1. Research the characters and quotes. Mention the play's date and settings.
2. Integrate the material on the plays and playwrights. Do Not write separate blocks of material on the plays or playwrights.
3. Include documentation via "according to . . . "
4. No personal opinion, please.
5. Cite analysis of the plays and playwrights by authorities.
6. One page. 1.5 spacing. You may write a draft in advance and spend the exam time reviewing, proofreading and finalizing your essay. Computers recommended.
Submit to trudeau11@gmail.com.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Mamet, Chicago and modern drama
Mamet quiz -
1. Chicago is America's __ city in population. a) second b) third c) fourth.
2. The Central Business District in Chicago is referred to as the a) Lakefront b) CBgb c) El d) Loop.
3. The newest public sculpture in Chicago: a) Chicago Matisse b) Cloud Gate c) Millennium Park d) Silver Arch.
4. Author of Glengarry Glen Ross: a) Albee b) Mamet c) Beckett d) Miller.
5. In Glengarry Glen Ross - GGR - the sales team has been given a challenge. First prize is a Cadillac, second is a set of steak knives and third is
a) better leads b) dismissal c) a transfer d) a certificate of appreciation.
6. Choose a city that lies upon Lake Michigan: a) Milwaukee b) Detroit c) Cleveland d) Buffalo.
7. "Chicago" is a name derived from the parlance of a) African-Americans b) Indigenous peoples c) a Dutch explorer d) the first Trade center on Lake Ontario.
8. The Mamet play and movie which addresses the relationship between male professor and female college student: a) Oleanna b) American Buffalo c) Zoo Story d) Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
9. The salesmen in GGR are supllied with names and phone numbers of potential clients. These are called a) leads b) sits c) pigeons d) closers.
10. The salesmen in GGR do their best not to use underhanded or dishonest techniques in their sales efforts. T / F
11. Spanish artist who ceded a public sculpture to the city of Chicago: a) Matisse b) Degas c) Picasso d) El Greco.
Due at end of class on Tues.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Chicago's Picasso
The Chicago Picasso (often just The Picasso) is an untitled monumental sculpture by Pablo Picasso in Chicago, says Wikiprdia.
The sculpture, dedicated in 1967 in Daley Plaza in the Chicago Loop, is 50 feet (15.2 m) tall and weighs 162 tons.[1]
The Cubist sculpture by Picasso was the first such major public artwork in Downtown Chicago, and has become a well known landmark.
It is known for its inviting jungle gym-like characteristics.[2] Visitors to Daley Plaza can often be seen climbing on and sliding down the base of the sculpture.
The cost of constructing the sculpture was $352,000, paid mostly by three charitable foundations.
Picasso himself was offered payment of $100,000 but refused it, stating that he wanted to make a gift of his work.[4]
Mamet quiz -
1.3rd 2.Loop 3.Cloud Gate (the bean) 4.Mamet 5.dismissal 6.Milwaukee 7.indigenous 8.Oleanna 9.leads 10.false 11.Picasso
The sculpture, dedicated in 1967 in Daley Plaza in the Chicago Loop, is 50 feet (15.2 m) tall and weighs 162 tons.[1]
The Cubist sculpture by Picasso was the first such major public artwork in Downtown Chicago, and has become a well known landmark.
It is known for its inviting jungle gym-like characteristics.[2] Visitors to Daley Plaza can often be seen climbing on and sliding down the base of the sculpture.
The cost of constructing the sculpture was $352,000, paid mostly by three charitable foundations.
Picasso himself was offered payment of $100,000 but refused it, stating that he wanted to make a gift of his work.[4]
Mamet quiz -
1.3rd 2.Loop 3.Cloud Gate (the bean) 4.Mamet 5.dismissal 6.Milwaukee 7.indigenous 8.Oleanna 9.leads 10.false 11.Picasso
The Bean: public art in Chicago
The bean, aka Cloud gate, is an orgilichal sculpture found in Grant Park / Millennium Park, Chicago.
It was designed by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, says Wikipedia. It is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois.
Kapoor's design was inspired by liquid mercury and the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline. Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot high arch. On the underside is the "omphalos" (Greek for "navel"), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections.
Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams.
It was designed by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, says Wikipedia. It is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois.
Kapoor's design was inspired by liquid mercury and the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline. Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot high arch. On the underside is the "omphalos" (Greek for "navel"), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections.
Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams.
Playwright David Mamet: Glengarry Glenn Ross, Oleanna, American Buffalo, etc
Best known as a playwright, Mamet has won a Pulitzer Prize and Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988).
As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997).
Speed-the-Plow (1988) is a satirical dissection of the American movie business, a theme Mamet would revisit in his later films Wag the Dog (1997) and State and Main (2000).
Oleanna is a two-character play about the power struggle between a university professor and one of his female students, who accuses him of sexual exploitation and, by doing so, spoils his chances of being accorded tenure.
The award-winning play American Buffalo concerns a team of men who are conspiring to steal a coin collection from a wealthy man. Don, who owns a junk shop, sold a nickel to a man for much less than what it was worth. Out of revenge, he and his young gofer, Bob, plan to steal the man's coin collection after suspecting that he went away for the weekend.
As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997).
Speed-the-Plow (1988) is a satirical dissection of the American movie business, a theme Mamet would revisit in his later films Wag the Dog (1997) and State and Main (2000).
Oleanna is a two-character play about the power struggle between a university professor and one of his female students, who accuses him of sexual exploitation and, by doing so, spoils his chances of being accorded tenure.
The award-winning play American Buffalo concerns a team of men who are conspiring to steal a coin collection from a wealthy man. Don, who owns a junk shop, sold a nickel to a man for much less than what it was worth. Out of revenge, he and his young gofer, Bob, plan to steal the man's coin collection after suspecting that he went away for the weekend.
Glengarry Glen Ross: award-winning play and movie about life in the shadows of the American dream
Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1992 independent dramatic film, adapted by David Mamet from his acclaimed 1984 Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning play of the same name, says Wikipedia.
The film depicts two days in the lives of four real estate salesmen and how they become desperate when the corporate office sends a representative to "motivate" them by announcing that, in one week, all except the top two salesmen will be fired.
The film, like the play, is notorious for its use of profanity, leading the cast to jokingly refer to the film as "Death of a Fuckin' Salesman".[1] The actual title of the film comes from the names of two of the real estate developments being peddled by the salesmen characters (Glengarry Highlands and Glen Ross Farms).
The salesmen are supplied with names and phone numbers of leads (potential clients) and regularly use underhanded and dishonest tactics to make sales. Many of the leads rationed out by the office manager are impoverished individuals lacking either the money or the desire to actually invest in land.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone magazine, wrote, "The pleasure of this unique film comes in watching superb actors dine on Mamet's pungent language like the feast it is".[12] Roger Ebert's review in the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Mamet's dialogue has a kind of logic, a cadence, that allows people to arrive in triumph at the ends of sentences we could not possibly have imagined. There is great energy in it. You can see the joy with which these actors get their teeth into these great lines, after living through movies in which flat dialogue serves only to advance the story".[13]
The film depicts two days in the lives of four real estate salesmen and how they become desperate when the corporate office sends a representative to "motivate" them by announcing that, in one week, all except the top two salesmen will be fired.
The film, like the play, is notorious for its use of profanity, leading the cast to jokingly refer to the film as "Death of a Fuckin' Salesman".[1] The actual title of the film comes from the names of two of the real estate developments being peddled by the salesmen characters (Glengarry Highlands and Glen Ross Farms).
The salesmen are supplied with names and phone numbers of leads (potential clients) and regularly use underhanded and dishonest tactics to make sales. Many of the leads rationed out by the office manager are impoverished individuals lacking either the money or the desire to actually invest in land.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone magazine, wrote, "The pleasure of this unique film comes in watching superb actors dine on Mamet's pungent language like the feast it is".[12] Roger Ebert's review in the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Mamet's dialogue has a kind of logic, a cadence, that allows people to arrive in triumph at the ends of sentences we could not possibly have imagined. There is great energy in it. You can see the joy with which these actors get their teeth into these great lines, after living through movies in which flat dialogue serves only to advance the story".[13]
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Semester exam for seniors
In a comparison essay that is heavy on facts and research, compare the visual artists Jackson Pollock and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
- Document your paper via "according to .. "
- cite the movies, but cite additional sources.
- include dates, locations, titles of paintings, and critics' remarks.
- do not include your opinion in this paper - at the risk of losing points.
- integrate the topics - do not write separate paragraphs on the 2 men.
- open with colorful description or a quote.
- about 1 page, typed and spaced at 1.5.
- offer experts' perspectives on each artist's influence on today's art and media.
- Document your paper via "according to .. "
- cite the movies, but cite additional sources.
- include dates, locations, titles of paintings, and critics' remarks.
- do not include your opinion in this paper - at the risk of losing points.
- integrate the topics - do not write separate paragraphs on the 2 men.
- open with colorful description or a quote.
- about 1 page, typed and spaced at 1.5.
- offer experts' perspectives on each artist's influence on today's art and media.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Minimalist music: classical composer Steve Reich with Bang On A Can All-Stars
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich (1936) is an American composer who pioneered the style of minimalist music, says Wikipedia.
His innovations include using tape loops to create phasing patterns (examples are his early compositions, "It's Gonna Rain" and "Come Out"), and the use of simple, audible processes to explore musical concepts (for instance, "Pendulum Music" and "Four Organs").
These compositions, marked by their use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm and canons, have significantly influenced contemporary music, especially in the US. Reich's work took on a darker character in the 1980s with the introduction of historical themes as well as themes from his Jewish heritage, notably the Grammy Award-winning Different Trains.
Please sample "2x5."
His innovations include using tape loops to create phasing patterns (examples are his early compositions, "It's Gonna Rain" and "Come Out"), and the use of simple, audible processes to explore musical concepts (for instance, "Pendulum Music" and "Four Organs").
These compositions, marked by their use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm and canons, have significantly influenced contemporary music, especially in the US. Reich's work took on a darker character in the 1980s with the introduction of historical themes as well as themes from his Jewish heritage, notably the Grammy Award-winning Different Trains.
Please sample "2x5."
The elegant piano works of French composer Erik Satie
Lying on a wire strung between the Twin Towers of the World Trade center - a quarter of a mile in the sky - French acrobat Philippe Petit was at a pinnacle of performance. The movie Man On Wire gives this moment of triumph an air of elegance by using the music of composer Erik Satie.
The stately "Gymnopedies" is the soundtrack to Petit's moment on top of the world.
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie (1866 – Paris,1925) was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde, says Wikipedia.
His work was a precursor to later artistic movements such as minimalism, repetitive music, and the Theatre of the Absurd.
His friends and collaborators were Picasso, Debussy, Ravel, Cocteau and Braque.
The stately "Gymnopedies" is the soundtrack to Petit's moment on top of the world.
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie (1866 – Paris,1925) was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde, says Wikipedia.
His work was a precursor to later artistic movements such as minimalism, repetitive music, and the Theatre of the Absurd.
His friends and collaborators were Picasso, Debussy, Ravel, Cocteau and Braque.
Man On Wire, award-winning documentary on French daredevil PhilippePetit
Philippe Petit (1949, Nemours, Seine-et-Marne) is a French high wire artist who gained fame for his high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City on 7 August 1974, says Wikipedia.[1]
For his feat (that he referred to as "le coup"[2]), he used a 450-pound cable and a 26-foot long, 55-pound balancing pole.
At an early age he discovered magic and juggling. At 16, he took his first steps on the wire. He taught himself as he was being expelled from five different schools.
He also became adept at equestrianism, fencing, carpentry, rock-climbing and the art of bullfighting.
In the early 1970s, he frequently juggled and worked on a slack rope in New York City's Washington Square Park as well as in Paris.
In the 1970s, Petit began wire walking on world-famous structures as a combination of circus act and public performance. He performed a walk between the towers of the Notre Dame de Paris. In 1973, he walked a wire rigged between the two north pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia.[4]
In his 1974 World Trade Center walk he began on the South Tower. He walked the wire for 45 minutes, making eight crossings between the towers, a quarter mile above the sidewalks of Manhattan. In addition to walking, he sat on the wire, gave knee salutes and, while lying on the wire, spoke with a gull circling above his head.
Petit has extended the boundaries of theater, music, writing, poetry, drawing and filmmaking to become an inimitable high wire artist, says Wikipedia.[citation needed]
He has made dozens of public high-wire performances in his career; in 1986 he re-enacted the crossing of the Niagara River by Blondin for an Imax film. In 1989, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, mayor Jacques Chirac welcomed him to walk a wire strung from the ground, at the Place du Trocadéro, to the second level of the Eiffel Tower.
Among the numerous additional feats is the 1975 wire walk in the Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, for the opening of the "largest covered stadium in the world."
More recently: an Inclined Walk, fourteen stories high, for The Late Show with David Letterman, in 2002.
For his feat (that he referred to as "le coup"[2]), he used a 450-pound cable and a 26-foot long, 55-pound balancing pole.
At an early age he discovered magic and juggling. At 16, he took his first steps on the wire. He taught himself as he was being expelled from five different schools.
He also became adept at equestrianism, fencing, carpentry, rock-climbing and the art of bullfighting.
In the early 1970s, he frequently juggled and worked on a slack rope in New York City's Washington Square Park as well as in Paris.
In the 1970s, Petit began wire walking on world-famous structures as a combination of circus act and public performance. He performed a walk between the towers of the Notre Dame de Paris. In 1973, he walked a wire rigged between the two north pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia.[4]
In his 1974 World Trade Center walk he began on the South Tower. He walked the wire for 45 minutes, making eight crossings between the towers, a quarter mile above the sidewalks of Manhattan. In addition to walking, he sat on the wire, gave knee salutes and, while lying on the wire, spoke with a gull circling above his head.
Petit has extended the boundaries of theater, music, writing, poetry, drawing and filmmaking to become an inimitable high wire artist, says Wikipedia.[citation needed]
He has made dozens of public high-wire performances in his career; in 1986 he re-enacted the crossing of the Niagara River by Blondin for an Imax film. In 1989, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, mayor Jacques Chirac welcomed him to walk a wire strung from the ground, at the Place du Trocadéro, to the second level of the Eiffel Tower.
Among the numerous additional feats is the 1975 wire walk in the Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, for the opening of the "largest covered stadium in the world."
More recently: an Inclined Walk, fourteen stories high, for The Late Show with David Letterman, in 2002.
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