Theatre/Dance CoursesTHD 102 Conceptual Processes 4 hours This studio course is directed toward the development of conceptual skills through a deep understanding of the relationship of creative thinking to critical thinking and an investigation of the role of creative thinking in conceptualization, brainstorming, and image making. No prerequisite. (Same as ART 102). (HE) THD 110 Production Practicum 0 hours An intensive experiential research ensemble devoted to crafting, creating, developing, performing and producing a faculty-directed theatre and/or dance event. Students in this course will be involved in research and theoretical discussion supporting active involvement in a collaborative process of performance, design and production management, such as director/designer assistant; set construction; lighting, sound, costume, properties, make-up/hair, and stage management. Theatre/Dance majors must complete 6 Production Practicums, while minors must complete 3. Course may be repeated an unlimited number of times. Enrollment by audition or consent of instructor. THD 120 Viewing Performance 4 hours How does an audience member participate in the viewing process? How does an audience member make choices in viewing—cultivating one's imagination and broadening the ability to identify with artists' choices? By viewing contemporary dance and theatre performances through film, video and live representation, Viewing Performance examines lenses of perception—the eye and role of the audience. This course also examines how the elements of performance and environment are proportioned to create meaning and sensation. We will consider how socio-political and economic perspectives affect artists' choices. Guest performers, critics and practitioners will complement and expand the syllabus. This course is intended for non-theatre/dance majors. (HEPT) THD 121 Art of Illusion 4 hours "Nothing is so beautiful as a bare stage; yet its loneliness and its openness is often too strong a statement and it must be enclosed."—Peter Brook. This course is designed to introduce students to the illusionary arts that are employed in creating theatre. Theatre is a collaborative art form with a variety of artists functioning together to create a single work. This course will explore the connection between the designer and the artist/craftsperson. Through field trips, readings, and experiential lab work students will develop, design, create and practice the art of illusion found in the world of the theatre. Field trips to theatre productions, art and theatrical museums will be a part of this course. (HE) THD 122 Stagecraft Practicum 1 hour This course introduces students to the crafts of stage technology, applying them to the fields of theatre and dance. Students in this course will be assigned work in areas of scenery, properties, costuming, makeup, lighting, and sound. The course does not fulfill the Fine Arts or Human Expression general education requirement. Offered every semester on a credit/no credit basis. May be repeated. No prerequisite. THD 123 10-Minute Plays 4 hours Students will learn the craft of playwriting and play production through the creation of and production of 10-minute plays. The class will encompass writing, casting, directing, designing and performing the work of the class. No experience in any performing area is assumed. No prerequisites. (HE, W) THD 125 Acting I: Text in Performance 4 hours An introduction to performance concepts and skills utilizing text as a beginning point for the performance experience. The course will include analysis and performance of diverse texts through solo and group work, incorporating elements of movement, spoken text, and music. Letters, novels, poems, plays, biographies, journals, and newspapers are examples of potential performance texts. No experience in any performing area is assumed. (HE, S) THD 126 Movement Fundamentals I: Practices of Alignment and Function 4 hours An introductory movement course exploring vital integrative connections between somatic practice and performance preparation. Somatic skills including dynamic alignment and functional anatomy provide the groundwork for embodied movement exploration. The study and practice of dynamic alignment and embodied anatomy unfolds new relationships between physical function and expression. (HE) THD 130 Contact Improvisation 4 hours An introduction to the fundamentals of Contact Improvisation, a dance form that explores elements of physical contact among participants. Emphasis will be placed on finding mindful and physical ways to prepare to be "ready" to dance: cultivating a quiet core amidst the wilderness of physical disorientation; finding the root of levity, contact point, weight sharing, pathways into the floor and air; and focusing attention on the details of sensation. Students will engage in practices for building skills of trust, receptivity, and responsiveness, as well as tolerance for waiting in the unknown. (HB, HE, W) THD 131 Theatre Improvisation 4 hours Improvisational work in the theatre takes many forms ranging from theatre games to comedy sports to rehearsal exploration. The class will examine and experience the fundamentals of improvisational training. Readings from improvisational theorists and practitioners like Viola Spolin and Keith Johnstone will supplement the in-class investigation and participation in improvisational technique. No prerequisite. (HE) THD 134 Design I: Visual Principles 4 hours A study of the relationship between the performer, the elements of art, and the principles of design. Through a wide variety of hands-on exercises, students will explore how design can enhance the performer's ability to express thoughts, emotions, and ideas. Areas of study will include the designer's vocabulary and means of expression; the connection between design, the performer, and the audience; and methods of articulating visually to various audiences. Course fee: $75.00 for trips to area theatre performances. (HE, R) THD 139, 239, 339, 439 Special Topics Credit arr. THD 185 First-year Seminar 4 hours A variety of seminars for first-year students offered each January term. THD 203 Seminar in The Arts as a Profession 2 hours This seminar crosses boundaries between art, dance, theatre and music as well as between the arts and business. Participants will attend various panels, presentations and field trips to explore and expand methods of organizing their own professional journeys. The course is designed to provide students with an understanding of how artists create goals and objectives, plan programs, fund, and market to the public. May be repeated for credit up to two times under two different topics and with the consent of the instructor. (Same as Art 207). THD 242 Lighting History and Design 4 hours A study of the history of lighting for the performing arts and an introduction to and practice in theatrical stage lighting. Coursework will cover the function of light in design; lighting equipment and terminology; communication graphics through practical laboratory explorations. Application of principles for performance events and contemporary lighting problems will be studied through extensive hands-on applications. (HE, R, W) THD 243 Costume History and Design 4 hours A survey of costume history and design with an emphasis on how historical clothing design influences costume design for the performing arts. Coursework will introduce students to the basic principles of the art and technique of costume design, and execution of a range of techniques and processes. Application of principles in renderings for specific theatrical, musical theatre and dance works through extensive hands-on applications. (HE, Hist, R, W) THD 245 Acting II: Body, Voice and Vulnerability 4 hours This course explores fundamental skills and concepts related to acting in the theatre. The focus includes developing the capacity to be open, vulnerable, and responsive in a group setting (ensemble); establishing a strong connection with a partner (talking and listening); understanding the pursuit of an objective and the use of tactics; and beginning work in the analysis and personalization of dramatic text. Basic vocal and physical exploration is an important part of the course. Prerequisite: THD 125 or consent of instructor. (HE) THD 246 Movement Fundamentals II: Practices of Range and Efficiency 4 hours An intermediate movement course building technical practice from basic somatic skills. This technique course supports awareness of individual movement patterns and sequences allowing for the development of new movement possibilities. This increased range and efficiency opens the door to new levels of creative expression in communication and performance. This course may be repeated twice. Prerequisite: THD 126 or consent of instructor. (HE) THD 261 Shakespeare Performed 4 hours The study of representative Shakespeare plays, with special emphasis on the close analysis and public performance of one play. All students will do analytical writing and will be involved in some aspect of the performance. English 260 and 261 have common goals and both fulfill the departmental "Shakespeare" requirement, but because of the two courses' differing emphases, students may earn credit for both courses. Although students with previous experience in Shakespeare or acting are welcomed, the course is open to all students sophomore and above. Prerequisite: Paid 111, 112 or transfer equivalencies. (Same as English 261). (HEPT) THD 285/295 Directed Study 2, 4 hours An opportunity to pursue individualized or experiential learning with a faculty member, at the sophomore level or above, either within or outside the major. THD 285 can be taken only during January term, THD 295 can be taken during the fall, spring, or summer terms. THD 322 Production Studio 1 hour An experiential collaborative component for the theatre/dance major. Set within a faculty directed project or production, the student participates in research, dialogue and the underpinnings of producing work. Prerequisite: junior/senior status or consent of instructor. THD 338 Contemporary Plays 4 hours Focusing mainly on plays authored in the past 50 years, the works of American and British playwrights will comprise about a third of the reading with the remaining plays from around the globe with particular emphasis on non-European playwrights. Introduction to production analysis (how a play works in the theatre) and attention to student writing. No prerequisites. (HEPT, W) THD 354 Design II: Scenography 4 hours An exploratory study of performance design: scenery, costuming, sound, and/or lighting. Coursework will develop a student's individual approach to design and practical problem-solving for live performance with an emphasis on the function of design and aesthetics for the performing arts. Students enrolled will have bi-weekly portfolio meetings for an exchange of ideas in the field of design for live performance. Lab hours arranged. Prerequisites: THD 134 or ART 121, or consent of instructor. (HE, R) THD 355 Acting III: Vocabulary and Sensibility 4 hours This course builds on the concepts introduced in Acting II, investigating more fully some of the specific acting challenges present in any performance situation. A more intensive study of the text and character is accomplished through increased scene work. Vocal and physical explorations continue as central elements in the course. Prerequisite: THD 245. (HE, R) THD 356 Movement Fundamentals III: Practices of Vocabulary and Intention 4 hours An advanced movement course crystallizing performance skills through the development of individual movement versatility and invention. Technique practice builds from somatic skills and contemporary dance vocabulary through both technical phrasing and improvisational scoring. This depth of integrative practice prepares the mover to refine movement vocabulary and clarify movement intention. Writing course. May be repeated twice. Prerequisite: THD 246. (HE, W) THD 364 Directing 4 hours A study of the theories and practices related to directing for the theatre. Coursework will include emphasis on communication principles and script analysis as well as laboratory experiences in directing. Prerequisites: THD 120 or THD 121 and THD 125 or THD 130, or consent of instructor. (HE) THD 366 Dance Composition 4 hours An introduction to the basic tools of dance-making, this course explores the development and crafting of movement, time, space, and design elements. Consideration of compositional methods in other art forms—theatre, music, visual art, literature—will inform the development of skills for creating dance/movement events. Students will prepare solo and group movement studies for informal performance and observe, discuss, and critique each other's work as they learn how to see dance as well as make it. Prerequisites: THD 120 or THD 121 and THD 126 or THD 130, or consent of instructor. (HE) THD 367 Theatre History I 4 hours A study of major developments in the theatre—playwriting, acting, staging, architecture—from their roots through the 1850s, with reading of numerous representative plays. A study of theatre around the world from primitive rituals to classical Greek and Roman, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and African theatre and native performance. The plays, period developments, and movements studies will provide foundation for discussion of how modern readers and audiences can have a meaningful encounter with these ancient works. No prerequisite. (HEPT, Hist, S, R, W) THD 368 Theatre History II 4 hours A study of the development of the modern theatre, its drama, and its stage crafts, from 1850 through the present, with reading of numerous representative plays.Two-thirds of the plays studied will be by playwrights from around the globe and the remaining third will be plays by American and British playwrights. No prerequisite. (HEPT, Hist, S, R, W) THD 369 Dance History 4 hours This course takes an ethnographic approach to Euro-Western, Asian and African dance forms. Conventions and figures in ballet and modern/contemporary dance are emphasized. Contextualized analysis of the art forms of dance making and doing enliven students' understanding of social, political and historical happenings. This course studies a breadth of representative artists, artworks and practices ranging from the 17th century through the present. Depth is accomplished through students' culminating research projects. (HEPT, Hist, R, W) THD 380 Internship 2-8 hours Supervised on- or off-campus work experience related to professional demands and expectations of persons and organizations involved in theatre and/or dance. Prerequisite: 12 hours in theatre/dance. THD 389 Directed Research 1, 2, or 4 hours THD 395 Independent Study 1, 2, or 4 hours THD 490 Theatre/Dance Senior Seminar 2 hours An intensive, collaborative study of selected theories, performance artist(s), writer(s), selected period, or movement. The seminar will often intersect the disciplines of theatre and dance. The course format rests upon student-led discussion and development of an artist's manifesto, both of which will be used to focus and develop the senior project proposal. Prerequisites: THD 120, 125, 130, and THD 134, or consent of instructor. THD 491 Theatre/Dance Senior Project 2 hours Students will complete an individualized or collaborative senior project. The project will include a written artist's statement, process documentation, post-project reflection/critique, and will be presented publicly. Students will orally defend their project before the department following the public presentation. Double majors may petition the department to accept another department's senior project in lieu of the theatre/dance senior project requirement. Acceptable substitutes should reflect the department's mission and goals for student learning. Prerequisite: THD 490 and senior standing. (S, R, W) THD 493 Senior Honors Project 4 hours A yearlong independent research project. Applications are completed on the "Honors Program" form available at the registrar's office, requiring the signatures of a faculty supervisor, the department head, the honors program director, and the registrar. Interdisciplinary projects require the signatures of two faculty supervisors. The project must be completed by the due date for senior projects. The completed project is evaluated by a review committee consisting of the faculty supervisor, another faculty member from the major department, and a faculty member from outside the major department. All projects must be presented publicly. Only projects awarded an "A-" or "A" qualify for "department honors" designation. The honors project fulfills the all-college senior project requirement. (S, R, W) |