Performing Arts :: Undergraduate: BA in Theatre Studies

BA in Theatre Studies

The B.A. degree in Theatre Studies invites students to develop a broad educational plan, which must include work beyond the Performing Arts core curriculum in at least two different curricular areas. BA students must identify training work in a primary area of emphasis -- they may include actor training work only if they have successfully auditioned to do so -- but are given freedom to identify further course work in other areas of theatre, in related fields of communication and the arts, and in the liberal arts and sciences. Primary areas of interest include Acting, Production/Stage Management, Design/Technology, Playwriting, Dramaturgy and Directing. Students then build very specific clusters of courses in a secondary area in an interdisciplinary fashion. Each Theatre Studies major is required to develop a personal, educational plan for a program best suited to his or her future goals.

BA Theatre Studies majors may take electives in Performing Arts beyond the total P.A. credits noted below. BA Theatre Studies majors with an emphasis in Acting may take only one Advanced Acting class (TH 421) in each semester of their junior and senior years. In addition, BA Theatre Studies majors may take the intensive 16-credit course of study at the Los Angeles Center in their senior year.

Program Requirements

Course Code	Course Information
PA101	Languages of the Stage 4.00 Credits This course introduces students to the various means of expression available to the art of the stage. In addition to an exploration of the techniques of the written script, students will be introduced to the visual forms of artistic communication, their history, and the conventions of all theatrical forms.
TH149	Emerson Stage Production Crew 0.00 Credits Performing Arts majors are assigned to crew one Emerson Stage production project during their first year in the program. Successful completion of this crew assignment is required as part of the Performing Arts curriculum. Students who fail to earn a satisfactory grade in TH 149 during their first year may not be eligible for work with Emerson Stage until they do so through a new crew assignment.
TH215	World Drama in Its Context I 4.00 Credits A survey of theatre and drama from the Greeks through the Renaissance, with a focus on the major periods of Western theatre and dramatic literature: the Greeks, Roman theatre and drama, Medieval theatre, Elizabethan drama, and Italian, French, and English Neo-Classicism. In addition, a survey of Eastern classical theatre and drama with a particular emphasis on the Sanskrit theatre, the Chinese drama and the Peking Opera, and the classical theatre of Japan, including Kabuki, No, and the puppet theatre. Selected readings of plays in their historical context with particular attention paid to theatrical styles of plays and production.
TH216	World Drama in Its Context II 4.00 Credits A survey of theatre and drama from the late seventeenth century to the present. The major periods of world theatre and drama, Neo-Classicism, Romanticism and Modernism will be studied with particular emphasis on Twentieth Century theatre and drama throughout the world, including Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Attention will be given to the work of both women and men. Theatrical conventions, innovations and techniques developed in the Western and Non-Western theatres will be explored.

Choose two of the following:

TH141	Stagecraft: Special Topics 2.00 Credits This course offers experience in standard technical craft practices for the theatre. Students study fundamental techniques in selected technical/craft areas. Including, but not limited to, scenery construction and handling, scene painting, sculpture for the stage, costume and properties construction, make-up prosthetics, electrics, and lighting. Students are expected to provide appropriate materials as needed. Students may complete different Stagecraft units to a total of eight credits. The Performing Arts core curriculum requires completion of two laboratory units, or four credits.
TH142	Stagecraft: Electrics 2.00 Credits This course offers experience in standard technical craft practices for the theatre. Students study fundamental techniques in selected technical/craft areas. Including, but not limited to, scenery construction and handling, scene painting, sculpture for the stage, costume and properties construction, make-up prosthetics, electrics, and lighting. Students are expected to provide appropriate materials as needed. Students may complete different Stagecraft units to a total of eight credits. The Performing Arts core curriculum requires completion of two laboratory units, or four credits.
TH143	Stagecraft: Properties Construction 2.00 Credits This course offers experience in standard technical craft practices for the theatre. Students study fundamental techniques in selected technical/craft areas. Including, but not limited to, scenery construction and handling, scene painting, sculpture for the stage, costume and properties construction, make-up prosthetics, electrics, and lighting. Students are expected to provide appropriate materials as needed. Students may complete different Stagecraft units to a total of eight credits. The Performing Arts core curriculum requires completion of two laboratory units, or four credits.
TH144	Stagecraft: Costume Construction 2.00 Credits This course offers experience in standard technical craft practices for the theatre. Students study fundamental techniques in selected technical/craft areas. Including, but not limited to, scenery construction and handling, scene painting, sculpture for the stage, costume and properties construction, make-up prosthetics, electrics, and lighting. Students are expected to provide appropriate materials as needed. Students may complete different Stagecraft units to a total of eight credits. The Performing Arts core curriculum requires completion of two laboratory units, or four credits.
TH145	Stagecraft: Scenic Construction 2.00 Credits This course offers experience in standard technical craft practices for the theatre. Students study fundamental techniques in selected technical/craft areas. Including, but not limited to, scenery construction and handling, scene painting, sculpture for the stage, costume and properties construction, make-up prosthetics, electrics, and lighting. Students are expected to provide appropriate materials as needed. Students may complete different Stagecraft units to a total of eight credits. The Performing Arts core curriculum requires completion of two laboratory units, or four credits.
TH146	Stagecraft: Scene Painting 2.00 Credits This course offers experience in standard technical craft practices for the theatre. Students study fundamental techniques in selected technical/craft areas. Including, but not limited to, scenery construction and handling, scene painting, sculpture for the stage, costume and properties construction, make-up prosthetics, electrics, and lighting. Students are expected to provide appropriate materials as needed. Students may complete different Stagecraft units to a total of eight credits. The Performing Arts core curriculum requires completion of two laboratory units, or four credits.
TH147	Stagecraft: Costume Crafts 2.00 Credits This course offers experience in standard technical craft practices for the theatre. Students study fundamental techniques in selected technical/craft areas. Including, but not limited to, scenery construction and handling, scene painting, sculpture for the stage, costume and properties construction, make-up prosthetics, electrics, and lighting. Students are expected to provide appropriate materials as needed. Students may complete different Stagecraft units to a total of eight credits. The Performing Arts core curriculum requires completion of two laboratory units, or four credits.
TH148	Stagecraft: Masks 2.00 Credits This course offers experience in standard technical craft practices for the theatre. Students study fundamental techniques in selected technical/craft areas. Including, but not limited to, scenery construction and handling, scene painting, sculpture for the stage, costume and properties construction, make-up prosthetics, electrics, and lighting. Students are expected to provide appropriate materials as needed. Students may complete different Stagecraft units to a total of eight credits. The Performing Arts core curriculum requires completion of two laboratory units, or four credits.

Also choose one of the following:

TH121	Introduction to Acting I 4.00 Credits An introduction to the acting process designed for the non-performance major. Group and individual exercise work develops a relaxed instrument able to respond freely, in the body and the voice, to emotional and external stimuli. The course moves from fundamental explorations through improvisation to work on scripted material.
TH123	Acting I: Movement 4.00 Credits An intensive exploration of movement and improvisation. A variety of improvisatory approaches are employed to tap into individual creativity and to discover the power of group creation. Physical demands increase as the body is emphasized as the instrument of communication. The work includes exploration of space, energy, dynamics, rhythm, and sensory response. Actors learn to channel their physical and emotional energy into dramatic action. Students in TH 123 must also enroll in TH129, Playreading Aloud. Prerequisite: By audition only.

TH121

Introduction to Acting I

TH123

Acting I: Movement

Advanced Drama (4 credits)

Concentration (20 credits)

Total credits: 44