Theatre Studies Courses
100 The Wonder of Dance (SPST114). 4. This course is an introduction to many aspects of dance. Students develop an awareness and appreciation for dance as art and expression through an exploration of history, contemporary trends, social themes, personalities, sample dance class experiences and choreographic projects. Fulfills arts and diversity in the U.S. requirements.
101 Modern Dance I (SPST112). 2. An introduction to the art of modern dance, designed for students with little or no dance or modern experience. This dance form, with its philosophy based in the expression of personal and contemporary social concerns, will explore various movement techniques including those of Martha Graham, Erick Hawkins, Doris Humphrey and Jose Limon.
103 Beginning Ballet (SPST110). 2. This is a beginning-level course for students with little or no dance or ballet experience. Students will explore the beauty and power of this art through the study of technique at the barre, learning the French terminology, the critical viewing of live concerts and performing in a semester-end showing.
104 Jazz Dance (SPST111). 2. This is an introduction to the art of jazz dance, designed as a continuing study of the technique introduced in 101 and 103. The emphasis of the course is on style and the acquisition of an explosive performance quality; technical studies will include isolations, turns, placement and strengthening. Prerequisite is THEA 101 or 103.
110 Introduction to Theatre. 4. Introduces and explores the methods of the entire collaborative creative process by which theatre is made. Focuses on text selection, text analysis, theater history, directing, casting, acting, design (set, costume and lighting), props, stage management, marketing, house management and box office. The outcome of the class is a gallery of the students’ textual and visual work. Fulfills the arts requirement.
111 Backstage Production. 4. Explores methods of backstage theater craft through hands-on work. Focuses on the elements of planning, construction, tools, rigging, lighting, sewing, sound and painting. Students work directly on the department’s current production in an individual and collaborative nature examining the contribution of technical theater to the impact of live performance. Fulfills arts requirement.
120 Public Presentation. 4. Introduction to the skills required for effective speaking within a public contest. Includes basic instruction in Power Point digital presentations. Focus on research, organization, ethical communication, physical presence and vocal delivery. Requires fours speeches (introductory, informative, persuasive and commemorative) and several observation exercises.
125 Acting 1:Basic Tools. 4. Explores the challenges facing actors of realistic drama: living truthfully within a play’s specific imaginary world. Focuses on the ability to discern, define and embody given circumstances, dramatic action and character. Special emphasis on goals, obstacles, tactics and expectations. Fulfills arts requirement.
130 Theatre and Culture I. 4. Study of Western theatre from the Greeks through the English Renaissance. Examines play texts and theatre architecture as primary source documents that reflect the artistic, philosophical, political and social contexts of a particular cultural moment in history. Fulfills arts requirement.
131 Theatre and Culture II. 4. Study of Western theatre from the late Renaissance through the present. Examines play and theatre architecture as primary source documents that reflect the artistic, philosophical, political and social contexts of a particular cultural moment in history. Fulfills arts requirement.
150 Special Topics. 4. May also be offered at 250, 350 and 450 levels.
151 HP:The Birth of the Avant-Garde (ENGL 151). 4. Traces the evolution of literary and performance styles from realism/naturalism to the avant-garde movements at the turn of 20th-century Europe: symbolism, futurism, dadaism, surrealism and expressionism. Links each style to social forces, music, art, important people, ideas and watershed events. Fulfills historical perspectives requirement.
152 HP:America and Its Musicals: 1900-1975 (MUS 152). 4. Traces development of the American musical theatre from 1900 to 1975 with a primary focus on the years of significant transformation that begin in 1940. Studies the art from sociological, political, cultural, economic, artistic and historic perspectives. Analyzes individual artists and productions that have influenced and been influenced by the evolving American national identity. Fulfills historical perspectives requirement.
161 Masterpieces of the Cinema. 4. Exploration of film as an art form that visually represents ideas under the influence of a single person, group of creative people or society and culture. Introduces basic film terminology and analytical techniques used for contemplation of a film and its basic components. Fulfills arts requirement.
171 Introduction to Theatrical Design. 4. Introduction to the principles and techniques of theatrical design. Develops the basic core of knowledge needed to create informed designs that manifest a “world” in which the performance of a playscript can take place. Includes units on scenery, costumes, lights and sound. Fulfills arts requirement.
175 Stage Make-up. 2-4. Develops an understanding of the principles and processes of stage make-up design and application. Exercises explore the relation between textual delineations of character, the actor playing the role and production concept; make-up application projects include straight, corrective, age, fantasy and prosthetics.
190 Mainstage Actor. 1-4. Academic credit for work on a department production. CR/NC.
195 Mainstage Tech. 1-4. Academic credit for work on a department production. CR/NC.
201 Modern Dance II (SPST113). 2. This course is intended for students who have already experienced dance, with a continuation of concepts and technique from 101, 102 and 103. In addition to the critical viewing of works, this course emphasizes the expansion of one’s classical movement vocabulary and the discovery of one’s own performance quality. Prerequisite is THEA 101 and 104 or permission of the instructor.
204 Choreography (SPST115). 4. This course is a formal introduction to the art of dance composition. It is designed for students that have had previous dance experiences in technique, the creative process leading to performance and the critical viewing of works; for students working toward a minor in dance, it is preferred that this be the final course completed. Prerequisite: any combination of two dance courses. Fulfills arts requirement.
215 Play Analysis (ENGL215). 4. Explores the methodology of script analysis used by actors, designers and directors as they prepare to execute a stage production. Students also develop the interpretive skills needed by artists working in a theatre that responds to and addresses issues of oppression and social justice. Prerequisites: ENGL 102 and Historical Perspectives. Fulfills humanities and social justice/environmental responsibility requirements.
227 Acting 2: Playing the Action. 4.Examines the pursuit of objectives through interactions with onstage scene partners. Techniques explored include, but are not limited to, sending and receiving; eliciting response; identifying progressive change in oneself through what is received from the partner. Exercises investigate action utilizing repetition, speech, song, gibberish, physicalization and improvisation. Scene work concentrates on American realism. Prerequisite: THEA 125.
228 Acting 2: Creating the World. 4. Explores the work of the actor in reorganizing the self into another human being existing in the circumstances and world of the play. Includes work on sense memory and sensory endowment to bring moment-to-moment physical life to an environment; the discovery and development of immediate and historic given circumstances from textual clues. Scene work from three contrasting dramatic genres, each involving different relationships among given circumstances, spoken text and action. Prerequisite: THEA 125 and THEA 215.
229 Acting 2: Voice and Diction. 4. Development of the expressive potential of human sound (voice) and speech (diction). Vocal work focuses on breath support and control, grounding, resonance and the role of the voice in the creation and communication of meaning; speech work includes exercises in articulation, use of heightened text and work with dialects and accents. (Prerequisite: THEA 125).
244 Playwriting Workshop (ENGL210). 4. Twelve weekly scenes read and critiqued in class and a one-act play as a final project. Exploration of various elements of playwriting such as conflict, manipulation of chronology, life studies, character exposition and development, "found" language, passive participation in and transcription of actual events.
260 Independent Study. 1-4. May also be offered at 360 and 460 levels. Independent research or directed study for exceptional students with strong interest in particular areas of dramatic literature, theatre history, design, technical production, acting, directing or performance theory.
262 Gay and Lesbian Cinema. 4. Study of the impact cinematic representation has on attitudes towards gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Americans. Engages students in conceptual analysis of films and mass media using theories of representation, authenticity and identity construction. Fulfills arts and diversity in the U.S. requirements.
265 Artistry in Film. 4. Study of the major aesthetic elements in film and video production – light, space, time-motion and sound. Develops the knowledge and skill to select and apply those aesthetic elements in order to help translate significant ideas into significant visual messages quickly and effectively. Fulfills arts requirement.
271 Set Design. 4. Develops an understanding of the principles and processes of set design for the stage. Explores how this design area echoes and utilizes other art forms and functions in relation to theatre production as a whole; emphasis on spatial aesthetics, critical analysis, creative interpretation, research for design, conceptual collaboration and the oral, written and graphic communication of the design idea. Fulfills arts requirement.
272 Digital Sound Design. 4. Exploration of sound design in theater and the psychological impact it can have on an audience during a live performance. Topics of discussion include the role of the sound designer, sound reinforcement systems, mixing, editing and playback for film as well as live events. Fulfills arts requirement. Prerequisite: THEA 171 suggested but not required.
274 Digital Graphic Design (CMIT274). 4. Introduction to the uses of computer-assisted drafting, image manipulation and desktop publishing as applied to the creation of artistic work. Explores basic elements of graphic design: form, space, color, contrast, typography, clip art and images and layout. Step-by-step instruction empowers students to create projects that are both functional and visually appealing. Fulfills arts requirement.
275 Costume Design. 4. Develops an understanding of the principles and processes of costume design for the stage. Exercises and projects explore gesture, movement, clothing, accessories, hair and makeup as physical manifestations of dramatic character. Fulfills arts requirement.
290 Internship. 1-4. Internships in the professional theatre are strongly encouraged. May be applied to the practicum requirement where appropriate. May also be offered at the 390 level.
295 Practicum. 1-4. Theoretical and practical work in one of the following areas: costuming, lighting, sound, properties management, makeup, scene painting, box office, house management, publicity, film festival staff and stage management. All practicums include work on a mainstage production with documentation of outcomes presented in a digital portfolio. General topics of discussion include, ensemble, collaborative relationships, time management, deadlines and portfolio presentation. Prerequisite: THEA 111.
320 Acting 3: Shakespeare. 4. Explores the relationship of Shakespeare’s uses of language and form to action and acting, bringing the self to the specific demands of formally structured material and identifying the tools for action-playing in various text structures and styles. Prerequisites: THEA 125: Fundamentals of Acting, THEA
229 Voice and Diction and either THEA 227 Playing the Action or THEA 228 Creating the World.
325 Acting 3: Modern Realism. 4. Develops the ability to be "emphatically present" with a partner in the imaginary world of a play's circumstances. Focuses on sense memory, emotional recall and substitution as means to create the actor’s belief in those circumstances.
341 East Asian Theatre (IDS 408). 4. Study of traditional theatre of China and Japan. Examines the literary styles and theatrical conventions of Beijing opera, Bunraku, Kabuki and Noh as living metaphors of Eastern culture. Grounded in study of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. Fulfills arts and intercultural requirements.
361 Narrative Film Production. 4. Study and practice of the narrative film production process from screenwriting to postproduction, utilizing skills in video and audio acquisition, lighting and editing systems. Students develop skills in aesthetic development, storytelling and evaluation through examples and applications in filmmaking based on a narrative story.
365 Documentary Film Production. 4. Study and practice of documentary production and post-production utilizing video and audio acquisition and editing systems as well as the development of aesthetic as well as technical capabilities through lecture and hands-on experience. Fulfills arts requirement.
366 Filmmaking Capstone. 1. The practice of narrative, experimental or documentary film production from preproduction to postproduction, utilizing skills developed throughout the student’s experience in the film concentration. Students produce a semester-long project utilizing a defined film concept from narrative or documentary genres.
381 Play Direction. 4. Explores the "choice-making" process of creative play direction. Exercises in interpretation of a playscript, actor coaching, ground plans, composition, picturization, movement and formulation of a production "concept." Prerequisites: THEA 125, THEA 171 and THEA 215
494 Senior Company I. 1. Theatre studies majors graduating in the spring and/or following fall prepare for an end-of-year senior capstone project. Fulfilling the roles of their declared track in the major, students form a prototypical theatre company, choose a play and mount it in a studio production for the general public. Preparation includes play selection, assignment of responsibilities, initial research and analysis and planning that leads to an approved production calendar for the coming spring.
495 Senior Company II. 3. A capstone thesis project growing out of the cumulative academic experience in theatre and emphasizing issues of ensemble performance, collaboration across areas of specialization and the dynamics of forming a prototypical theater company. Projects involve group work with other seniors, but allowances for individual projects are considered on a case-by-case basis.