THR - Theatre

A course dedicated to the study of voice production, articulation, vocal expressiveness and provides an introduction to phonetics.

This course provides an introduction to creative dramatics as a means for developing the basic skills required in actor training. Students will become familiar with sound and movement, transformation, exploration of sensory awareness and creativity as it pertains to character development.

This course provides an introduction to the workings of global, multicultural theatrical production. An examination of the functions of all theatrical production collaborators. A survey of a selection of performance production styles and genres. Students will read significant production texts, view representative media and create low-tech, small-scale production projects in writing, design, directing or performance that activate the concepts and principles of production processes.

This course deals with significant modern plays in which the conflict centers on ethical questions across a broad range of University subjects: business, science, politics and relations with and responsibilities to others. Classroom sessions and papers will address the plays first as works of literature, but will go on to discuss and debate the ethical issues involved.

Course that provides the fundamentals of stage movement with the usage of the voice in performance, help students master the physicalization of emotion and physical character building.

For THR/MTR majors only

A studio/performance-oriented course that introduces  the craft to acting. Teaches basic technique and develops skills of relaxation, observation and concentration using exercises, improvisation, monologues and scene work. Required for majors/minors.

This studio/performance-oriented course provides training and experience in stage performance for students with initial expertise in the craft of acting. Course emphasis is on monologue or scene preparation and performance. Required for majors.

A studio/performance-oriented course that introduces the beginning student to the craft of acting. Teaches basic stage technique and develops skills of relaxation, observation and concentration using exercises, improvisation, monologues and scene work. Open to all non-THR/MTR students.

A course designed to develop interpretive skills, vocal range and flexibility, understanding of language, and expressiveness of voice and body in the interpretation of literary forms. This course may include a study abroad component. 

For education majors only. Students will explore how the fine and performing arts can be a cornerstone for meaningful teaching and learning, and will discover the various ways in which learning environments are conducive to optimal brain functions. Learners will also expand their personal connection to, and involvement with, the fine and performing arts.

Today there is greater access to art and ideas--via television, film, CD, DVD, and internet--than at any time in history. This course is designed to help students think critically about some of the issues regarding censorship and suppression of artistic expression in present and past societies. Students will attempt to respond to the conflicting perspectives that exist in any passionate debate about what is good and what is just for society.

Requires audition and/or interview. May be used to fulfill the performance credit requirement for the major in musical theatre or theatre. May be repeated for credit.

Requires audition and/or interview. May be used to fulfill the performance credit requirement for the major in musical theatre or theatre. May be repeated for credit.

Requires audition and/or interview. May be used to fulfill the performance credit requirement for the major in musical theatre or theatre. May be repeated for credit.

Requires audition and/or interview. May be used to fulfill the performance credit requirement for the major in musical theatre or theatre. May be repeated for credit.

Students will audition for, rehearse, and perform a one-to-two-hour theatrical production where the text is comprised of some work or works of literature — verse or prose. May be used to fulfill performance credit requirement for the major in theatre. Requires audition and/or interview. May be repeated for credit.

Provides practical onstage and backstage experience. May be repeated for credit. Required for the major in musical theatre and theatre.

Provides experience and the skills/techniques of stage management for the theatre. Students will also learn about the basic principles of design for production. Required for the major in theatre.

Introduces students to the art of theatre as it evolved from ancient Greece to Elizabethan England. Surveys the aesthetics of theatre, plays written for the stage, and the roles of collaborating artists in creating theatre. Involves some stage work in acting and directing. Requires attendance at University Theatre productions.

Introduces the student to the art of theatre as it evolved from the 17th century. Includes study in the traditional non-Western dramatic forms of the orient. Surveys the aesthetics of theatre, plays written for the stage, and the roles of collaborating artists in creating theatre. Involves some stage work in acting and directing. Requires attendance at University Theatre productions.

This studio/performance course is designed to expand your experience in and your knowledge of the various approaches, techniques and skills associated with structured but informal drama experiences called Creative Drama. Through readings, in-class activities, discussion, lesson planning, in-class teaching, performances and written reflection, you will have the opportunity to develop a practical understanding of how creative drama group work is used with all levels and ages of participants in a wide variety of contexts.

Theatre has long been used as a tool to affect political and social change.  Students will examine recent American plays that persuade spectators to mobilize and agitate for change.  The course will culminate in an experiential learning activity in which the students will create and perform theatre pieces in public, on-campus settings.

Informed by the work of Augusto Boal and his theatre of the oppressed crusade, this course explores the ways in which theatre has historically been used to advance political and social change.  A sampling of radical plays from various moments of recent American socio-political upheaval will be studied.  Forms for creating theatre for political change will be read or viewed and examined. The course will culminate in an experiential learning activity in which then students will create and perform their own, original theatre pieces.

Studies include survey of modern drama (Ibsen to the present), contemporary British drama, contemporary American drama, or modern Continental drama. May be repeated if content varies. Open to all students.

Investigates and applies strategies for developing both hemispheres of the brain. Develops a creative, centered lifestyle that includes daily disciplined activity to enhance overall mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. Classroom activities include discussion, review of assignments, exploration of models for lifelong vitality, and creative activities related to art, theatre, dance, music, storytelling and writing. Activities include attendance at theatrical and arts-related events.

An advanced studio/performance-oriented course that continues the skills gained in THR 201 and 202. Emphasis is on scene work utilizing techniques for finding and playing intentions, connecting action with others, and developing strong and realistic characters and relationships.

A practicum course for theatre majors with a focus on audition preparation and performance, and the business techniques required to market oneself for a career in the Theatre.

Seminar course that provides guided study and rehearsal in such areas as oral interpretation, readers' theater, public speaking and acting. Project-oriented course involves public performances and critiques.

This studio/performance-oriented course provides continued training for students with basic understanding of the craft of acting. Courses emphasis is on monologue and/or scene preparation and performance. Open to all non-THR/MTR students.

Students study significant developments in the history of musical theatre as a distinct art form, including the artists who contributed to musical theatre and significant works from the repertory. May not be repeated for credit.

Studies include Elizabethan, Restoration or contemporary drama. May be repeated if content varies.

A studio/performance-oriented course designed to enhance previously acquired acting skills via intensive study, demonstration and observation of the physicalization of emotion and text, in-class exercises, and instruction. The study of advanced methods of acting techniques are examined through scene study, dramatic interpretation and analysis, as well as monologue preparation and performance.

Course emphasis is on play analysis that addresses structure, plot and theme, interpretation, application of director concept, theatrical convention and production technique.  Students are required to create a directorial study/analysis of a specific play.  Required for the major in musical theatre and theatre.

Offers instruction and experiences in specialized theatrical-related courses such as Theatre Styles, Stage Makeup, Stage Costuming, Non-Western Theatre, Beginnings of Realism and Performance Arts.

A studio/performance-oriented acting course that provides for training, analysis and experience with the performance of the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Emphases are on acting techniques, monologue presentation, and scene study performance.

An advanced studio performance-oriented course that provides exercises and performance techniques with a focus on historical periods and performance. Emphases include research of the period, manners and conventions, language and physicality.

This intensive survey course requires students to engage in deep critical engagement with recognized masterworks of the contemporary stage, to examine the history of their significant productions, to analyze the socio-political and cultural contexts that contributed to their literary creation and their staged interpretations.  The course employs a dramaturgical approach to uncovering evolving theories of and ways of thinking about theatre.

Studies the basic tasks of the director: play selection, analysis, casting, rehearsing and mounting the production. Each student is responsible for directing the performance of a one-act play or equivalent dramatic scene.

A studio/performance course designed for graduating students with a major in theatre, and intended to demonstrate their development as performers and theatre artists. In this course students will devise and present a group capstone project as a showcase of their skills and performance abilities for industry professionals. This capstone project serves as a means for career development. All theatre majors will be required to enroll in this course for the completion of their program of study.