Courses (Theater Arts 965)

50:965:101 Introduction to Theater (3)
An introduction to the collaborative process of creating theater by examining the roles of the producer, playwright, director, actor, and designer, and how aesthetic choices are made based on analysis and interpretation of play texts.

50:965:102 History of Film I (3)
Survey of world cinema from 1890 to 1939. With an emphasis on the invention of cinema as a global effort, the course covers pre-cinema and early motion picture technology, the development of film as art, and the growth of the Hollywood system and international cinema.

50:965:103 History of Film II (3)
Survey of world cinema from 1940 to present. Focus is on the major artistic developments and movements in cinema around the globe. Includes discussion of major films auteurs, genres, and contemporary films.

50:965:123 Voice for the Stage (3)
Training and development of the actor's voice to develop optimal pitch, vocal range, improved articulation, and the ability to use the voice as an instrument.

50:965:124 Movement for the Stage (3)
Training and development of the actor's body to develop optimal range of movement and creative potential for the actor.

50:965:125 Introduction to Video and Film (3)
Exploration and survey of a variety of methods of video production and filmmaking using digital equipment and nonlinear editing to produce a range of films.

50:965:202 Play Reading and Analysis (3)
The fundamentals of script analysis as it relates to the work of the director, the actor, and the designer.

50:965:225 Video and Film Production (3)
Continued exploration of a variety of methods of video and filmmaking using digital equipment and nonlinear editing software, focusing on lighting and sound techniques to produce larger team productions.
Prerequisite: 50:965:125 or permission of instructor.

50:965:241 Stagecraft (3)
An introduction to the behind-the-scenes elements of a theater production developed through theory and stage crew experiences. Subjects covered may include scenery construction and painting, drafting, sound, digital electronics, stage management, and production organization.

50:965:242 Stagecraft II (3)
A continuation of Stagecraft I (50:965:241), this course focuses on more advanced scenic construction, electrical work in theatrical lighting, prop construction, and the development of related crafts in the theater.

50:965:245 Scenic Painting (3)
Covers techniques and materials that students will use in the creation of scenic art. Students will learn painting practices and materials including color mixing and matching, wood graining, faux painting techniques, glazing, creating foliage, stone and brick, and they will apply what they learn from various projects on actual department productions.

50:965:248 Stage Combat (3)
Introduces techniques of armed and unarmed stage combat and choreography, with an emphasis on essential safety measures.

50:965:262 Costume Construction (3)

Explore and learn the fundamentals of costume construction for theater. Students will learn basic hand and sewing machine techniques, implemented in project-based assignments. Basic pattern-making will be covered using traditional draping and tailoring methods.

50:965:268 Stage Management (3)
Examines the fundamentals of stage management from pre-rehearsal prep through the rehearsal period, technical rehearsals and performance, and shows how the stage manager, as a member of the creative team, manages artists and facilitates the creative process in a way that elevates, supports, and protects the quality of a production.

50:965:270 Stage Makeup (3)
Introduces practical make-up design principles and application techniques. Students will learn the history of make-up, application techniques, design and use of make-up for theatrical productions.

50:965:271 Acting I (3)
A foundational course that introduces the basic concepts of characterization through improvisational exercises, text analysis, and scene study. This course may be taken as part of a minor in media studies.

50:965:301 Performance (BA)
This course provides practical experience for the actor through mainstage or workshop productions.
Prerequisite: By audition or permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit.

50:965:302 Practicum/Crew Call in Technical Theater (BA)
An extension of technical theater studies with an emphasis on our mainstage and small-stage productions. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisites: 50:965:241 or other departmental courses relevant to the practicum or permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit.

50:965:303 Actor Director Workshop (BA)
A hands-on course in which student directors work with student actors to produce plays.
May be repeated for credit.

50:965:308 American Musical Theater (3)
This course examines the development of one of the most quintessentially American performance forms--the musical--from its various origins in European operetta, vaudeville, minstrelsy, and melodrama, to its most contemporary incarnations in the current Broadway season.

50:965:309 American Theater (3)
The development of the American theater as an artistic, literary, cultural, historical, political, and social phenomenon, including the study of plays, playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and theater companies in the United States from the colonial era to the present day.

50:965:310 Experimental Theater (3)
A look at the American and European avant-garde in the 20th century, exploring how traditional patterns were and still are broken on all levels: artistic, political, and philosophical.

50:965:314 Scenic Design (3)
Fundamentals of scenic design, including history, theory of design, drafting, rendering, modeling, and practical application.
Prerequisite: 50:965:241 or permission of instructor.

50:965:318 Playwriting I (3)
Provides experience with fundamental skills and techniques essential to new play development and writing that is particular to the stage. Examines traditional conventions of the "well-made play" while also experimenting with writing for a theater that breaks with those conventions.

50:965:319 Playwriting II (3)
Covers practical approaches to reshaping works-in-progress for staged readings and workshop productions. The workshop atmosphere will help students to develop a professional perspective on playwriting, rehearsal process, and production values.
Prerequisite: 50:965:318 or permission of instructor.

50:965:320 Directing I (3)
The fundamentals of stage directing, including composition, picturization, movement, stage business, tempo, script selection, analysis, casting, and rehearsal planning.
Prerequisite: 50:965:202 or permission of instructor.

50:965:321 Directing II (3)
Advanced study of the principles and techniques of directing plays of various types and styles.
Prerequisite: 50:965:320. May be repeated for credit.

50:965:322 Directing for Film (3)
A foundation course that introduces the basic concepts of directing for film and video. Students will learn by making short films. Emphasis is placed on a director's ability to implement basic uses of actors and practical aspects of technical production.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

50:965:325 Advanced Video and Film Production (3)
Students will explore concepts and techniques of screenwriting, digital editing, and film compositing and effects. Each student will develop an individual project from preproduction to postproduction.
Prerequisite: 50:965:225 or permission of instructor.

50:965:345 Theater and Film in Europe (3)
A study of 20th-century movements in European film, which ran parallel to the expanding world of wildly new theater. Examines content and performance style that are specific to European countries, cultures, and individuals. An emphasis on influences and sensibilities well apart from our general awareness of theater and cinema in the United States.

50:965:350 Auditions and the Business of Theater (3)
Introduces audition techniques for actors and presents an overview of the business side of theater to prepare students for careers in professional theater.

May be repeated for credit.

50:965:361 Survey of Costume History (3)
This survey course traces the evolution of dress from the ancient period to the present.

50:965:362 Costume Design (3)
Fundamentals of costume design, including history of costume and fashion, theory of design, research methods, rendering, and practical application. Techniques in drawing the basic human form.

50:965:363 Educational/Children's Theater (3)
This course examines techniques for theater in the classroom, creative dramatics, and theater for young audiences.

50:965:371 Acting II (3)
Development of material introduced in Acting I, with more advanced emphasis on realistic scene study and various approaches to an actor's preparation.
Prerequisite: 50:965:271 or permission of instructor.

50:965:372 Acting for Film (3)
A foundation course that introduces the basic concepts of acting for film and video. Emphasis is placed on an actor's ability to understand technically, to artistically interpret, and to implement specific suggestions from the film director.

50:965:373 Improvisational Theater (3)
Improvisational process is examined through a progression of choice-making exercises related to spontaneous composition for the stage. Work with impulse and imaginative freedom are featured elements in making theater from scratch.

50:965:380 History of Theater I (3)
A survey from the classical period through the 17th century, with emphasis on the major periods, typical plays, performance theories, important figures, and major playhouses and forms of production. Western and non-Western traditions will be examined. The two courses in this series need not be taken in sequence.

50:965:381 Modern Drama (3)
A survey from the 18th century to the present, with emphasis on the major periods, typical plays, performance theories, important figures, and major playhouses and forms of production. Western and non-Western traditions will be examined.

50:965:382 Lighting Design (3)
Fundamentals of lighting design, including history and theories of design and electricity, drafting, and practical application.
Prerequisite: 50:965:241 or permission of instructor.

50:965:425 Postproduction (3)
Explores postproduction techniques for animation, video, film, and audio. Focuses on the production related aspects of rendering, converting, importing, exporting, compositing, effects, and sound.
Prerequisite: 50:965:125 or 50:080:386 or permission of instructor.

50:965:471 Acting III (3)
Advanced problems in acting theories and styles with an emphasis on Shakespeare.
Prerequisites: 50:965:271 and 371 or permission of instructor.

50:965:496 Senior Project (BA, 1-3)
Senior theater majors are required to register for this seminar. Guidance for final projects: performance, research, or internship; 1-3 credits.

Theater Arts (Dance 203, Theater Arts 965) (CCAS)

Theater Arts (Dance 203, Theater Arts 965)