Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Theatre
Mission
The theatre programs focus on all aspects of theatre production – acting, directing, technical design, and literary analysis – and include a strong emphasis on the history of performance art.
Students will be prepared for careers requiring people with the ability to write and speak, to think creatively and independently, to understand the great complexities of the human condition, and to collaborate with others on a group project. Graduates of the program will also be prepared for graduate study in theatre or a related academic or professional discipline. Two tracks allow students to focus primarily on either acting or technical theatre.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students who complete the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre or the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre will:
- Learn a firm foundation in terminology, language, theory, and ideology that reflects the standard concepts used in theatre.
- Learn how to prepare for the professional world of theatre in which they will be able to display basic competencies in the following areas: Performance, Musical Theatre Performance, Production, Directing, and Design. Students will demonstrate an understanding of character, motivation, and objective which will be evident in their final projects and presentations performed in their performance and design classes.
- Demonstrate appropriate critical and creative thinking skills as well as writing and research skills in theatre history. Students will have a basic understanding of major theatre movements throughout history and how they interacted with, effected, or reacted to their own culture.
- Be able to identify different genres and styles of dramatic literature, and be able to evaluate, synthesize, and critique dramatic plays and scenes.
Degrees and Certificates
Courses
THE 100: THEATRE PRACTICUM
Credits 1This course gives students practical experience in a dramatic presentation as technical staff for stage crew, props, lighting, sound, costumes and makeup. Repeatable three times.
THE 105: THEATRE APPRECIATION
Credits 3This course explores the art, history, organization, and artifacts of theater, and develops the student’s knowledge and appreciation of theatre arts through the study of the historic and contemporary elements of drama.
THE 200: THEATRE LAB II
Credits 1This course will provide the student with first-hand experience with the “behind-the-scenes” workings of production theatre. Prerequisite: THE 100
THE 205: PLAY IN PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
Credits 1This course is for students participating in a theatre production as a production staff member. May be retaken for credit with the instructor’s permission.
THE 206: PLAY IN PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP
Credits 1This course is for students participating in a theatre production as a performer. May be retaken for credit with the instructor’s permission.
THE 215: INTRODUCTION TO ACTING I
Credits 3This course is designed to provide an introduction into the basics of stage acting. The students will gain basic skills in acting, analyzing, improvisation, visualization, breathing, and relaxation as well as a working vocabulary of theatre terms. Recognizing that the dynamic field of theatre is a useful tool for communicating in any arena, this course also serves as an excellent opportunity for students to sharpen their public speaking skills. Primarily for non-majors.
THE 220: ACTING I
Credits 3Acting I is a preliminary level acting course exploring the fundamentals of theatre through voice, movement and scripted materials. Primarily for Theatre majors.
THE 225: VOICE FOR THE ACTOR I
Credits 3This course is an introduction to the vocal mechanism used in the production of an effective and flexible voice for the stage. Students will learn the fundamentals of breathing, resonation, projection and articulation. Vocal technique will be applied to readings, presentations of poetry and monologues. Students will learn how to do vocal warm-ups, record, memorize and perform. Theory of voice and speech will be addressed in a text chosen for the course.
THE 230: STAGECRAFT
Credits 3The purpose of this course is to provide students with a fundamental knowledge of stage construction and theatre technology, as well as practical applications of project management and resource coordination. Theatre as an art form requires team effort in which directors, designers, stage managers, actors, stage crew, and others work together to create a final, cohesive product.
THE 231: ELEMENTS OF THEATRICAL DESIGN
Credits 3This course will give the student an introduction to various elements of theatrical design, focusing on the drafting and engineering of scenery, lighting, and sound for the stage. Prerequisite: THE 230
THE 232: STAGE MANAGEMENT
Credits 3Students in this course will learn the basics of stage management. Topics include maintaining proper documentation, running rehearsals and performances, and managing the collaborative process between the director, designers, and performers.
THE 300: THEATRE LAB III
Credits 1This course will provide the student with first-hand experience with the “behind-the-scenes” workings of production theatre. Prerequisite: THE 200
THE 315: ADVANCED ACTING
Credits 3This course will refine the actor’s method through extensive contemporary and classical scene and monologue work as well as audition techniques, deepen the student’s understanding of script and character analysis, continue the study of diction and Stanislavski acting theory begun in THE 215, and compare “method-“ and “technique-based” performance work. Prerequisite: THE 220
THE 320: AUDITION TECHNIQUES
Credits 3This course teaches students how to audition for theatre and musical theatre. The course covers techniques for cold reading, interviewing and auditioning; preparing headshots and resumes; and developing relationships with agents, managers and unions.
THE 325: INTRODUCTION TO DIRECTING
Credits 3This course is an introduction to the techniques and concerns of the stage director, including composition, movement, and temp-rhythm. Script analysis and scene presentation form the core of the course.
THE 331: SCENIC PAINTING
Credits 3This course will cover the techniques and skills necessary in scenic painting, Topics include: terminology, tools. faux finishes, abstract techniques, realistic reproduction, as well as washes and glazes. Prerequisite: THE 231 Elements of Theatrical Design.
THE 332: PROPS DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Credits 3In this course, students will explore the design and fabrication of props and other scenic elements. Students will research and construct several stage property projects using a variety of materials and techniques. Prerequisite: THE 231 Elements of Theatrical Design.
THE 333: SCENIC DESIGN
Credits 3This course focuses on the process of scenic design, from script and analysis to the completion of the documentation package. Students will participate in classroom discussions and design critiques, as well as learn practical rendering and model-making techniques. Prerequisite: THE 231 Elements of Theatrical Design.
THE 334: LIGHTING DESIGN
Credits 3In this course students will explore lighting design and documentation through small class project designed to help develop each student's ability to make and implement appropriate design choices. Prerequisite: THE 231 Elements of Theatrical Design.
THE 335: MOVEMENT FOR THEATRE I
Credits 3This course is an intermediate movement, alignment and movement sequencing section, designed for theatre students to rehearse and define movement skills.
THE 336: MOVEMENT FOR THEATRE II
Credits 3This course is a continuation of the skills learned in THE 335. Prerequisite: THE 335
THE 337: ON-CAMERA TECHNIQUE
Credits 3This course involves an overview of acting styles for on-camera. Styles will include; Industrial film, commercials, television and feature film. Students will learn techniques for on-camera acting, tuning their theatre skills for the camera.
THE 338: COSTUME DESIGN
Credits 3This course explores the creative processes, principles, and tools of design as they apply to costuming. Emphasis will be on script analysis, period research, and rendering techniques. Prerequisite: THE 231.
THE 339: STAGE MAKEUP
Credits 3In this course, students willl learn the basics of the design and application of stage makeup, including basic stage and special effects techniques.
THE 340: STAGE COMBAT I
Credits 3Beginning course teaches how to create the illusion of violence for stage and screen including basic instruction in Unarmed (feet, fists, punches, kicks, falls, rolls) and Rapier and Dagger (Parries, cuts, thrust and more!). The emphasis is on safe and realistic violence for the stage.
THE 350: MOVEMENT II
Credits 3THE 355: VOICE II
Credits 3This course is a continuation of the skills learned in THE 225. Prerequisite: THE 225
THE 360: DRAMATIC LITERATURE
Credits 3This course provides a comprehensive introduction to dramatic literature. Students explore characteristics of each genre from Greek tragedy to contemporary drama through in-depth play analysis, discussion and literary criticism.
THE 400: THEATRE LAB IV
Credits 1This course will provide the student with first-hand experience with the “behind-the-scenes” workings of production theatre. Prerequisite: THE 300
THE 405: DRAMATURGY
Credits 3Students in this course will learn how the field of dramaturgy contributes to theatrical productions via script development and historical and critical analysis of the play. Prerequisite: THE 360.
THE 410: THEATRE HISTORY I
Credits 3This course follows a fairly strict chronology from antiquity to the 18th century, and is designed to promote critical thinking about the nature and problems of linear, narrative historiography concerned with Theatre.
THE 411: THEATRE HISTORY II
Credits 3This course follows a fairly strict chronology from the late eighteenth century to the present day, and is designed to promote critical thinking about the nature and problems of linear, narrative historiography concerned with Theatre, specifically as it parallels the ascent and decline of the larger cultural movement of “Modernism”. This course investigates the development of, and the interaction between, four approaches to theatre that dominated most of the twentieth century: popular theatre, psychological realism, subjective theater (culminating in the Theater of Cruelty), and political (epic) theatre. A significant component will address “World” drama as well. Prerequisite: THE 410
THE 425: ADVANCED DIRECTING
Credits 3This section provides an opportunity for students to exercise their directing skills and offers them more artistic and administrative authority over a larger dramatic project. Its major requirement is the formal production and public presentation of a one-act play. Prerequisite: THE 105 and THE 325
THE 430: INDEPEND STUDY IN THEATRE HISTORY
Credits 3This section involves supervised research and writing on a selected topic dealing with theatre history and/or dramatic literature. Prerequisite:Junior or Senior standing and permission of the professor.
THE 431: SPECIAL TOPICS IN TECHNICAL THEATRE
Credits 3This course provides the student interested in technical theatre the opportunity to further investigate the theories and practices of either scenic, lighting, or sound design. Prerequisite: THE 330
THE 432: THEATRE INTERNSHIP
Credits 3This course is designed to provide practical and professional experience for a Theatre Studies major who takes an internship with a recognized professional theatre program or company in which the student is assigned specific tasks in one of the recognized areas of the theatre arts. It may cover areas as diverse as acting, directing, technical design, marketing, musical direction, literary advisement, dramaturge work, and most aspects of the working theatre, and will place the student in a supervised program of study. Prerequisite: Completion of 24 credit hours of THE courses at the 200-level or above; these courses may be supplemented by subject-appropriate ENG or MUS courses. Faculty member’s recommendation or approval required.
THE 490: SENIOR CAPSTONE
Credits 3This is an independent study project related to a particular area of interest within theatre. It should build upon the individual student’s knowledge acquired through course work or significant experiential learning. Working closely with a faculty advisor in planning, students may choose to focus on artistic and/or scholarly themes within the field, and each project will be presented to a general audience.
THE 498: SPECIAL TOPICS IN THEATRE
Credits 3This course which explores a topic of contemporary interest to the study of theatre, is offered as needed to students with junior standing.