Course Catalog - Theatre
Theatre 101 — Basic Acting
Fall, spring
This course off ers, through classroom exercises, improvisations and performance of scenes from plays, an approach to understanding, appreciating, and practicing the art of acting and theatre. One unit.
Theatre 110 — Theatre Practicum
Fall, spring
Participation in Department of Th eatre major productions through regular rehearsals or weekly lab work on costumes, scenery, properties or lighting. Students must attend all technical and dress rehearsals and performances. This course is required with enrollment in Basic Acting, Design and Technical Production, Voice in Acting, Scene Design, Lighting Design, and Costume Design. It may also be required with topics classes in acting and design. One-half unit.
Theatre 125 — American Drama 1920 to Present
Alternate years
American plays from the early work of Eugene O’Neill through that of contemporary dramatists are explored as theatre (through fi lm and video) and as dramatic literature. Th is course looks at drama in historical and thematic contexts and as the expression of major American playwrights. One unit.
Theatre 127 — Design and Technical Production
Fall
Examines the management structure, personnel, training, and responsibilities required to mount a live theatrical production during the planning, preparation, and performance phases. Also explores the function and responsibilities of the design team. Class projects and enrollment in Th eatre Practicum provide practical experience in many areas. One unit.
Theatre 128 — Political Theatre
Every third year
Examines theatre and film that espouse a specifi c political point of view or simply present political content. The works on the syllabus deal with war, revolution, oppression, gender, cultural issues, the Holocaust, and populism, among other topics. One unit.
Theatre 131 — Balinese Dance 1-2
Fall, spring
Balinese Dance is a dance performance class which surveys the rich classical, contemporary, and folk traditions of music, mask, dance, and theatre from Bali, Indonesia. Hinduism plays a signifi cant role in the performing arts of Bali and will be discussed in relationship to performance. Students rehearse and perform with Gamelan Gita Sari, the Holy Cross gamelan orchestra. Th is course can be taken for two semesters. One unit.
Theatre 140 — Holocaust on Stage and Screen
Alternate years
Uses dramatic literature and fi lm to examine the Nazi policies of genocide that were initiated and enacted before and during World War II. Various representational strategies are analyzed and contrasted in an eff ort to gauge the relative eff ectiveness of artists to come to terms with these ineff able events. Issues examined include the relationship between a dramatic text and its historical model, the problem of transfi guration, the applicability of a structural model for organizing texts, documentary versus dramatic enactment, varying
national viewpoints, the emergence of feminist and gay perspectives, and the problem of exploitation and revisionism. One unit.
Theatre 141 — Jazz Dance 1-2
Annually
A studio course open to students with previous dance experience. Focuses on technique and touches on aspects of jazz history and its relationship to music and social history. Th is class is for students who have taken one college dance course or have had at least six months of dance experience. Th is course can be taken for two semesters. One unit.
Theatre 151 — Ballet 1-2
Fall, spring
Beginning ballet technique is off ered for beginners and those with less than six months of experience. Work at the barre will introduce basic positions, vocabulary, concepts. Center practice will include simple across the floor combinations. Th is course can be taken for two semesters. One unit.
Theatre 160 — American Film
Annually
This introductory course teaches the student how to read a movie. Films are presented by genre and conventional examples of each genre are paired with movies that play with, undercut, or expand the conventions. The syllabus includes American movies from 1930 to the present. One unit.
Theatre 161 — Th eatre History 1: Classical to Romantic
Alternate years
Focuses on fi ve periods in the history of western theatre: Classical Greek, Medieval, Renaissance, Neoclassical, and Romantic. Readings and viewings include plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Molière, Racine, and others. One unit.
Theatre 162 — Th eatre History 2: Modern and Contemporary
Alternate years
Studies modernist movements in western theatre: realism, expressionism, surrealism, epic theatre, symbolism, and theatre of the absurd. Readings include plays by Ibsen, Strindberg, Shaw, Chekhov, O’Neill, Dürrenmatt, Brecht, Williams, Pirandello, Beckett, and Guare. Viewings include fi lms by Lang, Pabst, Scorsese, and Cocteau. One unit.
Theatre 165 — World Film
Annually
Like American Film, this is an introductory course that teaches the student how to read a movie. However, the content is exclusively non-American fi lms, viewed thematically and historically, as well as in their cultural contexts. Th e syllabus typically includes fi lms from France, Italy, England, Japan, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Mexico, Germany, Canada, and other countries. One unit.
Theatre 170 — Modern Drama
Alternate years
Surveys the major aesthetic movements of the last century, employing dramatic texts and theoretical writings to illustrate successive ideas. Movements such as naturalism, symbolism, expressionism, surrealism, and the absurd are examined through a close reading of works by Ibsen, Chekhov, Shaw, Wedekind, Pirandello, Brecht, Beckett, and others. One unit.
Theatre 181 — Modern Dance 1-2
Fall, spring
A basic introductory modern dance technique course for beginners or students with less than six months of dance experience. Students learn beginning modern dance exercises and movement combinations. Th e basic components of modern dance and its place in 20th-century art will be examined. Th is course can be taken for two semesters. One unit.
Theatre 202 — Voice in Acting
Annually
Students learn how to correct regionalisms, support the voice, and increase range in songs and dramatic texts. Healthy vocal production, fl exibility, relaxation, and power are emphasized. Prerequisite: Th eatre 101. One unit.
Theatre 203 — Scene Study
Annually
An intensive scene study class. Plays ranging in style from contemporary to Restoration are analyzed and performed. Physical and vocal exercises from Basic Acting and Voice in Acting will be continued with the addition of period style work. Prerequisite: Th eatre 101 and 202. One unit.
Theatre 227 — Scene Design
Alternate years in spring
Principles of scenic design and script analysis are used to create an environment for the action of the play. Includes a historical survey of scenic design, theatre architecture, period style, drafting, and rendering techniques. Work on a set for a Fenwick Th eatre production provides practical experience. By permission. One unit.
Theatre 228 — Lighting Design
Alternate years in fall
A study of the properties of light and the objectives of stage lighting in drama and dance, this course includes basic electricity and its control, lighting equipment, and drafting. Practical experience is obtained through designing and running a production. By permission. One unit.
Theatre 230 — Costume Design
Every third year
An introductory course which involves the student in the process of script and character analysis as it relates to costumes. It develops sketching and painting techniques as well as research of Greek, Renaissance, and 18th- and 19th-century fashion. Prerequisites: Th eatre 101 and either 161 or 162. One unit.
Theatre 232 — Balinese Dance 3-4
Fall, spring
Advanced Balinese Dance builds on the background and techniques covered in Balinese Dance 1; two semesters of Balinese Dance 1 are a prerequisite. Students delve more deeply into the traditions of Bali and perform more advanced repertoire in a concert setting. Students may take this course for two semesters with the permission of the instructor, progressing to advanced repertoire of both traditional and contemporary Balinese dances, including solos. Prerequisite: Two semesters of Th eatre 131. One unit.
Theatre 240 — Directing 1
Fall
Introduces students to the craft and theory of theatrical production. Students function as autonomous artists- writers, dramaturgs, and directors, producing a series of dramatic pieces in a workshop environment. This practical work is augmented by extensive scholarly research that provides a theoretical underpinning. Emphasis is placed upon conceptualization, composition, blocking, textual analysis, and working with actors. Prerequsite: Th eatre 101. First-year students cannot take this course. One unit.
Theatre 252 — Ballet 3-4
Annually
This ballet technique class is based on a traditional class format: barre, center practice, petit allegro, grand allegro, progressing to phrasing and movement through space. Students may take this course for a total of two semesters. Prerequisite: Two semesters of Th eatre 151 or at least one year of dance experience. One unit.
Theatre 263 — Selected American Stage and Film Artists
Every third year
This advanced course is an intensive study of the work of two playwrights and/or fi lmmakers. The authors on the syllabus vary, according to the current off erings of the Fenwick Th eatre season and other considerations. By permission. One unit.
Theatre 282 — Modern Dance 3-4
Fall, spring
An intermediate-level modern dance technique class. Students grow in understanding the aesthetic of modern dance both by practicing modern dance exercises and combinations and by engaging in critical discussion of selected dance performances in class and on video. Students may take this course for a total of two semesters, progressing to choreography and performance. Prerequisite: Two semesters of Th eatre 181 or at least one year of dance experience. One unit.
Theatre 304 — Audition Techniques
Fall
Th is advanced class focuses on monologues. Students prepare contrasting audition pieces that will be juried at the end of the semester. Th e course is for fourth-year students only. Prerequisites: Th eatre 101, 202, 203, and 360. One unit.
Theatre 340 — Advanced Directing
Spring
Explores advanced theories and practices of theatrical direction. Th e course begins with a series of lectures that introduces the avant-garde ideas and practices of artists such as Grotowski, Beck, Chaikin, Serban, Wilson, Akalitis, Bogart, and Boal. Students are expected to put some of these ideas into production as they tackle a short classical piece (Greek or Elizabethan) and then mount a full-length one-act by a major fi gure of the modern theatre (e.g., Chekhov, Strindberg, O’Neill, Pirandello, Beckett). Prerequisite: Th eatre 240.
One unit.
Theatre 360 — Shakespeare Through Performance
Spring
Functioning as scholarly artists in a laboratory setting, students—working from both the Folio and modern editions—master the rudiments of Shakespearean performance, become acquainted with historical and contemporary staging conventions, investigate the notion of textual integrity, and explore dramaturgical issues. Particular emphasis is placed upon the desirability and/or need to subvert problematic texts through performance. Prerequisites: Th eatre 101 and 202. One unit.
Theatre 361 — Film as Narrative
Every third year
This advanced course deals with narrative issues in fi lm (point of view, time, structure, style, tone, adaptation). Th e syllabus includes American, British, French, Italian, Japanese and Scandinavian movies. One unit.
Theatre 370 — Kamikaze Acting
Alternate years
Students write, coach, design, and act in original work that they develop. Directors, actors, and theorists who stretch the limits of performance—either stylistically, socially, or conceptually—serve as models for students. Prerequisites: Th eatre 101, 202, & 203. One unit.
Theatre 400 — Tutorial/Theatre
Fall, spring
Tutorials consist of directed study in selected theatre, dance, and fi lm topics such as acting, directing, playwriting, literature, dance, stage management, set, costume, lighting and sound design, fi lm, and screenwriting. Permission of the instructor is required. One unit.
Theatre 405 — Performance Recital
Fall, spring
Designed for the individual needs of advanced acting students. Rehearsal and performance in a major production is the main basis of grading. Prerequisites: Th eatre 101 and 203. Department permission is also required. One unit.
Theatre 406 — Performance for Audience
Fall, spring
Advanced acting work in a major role. Prerequisites: Th eatre 101 and 203. Department permission is also required. One unit.
Theatre 450 — Dance Performance
Fall, spring
Designed for the individual needs of advanced students doing movement-based work. Requires rehearsal and performance of major dance segments in a mainstage production. Prerequisite: Any dance course. Department permission required. One unit.
* The courses and descriptions listed above are taken directly from the official College Catalog.