Theatre Courses

THTR 121 Design and Technology for Stage and Screen

An introductory overview of scenic illusion and technical devices, starting from ancient Greece 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.

THTR 131 Beginning Acting

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.

THTR 151 Introduction to Theatre and Drama

An introductory study of theatre as a collaborative art form, examining dramatic writing and theatrical production, 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.

THTR 209 Beginning Playwriting

A seminar in the practice of writing for the stage, through workshops and the examination of various forms. This course will foster opportunities to develop one's voice through focused attention upon essential craft elements such as dialogue, dramatic action, writing for a collaborative medium, etc.

THTR 222 Scenic and Lighting Design I

An examination of the elements of design as they relate to the translation of a playscript into the physical environment of a production. This process includes the lighting of the scenic environment by addressing such qualities as mood, modeling, selective focus, and overall atmosphere. Shared foundational concepts of both fields of design are explored including color theory, light and shadow, positive and negative space, line, mass, form, perspective, and how the two design fields interact in 3 dimensional space. Includes the completion and critique of several original design projects. Emphasis is on developing a personal design process and aesthetic through the application of theory to practical experience.

THTR 223 Scenic and Lighting Design II

A higher level exploration of the fields of Scenic and Lighting Design as visual storytelling. Through the carefully considered manipulation of the elements of design and the principles of composition, advanced projects will engage the interstices between Scenic and Lighting Design and their reliance on one another to create space and form. These projects will build upon experience gained in THTR 222: Scenic and Lighting Design I in both magnitude and complexity. Students will further develop a considered personal design process and aesthetic through the theoretical and practical experience gained from each project. Includes the completion, presentation, and critique of multiple original design projects.

THTR 224 Costume Design

An introduction to the principles and techniques of costume design and technical artistry for the stage. Includes the completion and critique of multiple design projects.

THTR 231 Acting Studio: Psychological Realism

The study of acting as applied to psychologically motivated text. Class work includes text analysis, critical analysis of performance, and text study and performance. Students repeating the course will undertake successively advanced concepts, applications, and projects.

THTR 232 Acting Studio: Style

Theoretical concepts and practicum approaches to acting as practiced historically and in world theatre. Study will include multiple approaches to acting in a wide array of texts and performance settings, including historical epochs of western theatre, non-western physical theatre, socio-political theatre, and story theatre. Students repeating the course will undertake successively advanced concepts, applications, and projects.

THTR 233 Devised Theatre for Social Change

This course undertakes an interdisciplinary approach to creating original performance texts that entertain and enlighten on themes of social responsibility and 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.

THTR 251 Dramaturgy

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 compose essays and features on plays and productions for audience consumption. In many respects, the course functions like a workshop: most of the work is shared with and discussed by the class as a group.

THTR 261 Introduction to Directing

Introduction to the process of directing a play as the source of the unifying vision for play production. Topics include the history of directing, directing styles, world of the play research, script analysis, rehearsal preparation, and staging.

THTR 271 Theatre Participation 1/2 or 1

Faculty-supervised participation in productions or projects of an immersive nature. Proposed projects must be in an area of theatre performance or production in which the student has studied previously and have prior approval from a supervising faculty member.Can be taken for .5, 1.0, or 1.5 credits, with a cumulative maximum of 1.5 credits.

THTR 281 Introduction to Shakespeare

Four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare's texts enthrall audiences and readers and have come to define great English literature. This course introduces students to Shakespeare's canon and to the historical, political, religious, and artistic contexts in which he wrote. Students read a range of Shakespeare's dramatic and non-dramatic work from across the scope of his career, including at least three of the four dramatic genres in which he wrote (comedy, tragedy, history, romance) and samples of his shorter or longer poetry. The course also considers Shakespeare's continuing relevance through modern film and stage adaptation.

THTR 286 Theatre and Society

See description of THTR 386.

THTR 295 Special Topics 1/2 or 1

Courses offered occasionally to students in special areas of Theatre not covered in the usual curriculum.

THTR 309 Playwriting and Screenwriting Workshop

Introduction to writing for the screen, and intensive work in the reading and writing of plays and screenplays; workshops and individual conferences.

THTR 310 Repertory Theatre Term 3

An immersive experience in theatre art composed of three interrelated sections that must be taken concurrently. The enrollment of students not majoring in theatre is encouraged. Students may satisfy the Immersion or Active Learning requirement for participation in Repertory Term. Students enroll in all three of the following courses: THTR 310A Rehearsal and production Participation in the rehearsal and production process as actors, assistant directors, assistant designers, technicians, dramaturgs, or stage managers. THTR 310B Research and dramaturgy A seminar that examines the context, themes, and styles of the plays selected for production. THTR 310C Production technology Contributions in multiple areas--including set and costume construction, publicity and marketing, etc.--are selected by the faculty to suit individual students' interests and capabilities and address need.

THTR 310B Drama and Theatre Seminar

THTR 310C Repertory Theatre

THTR 325 Design Workshop

Advanced study of theory and the creative process leading to the realization of a design in the areas of scenography, costume, lighting, sound, videography, and scenic art; experiential projects, workshops, and individual conferences.

THTR 331 Advanced Acting: Shakespeare and Beyond

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.

THTR 351 Theatre History I: Classical Antiquity through the Renaissance

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.

THTR 352 Theatre History II: The Restoration to Expressionism

A study of the developments of dramatic forms and major theatrical movements from Restoration era comedies (1660) through Expressionism (1915). Additional examination of influences from nonwestern traditions. Focus placed on the theatre as a cultural, social, political, industrial, and economic institution.

THTR 353 Theatre History III: Historical Avant-garde to the Present

A study of the developments of dramatic forms and major theatrical movements throughout the world from the Historical Avant-Garde to the present. The plays are discussed in their literary, cultural, social, political, and theatrical contexts.

THTR 361 Advanced Collaboration: Directing, Design, Playwriting

Directors, designers, and playwrights collaborate to consider advanced theory and concepts in production realization for the stage. This course focuses on the collaborative process of manifesting theme, meaning, and play structure via the manipulation of three-dimensional stage space through form, metaphor, motivation, composition, positive/negative space, and movement and the creative relationships between the director, the designers, and the author�s intent. Students will collaborate with the professor to determine the particular focus of each offering to determine the content to which the concepts will be applied.

THTR 371 Theatre Participation 1/2 to 1 1/2

Faculty-supervised participation in productions or projects of an advanced and/or immersive nature. Proposed projects must be in an area of theatre performance or production in which the student has studied previously and have prior approval from a supervising faculty member.Can be taken for .5, 1.0, or 1.5 credits, with a cumulative maximum of 1.5 credits. Offered each term.

THTR 381 Shakespeare: Histories and Comedies

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.

THTR 382 Shakespeare: Tragedies and Romances

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.

THTR 383 Women Playwrights

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.

THTR 384 American Drama and Theatre

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.

THTR 385 Dramatic Theory and Criticism

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.

THTR 386 Theatre and Society

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 (examples of past topics include: Queer Black Playwrights, Staging the Nation, and Contemporary Plays by Women of Color).

THTR 386K Theatre & Society: Theatre and Incarceration

In Theatre and Incarceration, we will examine plays that feature incarcerated and recently incarcerated characters, to examine issues related to incarceration in today's society. We will supplement the reading of these plays with examinations of organizations who make theatre with and for individuals impacted by incarceration, exploring the opportunities inherent in theatre to provide a creative outlet and representation for those who are marginalized via the legal system and prison industrial complex.

THTR 387 Studies in Dramatic Literature

Close examination of the work of a single playwright or theatre practitioner (e.g., Caryl Churchill or Bertolt Brecht), or of a period (e.g., Jacobean) or genre (e.g., tragedy).

THTR 395 Special Topics 1/2 or 1

Course offered occasionally to students in special areas of Theatre not covered in the usual curriculum.