| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| TH124 |
Acting II: Voice and Text
4.00 Credits
This course bases the actor's work in the experience of voice and language. The goal is a free voice in a free body and the ability to express thought and emotion with openness and truth. The course guides the student through awareness of and release from habitual tensions and into body alignment, breathing, resonators, sound and movement, group interaction and the exploration of individual and group creativity. The student will use both scripted and improvised material as they discover the two to three octaves of the speaking voice and its connection with thoughts and words. Students in TH 124 must also enroll in TH 129, Playreading Aloud. Prerequisite: TH 123.
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| TH130 |
Improvisation
2.00 Credits
This course introduces performance majors to improvisation, developing listening skills, spontaneous playing and the art of presence. Required for all students enrolled in the Actor Training Program.. May be repeated once for credit.
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| TH131 |
Improvisation II
2.00 Credits
This course continues the study of improvisation begun in Improvisation I, developing skills from Johnstone, Spolin and others. Required for all students enrolled in the Actor Training Program.
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| TH221 |
Acting III: Basic Scene Study
4.00 Credits
This intensive scene study class builds on TH123 and TH124 (movement, improvisation and voice) to ensure a personal commitment in the way students approach and experience the mapping of a scene from the canon of 20th century naturalistic/realistic plays. We will emphasize the text, context and the given circumstances of each play studied. Actors' scene breakdown, intentions, actions, obstacles, objectives and moment-to-moment work will be some of the tools used to bring scenes from these plays to life. Prerequisites: TH124 and permission.
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| TH222 |
Acting IV : Ensemble Acting and Performance
4.00 Credits
In this course we combine and deepen the movement, improvisation and voice work accomplished in TH 123 and TH 124. Along with imagination, intelligence and emotional availability, they form the actor's instrument and are put into service of a playwright's scripted material. This amalgam is the basis of work on a scripted ensemble play, which will be performed at the end of the semester. Ensemble techniques that explore the theatre's collaborative nature will be used. Prerequisites: TH 221 and permission.
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| TH325 |
BFA Acting Studio I
4.00 Credits
Intensive discovery of scene study which builds on the first two years of voice and movement/improvisation work to ensure a personal commitment in the way a student studies and experiences the mapping of a scene through the vocabulary of intentions, actions, obstacles and objectives. The initial focus is on the plays of dramatic realism, which lend themselves most easily to analysis by these means. This course meets a minimum of fifteen hours per week in the studio classroom and integrates experiences in voice, movement and acting work through team teaching. Significant personal and group preparation is required outside of class time. At least four additional hours per week are protected in the schedule of all students to facilitate this important work. Open only to students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program in Acting who have successfully completed a faculty review, audition, and TH 222.
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| TH326 |
BFA Acting Studio II
4.00 Credits
Continuation of the intensive studio training work of TH 325 students in the BFA program in Acting. This course meets a minimum of fifteen hours per week in the studio classroom and integrates experiences in voice, movement and acting work through team teaching. Significant personal and group preparation is required outside of class time. At least four additional hours per week are protected in the schedule of all students to facilitate this important work. Prerequisites: TH 325 and permission of Acting Area Program Head.
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| TH425 |
BFA Acting Studio III
4.00 Credits
Continuation of the intensive studio training work of TH 325 and TH 326 for students in the BFA program in Acting. Scene study problems move toward issues of style, with particular focus on Shakespeare but including a range of aesthetic and acting style issues. This course meets a minimum of fifteen hours per week in the studio classroom and integrates experiences in voice, movement and acting work through team teaching. Significant personal and group preparation is required outside of class time. At least four additional hours per week are protected in the schedule of all students to facilitate this important work. Prerequisites: TH 326 and permission.
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| TH426 |
BFA Acting Studio IV
4.00 Credits
Continuation of the intensive studio training work of TH 425 for students in the BFA program in Acting. Beyond continued scene work, significant attention is paid to audition technique and to a thorough orientation to the profession and the business of acting. This course meets a minimum of fifteen hours per week in the studio classroom and integrates experiences in voice, movement and acting work through team teaching. Significant personal and group preparation is required outside of class time. At least four additional hours per week are protected in the schedule of all students to facilitate this important work. Prerequisites: TH 425 and permission.
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