The Department of Theatre offers Theatre Major and Non-Major students the opportunity to explore many aspects of the theatre, from acting to directing, history to playwriting. In the spring of 2018, our devoted faculty will teach classes that cover a variety of topics including multiculturalism, feminism, and Shakespeare among other classes aimed at diversifying the learning opportunities of our students.
Instructor Jerry Rapier, Artistic Director of Plan-B Theatre Company, will explore multiculturalism through the arts in his class, Diversity: Arts Inquiry. Students will develop a working understanding of critical theories useful to the analysis and production of theatrical texts in Theatre and Theory, (2 sections) taught by Instructors Mark Fossen and Lynn Deboeck.
Theatre of the Pacific taught by Ethnic Studies/Theatre Professor Kimberly Jew, and Contexts: Historical Plays, Then and Now are both courses that will count toward the BA Dramatic Lit requirement. Head of the BA Theatre Studies program, Professor Bob Nelson will teach students the craft of acting and directing Shakespeare through play analysis, interpretation, rehearsal, and performance in Acting and Directing Shakespeare. Playwright in residence, Professor Tim Slover, will explore with his students the collaborative processes that bring a new script from the page to production in New Play Workshop.
Check out a list of all our spring classes in the Spring 2018 Schedule.
Theatre and Theory (THEA 2713)
Section 001 MW 11:50-1:10pm, Mark Fossen
Section 002 MW 11:50-1:10pm, Lynn Deboeck
Theatre Core Requirement. Through readings, discussion, and performance, students develop a working understanding of the critical theories most useful to the analysis and production of theatrical texts, including semiotics, (post)structuralism, feminism, and post-colonialism. The capstone experience in the class is a performance that exemplifies one or more of the theories studied during the semester.
*Required in BA Theatre Studies.
Diversity: Arts Inquiry (THEA 3000)
TH 12:25-1:45PM, Jerry Rapier, Artistic Director, Plan-B Theatre Company
Use of arts-based inquiry to represent data and explore diverse texts dealing with multiculturalism and diversity. Students create and produce performance pieces that integrate formal histories, personal narrative, case studies, and theories and critiques of multicultural education.
*Fulfills the General Education DV requirement.
Theatre of the Pacific (Thea 3790)
TH 2:00PM-3:20PM, Kimberly Jew, Ethnic Studies and Theatre
Special topics courses are designed for both Theatre Majors and Non-Majors. The focus of these courses varies each semester. Past courses have included: Performance Art, American and European Scene Study, and Dialects. Auditions for Actors Stage Combat Improv Check the Department’s web site for current information on the content and emphasis of special topics offerings. A variety of topics in theatre are covered relating texts to the culture that produced them.
*Can count as a BA Theatre Studies elective or toward the BA Dramatic Lit requirement.
Acting and Directing Shakespeare (THEA 4110)
MW 11:50AM-1:10PM, Bob Nelson, head of BA Theatre Studies
For Theatre Majors and Non-Majors. Students will study the craft of acting and directing Shakespeare through play analysis, interpretation, rehearsal, and performance. Students will craft a “director’s vision” and realize that vision through the rehearsal and production of scenes.
*Can count as a BA Theatre elective.
New Play Workshop (THEA 4420)
TH-2:00-5:00PM, Tim Slover, playwright in residence
For Theatre Majors and Non-Majors. Instructor’s approval. Meets with THEA 6220. Students explore the collaborative processes which bring a new script from the page to production.
*Can count as a BA Theatre elective.
Contexts: Historical Plays, Then and Now (THEA 4703)
MW 8:35-10:30AM
This course is an exercise in advanced analysis of a range of representative plays from the pre-nineteenth century history of theatre, including works of female and non-Western playwrights. Students will conduct close readings of the assigned plays. They will study the plays structures and their particular contexts: political, socio-economic, cultural, philosophical, and aesthetic and analyze how the plays establish, reinforce, or challenge values within these contexts. They will study themes, strategies, multiple meanings, dramatic genres and movements, reactions, and innovations. The course will focus on bridging the gap between the plays original context and the perspectives and production possibilities of today. The particular plays studied will vary to some degree each time the course is taught, depending on the live performances of historical plays available during the term, specific curricular needs, and the instructor’s expertise.
*Counts toward the BA Dramatic Lit requirement.