Theatre Courses

Number	Name	Units	Description
THR 049	Theatre Participation	0.25	Students may participate in departmental productions or other projects as assigned. 0.25 unit. May be repeated for up to 1 unit. Not open to Theatre majors.
THR 114	Introduction to the Theatre	1	The processes by which theatre artists from Ancient Greece to the present have transformed dramatic literature into stage reality.
THR 115	Film As Art	1	A study of film in which students learn to evaluate films, recognize cinematic techniques, write critically about films, and identify various film genres.
THR 121	Elements of Stagecraft	1	Theory and practice of the technical elements of theatre production.
THR 131	Acting: Psychology and Technique	1	An introduction to the art and techniques of acting, including theory and practice in creating a plausible performance, active performance with others, and awareness and control of the body and voice. The course is studio-based, encompassing warm-ups and exercises, scene analysis, and performance of monologues and scenes. With permission of instructor.
THR 201	Theatre Practicum	0.5	Practical experience in the technical crafts of theatre. .50 unit. May be repeated once for credit.
THR 211	Styles in Acting	1	Students will rehearse and perform scenes from dramatic literature chosen for variety in historical period and theatrical style. Emphasis on script anaylsis and "ism" theories, to inform physical and vocal techniques for performance. Prerequisite Thr131.
THR 215	World Cinema	1	Screening, analysis and comparison of films from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America along with some European and North American films. Satisfies the Other Cultures LADR. Spring Term. May count towards the major in Theatre.
THR 232	Theatrical Design	1	Creative exploration of the design elements in theatre production. May be repeated for additional credit with permission of instructor.
THR 233	Voice & Movement for the Stage	1	A studio course for the actor in the fundamentals of training and achieving an expressive voice and body. Students explore many exercises and activities that lead to deeper self-awareness and control over their vocal and physical instrument, and to remedy poor habits that may be limiting their full range of vocal and physical expressiveness in the portrayal of emotions and characters on the stage. Participants will be encouraged to develop a personal regimen for continuing growth in their vocal and physical skills after the course is done. Offered alternate years.
THR 248	Acting and Stage Combat	1	Principles of safety and theatrical effectiveness in physical expression. Techniques addressed include unarmed combat, falls and rapier/dagger work. Emphasis on physical acting skills, and development of sound rehearsal processes. Offered alternate years. Prerequisites: 131.
THR 309	Stage Management Seminar	0.5	The course is an intensive mentoring process for students who assume stage management duties for departmental productions. Empansis on best practices for organization, communication, practical techniques, and portfolio development. Elective. .5 unit. Prerequisite: THR121 and permission of instructor.
THR 311	Nonwestern Theatre	1	A survey of plays and theatrical performance traditions of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Latin America and Indigenous peoples. Satisfies the Other Cultures LADR. Can count towards the major in Theatre.
THR 312	Western Drama: Greeks to Realism	1	Survey of foundational plays of the western theatre tradition, from the classical Greeks to the dawn of Realism and the modern era. Includes plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes; Rome's Seneca and Plautus; and representative work from the Medievals, Elizabethans (other than Shakespeare), the French and the Spanish classicists; the English Restoration and the 18th-century; and concludes with Romanticism and Goethe's Faust. Offered alternate years.
THR 322	Monologue and Solo Performance	1	Students will develop a portfolio of monologues suitable for audition use, and will explore the field of solo performance in longer texts. Emphasis on script analysis and refinement of technique for ating in contemporary styles.
THR 331	Directing for the Stage	1	Theory and practice; student direction of two scenes of different styles for rehearsal/performance, and a one-act play for public performance. Prerequisites: 121, 131 and permission of the instructor.
THR 332	Contemporary Theatre	1	Theatre and its role in the world today. With permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit.
THR 334	Theatre History	1	History and development of theatre as an art form from the Greeks to the modern.
THR 343	Screenwriting	1	Writing for narrative film. Emphasis on structure, character development, meaning and professional format. May count toward the Theatre major.
THR 345	Playwriting	1	Theory and practice. Beginning with a basis in dramatic structure derived from Aristotle's Poetics, students will write four short plays and produce a revision. Plays are read aloud in a workshop setting and then responded to by other playwrights and the instructor in structured feedback sessions. Emphasis is upon sustained action, character development, and creating in dialogue.
THR 346	Advanced Playwriting	1	Builds upon the knowledge and skills gained in 345, now applied to writing a full-length play. Focus on structure and pacing, point of attack, and character development in plays one hour or more in length. Workshop method, with readings and feedback from peers and instructor. Each student will write at least one full-length play and the course culminates in a public reading of student work. Prerequisite: 345.
THR 348	Shakespeare in England	1	Selected plays of Shakespeare in performance, together with the cultural settings from which they emerged. Identical to Eng 348. Offered in Stratford-upon-Avon in Spring Term alternate years. Permission of the instructor is required.
THR 349	Advanced Stage Combat	1	Students will practice advanced techniques for physical acting, with empahsis on safety and clarity of nonverbal expression, with script ayalysis and rehearsal processes. Students may have the opportuity to test for credentials with The Society of American Fight Directors.