Theater (THR)
THR 100. Experiencing the Arts. 1 Credit Hour.
Students will be given the opportunity to view, evaluate, and critique the visual and performing arts in several different mediums. Course may not be repeated for credit. Students are required to also attend multiple arts events in the community and on campus as a component of their coursework. Course is only 5 weeks long. Please check course availability to see exact meeting dates.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 105. Introduction to Theatre. 3 Credit Hours.
A survey of theatre art, past and present, with a behind-the-scenes examination of the concepts and personnel involved in its creation. Class projects are intended to give students introductory experience with playwriting, acting, directing design and theatre criticism. Fulfills Core requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 110. Stagecraft. 3 Credit Hours.
This course offers a practical introduction to the backstage workings of technical theatre including principles, methods and materials. Areas of study include scene construction, scenic artistry, lighting, sound and costuming.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 121. Musical Theatre History. 3 Credit Hours.
Students will study the development of musical theatre, ranging from the dramas of ancient Greece to the megamusicals of today. Students will also study the theatrical review, utilizing this knowledge to critique filmed and live performances. Along the way, students will recognize the link between the development of the musical and societal trends and events.
Cross-listed Courses: MUS 121
THR 170. Core Movement Concepts. 3 Credit Hours.
This introductory course offers students a supportive, studio-class environment in which to explore dance genres including but not limited to ballet, modern, jazz, Pilates/Conditioning, musical theater, vernacular styles, and folk dances. While building body awareness, strength, and flexibility students will gain an understanding of the fundamentals of human movement through space and time and their social and cultural significance and context.
THR 203. Voice and Movement. 3 Credit Hours.
This fundamentals course will explore basic processes of vocal and physical performance, recognition of controllable elements in speech and the body, and strategies for maximizing presence and presentation as an actor or performer. Students will be given daily opportunity to improve flexibility, strength, physical and vocal expression, pronunciation, and articulation in a supportive studio-course setting.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 205. Acting I. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is a hands-on exploration of the creative process, focusing on the attainment of fundamental acting tools, terms, techniques and their application to working with dramatic texts. Primarily focused on Theatre Majors, minors, and students with previous acting experience, this fast-paced technique-focused course will place special attention on the actor's self-awareness and collaboration with other actors through the use of sensory exercises, textual analysis, and scene study.
Prerequisite: WRT 101 or permission of instructor.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 210. Fundamentals of Design for Theatre. 3 Credit Hours.
A survey of the visual elements and techniques necessary for designing in the theatre. Projects are intended to introduce basic skills in perspective and figure drawing, drafting, painting and modeling as well as to explore aesthetic and practical problems in design. Prerequisite(s): THR 105 or permission of the Department Chair.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 218. Live Sound. 1 Credit Hour.
Students will be introduced to the basics of live sound operations, including the basics of setting up a sound system and operating a sound board and accessories. A key component of the course will be hands-on experience running sound for events on campus, including music, theater, rock bands and much more.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
Cross-listed Courses: MUS 218
THR 250. Stage Management Workshop. 1 Credit Hour.
An introduction to the basics of theatrical stage management. Topics covered are preparation for rehearsal, rehearsal process, tech rehearsal procedures, and performance management. This work shop meets in four full-day sessions and includes both lecture and practical exercises. Participants will also have an opportunity to observe professional stage managers in their working environment.
THR 260. Theatre Practicum. 1-3 Credit Hours.
Theatre majors are required to accumulate a total of three credit hours of production experience working backstage on a variety of events. The amount of credit varies depending on the complexity of each position's responsibility and is typically spread over six semesters. Positions include but are not limited to scenery and costume construction, stage lighting, audio, run crew and assistant stage management. Pass/fail grades only.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 265. Theatre Performance Practicum. 1 Credit Hour.
Upon acceptance following audition, student actors rehearse and perform in theatrical productions under faculty direction. May be repeated for up to three credits. Pass/fail grades only.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 270. Bodies in Motion: Experiential Anatomy. 3 Credit Hours.
Bodies In Motion is designed to give students a unique and specific understanding of their own human anatomy and biomechanics. Technical knowledge absorbed via lecture and text will be applied and understood through the experience of ballet-based dance technique and somatic exploration. Learning human anatomy in this course will prepare students to care for themselves and remain healthy throughout life. This course will not fulfill prerequisite admissions requirements for health professional schools. Fulfills Core Requirements: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS).
THR 271. Ballet Dance Technique. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is structured to enhance and nurture previous and new dance students in their vocabulary and technique with relation to Classical Ballet, its impact with regard to strengthening and toning the body, and its relation to other dance styles (ballet is commonly referred to as the foundation of all dance forms). The class will be comprised of "barre" exercises, "centre" exercises, core work that will develop and educate students in the areas of healthy alignment/placement and carriage, strengthening of muscles, stretch and toning, etc. Core work (using classical and modern musical selections) will include across the floor progressions/combinations, and petite/medium and grande allegro exercises for cardio vascular development.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 272. Body Conditioning Through Ballet. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is structured to enhance and nurture previous and new dance students in their vocabulary and technique with relation to Classical Ballet and its impact with regard to strengthening and toning the body, its impact and relation to other dance forms (commonly referred to as the foundation of all dance forms), and the relations/differences in training the body and its muscles compared to various athletcis training. The class will be comprised of "barre" exercises, "centre" exercises, core work and develop and educated the students in the areas of healthy alignment/placement and carriage, strengthening of muscles, breathing with regard to exercises, stretch & toning, core work, technical aspects, which related to other dance forms, across the florr progressions/combinations, and including petite/medium and grande allegro exercises for cardio vascular development. Various musical selections including classical and contemporary, will be utilized in the class accompanying all exercises.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 273. Jazz Dance Technique. 3 Credit Hours.
This course, which attends to the development and vocabulary of basic jazz dance technique, will also explore historical and contemporary jazz dance artists and choreographers. Performance techniques emphasize body alignment, coordination, strength, flexibility, and musicality, while the academic focus is on research into the history of jazz and its components as well as entry-level choreography in composition.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 275. Contemporary Dance Technique. 3 Credit Hours.
Explorations of techniques, creative aspects, and theoretical concepts of modern dance including proper body alignment and mechanics of breathing, musicality, and phrasing. Structural improvisations will be introduced, as will verbal and movement vocabulary.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 277. Musical Theatre Dance. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will explore and introduce various choreographic and directorial approaches to creating Musical Theatre Dance as related to the Broadway Stage. A technique oriented Jazz/Ballet based warm-up developed to address placement, flexibility, musicality, vocabulary and technique will be given with the later centre work geared toward varying choreographic styles and repertoire pertaining to Musical Theatre/Broadway productions. Character creation and intention within the dance movement and musical selection will be developed and nurtured.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 279. Introduction to Indian Dance: History, Technique, and Practice. 3 Credit Hours.
Indian dance is a versatile medium which has been traditionally used to tell stories derived from mythology and folklore. This course will offer students an opportunity to explore socio-political, historical, and cultural contexts through which Indian dances have evolved over the centuries. It will enhance the diversity of the educational experience in Visual and Performing Arts. Fulfills Core Requirements: Cultural Elective (CE) and Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 280. Dance Choreography. 3 Credit Hours.
Choreography is the art of creating meaningful movement in space and time. This course is an introduction to dance composition designed to teach the basic elements of the art of choreography, as well as tools and techniques for creating dances. A variety of dance genres and styles will be explored.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 281. Choreography Practicum. 1-3 Credit Hours.
Upon acceptance of application, student choreographers attend 15 hours of instructional workshop concurrent with choreography, rehearsal and performance of original work in student dance concert. May be repeated for up to three credits.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 302. The Western Drama Tradition. 3 Credit Hours.
A study of major periods of theatrical development from the Greeks and Romans through the eighteenth century, with emphasis on dramatic literature in relation to performance conditions and cultural backgrounds.
Prerequisite: WRT 101 and either ENG 200, ENG 210, or ENG 218.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 302
THR 305. Advanced Acting: Methods and Styles. 3 Credit Hours.
A scene study course which introduces students to the basic elements of acting styles, such as realism, lyric and classic, gestural and mannered comedy. Instruction is studio-based with students presenting scenes for criticism and discussion.
Prerequisite: THR 205 or permission of instructor.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 306. Advanced Acting: Topics in Performance. 3 Credit Hours.
An in depth scene study course dedicated to the examination of one particular acting style. Topics may include either genres or playwrights. Examples are performance studies in the style of: Bertolt Brecht, William Inge, Oscar Wilde, Restoration Comedy, Greek Tragedy, Victorian Melodrama and others. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisites: THR 205 or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts(VPA).
THR 307. Acting Shakespeare. 3 Credit Hours.
This advanced acting course exposes the student to specific technical issues involved in acting in Shakespearean plays. The course will take students through text analysis, consideration of verse drama, vocal issues specific to the form, as well as issues common to all dramatic performance. Students will perform a variety of scenes and monologues from a comedy, a tragedy, and a history play.
Prerequisite: THR 205 or permission of instructor.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 310. Staging French Theater. 3 Credit Hours.
A course in French literature in which students experience performing plays in French, some of these in front of an audience. Plays and / or scene selections taken from the repertoire of the medieval, classical, eighteenth century and contemporary French theater. Students will analyze plays for structure, style and themes. Works selected will be studied not simply as objects for performance but also for their literary merit. Class conducted in French. Theater students and others with the requisite skills in French are also invited to enroll in this course.
Prerequisites: Any FRN 200 level course.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
Cross-listed Courses: FRN 410
THR 314. Costume Design. 3 Credit Hours.
An introduction to costume design and production techniques, this course provides a basic understanding of the elements of costume design, research methods, rendering and presentation, as well as practicum experience.
Prerequisite: THR 105 and Sophomore status or permission of instructor.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 315. Scene Design. 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines the procedures and practices of contemporary set designers, for initial concept to finished scenic enviroment. Students develop theoretical stage designs to gain experience in te design process using historical research, script analysis, collage, sketches, and scenic models.
Prerequisite: THR 105 and Sophomore status or permission of instructor.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 317. Lighting Design. 3 Credit Hours.
A study of the technology and aesthetics of designing light for the stage. Students receive hands-on experience with the fundamentals of electricity and wiring, theatrical lighting equipment and procedures. Assignments involve designing lights for performances in theater and dance.
Prerequisite: sophomore status or permission of instructor.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 318. Topics in Technical Theatre. 1-3 Credit Hours.
Introduction to basic methods of costume construction including hand and machine sewing, fabric preparation and cutting, simple alterations, and commercial pattern use and garment construction. Students will complete several projects including pajama pants, a sewing sampler, zippers and button holes, basic patterning, and a final garment of their choice. Class also includes lectures on shop organization, job positions, costume materials, and policies. Different topics carry different course credit, as determined by the department. This course may be repeated for credit.
THR 319. Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama. 3 Credit Hours.
The course will focus on popular non-Shakespearean plays written and performed in England during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Special attention will be given to comedic and tragic traditions and to issues of class, politics, and gender.
THR 330. Literary London. 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines literature about London, one of the world's major cities, produced in England during the 18th and 19th centuries. We will study selected texts - poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and plays - that consider London's diversity and its significance as a cultural and commercial center, reflect on the social, political, philosophical, and religious ideas that have inspired representations of London, and recognize the contribution that London has made to English literature. The course is open to anyone with an interest and enthusiasm for the subject. It satisfies departmental requirements for major electives in the literature of the 18th and 19th centuries and, for theatre majors, one of the literature requirements. Students enrolled in this course will participate in a twelve-day study tour of London and its environs during January break. Additional fees will be required.
THR 335. Devised Theatre. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is an exploration into the methods of creating dynamic and spontaneous theatre that maximizes the creative potential of each participant through the creation of group-project. Rather than the traditional playwright-director-actor-designer roles, this ensemble-generated method of play-making gives everyone an equal voice in and responsibility for the creative process. Devised theatre incorporates elements of acting, directing, dance, movement, voice, playwriting, stagecraft and more, and in this course we will investigate Devised Theatre through in-class exercises and long-form compositions rehearsed and created in and out of the classroom towards generating an original final presentation for an audience.
Prerequisites: THR 105 or permission of the department chair.
THR 337. Theatre for Social Change Learning. 3 Credit Hours.
"I believe that all the truly revolutionary theatrical groups should transfer to the people the means of production in the theater so that the people themselves may utilize them. The theater is a weapon, and it is the people who should wield it."(Boal, 1993) In this course we will focus on studying the work of Augusto Boal, the creator of the Theatre of The Oppressed (TO) and familiarize ourselves with and experiment with different TO techniques to promote social change. We will look at other genres that emerged from TO, such as applied theatre, moment work and invisible theatre. We will examine how this work is used by various groups and communities and discuss how theatre can be used in a social and political context. 3 Credits.
THR 340. Directing. 3 Credit Hours.
An introduction to the art and craft of directing for the theatre. Students will study the history, technique and methodology of directing through readings, in-class discussion, scene study, and studio work.
Prerequisites: THR 205 plus six hours of theatre courses, junior or senior standing or permission of the instructor.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 365. Irish Drama and Performance. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will explore Irish drama and the history of the Irish stage; including plays by prominent Irish playwrights- Yeats, Lady Gregory, Synge, Shaw and others. By relating each play to Irish nationalism, students will gain an understanding of what it means to be Irish and the importance of literature during the Irish Literary Revival and Gaelic Revival during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. As a final project, students will devise their own theatre piece using the themes and ideas presented during their study of Irish dramatic literature, exploring what it means to have a national identity and the importance of theatre in Ireland. Using their knowledge of Irish dramatic literature, students will travel to Ireland to work with the Gaiety School of Acting in their actors training program and to explore Irish culture through theatre's lens. Note: This course includes a required travel component and has additional travel expenses associated with it.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts (VPA)).
THR 368. Modern American Drama. 3 Credit Hours.
A survey of the major American playwrights beginning O'Neill and normally including Maxwell Anderson, Rice, Odets, Miller, Albee, Wilder, Saroyan, and Williams.
Prerequisites: WRT 101 and ENG 210 or ENG 218.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 368
THR 369. Modern European Drama. 3 Credit Hours.
A study of representative plays of European dramatists from the mid-19th century to mid-20th centuries.
THR 371. Critical Approaches to Film. 3 Credit Hours.
An introduction to film genre, genre theory and film criticism, the course will examine the generic conventions that govern production and reception of film texts. Film genres may include the screwball comedy, the melodrama, the western, the musical, the gangster picture, film noir and others.
Prerequisites: WRT 101, and ENG 200, ENG 210, or ENG 218.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 372. History of Film: Beginnings to 1940. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will survey major developments in cinema from the advent of the medium near the end of the nineteenth century, through the emergence of a syntax for narrative film during the silent era, to the arrival and entrenchment of the sound film in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The nature of the course is such that our concerns will be manifold, but they will surely include attention to the following: the work of several pioneers of the medium-the Lumiere brothers, Thomas Edison (and his major collaborator William Kennedy Laurie Dickinson), Georges Melies, and Edwin S. Porter; D.W. Griffith's central role in the creation of a "language" for moving images and his equally significant role in turning film into a popular medium; some of the formal experiments that took place in Germany in the 20s-German expressionism, in particular, as well as the Kammerspielfilm; Soviet montage; French impressionism and surrealism; the great Hollywood comics of the 20s; the development of sound technology and its impact on film form; the importance of genre in the development of the film industry; and French poetic realism. Without scanting attention to such historical matters, we will also, however, want to engage particular film texts: thus much of our time in class will be spent discussing individual films. Prerequisites WRT 101 and ENG 200, ENG 210, ENG 218 or HON 111.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 373. History of Film: 1940 to the Present. 3 Credit Hours.
A study of the development of film since 1940. The course will examine social, technical, and artistic aspects of important films by influential directors, addressing in particular the well-made Hollywood film, Italian neo-realism, French new wave, and the rise of auteurism.
Prerequisites: WRT 101 and ENG 200, ENG 210, ENG 218 or HON 111.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 374. Latin American & Us Latino Theatre. 3 Credit Hours.
A study of major Latin American and U.S. Latino plays. Emphasis on dramatic literature in relation to performance and cultural contexts. Some production of scenes. Fulfills Core Requirements: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and Diversity (DIV). Suggested prior course: SPN 201. Not open to first year students.
Prerequisite: SPN 104.
Cross-listed Courses: SPN 474
THR 386. Introduction to Playwriting. 3 Credit Hours.
A workshop that introduces students to the techniques of dramatic writing. In our explorations of structure, dialogue and methods of characterization, students begin by writing one- to two- page exercises, advance to outlines for plot and character and finally write a ten-minute play which is performed in class.
Prerequisite: WRT 101.
Fulfills Core Requirement: Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
THR 389. Writing the One Act Play. 3 Credit Hours.
The goal of this writing workshop is to write a one-act play. The course is designed for students who have some experience with writing plays or a strong creative writing background. Students will first explore the techniques of dramatic writing through examples, exercises, and class discussion, advance to plot outlines and character sketches, and finally write a one-act play, which will be performed in class. Fulfills Core requirement(s): VPA.
Prerequisite: WRT 101.
Cross-listed Courses: ENG 389
THR 390. Independent Study. 1-6 Credit Hours.
A student who wishes to pursue a theatre project in acting, directing, dramatic literature, design or stage management for academic credit must submit, prior to registration: a proposed plan that includes a description of the project and its goals, the methods to be followed, schedule of work and supervision, end product, evaluation procedure and number of credits sought. The proposal must be approved by the supervising faculty member, the department chair and the dean of arts and sciences' office, where they are kept on file. The usual prerequisite is one or more courses in Theatre Arts, along with considerable practical experience in productions.
THR 410. Career Development in the Theatre. 1 Credit Hour.
This course provides instruction in the creation of resumes and cover letters, design portfolios, and audition techniques. The intention is to prepare students for the interview and audition process either for work in the profession of admission into graduate school. The class will meet for three hours on Saturdays: twice in the beginning of the semester, twice mid-semester, and once at the end of the semester. This is a pass/fail course and may only be taken once for credit in either the junior or senior year. Pass/ Fail only.
THR 428. Politics and Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
Does literature reflect on the use of power, authority, ideology and identity? How does literature affect us and the way we interpret the political world? What makes theatre political? What hopes for changing the world does theatre dramatize? How does the theatre become a productive site for representing, and even enacting, political change? This course explores these questions by reading various literary works including a number of plays from different time periods. The encompassing question this course tries to answer (by analyzing the perspectives of different authors) is: What does it mean to have political freedom?
Cross-listed Courses: PSC 428