20 credits
Why theatre?
The theatre arts minor is ideal for the student who wants to enhance his/her education by obtaining additional skills which are in high demand with today’s employers: creative thinking skills, problem-solving, verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and confidence and experience in public speaking. This minor is also ideal for education majors.
Goes great with
Art Studio
History
Literature
Music
Music Performance
(From the 09-11 Catalog)
A. The following courses:
TA100 Script Analysis
TA180 Theatre Crafts
B. Six credits of upper-division theatre courses (see Course Catalog for options)
C. Two of the following:
TA221 History of Theatre I: Origins to the Renaissance
TA321 History of Theatre II: Enlightenment to Romanticism
TA359 The Development of the American musical
TA421 History of Theatre III: Realism to the Present
D. Two credits of theatre production from:
TA111-114 Theatre Production
Click on courses below for descriptions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TA359 The Development of the American Musical (3 credits)This course is designed to provide a study of the history and repertoire of music in the theatre from its early forms of operetta, burlesque, vaudeville and revue to the integrated and spectacle musicals of today. This course focuses on the process of the writers, directors, performers and producers of musical theatre and through discussions of the production elements provide insight into what makes the musical form unique. Students have the opportunity to formulate their own aesthetic in regards to musical theater.
Prerequisites:
- TA100 Script Analysis
- TA221 History of Theatre I: Origins to the Renaissance