Back to Basics: What Every Comediante Should Know: Confessions of a Panel Organizer

BACK TO BASICS: WHAT EVERY COMEDIANTE SHOULD KNOW CONFESSIONS OF A PANEL ORGANIZER AMY R. WILLIAMSEN University ofArizona Last fall, when visiting a graduate seminar composed of students who had just completed a course on the comedia, I was amazed at what I learned. When I asked something about the function of polymetry in La vida es sueño, the students chorused, "You mean it was written in poetry ?" This briefinteraction made me realize how much we take for granted when dealing with our students. When approaching theater, we must consider those aspects that distinguish it from other literary genres. We must highlight its polysémie nature as text and performance. We must guide students as they explore the various realms that comprise theater— especially since many of them have very limited experience. (I was shocked last year to learn that out ofa class ofgraduating Spanish majors, only three of forty-four reported that they had ever attended a theatrical production). All ofthese challenges become magnified when dealing with the comedia. So, when I was charged with organizing a division session for the MLA in New York, I decided to invite four specialists—representing a variety of approaches—to participate in a round-table on teaching the comedia. I asked them what they considered crucial and urged them to be provocative. I hoped to glean "helpful hints" along the lines of the one Barbara Mujica once shared at another conference. She described 145 146BCom, Vol. 56, No. 1 (2004) an ingenious yet simple technique to help first time play readers envision production: whenever discussing a comedia, she begins by having the class "cast" contemporary actors for the parts. In my experience, this exercise in mental theater (a term borrowed from Ronald Hayman) most often leads to animated, thoughtful discussion of characters, their motivations and the interaction required to make the play "work." The four papers that follow are the written form of the engaging performances offered at the New York MLA in December, 2002. 1 had anticipated an interesting session, but the panelists' contributions and the ensuing discussion far exceeded my expectations. We have not heavily edited their spoken comments; rather, we have attempted to capture the spirit of the session, including lists of additional references where appropriate. William R. Blue begins with a series ofreflections on artistry, leading us to envision how dramatists take bits and pieces of everyday life and fashion them into theater. His remarks remind me ofElaine Scarry's timely admonition that we remember to share the joy we take in literature, the pleasure we find in beauty, with our students. He also addresses the phenomenon of"discipline envy" and the impact it has had on comedia studies . Catherine Connor provides a cogent argument that outlines how comediantes are, in fact, the ones to be envied for we are poised to flourish at this criticaljuncture. As cognitive theory reveals more and more about the interrelationships ofmind and body, our multidisciplinary perspectives on performance have prepared us to make significant contributions to these current explorations. In the world oí comedia studies that she envisions, advances in cognitive theory will not only enrich our research but also revitalize our teaching. James A. Parr takes stock of "canons and kinds" in his metacritical contribution. Some might feel that his description of canon formation as a "democratic process" in which we cast our votes by choosing to work on a selected text is overly Utopian because it does not take into consideration other, perhaps more pragmatic, factors that inform scholars' decisions (such as young assistant professors warned not to "waste time" on minor women dramatists and urged to work on "canonical" male authors instead). Nonetheless, it is a salutary reminder that the canon(s) we bemoan are indeed our own critical creations. His insights into how genre and the understanding of generic conventions can enhance comedia Williamsen147 scholarship prove illuminating, as do the works he proffers as suggested readings. Finally, Laura Vidier offers her own take on the topic by focusing on what we should bear in mind when teaching. She stresses that we need to balance "competence with creativity" and "knowledge with innovation," emphasizing the ability of students at...