Course Category: Theatre

An introduction to the world of theatre through a survey of its independent parts: (1) the unique qualities of its varied dramatic forms, (2) genres or types of theatre into which most plays can be categorized, and (3) the relationships that exist between an audience and the major participants of a play - playwright, director, designer and actor.

A technique-oriented approach for beginning actors. This course will provide students with both theoretical and practical experience in character analysis, research, inanimate elements of production, and voice and movement with a special emphasis on the British Method of working from the outside in.

This course introduces students to performance studies theory and embodied performance through the staged interpretation of works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students will select texts to perform, gain appreciation and understanding of their chosen texts, and communicate their interpretation of the text through purposeful performance choices on stage.

Special Topics courses are studies of selected problems, periods or movements in the subject area not otherwise included in the curriculum. They are typically chosen from a faculty member’s particular expertise and field of scholarly inquiry, and offered to a student or group of students forming an interest in the particular subject matter. The 250 designation denotes a General Education level of instruction and may include an appropriate General Education task to be completed. A Special Topics course must be approved by the School of Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee before it is offered, and it must address one or more Major Outcomes within the discipline.

Students explore the intersections of identity, storytelling, and performance by crafting personal narratives and adapting them into staged performances. Students will explore how lived histories and experiences with friends, family and community contribute to who we are and how we move through the world while experimenting with different methods and theories for adapting written narratives texts into staged performances.