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.

Offered fall semester.

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.

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.

Offered fall semester.

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.

Offered spring semester.

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 and TA221.

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.