Course Descriptions

Theatre

THTR 121: Design and Technology for Stage and Screen (1)
An introductory overview of scenic illusion and technical devices, starting from ancient Greece and moving through to modern design and production techniques. Scenery, lighting, costumes, make-up, properties, sound and technical effects are examined in the classroom and through workshop experiences, as they apply to live performance and to film and television. The course includes three design projects structured to demonstrate creative problem-solving.ARTSSChoma

THTR 131: Beginning Acting (1)
Exploration and development of imaginative processes and basic techniques of acting. Training through class exercises, scene and monologue work, discussions, readings and lecture/demonstrations. Designed to develop students physically, vocally, emotionally, and experientially as interpreters of what it means to be human. ARTSJGrace

THTR 151: Foundations of Theatre and Drama (1)
An introductory study of theatre as a collaborative art form, examining dramatic writing and theatrical production, and the process whereby scripts are translated into performance by theatre artists, and exploring theatre's capacity to reflect and promote social, political, and cultural change. HUMNBlackadder

THTR 209: Beginning Playwriting (1)
An introduction to the craft of dramatic writing. In a workshop format, students learn about the elements of playwriting through the study of several published one-acts and the composition and revision of one or more short plays. ARTSNBlackadder

THTR 222: Scene Design (1)
An examination of the elements of design as they relate to the translation and reinforcement of a playscript into the scenic environment of a production. Emphasis is on practical experience in developing a personal design aesthetic. Includes the completion and critique of several original design projects. Alternate years. SChoma

THTR 223: Lighting Design (1)
An examination of the elements of design as they relate to the translation and reinforcement of a playscript into the lighting of a production by addressing such qualities as mood, modeling, selective focus and overall atmosphere. Includes the completion and critique of several original design projects. Emphasis is on practical experience in developing a personal design aesthetic. Alternate years. SChoma

THTR 224: Costume Design (1)
An examination of the history of costuming, and an introduction to the principles and techniques of costume design and technical artistry for the stage. Includes the completion and critique of several original design projects. ARTSMShively

THTR 231: Acting Psychological Realism (1)
The study of acting theory derived from the fundamentals of Stanislavski and psychologically motivated text that examines what it means to be human. Class work includes text analysis, critical analysis of performance, and scene and monologue study and performance. EMetz

THTR 232: Acting Period Style (1)
The course will examine the acting demands of non-naturalistic theatre. The influence of customs, manners and mores, costumes, movement, and language will be explored via scene work and research on culture and human behavior. Aspects of playing physical and intellectual comedy will be emphasized. EMetz

THTR 233: Devised Theatre (1)
This course undertakes an interdisciplinary approach through devising to create performance, often without a prior existing text, for the purpose of entertainment, enlightenment, and/or social change. No prior experience in theatre or performance is necessary. Topics may be drawn from literary sources, life, current events, the news, history, or sociopolitical issues, among many other possibilities. ARTSNBlackadder

THTR 251: Dramaturgy (1)
Students learn about the multiple tasks of the dramaturg primarily by carrying them out. The course requires students to read and analyze numerous plays, to conduct and present historical research, to select and edit scripts, and to produce many pages of writing conceived for various different contexts. In many respects, the course functions like a workshop: most of the work is shared with and discussed by the class as a group.HUMNBlackadder

THTR 271: Theatre Participation (1/2 or 1)
Students may satisfy the Experiential Learning goal and/or receive up to one credit toward the satisfaction of the Foundations goal for significant work in Main Stage and Studio Theatre productions under direct faculty supervision. Students may enroll for elective credit (a minimum of 1/2) for individual participations of significant undertaking without the Foundation or Experiential Learning designation. Offered each term on a contract basis with permission of the instructor.ARTSStaff

THTR 275: London Theatre, History, and Culture (1/2)
Optional capstone experience for specific Theatre courses in performance and dramatic literature and history as designated by the department. Enrolled students will travel to London for two weeks at the conclusion of Fall Term to attend theatre productions, have class with theatre professionals in which they will examine the work they have seen, and visit relevant cultural sites. Graded S/U.Staff

THTR 295: Special Topics (1/2 or 1)
Courses offered occasionally to students in special areas of Theatre not covered in the usual curriculum.Staff

THTR 309: Playwriting and Screenwriting Workshop (1)
Introduction to writing for the screen, and intensive work in the reading and writing of plays and screenplays; workshops and individual conferences. NBlackadder

THTR 310: Repertory Theatre Term (3)
An intensive course in theatre art composed of three interrelated sections that must be taken concurrently. The enrollment of students not majoring in theatre is encouraged. Staff

THTR 310A: Seminar (1)
Intensive study of the plays selected for production and of related works, including historical material as well as other plays. Students carry out dramaturgical research that contributes to the production and rehearsal process.HUMStaff

THTR 310B: Conservatory (1)
Class instruction in voice, movement, physical theatre, and acting techniques.Staff

THTR 310C: Repertory Theatre (1)
Production activities--acting, stage managing, set and costume construction, publicity, etc.--selected to fit the individual student's needs and capabilities.Staff

THTR 325: Design Workshop (1)
Intensive work in the creative development and realization of design in the areas of scenography, costume, lighting, sound, videography, and scenic art; workshops and individual conferences. SChoma

THTR 331: Advanced Acting: Shakespeare and Beyond (1)
Advanced integration of traditional and non-traditional acting theory and practical application (from Shakespeare to the Absurd) through text, voice, and movement. Scene and monologue study, text analysis, and philosophical and historical context are examined in terms of central questions regarding what it means to be human as revealed through performance. EMetz

THTR 351: World Theatre and Drama I: Greeks through the Renaissance (1)
A study of the origins and evolution of drama and theatre beginning with Greece, Rome, and medieval Europe through Early Modern England, Italy, and France. Additional examination of the development of theatrical practice in Japan, China, and India.HUMNBlackadder

THTR 352: World Theatre and Drama II: Restoration through World War I (1)
A study of the developments of dramatic forms and major theatrical movements from Restoration era comedies (1660) through World War I. Additional examination of influences from nonwestern traditions. Focus placed on the theatre as a cultural, social, political, industrial, and economic institution.HUMNBlackadder

THTR 353: World Theatre and Drama III: 1915 to the Present (1)
A study of the developments of dramatic forms and major theatrical movements throughout the world from 1915 to the present. The plays are discussed in their literary, cultural, social, political, and theatrical contexts.HUMNBlackadder

THTR 361: Directing (1)
Theory and practice of directing a play. Text analysis focused on form, metaphor, and motivation through the creative manipulation of the fundamentals of composition, movement, business, picturization, rhythm, and rehearsal and production procedures as approached through scene work, lectures and discussions.EMetz

THTR 381: Shakespeare: Histories and Comedies (1)
Study of Shakespeare's histories and comedies with combined attention to the plays as rich poetry and as texts for performance. Some discussion of the plays in connection with selected critical essays on them, and some in-class analysis of scenes from filmed productions of the plays. HUMCFalck

THTR 382: Shakespeare: Tragedies and Romances (1)
Study of Shakespeare's tragedies and romances with combined attention to the plays as rich poetry and as texts for performance. Some discussion of the plays in connection with selected critical essays on them, and some in-class analysis of scenes from filmed productions of the plays. HUMCFalck

THTR 383: Women Playwrights (1)
Analysis of the works of female playwrights who represent diversity in race, nationality, perspective, and style. A brief review of the evolution of feminisms is traced in order to identify the areas of thought and conflict that most influence the condition of the female writer and specifically the playwright. EMetz

THTR 384: American Drama and Theatre (1)
This course is a survey of dramatic writing and theatrical expression in America. Close investigation placed on themes such as the American dream, the American family, and the struggle for racial, ethnic, economic, and sexual equality. Plays are discussed within particular social, historical, political, and artistic frameworks. NBlackadder

THTR 385: Dramatic Theory and Criticism (1)
This course undertakes a practical approach to the major theories of the theatre that emerged during the late nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century. Topics may be drawn from semiotics, phenomenology, post-structuralism, deconstruction, psychoanalysis, feminism, gender and queer studies, reception theory, postmodernism, and post-colonialism. NBlackadder

THTR 386: Theatre and Society (1)
A study of the relationship between theatre and society. This course examines a variety of plays and theatre practitioners and theoreticians, focusing on theatre's capacity to reflect and participate in social, political and cultural discourse. Specific topics vary from term to term. NBlackadder

THTR 387: Studies in Dramatic Literature (1)
Close examination of the work of a single playwright or theatre practitioner (such as Caryl Churchill or Bertolt Brecht), or of a period (e.g., Jacobean) or genre (e.g., tragedy). NBlackadder

THTR 395: Special Topics (1/2 or 1)
Course offered occasionally to students in special areas of Theatre not covered in the usual curriculum. Staff