inviting MHS students, faculty, and staff to join us in creating a film version of "The Laramie Project,” a play by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project.

In October 1998, a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised, and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half, in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, while others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of the reactions to the crime is fascinating. Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences in Laramie. THE LARAMIE PROJECT is a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable. (Dramatists Play Service, Inc.)

“The Laramie Project” film serves as our capstone project for Theater Arts, but we can’t do it without you!  There are approximately 70 acting roles to fill and only nine of us, so that’s where you come in. We will be holding an informational meeting for anyone interested in participating Wednesday, March 24th at 2:00 pm on Zoom.  Please reach out to Ms. Loucks (in the English Department) with any questions.  We hope to see you Wednesday!

SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS:

11 Regents: 2 (full-length) books of choice

Non-AP/Honors Senior English Courses: 2 (full-length) books of choice

British Literature Honors:

1. Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor

1. 1. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-read-literature-like-a-professor-thomas-c-foster/1100615825?ean=9780062301673#/
   2. https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Literature-Like-Professor/dp/0062301675/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=how+to+read+literature+like+a+professor&qid=1591016321&sr=8-1
   3. There is also an audio version of the text on YouTubeThomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor - this text is the foundation of the course!

As you read, it would be wise to take notes on the major ideas in each chapter (and some of the examples that speak to you).  It would also be helpful to make connections between Foster's concepts and texts that you've read in school or independently.  We will use the book to launch our year.  If you loan the book out from the public library and need to return it before school opens, notes will be even more useful to you.

2. One (full-length) book of choice--preferably written by a British author. You may desire to explore a more modern and/or diverse British writer.  The course covers major English canonical texts and authors between c. 100 BCE and 1900 (and reflects primarily Anglo, male voices).