The College Catalogue

First-Year Seminars

For a full description of first-year seminars, see the First-Year Seminar section.

10 {1010} c. Understanding Theater and Dance: Doing, Viewing, and Reviewing. Fall 2012. Melissa Thompson. (Same as Dance 10 {1010}.)

Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced Courses

101 {1101} c - VPA. Making Theater. Every year. Fall 2012. Melissa Thompson.

An active introductory exploration of the nature of theater: how to think about it, how to look at it, how to make it. Students examine a range of theatrical ideas and conventions, see and reflect on live performance, and experience different approaches to making work. Designers, directors, performers, and scholars visit the class to broaden perspective and instigate experiments. Students work collaboratively throughout the semester to develop and perform original work.

104 {1301} c. Stagecraft. Every year. Fall 2012. Michael Schiff-Verre.

Introduction to the language, theory, and practice of technical theater. Hands-on experience in lighting, scenic and property construction, costuming, and stage management. Considers the possibilities, demands, and limits inherent in different forms of performance and performance spaces, and explores the job roles integral to theater and dance production. Includes forty hours of laboratory work. Grading is Credit/D/Fail. (Same as Dance 104 {1301}.)

[106 {1806} c. Introduction to Drama. (Same as English 106 {1106}.)]

120 {1201} c - VPA. Acting I. Every semester. Fall 2012. Abigail Killeen.

Introduces students to the intellectual, vocal, physical, and emotional challenge of the acting process. Students examine theatrical texts and practice the art of translating intellectual analysis into embodied performance. Fundamentals of text analysis are learned and practiced, preparing students for the more complex performance work required in all sections of Acting II.

130 {1302} c - VPA. Principles of Design. Every year. Fall 2012. Judy Gailen.

An introduction to theatrical design that stimulates students to consider the world of a play, dance, or performance piece from a designer’s perspective. Through projects, readings, discussion, and critiques, students explore the fundamental principles of visual design, as they apply to set, lighting, and costume design, as well as text analysis for the designer, and the process of collaboration. Strong emphasis on perceptual, analytical, and communication skills. (Same as Dance 130 {1302}.)

145 {1203} c - VPA. Performance and Narrative. Fall 2013. The Department.

For millennia, we have organized our fictions, our religions, our histories, and our own lives as narratives. However much the narrative form has been called into question in recent years, it seems we just cannot stop telling each other stories. Examines the particular nexus between narrative and performance: What is narrative? How does it work? What are its limits and its limitations? How do we communicate narrative in performance? Involves both critical inquiry and the creation of performance pieces based in text, dance, movement, and the visual image. (Same as Dance 145 {1203}.)

150 {1202} c - VPA. Improvisation. Every other year. Fall 2013. Davis Robinson.

Improvisation is a fundamental tool used by dancers, musicians, actors, writers, and other artists to explore the language of a medium and to develop new work. An interdisciplinary introduction to some of the primary forms of improvisation used in dance and theater. Content includes theater games, narrative exercises, contact improvisation, and choreographic structures.

195 {1700} c - VPA. Production and Performance. Every semester. The Department.

Engagement in the presentation of a full-length work for public performance with a faculty director or choreographer. Areas of concentration within the production may include design, including set, light, sound, or costume; rehearsal and performance of roles; service as assistant director or stage manager. In addition to fulfilling specific production responsibilities, students meet weekly to synthesize work. Students gain admission to Theater 195 either through audition (performers) or through advance consultation (designers, stage managers, and assistant directors). Students register for Theater 195 during the add/drop period at the beginning of each semester. Students are required to commit a minimum of six hours a week to rehearsal and production responsibilities over a period of seven to twelve weeks; specific time commitments depend upon the role the student is assuming in the production and the production schedule. Grading is Credit/D/Fail. One-half credit. May be repeated a maximum of four times for credit, earning a maximum of two credits.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

201 {2501} c - VPA. Theater History and Theory. Every other year. Spring 2014. The Department.

Examines seminal historical moments in theater through a focus on such conceptual categories as representation and the real, politics and aesthetics, the body, visuality, spectatorship, and so on. Historical eras covered include ancient Greece, medieval Japan, Renaissance Europe, and romantic, modernist, and postmodernist Europe and America. Focus placed not on these individual moments per se, but on the effect of social and cultural pressures on the aesthetics of live performance across different times, cultures, and disciplines. Some time spent in the studio experimenting with historical forms.

210 {2810} c. Shakespeare’s Comedies and Romances. Every other year. Spring 2014. William Watterson.

Examines A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Winter’s Tale, and The Tempest in light of Renaissance genre theory. (Same as English 210 {2150}.)

Prerequisite: One first-year seminar or 100-level course in English.

Note: This course fulfills the pre-1800 literature requirement for English majors.

211 {2811} c. Shakespeare’s Tragedies and Roman Plays. Fall 2012. William Watterson.

Examines Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus in light of recent critical thought. Special attention is given to psychoanalysis, new historicism, and genre theory. (Same as English 211 {2151}.)

Prerequisite: One first-year seminar or 100-level course in English.

Note: This course fulfills the pre-1800 literature requirement for English majors.

212 {2812} c. Shakespeare’s History Plays. Every other year. Fall 2013. William Watterson.

Explores the relationship of Richard III, 2 Henry VI, and the second tetralogy (Richard II, the two parts of Henry IV and Henry V) to the genre of English chronicle play that flourished in the 1580s and 1590s. Readings in primary sources (More, Hall, and Holinshed) are supplemented by readings of critics (Tillyard, Kelly, Siegel, Greenblatt, Goldberg, etc.) concerned with locating Shakespeare’s own orientation toward questions of history and historical meaning. Regular screenings of BBC productions. (Same as English 212 {2152}.)

Prerequisite: One first-year seminar or 100-level course in English.

Note: This course fulfills the pre-1800 literature requirement for English majors.

220 {2201} c - VPA. Acting II: Voice and Text. Every year. Fall 2012. Abigail Killeen.

An intermediate acting course focused on the physical discipline and intellectual challenge of pursuing theatrical objectives through language. Traditional and experimental vocal training techniques and are introduced and practiced. Students are also challenged to investigate character development through vocal choices, to learn how to communicate heightened emotion safely and effectively, and how to develop a rehearsal methodology for stage dialects. This course, along with Theater 225, Acting II: Physical Theater, is part of a two-semester course series. Theater 220 and 225 may be taken individually or in any order.

Prerequisite: One 100-level course in theater.

225 {2202} c - VPA. Acting II: Physical Theater. Every year. Spring 2013. Davis Robinson.

Extends the principles of Acting I through a full semester of rigorous physical acting work focused on presence, energy, relaxation, alignment, and emotional freedom. Develops and brings the entire body to the act of being on stage through highly structured individual exercises and ensemble-oriented improvisational work. Scene work is explored through the movement-based acting disciplines of Lecoq, Grotowski, Meyerhold, or Viewpoints. Contemporary physical theater makers Théâtre de Complicité, Mabou Mines, SITI company, and Frantic Assembly are discussed. This course, along with Theater 220, Acting II: Voice and Text, is part of a two-semester course series. Theater 220 and 225 may be taken individually or in any order.

Prerequisite: One 100-level course in theater.

230 {2830} c. Theater and Theatricality in the Restoration and the Eighteenth Century. Every other year. Fall 2013. Ann Kibbie.

An overview of the development of the theater from the reopening of the playhouses in 1660 to the end of the eighteenth century, with special emphasis on the emergence of new dramatic modes such as Restoration comedy, heroic tragedy, “she-tragedy,” sentimental comedy, and opera. Other topics include the legacy of Puritan anxieties about theatricality; the introduction of actresses on the professional stage; adaptations of Shakespeare on the Restoration and eighteenth-century stage; other sites of public performance, such as the masquerade and the scaffold; and the representation of theatricality in the eighteenth-century novel. (Same as English 230 {2300}.)

Prerequisite: One first-year seminar or 100-level course in English.

Note: This course fulfills the pre-1800 literature requirement for English majors.

240 {2502} c - VPA. Performance in the Twenty-first Century. Fall 2013. The Department.

Hybrid by nature, rebellious in spirit, performance rejects the boundaries and conventions of traditional theater and dance, combining and recombining these live forms with every other artistic mode and medium imaginable. Yet as the first decade of the new century draws to an end, so does the fifth decade of this “new” form. Is it still breaking boundaries, or has boundary-breaking itself become a convention? What, these days, is new about performance? Examines the genealogical roots of performance and studies the ways twenty-first-century performance is exploring the body, the mind, technology, intercultural aesthetics, and globalism. Students will enact critical inquiries in the creation of their own performance works. (Same as Dance 240 {2502}.)

Prerequisite: One 100-level course in theater or dance.

246 {2846} c. Modern Drama and Performance. Spring 2013. Marilyn Reizbaum.

Examines dramatic trends of the modern period, beginning with a triumvirate of modern dramatists—Henrik Ibsen, Bertolt Brecht, and Samuel Beckett—and draws lines from their work in drama of ideas, epic theatre, and absurdism to developments in the dramatic arts through the modern period into the twenty-first century. Includes plays by Lorraine Hansberry, Caryl Churchill, and Martin McDonagh. Readings staged. (Same as English 246 {2452} and Gender and Women’s Studies 262 {2262}.)

Prerequisite: One first-year seminar or 100-level course in English or gender and women’s studies.

250 {2402} c - VPA. Theater, Dance, and the Common Good. Spring 2014. The Department.

Theater and dance have a long history of political engagement, social intervention, and community building. Examines the historical precedents for today’s “applied” theater and dance practice, including Piscator, Brecht, Boal, Cornerstone Theatre, Judson Dance Theatre, and Yvonne Rainer. Significant time also spent working with local agencies and institutions to create community-based performances addressing social issues such as homelessness, poverty, prejudice, and the environment, among others. (Same as Dance 250 {2402}.)

260 {2401} c - VPA. Playwriting. Fall 2013.The Department.

A writing workshop for contemporary performance that includes introductory exercises in writing dialogue, scenes, and solo performance texts, then moves to the writing (and rewriting) of a short play. Students read plays and performance scripts, considering how writers use image, action, speech, and silence; how they structure plays and performance pieces; and how they approach character and plot. (Same as English 214 {2850}.)

Prerequisite: One 100-level course in theater or dance or permission of the instructor.

270 {2203} c - VPA. Directing. Every year. Spring 2013. Davis Robinson.

Introduces students to the major principles of play direction, including conceiving a production, script analysis, staging, casting, and rehearsing with actors. Students actively engage directing theories and techniques through collaborative class projects, and complete the course by conceiving, casting, rehearsing, and presenting short plays of their choosing. A final research and rehearsal portfolio is required.

Prerequisite: One 100-level course in theater or dance.

291–294 {2970–2973} c. Intermediate Independent Study in Theater. The Department.

299 {2999} c. Intermediate Collaborative Study in Theater. The Department.

305 {3402} c. Theater Studio. Every third year. Spring 2014. The Department.

A senior theater seminar focusing on independent work. Advanced students creating capstone projects in playwriting, directing, acting, and design meet weekly as a group to critique, discuss, and present their work. Final performances given at the end of the semester.

Prerequisite: One 100-level course in theater and one additional course in theater or dance, preferably at the 200 level.

320 {3201} c. Theater Styles. Every third year. Fall 2012. Davis Robinson.

An advanced acting class that explores issues of style. What is Tragedy? Farce? Melodrama? Commedia? Realism? The Absurd? Through research, analysis, and scene work in class, students become familiar with a range of theatrical idioms. Emphasis is placed on understanding the social/cultural needs that give rise to a particular style, and the way in which style is used in contemporary theater to support or subvert a text.

Prerequisite: One 100-level course in theater and one additional course in theater or dance, preferably at the 200 level.

321 {3202} c. Comedy in Performance. Every third year. Spring 2013. Davis Robinson.

Looks at several facets of comedy on stage, from its origins in Greek and Roman theater to contemporary comic forms. Theory is combined with practical exercises in clowning, satire, physical comedy, wit, timing, phrasing, and partner work to develop a comic vocabulary for interpreting both scripted and original work. Students work in solos, duets, and groups to create final performance projects that are presented to the public at the end of the semester.

Prerequisite: One 100-level course in theater and one additional course in theater or dance, preferably at the 200 level.

322 {3401} c. Ensemble: The Art of Collaborative Creation. Spring 2014. The Department.

Experienced theater students collaborate to devise an original performance event. Examines the history of collective creation and the various emphases different artists have brought to that process. Immerses students in the practice of devising, stretching from conception and research to writing, staging, and ultimately performing a finished piece.

Prerequisite: Theater 120 or permission of the instructor.

323 {3204} c. Acting Shakespeare. Spring 2014. The Department.

An advanced-level acting course dedicated to the study of Shakespeare toward its original purpose: performance. Building on the skill sets learned in Acting I and both sections of Acting II, students combine advanced text and rhetorical analysis with rigorous physical and vocal work designed to bring the text off the page and into performance. May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisite: Theater 120 and Theater 220 or 225, or permission of the instructor.

340 {3301} c. Live Performance and Digital Media. Spring 2014. The Department.

Over the past two decades, digital media has infiltrated live performance to such an extent that it has become almost as indispensable as sets, lights, and costumes. Theater and dance artists have embraced these media as a way to enhance the expressivity and scale of their work, as well as a cultural phenomenon to be critically investigated. Introduces students to sound and video applications such as Garage Band, Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Isadora, and requires them to create performances incorporating these tools. Also contextualizes student projects with theoretical readings and examinations of contemporary performance practitioners. (Same as Dance 340 {3301}.)

Prerequisite: One 100-level course in theater or dance.

370 {3203} c. Advanced Directing. Spring 2013. The Department.

A continuation of Theater 270. Students build upon their knowledge of play analysis and staging to examine composition, design, and actor collaboration in greater depth. Advanced directing skills, theories, and techniques will be exercised through work on non-realistic material. Culminates with each student directing a 30-minute-long theatrical work.

Prerequisite: Theater 270.

401–404 {4000–4003} c. Advanced Independent Study in Theater. The Department.

405 {4029} c. Advanced Collaborative Study in Theater. The Department.