CLS 173 The Comic Spirit

Dr. A. Raia October 29, 2004

PROJECT 1

Goals: To come to an understanding of what it means to create literary comedy

To demonstrate your understanding of Roman comedy

To perform effectively in a group setting

Task: Actively participate (in meetings, by phone, via email) in the group effort

Create an original comic scene in the style of ancient Roman comedy

Give your scene a title and name your group

Parameters: Choose and name 3-4 stock Roman characters (one must be a slave) from Plautus

or Terence

Collect dialogue (minimally adapted) from Roman comedies we have read

Instructions: Meet with your group to –

Choose a Chair, a Recorder, a Presenter

Invent a plot (in the style of Roman comic plots)

Write an appropriate scene for this plot (one must be a slave)

Choose appropriate stock characters for this scene

Each individual searches for appropriate comic lines from the plays for the scene

Perform the scene for the class on Wednesday, November 10

Offices: Chair calls and conducts meetings; see to it that all are active and that decisions

are reached by group consensus; evaluates the group process

Recorder takes minutes of meetings (including attendance, place, time, content);

posts them on Angel

Presenter submits the scene, typed on computer, in hard copy and via email

introduces the scene to the class

Assigned Groups:

Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
Gabriella, Chair	Angelica, Chair	Quratul, Chair	Tiara, Chair
Meghan, Recorder	Kilah, Presenter	Tamara, Recorder	Jaime, Recorder
Yolande, Presenter	Adrienne, Recorder	Crystal Presenter,	Dalyn, Presenter

First Assignment: October 29, 2004: Choose officers and duties

Second Assignment: November 3, 2004

1. Suggest plot themes and scene possibilities

2. Suggest 3-4 characters (one of which must be a slave)

Due Date:

Wednesday, November 10

Competition:

As in the Ancient World, the scenes will be voted on (written class ballot)

The winning scene will be placed in the Theater of Marcellus on VRoma