Jonathan Becker 1

THEAT 332­001/002 – Performers Instrument Practicum
Course Syllabus/Evaluation Guidelines

Instructor: Jonathan Becker Office: AR 217

Email: jkbecker@bsu.edu Hours: M, W & F afternoons
Phone: 765-285-7365 Cell: 401-954-1768 by appointment.

Required Texts:

Anatomy charts as indicated

Men buy: The Men’s Health Big Book of Exercises by Adam Campbell
Women buy: The Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises by Adam Campbell
All Buy: Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier

Highly Recommended:
Women’s Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier
Delavier’s Sculpting Anatomy for Women by Frederic Delavier
Core Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier
Fit and Female: The Perfect fitness and Game Plan for Your Body by Geralyn Coopersmith

Objectives:

This Course is intended as an introduction to the body as the instrument of the

actor.

The course is intended to provide for the student a basic understanding of human
anatomy for the actor, help with corrective physical issues concerning strength,
and alignment. The course is intended to help with injury reduction and teach the
importance of understanding the actor as an athlete.

Learning Outcome:

The student should be able to:

 Display knowledge of proper nutrition for the maintenance of an athletic,
healthy instrument as concerns the needs of an actor.
 Develop and execute a daily fitness program based on succeeding long term
and short term goals (as assigned by the instructor)
 Indentify and have the basic skill for personal alignment correction
 Identify and exhibit knowledge of injury prevention and treatment.
 Display a basic understanding of human anatomy as pertains to the actor

Teaching Objective:

The activities of this course will be directed toward:

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 Developing core strength

 Increasing overall physical condition
 Understanding proper alignment
 Building flexibility and availability of the physical instrument
 Developing an awareness of physical tensions

This class will be very physically oriented and at times very rigorous. Students will
be expected to commit fully.

Attendance:

Attendance for this class is mandatory!!! Be aware that that each class builds off
the class before. The only way for a student to be evaluated is through each
individual’s PRESENT, ACTIVE, RESPONSIBLE, PASSIONATE and
DEDICATED participation in class. Don’t be late. Don’t be absent.

Consider this class part of your job as an actor. You are in a program that
emphasizes professionalism. There is no job in the theater for which you can be
either late or absent.

Our attendance policy will be 2 excused absences (sickness with a doctor’s note
or a family emergency). You have 2 absences or tardies. It is understood that a
tardy and absence are equivalent and that on a third unexcused absence you will
be given a failing grade. You must pass this course to continue in the BFA option.
You are expected you to notify the instructors when you are not going to be in
class.

In the event you are late or absent you are responsible for finding out what you
missed. Announcements and class to class assignments not listed in the syllabus
(of which there are many) are generally given at the beginning of each class.

Dress code for class:

Students must adhere to the following attire:

 From the waist down students must wear form fitting sweat pants, dance
pants, capris pants, dance shorts, form fitting shorts, exercise pants or tights
 From the waist up students must wear a form fitting t-shirt or an A shirt (tank
top) or leotard.
 Pants, shorts and tights must be worn at the waist not on the hips (please don’t
roll the tops of your pants down below your waist).
 Clothing must be of soft construction with no zippers, buttons, snaps, Velcro
or buckles
 Clothing must be form fitting and not baggy
 Clothing must be black in color with no printing or graphics
 Men need to wear an athletic supporter or a dance belt
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 Women need to wear a sports bra

 No jewelry, makeup, hair spray or mousse may be worn while in class
 Long hair must be tied back unless asked to wear it down
 Athletic shoes that are not worn outside are required for this class.

Students must be dressed before class begins.

You ask, why a dress code?

…to help you stay (in the work), avoid management gestures. These include brushing
your hair back, or hitching up your trousers, or even returning to a particular stance
when the impulse ends. Such gestures disrupt the flow of the impulse and response.
In addition, you do not want to remind yourself of your habitual self while you are
working, and that is what fiddling with your t-shirt and your hair does. It reminds
you of your daily life. That is why you ideally have special clothes for working in;
outfits that do not need management (they don’t require hitching up or pulling down).
They shouldn’t distract you (hair in the eyes), or remind you of the familiar social
world and its values (jewelry, watches). When working, you are a different person, in
a different world, doing a different job.
- Lorna Marshall
The Body Speaks: Performance and Expression

Students are required to have with them in every class:

 A full water bottle

 A yoga mat like the one at the following link:
http://www.amazon.com/YogaAccessories-TM-Extra-Density-
Phthalate/dp/B000PUHFQW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1376325456&sr=8-
2&keywords=yoga+mat

 TherabandCLX . You will be given the weight needed for your order at your
assessment. You MUST order a CLX band like the one at the following link:
http://www.yogaaccessories.com/TheraBandCLXBands

 18” Foam Roller. DO NOT order a longer or a shorter foam roller. Order one like
at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Jaifor-Firm-Density-Foam-
Roller/dp/B00CC3TUSG/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1470938064&sr=8-
15&keywords=foam+roll+black

Note: If you do not have all of these items in the first week that is OK.

Class Room Behavior:

 Students will be expected to behave in a professional manner during class

 Students must come to class dressed accordingly
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 Cell phones must be turned off before class begins. Off means completely off not
on vibrate.

Assessment sign ups:

You must have signed up for you assessment time on the sign up sheet outside my office
by:

Friday August 25th at 5:00 PM

You must have signed up for your Mid Term Assessment by (sign up sheets will be
posted Monday October 8th):

Friday October 6th at 5:00 PM

You must have signed up for your Final Assessment by (sign up sheet will be posted
Monday November 17th):

Monday November 23rd at 5:00 PM

Assessments take place in my office AC 307. Please be early to your assessment. If for
some reason you must cancel please notify me ahead of time. You will be responsible for
rescheduling.

You will be evaluated on:

 Attendance
 Level of present commitment in class Personal growth
 The quality of and successful completion of your research project
 Achieving of your assigned goals

Percentage breakdown of your grade:

Level of present commitment in class 15%

Fitness and Heath Research Project 50%
Achieving of physicals goals 35%
Achievement of assigned goals will be evaluated as follows:
Exceeding assigned goals = A
Reaching assigned goals = B
Coming just under assigned goals = C
Achieving only 50% of goals or lower = F

The lowest acceptable grade in a course for credit toward a major or minor in Theatre
or Dance is C. Any student receiving a C- or lower must retake the course in order to
receive credit towards a major or minor in the department. If a course is repeated, the
higher grade will be recorded by the university.
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YOU MUST TURN IN YOUR RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS ON TIME Projects

turned in late will not be accepted. Late assignments receive a failing grade for that
assignment.

If there was an emergency and you are late or absent on a day assignments are due
you are responsible for making sure they are turned in by 5:00 PM on the day they are
due.

Kind advice:

You will notice as you read this syllabus that it is very detailed. It is highly
recommended that you reread the syllabus before turning in each assignment to make
sure you have followed the directions given.
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Health, Nutrition, Exercise and Anatomy Research Project

The purpose of this project is to challenge what you already know and for you to go and
learn more through research and then to communicate clearly to me what you learned.
This is not just an assignment. It is important information you will need for as long as
you remain active as a theatre artist. Don’t shortchange yourself by treating this paper as
busywork. Be thorough, be curious and challenge yourself to learn something new.

You may and are encouraged to do your research with a partner or in a small group to
share resources and discuss what you are finding. You MUST however write your own
paper in your own words. All of the information you submit must be presented from your
personal point of view and tailored to your personal needs and goals.

If you are working with a partner or a small group you must include a cover page for your
bibliography listing with whom you are working.

Initial Resource Bibliography due: Thursday/Friday August/September 31st/1st

Annotated Bibliography due: Thursday/Friday September 7th/8th
First draft of Chapter I & II due: Thursday/Friday September 14th/15th
Project due: Tuesday/Wednesday October 5th/6th

Note that the following outline is set up in the form of questions. All of your answers to
these questions must be based on research that you have done and your answers must be
cited properly. Answers should be presented in paragraph form. Entire books are written
on the subject of each question posed. This means that the questions are presented to
inspire inquiry and not intended to provoke a single short “right answer.” Your personal
choices must be based on information you have gathered rather than opinion or just what
you have heard.

Good key words for identifying research sources in the card catalogue are: Physical
Fitness, Physical Training For The Actor, Actor Training, Weight Training, Injury
Prevention, Sports Injury, Exercise Science, Nutrition, Physiology and Kinesiology …
(each sentence in the outline I have provided is usable in a key word search to identify
resources)

For each chapter you must have at least one internet source and three hard sources
(Google books counts as a hard source)

You must have a minimum of 12 (4 sources for each chapter) sources for the paper. At
least 3 of the 4 sources must be cited in the chapter those sources are associated with. You
can also interview experts and trainers here at the university. If you choose to interview
someone, they must be an expert in the field.

The Initial Resource Bibliography is a working bibliography of sources presented in

MLA format. This initial list may change as you are doing research.
Jonathan Becker 7

The annotated bibliography should contain a brief (3-5 sentences) indicative annotation
and a brief (3-5 sentences) evaluative annotation. The indicative is a description of the
source and the topics it covers. The evaluative is a description of how you will use the
source in your writing.

Chapters I – IV must be a minimum of 15 pages. You will then have your appendices and
Bibliographies (4 separate Bibliographies. 1 for each chapter) after the body of the paper.
There are 5 appendices, the workout table (which is to be included as a separate page)
and the 4 separate bibliographies. This will mean that you will submit a minimum of 20-
25 pages of documentation and writing. Your original bibliography, annotated bib
and 1st draft chapters are to be attached to the final document at the back. Keep
track of them when they are returned to you.

Chapter 1: Physical Image and the science behind why you look like you do.

Chapter I should include information on the following:

BMI (body mass index) (what is it for you)

 What does this calculation mean?
 When is it inaccurate?
 What goals would you set for your self-based on this
number?
 Why would you set these goals?
Body Fat percentage (what is it for you)
 How do you get the most accurate measure of this?
 What does the number mean?
 How do you lower this number if you are interested in
doing that?
 What are the percentages of Athletes, Celebrities, models…
 What does this information tell you about the image the
commercial industry is interested in?
BMR (Basel metabolic ate) (what is it for you)
 What is this calculation?
 How is it useful?
 What is yours?
 What is the caloric intake you need to maintain your
activity or achieve you goals based on your activity
Is body image important to you in your goals and why?
 When does body image and an over concern for this
become a problem?
 What problems arise?
 How does one avoid them?
 How does one seek help if they develop?
Body Type
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 Define ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph

 Where does your body fall within these definitions?
 What does this information mean for your body type?
 How does this effect how you metabolize foods?
 How does this effect how you need to build a fitness
regime?
 What does this mean as you make fitness goals for
yourself?

Chapter II: Physical conditioning and the performing artist

Chapter II should include information concerning the following:

Why does an actor, Actor/Singer/Dancer need an athletic

instrument? Tend your answer to this question toward both the
artistic end of what you do and the demands on an image based
commercial industry. Look at writings of authors writing about the
commercial industry and those who are concerned with actor
training. Some key word searches for source material might
include physical training for actors, movement training for actors,
physical demands/requirements for actors in film and television.
 Provide and cite researched opinions
 Cite examples (specific artists, theatre styles, both domestic
and foreign theatre can be discussed here)

How does the performing artist build and maintain a healthy

physical instrument?
 Address nutrition
 Address fitness
 Address lifestyle choices
 Address and define good work habits?
Address and define cross training activities and why they are
useful?
 What are some cross training programs and how do they
differ?
 How might you develop one for yourself?
Address and define effective weight control strategies
 Why is easy for some to loose and gain weight
 Address how to maintain a lean athletic body (what is some
science behind how you do this?)
 How can one gain weight in a health way if that is what is
needed?
How do you prevent injury through training?
 What injuries do performers incur?
 When and where do injuries occur?
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 What are the most common types of injuries?

 What injuries are common in weight training?
 What injuries are common among dancers?
 What injuries are common for runners?
 What injuries are common for fighters?

Chapter III the development of Strength and flexibility training

Chapter III should include information concerning the following:

Research and discuss the science behind how muscles become

stronger?

What are effective ways to go about increasing strength and flexibility

(you must discuss why they are effective)?
1. How often does one need to work out for effective
training?
2. Describe various exercises for different muscle groups
in the body.
3. What are compound exercises?
4. Describe at least two ways to go about strength training
(for example: body weight vs. weight training
exercises)
5. Discuss core training. What is it? How many muscles,
what exercises, which are important for us as
performers and why?

How does one develop a workout plan?

1. What information do you need?
2. Why choose particular exercises?
3. What is effective practice?

How does one get more flexible?

1. Discuss various methods.
2. Discuss Dynamic, Static and Isometric stretching

Chapter IV Nutrition

Chapter IV should include information concerning the following:

Ideal diet
 What is a healthy diet and why is it healthy?
 What type of foods do you need to eat to support the
activity you are undertaking? Or what is the difference
between what the average person needs to be healthy and
what the athlete needs to fuel the body while training.
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 What foods would you choose to eat on a regular basis?

 Why did you choose these?
 What are their benefits?
 If you are basing your answers on the FDA pyramid please
find two other sources of nutritional information and
include that information in your answers.

Appendix I Example weekly meal plan

This plan is intended to help you find a way to identify foods available to
you in the dining halls that help you to maintain your needed caloric
intake, proper level of carbohydrates and protein based on your activity
and your goals.

Present this in the following format:

Breakfast

Meal swipe = $_.__

Based on your BMI, BFP, BMR and goals what can you
afford to eat?

You should create a table or a spreadsheet that shows food

available to you in the dinning hall. Include the nutritional
information to accompany your choices such as calories,
grams of sugar, protein content, saturated fats, trans fats,
HFCS etc.

Lunch

Meal swipe = $_.__

Based on your BMI, BFP, BMR and goals what can you
afford to eat?

You should create a table or a spreadsheet that shows food

available to you in the dinning hall. Include the nutritional
information to accompany your choices such as calories,
grams of sugar, protein content, saturated fats, trans fats,
HFCS etc.

Dinner

Meal swipe = $_.__

Jonathan Becker 11

Based on your BMI, BFP, BMR and goals what can you
afford to eat?

You should create a table or a spreadsheet that shows food

available to you in the dinning hall. Include the nutritional
information to accompany your choices such as calories,
grams of sugar, protein content, saturated fats, trans fats,
HFCS etc.

Appendix II your physical training

Fitness goals
 What goals were you given after the strength, flexibility
and alignment assessment?
 What personal goals do you have for yourself?
 What will your personal workout be?
This MUST be a weekly calendar that shows your plan laid
out like the sample below. List what days of the week you
are working out, what you will do on each day, what time
on each day you will schedule your work out and where
you will be doing it.

Sample Workout Table

Sunday Monday 6:00 AM Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Home Gym
Rest Day 10 min. Crdio Insert Insert Insert Insert Insert
3 Super Sets of 10 reps workout workout workout workout workout
BB flat chest press here here here here here
DB flat chest press
Swiss ball crunch 20

3 Super Sets of 10 reps

BB decline chest press
DB decline chest press
Swiss Ball Obliques 20

3 Super Sets of 10 reps

BB incline chest press
Incline bar push up
from bench
Hanging leg raises 20

3 Super Sets of 10 reps

Decline cable fly
Flat cable fly
Incline cable fly

10 min cardio

This table is to be presented on a single separate page in landscape format.

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Appendix III Anatomy

Anatomy Identification

 Include 3 diagrams you have hand drawn or traced that

identifie the following parts of your physical instrument.

1. Skeletal: Skull, Vertebral Column, Shoulder girdle,

Pelvic Girdle, Lumbar spine, Thoracic Spine, Cervical
Spine, Atlas, Occipital Lobe, Sacrum, Coccyx, Clavicle,
Scapula, Pubic Bone

2. Muscular: Rectus Abdominus, Internal Obliques,

External Obliques, Transversus Abdominus, Fascia,
Triceps, Biceps, Deltoid, Trapezius, Latissimus Dorsi,
Gluteus Maximus, Quadriceps, Hamstring, Pectoralis

3. Vocal: pharynx, glottis, vocal fold, trachea, hard palate,

soft palate, larynx, diaphragm, intercostal muscles
(internal and external)

Appendix IV

Appendix IV is a brief definition of each of the anatomy term (this

should include how each functions in the body)

Appendix V Classes to Take

Create a comprehensive list of classes offered through the Exercise

Science, Recreation and Athletic Departments that are available to
you to take throughout your time at BSU. This list is a reference
for you to work from after the PIP class comes to an end. You are
highly encouraged to take several of the courses on your list.

All 4 Bibliographies (MLA Format)

Include with your final paper your bibliography and your

annotated bibliography

Format for all work submitted:

All written work must adhere to the following format:

 Cambria font
 12 point font
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 1” margins
 1.5 line spacing
 Your full name must appear left aligned at the top of every page
 Pages must be numbered and right aligned at the top of every page.
 Bibliographies must be stapled together.
 Final Paper is to be submitted held together with a binder clip.
 This assignment must be turned in on time. IT MAY NOT be emailed to me
 All bibliographies must follow the standard MLA format
 Citations must follow MLA format.

Format, spelling, good sentence structure and proper grammar count. Spend some
time be eloquent and be thorough with everything.

NOTE: No graphs, pictures or tables are to be included in the paper unless

they have been requested (workout calendar, nutritional plan and anatomy
diagrams) or unless you have created them yourself to explain something
more effectively than can be done in paragraph format.

Credit/Time Statement

Statement: This studio performance course is worth 1 credit hour. Each hour of credit requires a
minimum of 100 minutes of inclass work as well as 70 minutes of outofclass work – research/writing,
training, etc.

Notice concerning special consideration:

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical
information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated,
please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My office location and hours are posted outside
of my office door (AC303F). Sign up in an empty slot if no slot is available please email or call me to set
up an appointment.

The Learning Center offers free tutoring for many courses in the University Core Curriculum, for a variety
of math, economics, accounting, and physics courses, for any writing task, and for general study strategies
such as time management, test taking, speed reading, and effective textbook reading and note taking. We
also tutor for many courses outside of the University Core Curriculum. Call 765-285-1006 or visit NQ 350
to make an appointment to meet with a tutor. We can help! Open Monday-Thursday 9am-8pm, Friday 9am-
12pm.

Ball State University aspires to be a university that attracts and retains a diverse faculty, staff and student
body. We are committed to ensuring that all members of the campus community are welcome through our
practice of valuing the various experiences and world views of those we serve. We promote a culture of
respect and civil discourse as evident in our Beneficence Pledge. For Bias Incident Response service
information, go to bsu.edu/multiculturalcenter/bias or e-mail mc2@bsu.edu.

The contents of this syllabus are subject to change.

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THEAT 332 002 – Performers Instrument Practicum

Contract of Agreement

I have read this syllabus for myself in order to review what was explained in class and 
fully understand the expectations as they are detailed in this document.  

I understand that it is my responsibility to refer to this document throughout the semester 
in order to properly fulfill the requirements of the coursework outline. 

 Signature:        
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
   Date
       
               
               

Print Name: ____________________________________________