Below are the texts of all the emails sent in response to the course introduction. I've indicated the concerns the five groups highlighted as of particular interest. Those marked once are light red, those marked twice are darker red, and those marked three times are dark red and bold.

The explanation of what people would be doing in the small groups was confusing. It seems as though we are creating a summary from the research the task forces will do. A clearer explanation would be appreciated.

What exactly are you looking for in the research? How did the play come to be created, the possible reason the author had for creating it? Where it was first preformed? What does the setting and performance in the play say? how does/is it relate/d to events going on in the world today or of the past. Does or does not address issues causing stress to society today or being ignored by it. What is the history of important figures in the play or of the setting such as Rome or John F Kennedy or perhaps the general background experiences of characters that grew up in a place like New york.Is the research on how the script evolves.

Much of what we will be doing seems to be akin to how Aquinas was run. I guess that is why I related the research to how the play effects and relates to us and society. Questions I might have asked have been already been answered. I know that that there is a difference to this course and Aquinas it sounds more work oriented then discussion oriented. Though I suppose that is likely more to the style in witch Russ would teach as Aquinas is a combination of teaching styles.

I suppose my biggest question was whether or not this would improve my writing and that appears to be the case. 

The other thing I am concerned about is what you referred to as a wiki space. Since I have no idea what that is, I will look forward to finding out. 

I will admit that I find the amount of work expected from this course a bit daunting, but I also believe that it will ultimately be worth it. It seems like a different kind of university experience that will be useful outside of the fields of drama and English because we are expected to take charge of our own learning and to participate actively in groups. These will, I think, become valuable assets in my university career.

I'm a little nervous about working in a group and posting reviews and reflections online, because I'm naturally a very shy and private person, so something like this challenges me to move out of my 'comfort zone'. But it is something I'm going to have to get over sooner or later, so this course will likely be a constructive and helpful experience for me. I am wondering about how the groups will be organized; will we be expected to divide ourselves up or will it be done more randomly by the professor?

It does worry me a little bit, having less of the conventional 'structure' I'm used to in the learning environment. This is because I rely heavily on my grades, and the idea of having the bulk of the initiative left to myself is a little stressful. I do, however, think that I am up to it -- and I really hope I'm right!

The outline passed out in class answered any of the other questions I had thought of, so I think I've covered most of my thoughts in regards to the coming semester. 

I had no outstanding questions after reading the outline, as I found it to be quite thorough in its explanations. I'm anxious to see plays from a different perspective than one of an uninformed audience member and to hopefully understand the connection between actor and character from my research and readings. 

I am nervous about the prospect of working in our task forces. Grades are very important to me and so whenever I am faced with the prospect of group work I get anxious about whether or not the rest of my group will do their share of the work, or whether or not communication will be an issue. However, the level of interest expressed so far in the e-mails has put me at ease. We are all aware that this course will be a lot of work but so far it looks like we are all willing to put in the necessary effort.

I am very excited to see the way my experience with a play is changed by reading the script beforehand. I have seen the scripts for plays before, however in those situations I was always a performer in the show and unable to see it as an audience member. I am eager to see the combination of the script and the performance and the way the script has been interpreted by the cast.

Looking forward to this semester, 

I understand we will need to purchase tickets to at least four theatrical productions, and sometimes travel to get to said plays. But in the event that a play is in Saint John or Sackville, and a relatively large amount of people are attending so a bus is needed—approximately how much money should we plan to budget? I'm not sure how this goes, or how exactly the costs of the bus are shared/divided between the university, and us as students.

Now, out of sheer curiosity and blatant ignorance, I've become interested in the question originally posed by -----:

"The first thing I am wondering about is reading an opera script. I am not familiar with opera and I am wondering if they would be in languages other than English. If so, how will we read them?"

Though I am also completely unfamiliar with the process of reading an opera, and trying to understand its audio version too (let alone a non French or English one), I've taken an interest in thinking about the mechanics of presenting an opera, and have thought about a few factors influencing where it is that they get played (both live and in HD), and why. Other questions like how the process to determine which operas get presented out of their main location of production might work, and whether or not an English version of the script would be available in either print or online, have also captured my interest.

So to begin thinking about scripts at the root of things, the experience of attending an actual Metropolitan Opera at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, must greatly differ from viewing an HD version of it, sitting in an Empire Theatres room early on a Sunday afternoon.

Considering a seat in one of the various 4,000-ish capacity houses of the MET usually need to be booked months before the actual event, and typically run from $150-$400, (and I'm sure sometimes even more) — the first question that comes to mind in direct relation with whether or not there would be an English script for it, is who is this opera for?

I assume folks who can afford those tickets, the costs of transportation to the opera, and probably some super fancy outfit to go in, don't exactly constitute a large sample of the overall population. Since most small-town workers, middle class workers, or students would need to save up their money for a few months before being able to afford the whole shebang, I find myself thinking those who do attend, probably hold big job titles, and must have had high level educations in order to land those jobs.

As a result, I'm led to think not having to worry about money in combination with working more than one job, probably allows them the leisure time to develop an extensive knowledge of highly coveted, but more obscure or "technical" operas, along with a deep knowledge of music theory, literary background, and probably at least the basics of a few foreign languages too.

So back to our Empire Theatre HD versions, and whom they are seeking to attract. Seeing as operas are showed twice a month, usually on a Sunday around 2-ish, it first makes me think they're looking for the small-scale version of NY's (and its surrounding states/areas), highly appreciative, and knowledgeable crowd. However, having far less impressive of a budget, advertisement schemes, and space capacity, I'm inclined to think locally shown early bird HD MET operas probably target the elderly folks, and the average curious Jane on the street.

Therefore, in the end, I think plays that end up in our theatre, are likely to be the more well-known, popular, and "canon" –style operas. Therefore, I'm assuming there's a greater amount of literature out there about them, and more appreciative people, critics, or academics who would have taken the time to create English scripts of operas in other languages.

This is maybe because they think they're "classics" everybody should know about, or because they're not so concerned with profits, but more with reaching and enlightening a broader, perhaps more novice, small-town and "general" audience like ourselves?

I'm stopping here for now; what do you guys think? 

I am really interested in seeing how I do by learning through myself and others, instead of just being lectured all the time. I tend to do a lot of my work last minute, so the fact that I will be forced to continue the learning process either by myself or with my peers, I think I will get a better grip on learning how to apply this method to my other classes.

I'm looking forward to all of the group work- I think it will be a nice change from what I am used to with my other courses (just as long as everyone is willing to pull their own weight- that is always a worry of mine). I also like the fact that we are able to teach one another because, as the outline said, "the best way to learn is to teach," and I believe that this speaks truth.

I've been an "informed audience member" in the theatre before, having read and studied the play in class previously, however I think that I will be a different kind of informed after having been in this class. By working together with my peers to learn about the plays, instead of just being lectured on it, I think I will be able to build a better connection to the play and have my mind opened more to different feelings about it.

As stated previously, I had worries when I first began to read the outline, but as I read on it answered nearly all of my questions. I'm looking forward to seeing how this will all pan out and the skills that it will leave me with. 

The only other worry I had was the time that we need to have to set aside for the work for the class. I get really stressed out and I'm pretty busy throughout the year but I can totally make time for this class since it seems really interesting.

I do have experience of reading a play before seeing it performed, too. I do like reading it before and getting an opinion of what it means and then seeing how other people interpreted the script. That's something that will make the class interesting, to see how people in our groups interpret scripts and themes and whatnot.

But all-in-all, I really am excited for this class and I can't wait to start up and start reading! :D 

This being my first course about the art of theater,I am very interested in furthering my knowledge in theater, both in the context and production. As Russ pointed out, it is most certainly a very different type of course, especially in it's organization. I feel like this is refreshing, and have complaints about the lack of exam (woo hoo!) Although it seems like there will be alot of writing involved in the course, I prefer writing to formal essays and tests, finding that it gives a more accurate representation of ones understanding of the material. 

Though I've always enjoyed theatre, I've never really taken a class in it, aside from theatre arts in high school. Of course, performing is quite different from actually studying and discovering the depth of the work itself. Mainly I'm a bit worried about the method that we will be submitting our writing in. I'm assuming that everything we write will be visible to everyone else? I'm hoping that this won't limit me due to comfort issues.

I also would like to know if the groups are going to be pre-selected or not. 

I also find it a little disheartening to read in the introduction that we are responsible for finding our own way to plays that will be taking place outside of Fredericton, but I trust that if possible, every effort will be made to keep travel to a minimum, as (I assume) a predominant amount of these shows will be taking place at night.

Other than the concerns expressly stated by other students in the class, I believe that should about cover everything!

Looking forward to getting started, 

On the descriptive reflections that we have to write, I'm a little curious on what is expected to be writen. Does he just want our thoughts and what it was about, or does he want a summary and who the characters are and what they have done? That part is not clear to me and I am not sure what Dr. Hunt is going to look for. Also, is all of this going to be done through moodle or is it going to be done through something else?

I'm assuming everything is going to be discussed that is in the sheetthat wasgiven tous in the introduction to the course when we get to the time that we will start working different parts of it. But with the web site we will be making, where will be making this web site and how will we go about doing so?

Are we going to have to find the scripts or are they going to be supplied to us?

I like the fact that this course is going to be very computer base, it almost seems like an online course but with the teacher still present. I like it this way because I have never taken a class where the students rely so much on the computer. I know in other classes we use the computer to write essays and stuff but this class seems like it is going to bemore work on the computer than just essays.

And my last question, will the weekly learning reflections be done on moodle as well or are they going to be done somewhere else? 

I also share the concern of travelling to see shows. I, like many others I assume, probably have busy schedules. Finding what would probably be an entire afternoon and evening to travel and see a show outside of Fredericton versus what normally would only be a few hours if one was to see a show in the city could prove to be challenging.

However,Iam quite excitedfor the "self-taught" portion on the course. I have taken this kind of course before and one can either fail miserably or excel even more than usual, which I hope to do. Overall, I think this course is going to be fun and challenging. I cannot wait to get moving along and hope that this class will be an improvement for my writing skills. 

I must say I'm very excited to be in this course. I have never taken a course that is centered around theater. I enjoy going to shows but have never had the opportunity to study them or be involved in one.

My first impression of this course was that it would be a lot of work and I was a little intimidated by what was expected to be accomplished. However,I think that this class will be very helpful in improving my writing skills in English and I am looking forward to discussing and attending plays. I don't have any particular questions regarding this outline of the course, but I can say that group work has always beenone of my weak points andI think that that aspect of the course will probably be good for me. Also, I don't usually voice my opinions or observations in a class settingand am rather quiet, which this class will also probablyhelpful for; in forcing my participation. 

I am also very excited to see that we will be covering a few operas. I have been going to those operas with my family for a few years now and my best friend is currently studying opera at Dal University, so it has always been a big interest of mine. But like other students I wonder how the costs will be covered (as I know the operas are quite pricy) and how we will be reading the operas. My understanding of operas is that there is a musical score that is quite often in a different language, and I am interested to see how we interpret the scripts.

All in all I am looking forward to reading the plays and seeing the performances! 

To be perfectly honest, this course reminds me a lot of the Truth in Society course from my first year. While I'm sure this course will differ in many ways, it certainly does illustrate some resemblances. With that said though, I had a preconceived notion (and as a former TiS student I suppose taking something at face value goes against everything you tried to teach) that this course would be similar to the Truth course, but I can legitimately tell you I am genuinely interested in this course.

I'm interested in viewing the plays and all the writing that goes hand-in-hand with it. I feel as if this course is one of the best ways to improve my English skills, and to open the door to more theater productions in my life. One question I do have, since he was so aptly named, would be if we'll ever have joint discussions or teachings with Thom?

The more I read through the course outline, and trust me as a former Truth student I've done my suspicious re-readings, it looks more and more like what I experienced within Truth in Society, just in a more theatrical manner. I have to say I'm reasonably excited for how this course plays out, the process should be interesting. I especially enjoy the part where we are required to distribute our reactions and critique of the script to the audience before the play.

I didn't come across this, unless I missed it, but since it mentions we may have to travel to St. John or Sackville for plays, are we permitted to view a theatrical production anywhere, or must they be approved by your first?

I'm wondering if the grading will also be the same as before, with a simple point system for completed assignments, or a more integral marking process.

That's all I've got, thanks. 

I am also very excited to see that we will be covering a few operas. I have been going to those operas with my family for a few years now and my best friend is currently studying opera at Dal University, so it has always been a big interest of mine. But like other students I wonder how the costs will be covered (as I know the operas are quite pricy) and how we will be reading the operas. My understanding of operas is that there is a musical score that is quite often in a different language, and I am interested to see how we interpret the scripts.

All in all I am looking forward to reading the plays and seeing the performances! 

I have never, however, been an informed memeber of the audience, which will be a new experience that will definitely help me lear. I like these kind of courses where you are pushed to learned by yourself, because it allows to commit to it; the interest is beyond getting a good grade. Also it will help me improve my writing which I desperately need.

So I'm not worried about how useful this course will be.

Also, I I liked how it is also about comparing two different living experiences; the reader's experience is the page, and the actor's experience, the stage. I was part of a play that was reviewed by the people in this class, last year, and it now makes sense to me what some of them were talking about.

I am concerned about all the time that this course will consume. I have no doubt it will be worth it, but I want to make sure I will be able to take full advantage of the opportunity provided. I am not dropping it, I'm sure I will keep up, but it's a concern indeed.

To work as a group (assigning tasks) seems to me like an amazing experience. This, is how people make things happen in real life, this is how theatre companies, hospitals, universities and everything else in the real world works, so it is important that this course provides us with that experience as well.

All I have to say. 

The fact that we get to attend plays around the province(hopefully) is what initially drew me to the course, and I like what we'll be doing with researching of them. The introduction/outline and the first class laid out everything clearly so I don't questions regarding whats expected of us.

I'm pumped to get into the thick of it, I think it's going to be an interesting experience. 

One suggestion that I do have is for people travelling to the plays. I know some people won't have their own vehicles so maybe we can organize carpooling in class for those who need a ride. Even if we discuss whose going and if anyone has an open seat in their vehicle that may help some students out. Once again I'm really looking forward to taking this course. It appears that it will be time consuming which is a little bit of a concern for me (as ____ mentioned as well), but I'm sure it will be productive and grant me with a different understanding of theatre production and a new appreciation for live theatre.