THEATRE

THET-131  Theatre Appreciation

3 Credits (Fine Arts/Humanities
Core)

This course is designed to help students not majoring in theatre develop an appreciation of the art form by understanding the relationship of theatre to society and diverse cultures. Students become familiar with components of stage art including play-writing, acting, directing, and design through practical experiences and viewing of live productions and films. Students will be prepared for greater enjoyment of theatre by developing a more critical eye for the many facets of the art form. (3 hours weekly)

THET-135  Stagecraft

3 Credits

This course will train the student in construction techniques and painting of theatrical scenery and properties. Safe operation of power tools and back stage machinery are also covered. (4 hours weekly)

THET-136  Lighting I

3 Credits

The purpose of this course is to enable students to safely work with basic stage lighting equipment. This will include working with electrical wiring, hand and power tools, stage lights and dimmer boards. (4 hours weekly)

THET-137  Sound I

3 Credits

The purpose of this class is to enable students to safely work with basic sound equipment for the stage. This will include working with microphones, amplifiers, mixers, tape decks and equalizers. (4 hours weekly)

THET-141  Basic Acting I

3 Credits (Fine Arts/Humanities
Core)

This course will include a brief survey of theatre concepts and terminology. The student will develop acting skills and techniques including oral communication, improvisation and stage movement. The student will participate in brief dramatic presentations. (3 hours weekly)

THET-142  Basic Acting II

3 Credits

This course is a continuation of THET-141 with an emphasis on character development, stage movement and direction, and the integration of physical and verbal stage presentations. Emphasis will be placed on the development of at least two contrasting monologues which could be used by the student in future audition situations (at college, community or professional levels). The course will include basic character work, script analysis, vocal production and improvisation in conjunction with each monologue. Prerequisite: THET-141. (3 hours weekly)

THET-150  Oral Interpretation

3 Credits

The course will focus on methods of analyzing prose, poetry, dramatic literature, and children’s literature for the purpose of performing literary selections orally. The emphasis will be upon communicating the beauty, meaning and emotional impact to others. Especially recommended for all public performers, education, English and recreation majors. Prerequisite: Eligible to enroll in ENGL-121. (3 hours weekly) NOTE: Also listed as SPCH-150.

THET-160, 161, 162, 163  Theatre Practicum

1 Credit

Students will practice their knowledge and skills in designated areas of theatre production. Hands-on experience with different phases of production is the method of instruction. Students will concentrate their efforts in one of the following areas - lighting, sound, set construction, costuming, theatre management, stage management, directing, props, or acting. Acting is by audition only. The student may take theatre practicum four times for credit. Each registration should be for the next numbered course. Prerequisite: consent of instructor required. (2-3 hours weekly)

THET-173  Movement for the Actor I

3 Credits

This course will focus on training actors to understand their own physical habits through spatial awareness exercises, Randai, Laban, Element, and Alexander terminology. The students will demonstrate these skills by studying the physical habits of other students in the class. The students will then apply this knowledge towards developing a physical embodiment of a character in monologues and cold readings for auditions. Prerequisite: THET-141. (4 hours weekly)

THET-174  Movement for the Actor II

3 Credits

This course will continue to explore the Laban and Alexander techniques of Movement for the Actor by applying them to mask work and period movement. Students will demonstrate their skills in Neutral and Character Mask work by creating the physical life of characters based on the teachings of Jacques Lecoq. Students will apply this physical mask work to classical scenes and stylized movement. During the second half of the class, the students will learn the movement, dances, costumes, and the language of the fan implemented by the French upper class in the 18th century. The students will demonstrate their movement skills by performing a monologue from one of Moliere’s plays. Prerequisite: THET-173. (4 hours weekly)

THET-177  Stage Combat

2 Credits

In this course, students will learn the basics of safety and partnering techniques in unarmed and sword combat for the stage. Students must work diligently to create a safe environment while portraying a character in a fight performance. Topics covered include punches, reactions, vocals, knaps, sword attacks, parries, and sword tricks. The class will also introduce students to the art of quarterstaff fighting. Students will demonstrate these skills in final performances. Prerequisite: THET-141 (3 hours weekly)

THET-190   Theatre History I

3 credits (Fine Arts/Humanities
Core)

A study of the evolution of theatre from primitive origins through Greek and Roman traditions, the medieval worlds of England and Japan, The Renaissance through Romanticism, examining Elizabeth and Jacobean drama, Restoration and Neo-Classical traditions, as well as the 17th and 19th century Italian, German, French, Spanish, and early American Theatre. Emphasis is on the play in performance reflecting the changing physical theatre, as well as the social, political, and artistic currents of each period. (3 hours weekly)

THET-191   Theatre History II

3 credits (Fine Arts/Humanities
Core)

A study of the evolution of theatre from the development of Realism in the late 19th century through the Theatre of the Absurd in the 1960s examining Naturalism, Idealism, Symbolism, Expressionism, and Surrealism, continuing to the highly diversified contemporary theatre from the 1960s to the present, examining Off and Off-Off Broadway, regional theatres, black theatre, feminist theatre, the Living Theatre, the Polish Laboratory Theatre, the Open Theatre, environmental theatre, and postmodernism. Emphasis is on the play in performance reflecting the changing physical theatre, as well as the social, political, and artistic currents of the period. (3 hours weekly)

THET-209  Modern Drama

3 Credits (Literature/Fine Arts/
Humanities Core)

Modern Drama studies work written for European and American theater in the last and present century. Students discuss and appraise plays; identify basic elements which distinguish modern drama from earlier periods; evaluate performances of contemporary plays; and study what playwrights have said about the nature of drama. Students also discuss the impact of major philosophical and scientific achievements on dramatic material. This course is writing intensive. Prerequisite: ENGL-121 or ENGL-101. (3 hours weekly) NOTE: Also listed as ENGL-209.

THET-223  Musical Theater Workshop

1 Credit

This course is intended as a culminating course for the musical theater track in the theater major. Students will have the opportunity to use the skills learned in previous classes in an integrative environment where they will move, act, and express through the media of lyric and music. They will develop, rehearse, and perform assigned scenes from the standard musical repertoire, both in class and as part of a public performance either in a college production or musical revue. Students will also be coached by a professional in the field on preparing and performing an audition piece. Prerequisites: THET-141, DANC-115 and MUSC-118. (3 hours weekly). NOTE: Also listed as MUSC-223

THET-241  Acting for Television

3 Credits

This class will prepare students to present themselves in a professional manner in any of the mass media. Voice, appearance, movement and the technical aspects of the mass media performance will be covered through comprehensive exercises and on-camera evaluation. Prerequisite: THET-141. (4 hours weekly)

THET-250  Shakespeare from Page to Stage

3 Credits (Literature/Fine Arts/
Humanities Core)

Shakespeare from Page to Stage focuses on reading, analyzing and interpreting Shakespeare’s plays as literary texts; understanding them as products of specific historical, cultural and artistic currents, and as performance text meant for production. Emphasis is given to the process that transforms literary text through production, informed by literary and theatrical elements. This course is writing intensive. Prerequisite: ENGL-121 or ENGL-101. (3 hours weekly) NOTE: Also listed as ENGL-250.

THET-260  Voice and Diction

3 Credits

This course allows students to experience and understand the basic tools of communication, voice, and diction. Class exercises include relaxation, alignment, breathing, phonation, resonation, articulation, vocal range, and inflection. Students will develop a knowledge and sense of their own voice and speech expressing who they are and what they feel. Students will demonstrate mastery of the International Phonetic Alphabet through testing and a final memorized performance. Prerequisite: Eligible to enroll in ENGL-121. (3 hours weekly) NOTE: Also listed as SPCH-260.

THET-261  Dialects for the Actor

3 Credits

This course will explore how to improve the voice through warm-ups and phonetic articulation. The students will use this knowledge to aid them in learning four different dialects: standard British, Cockney, variations of American Southern, and French. Students will demonstrate how to research a dialect, mark a text, and speak the dialect using the sounds that are character relevant. Students will perform a monologue for each dialect learned. Prerequisite: Eligible to enroll in ENGL-121. (3 hours weekly)

THET-270  Theater Juried Auditions

1 Credit

This course is a capstone course for the performance theater track in the theater major. The course will be run as an independent study in which each student will be paired with a theater professional to prepare a resume and audition piece for both professional work and application to transfer institutions. The culmination of the course will be the presentation of the audition piece and resume to a jury comprised of departmental instructors and theater professionals. Students will meet for one hour each week with their instructor but will be expected to put significant time into their preparation outside of these meetings. Prerequisites: Current enrollment in or completion of THET-142 (1 hour weekly)