Theatre & Dance | Overview | London Semester | Scholarships | Performances | Sample Schedule
48 credits
Career Options
Actors; Arts Administrators; Costume Designers; Directors; Drama/Theatre Teachers; Set Designers; Talent Agents; Theater, Film, and TV Technicians; Writers
High School Preparation
Art history; Computer-assisted drafting; English Literature; Family and consumer sciences; Studio Art; Theater arts
Sample First Year Schedule
|
| Fall Semester |
Course #
| Title | Credits |
| TA100 | Script Analysis | 3 |
| TA101 | Oral Communication | 3 |
| TA180 | Theatre Crafts | 3 |
| | Dance (no credit awarded, but satisfies one p.e. requirement) | 0 |
| LCT140 | First Year Seminar | 3 |
| E120 | English Composition | 3 |
| | 15 total |
| | |
Course #
| Title | Credits |
| TA111-114 | Theatre Production | 1 |
| TA155 | Acting I | 3 |
| | Theater Design Requirement/Elective | 1-4 |
| | Dance (no credit awarded, but satisfies one p.e. requirement) | 0 |
| | Disciplinary Studies Course | 3 |
| | Disciplinary Studies Course | 3 |
| | Elective | 3 |
| | | 14-17 total |
For more information contact:
|
| Theatre & Dance Chair |
Judy Myers, M.F.A.
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
700 Terrace Heights #1458
Winona, MN 55987-1399
(800) 635-5987, Ext. 6686
jmyers@smumn.edu |
(From the 09-11 Catalog)
A. All of the following:
TA100 Script Analysis
TA155 Introduction to Acting
TA180 Theatre Crafts
TA221 History of Theatre I: Origins to the Renaissance
TA240 Directing I
TA321 History of Theatre II: Enlightenment to Romanticism
TA325 Career Development
TA360 London Theatre: Page to Stage
TA421 History of Theatre III: Realism and Naturalism to the Present
TA475 Dramatic Theory and Research
B. Two semesters of theatre production from:
TA111-114 Theatre Production
C. Two semesters of theatre production from:
TA311-314 Theatre Production
D. One theatre seminar from:
TA476-489 Seminars in Theatre
E. Students must complete a minimum of three credits in design/technical theatre from:
TA270 Scene Design
TA275 Lighting Design
TA280 Costume Design
F. Students must complete an additional minimum of two credits in design/technical theatre from additional credits in Section E or from the following:
TA242-249 Special Topics in Theatre
G. One dance course taken for 0-2 credits. See the Course Catalog for options.
H. Additional theatre elective credits so total major credits equals a minimum of 48 credits. See the Course Catalog for options.
Students who choose an area of focus should refer to the department handbook for detailed four-year plans outlining additional course options in:
- Performance studies: acting, directing, voice and movement, dance, voice, and psychology;
- Musical theatre: acting, voice and movement, singing for the stage, dance, music theory, piano, music ensembles, musical theatre history;
- Technical; theatre: scenic design, lighting design, costume design, theatre crafts, studio art, stage management; and
- Theatre management: stage management, arts administration, accounting, marketing, business management, and graphic design.
Click on courses below for descriptions
TA100 Script Analysis (3 credits)Through the examination of a variety of plays from different eras and aesthetics, students learn methodologies from Aristotle to modern performance theory in order to critically and theoretically analyze a script for potential production. This course includes an introduction to theatre research and writing methods, and serves as a foundation for other major courses in theatre.
TA111-114 Theatre Production (1 credit)An experiential course open to all students interested in a guided study of various theatrical arts in the context of a production atmosphere. Requirements of the course include a weekly three-hour lab, as well as the opportunity to perform a practical assignment on one production.
For the theatre major, two credits at this level are required, but up to three may be taken.
The course cannot be taken at the same time as Theatre Crafts or during the London semester.
Graded pass/no credit.
TA155 Introduction to Acting (3 credits)The basic tasks of the actor are considered in three distinct units: voice and movement; creativity and imagination; and, character and scene development. The course serves as an introduction to theatrical performance, and provides a knowledge and appreciation of theatre as a process of fostering creative expression.
TA180 Theatre Crafts (3 credits)An introductory study and practice of basic techniques commonly used in theatre production. The course focuses on simultaneous development of crafts found in scenery, lighting, and costumes.
A materials fee is required.
Offered fall semester.
TA221 History of Theatre I: Origins to the Renaissance (3 credits)This course, the first in a three-course sequence examining theatre within its historical context as a socially constructed mode of artistic and cultural expression, considers the history, dramatic literature, dramatic criticism, and theory of pre-literate ritual cultures, Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages in Europe, Asia, and India, and the European Renaissance.
TA240 Directing I (3 credits)This course considers the elemental concerns for the director including movement, composition, and a review of script analysis techniques. Students practice techniques and possibilities in short classroom scenes and through guided practice in directing scenes to be presented for an audience.
Prerequisites:
- TA100 Script Analysis
- TA180 Theatre Crafts
TA242-249 Special Topics in Theatre (1-3 credits)Courses dealing with specialized topics, including those relevant to the actor, director, designers, or other theatre practitioners. Topics may include: make-up, stage management, sound design and playwriting.
Must have consent of the instructor.
TA270 Scene Design (3 credits)This course explores the essential crafts of the theatrical set designer. In a hands-on approach, students practice traditional sketching, painting, drafting, model-making and practical scenery construction methods. Study concentrates on process-orientated activity—developing one’s personal vision and interpretive skills through script analysis, research techniques, spatial and production considerations and communication of ideas.
Prerequisites:
- TA100 Script Analysis
- TA180 Theatre Crafts
TA275 Lighting Design (3 credits)This course explores the essential crafts of the theatrical lighting designer. In a hands-on approach, students practice drafting, hanging, circuiting, focusing, and cuing for lights. Study concentrates on the process: developing one’s personal vision and interpretive skills through script analysis, research techniques, basic theory, production considerations and communication of ideas.
Prerequisites:
- TA100 Script Analysis
- TA180 Theatre Crafts
Offered in alternate spring semesters.
TA280 Costume Design (3 credits)This course focuses on the history of clothing for the stage. Particular emphasis is placed on the costume design process from script to rendering, conceptual thought and communication, and techniques in the planning and building of a show.
Prerequisites:
- TA100 Script Analysis
- TA180 Theatre Crafts
Offered in alternate spring semesters.
TA311-314 Theatre Production (1 credit)An experiential course open to all students interested in a guided study of various theatrical arts in the context of a production atmosphere. Requirements of the course include a weekly three-hour lab, as well as the opportunity to perform a practical assignment on one production.
For the theatre major, two credits at this level are required, but up to three may be taken.
The course cannot be taken at the same time as Theatre Crafts or during the London semester.
Graded pass/no credit.
TA321 History of Theatre II: Enlightenment to Romanticism (3 credits)The second in a three course sequence examining theatre within its historical context as a socially constructed mode of artistic and cultural expression, this particular course investigates the history, dramatic literature, dramatic criticism, and theory of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries with an emphasis on Baroque Europe, the aesthetics of Enlightenment and Romanticism, opera, and the development of theatre in the United States.
TA325 Career Development (1 credit)This course helps students develop documents and materials relative to auditioning and interviewing for theatre related employment. Topics include resumes, head shots, monologues/songs, cold readings, design/tech portfolios, cover letters, call boards, graduate school/additional training, audition/interview protocol, talent and casting agencies, film-TV-industrials, unions and organizations, living in a large city, income tax tips filing, and more. Guest speakers may be invited.
TA360 London Theatre: Page to the Stage (3 credits)This course explores the transfer of dramatic literature from the page to the stage. Prior to attending a London production, students analyze and interpret a given text and discuss its possible production requirements. After viewing the production students assess it based on their pre-production analysis and interpretation.
Offered fall semester.
Prerequisite: majors or minors.
TA421 History of Theatre III: Realism and Naturalism to the Present (3 credits)This course is the third in a three-course sequence examining theatre within its historical context as a socially constructed mode of artistic and cultural expression with an emphasis on international theatre. Among the topics contemplated in this particular course are the contributions of Ibsen, Chekhov, and Stanislavsky; Theatre Libre, Bertolt Brecht, and Samuel Beckett; the theatre of cruelty, political theatre, the rise of Broadway, emerging world theatres, performance art, and contemporary theory.
Prerequisites:
- TA321 History of Theatre II: Enlightenment to Romanticism
Offered in alternate spring semesters.
TA475 Dramatic Theory and Research (3 credits)The course covers the major concepts of modern and post-modern dramatic and performance theory. The course culminates with a theoretically informed and faculty mentored research project in modern theatre studies.
Offered fall semester.
Intended for senior theatre majors; other students may apply to the course instructor for permission to enroll.
TA476-489 Seminars in Theatre (3 credits)Topics vary in these in-depth studies of particular aspects of theatre or of theatre artists.
Required: junior or seniors status or consent of the instructor.
Offered spring semester.