Department of Theater Arts

Last updated: July 19, 2013 at 1:38 p.m.

Objectives

Mission
The mission of the Department of Theater Arts is to reveal the theater's unique ability to incorporate diversity and community in a sophisticated process of creative expression that results in plays and musical theater pieces of artistic and social significance. Through a two-fold path of academic inquiry and practical artistic experience, we help students develop an understanding of dramatic literature in theory and historical context as well as in action. Students have the opportunity to experience the strength and immediacy of live theater through the production and performance of plays and musical theater pieces, including dance and movement, in the multiple spaces of the Spingold Theater Center.

The Department of Theater Arts views the theater as a centuries-old system for creating awareness of groups and their place in the wider universe of experience. In production, we examine the concept of "company" or "ensemble" as an integral part of developing an effective creative community. The theater group, utilizing the building blocks of time and space, applies the tools of physical movement, language, sound and music, light, and visual image in a rich collaborative process whose goal is the practical interpretation of important dramatic and musical theater works. In its creative process, the Department of Theater Arts continually reflects the mission of Brandeis University as a place where collaborative artistic achievement serves as a model for progressive human enterprise.

Undergraduate Major
The major in theater arts is designed to give students a solid foundation in dramatic literature, theory, and history (LTH), as well as the opportunity to explore all areas of practical theater performance and production. Students will complete required courses in three categories: Foundational, Courses for Exploration and Course for Immersion. While the department encourages experimentation and adventure, the curriculum stresses the cultivation of solidly rooted understanding, investigation, and development of skills. We ask students to explore their own creative impulses with honesty and intelligence. Students are expected to become involved in the department's production season in various ways, from performance to production work.

The department participates in the European cultural studies major (ECS) at Brandeis, and, in general, its courses are open to ECS students.

Graduate Program in Theater Arts
The graduate programs in theater arts are designed to provide the highest level of theatrical investigation and practice. This prepares talented students for a professional life in the theater in the area of acting. With an intention to create young theater artists who will shape the future of American and world theater, Brandeis theater arts is dedicated to the transmission of technique-based knowledge, as well as providing professional-level performance experience in the various venues with the Brandeis Theater Company in the Spingold Center for the Performing Arts. Our goal is to set the stage for a theater of the future that is alive with excitement, clarity, and surprise.

The department participates in the interdisciplinary master's program in cultural production at Brandeis.

Learning Goals

Theater Arts is the interdisciplinary study of humanity, focusing on what it takes to be part of the process of performing and making a play on stage.

The Department of Theater Arts offers courses in four areas that are key to a well-rounded theater experience - Acting/Performance, Design, Production, and Dramatic Literature and History. Our students are given an opportunity to participate in the art of theater in all its parts. For example, students may act, direct, sing, dance, design, manage, build, and provide crew support on our productions as part of their major study. With a solid grounding in fundamental theater practices and exploration of cutting edge techniques, students begin their journey to find their unique voice.

Knowledge
Understanding how theater has an impact on the world is important. It is also valuable for a student to learn what is involved in creating a role, working in an ensemble, making the space of the theater come alive with a design, and to learn how to communicate and be clear about ideas and the basic needs for a production.

  • Think conceptually and critically about theater text performance and production.
  • Have an understanding of the history of theater, its relationship to the cultures that produce it, and a fundamental knowledge of theater genre and style.
  • Develop a vocabulary and introductory skills in all areas of theater technique.
  • Have advanced knowledge in a specific area within theater as a result of the student’s concentration within the major.
  • Obtain experiential knowledge of stage and performance practices.

Core Skills
Learning skills and techniques in Theater Arts is a crucial part of being a Theater Major. For Theater Minors these are also a way to learn about practices and methods that can enhance and support their chosen major. As a major or minor, students can specialize in a particular area of theater performance or study a variety of methods and disciplines. Also, students are given the opportunity to develop their own material and perform their own work in the theaters provided by the department.

Acting:

  • Familiarity with styles of actor training
  • Working knowledge and vocabulary of acting techniques
  • Ability to implement standard acting methodologies/performance skills in voice, physical technique/expression, and improvisation.
  • Practical experience in building a character through text analysis.

Directing:

  • Be able to articulate action and dramatic structure
  • Understand analysis of plays from varying periods, genre, and styles.
  • Experience in conducting artistic research.
  • Have a fundamental knowledge of artistic process with designers and actors, and how to conduct a rehearsal and collaborate with theater artists.

Design/Production:

  • Working knowledge and vocabulary in all design areas.
  • Have an understanding of the artistic process in the area of design and production: Costume, sets, lights, sound, stage management, stage crafts.

Theater History and Literature and Criticism:

  • Investigate classical and contemporary theater
  • Examine writers, texts, approaches, and productions in their particular cultural and historical contexts.
  • Develop skills in close reading and critical inquiry.

Social Justice
On the stage, or in any given performance space students make social justice a part of their work in the theater.

  • Students should possess an understanding of how theater has been used outside of the traditional realm for community building and individual growth.
  • Students will be equipped with the tools to create original pieces that can be used for giving voice to social issues through collaboration and interaction within performance.

Upon Graduating you will be able to:

  • Have more confidence when addressing or articulating ideas to a group of people
  • Apply auditioning and interviewing skills.
  • Create original work.
  • Understand the value of the focus and discipline necessary to create and collaborate in the theater.
  • Apply liberal arts knowledge of theater text, skill, and creativity to any professional situation.
  • Pursue advanced study in a specific theatrical area of your choosing.

How to Become a Major or Minor

Students who wish to major or minor in theater arts should meet early in their academic career with the undergraduate advising head to develop a plan. It is recommended, though not required, that students complete the required courses in the order of categories presented below to provide a background for more advanced courses in theater arts.

How to Be Admitted to the Graduate Programs

The general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, given in an earlier section of the Bulletin, apply to candidates for admission in the area of theater arts; GRE results are not required for theater students. In addition to the standard application procedures, applicants must complete an audition/interview process.

Acting auditions are held at sites around the United States and at Brandeis once every three years. The next auditions will be held in 2014. Students are accepted for a three-year period, subject to an annual review by the performance faculty. 

Faculty

Susan Dibble, Chair
Movement for the actor. Dance.

Cameron Anderson
Design.

Nancy Armstrong
Singing.

Jennifer A. Cleary, Undergraduate Advising Head
Introduction to theater. Stage management. Theater practicum. Theater education. Public speaking.

Arthur Holmberg (on leave spring 2014)
Dramatic literature. Theory history. Performance theory.

Adrianne Krstansky
Acting.

Marya Lowry
Acting. Voice production.

Ryan McKittrick
Theater literature. Theory and history. Playwriting.

Robert Moody
Life drawing.

Janet Morrison
Acting.

Elizabeth Terry
Speech, dialects, and voice production.

Robert Walsh
Stage movement and combat. Public speaking.

Requirements for the Minor

Students wishing to minor in Theater Arts must take a selection of at least six courses in the department, including either THA 10a or THA 10b, and a cohesive progression of five other courses selected with the approval of the chair.

Requirements for the Major

All undergraduate majors must complete ten one-semester courses and three practicum courses (two half-course credit practicums and one 4-credit practicum). The total major requirement, including practicum courses, is the equivalent of twelve one-semester courses, or fourteen one-semester courses for students pursuing a departmental thesis. Required courses for the major include:

A. Foundational courses (4 courses): 10a,b and 11a,b.

B. Exploration courses: Majors are required to take one course from each category below for a total of 3 courses towards the major.

  • Performance/Directing/Playwrighting: THA 21b, 23a, 70a, 71a.
  • Design/Production: THA 40a, 80a.
  • Literature, History and Theory: THA 66a, 76a.

C. Immersion courses: Majors are required to take 3 courses numbered THA 101a to THA 185b. One course cross-listed in Theater may be used towards the Immersion requirement.

Note: One Theater Independent Instructional Course (THA 92a, 97a, 98a,b or 99a,b) may be substituted for an Immersion course with departmental approval.

D. To fulfill the practicum requirement, students must take THA 190a and two semesters of THA 30a. THA 12a and THA 81a may substitute for one semester each of THA 30a.

E. No course with a final grade below C- can count toward fulfilling the requirements for the major in Theater Arts.

Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts

Residence Requirement
Three years of full-time study.

Programs of Study

Acting

Graduate acting students form the core of the Brandeis Theater Company (BTC). The company is the department's production wing which performs in various venues, including in the Spingold Center for Performing Arts. Students study and train in a preset curriculum of classes offered by the graduate acting faculty. In addition, they rehearse and perform every semester as part of the BTC season. Students concentrate on developing skills in stage movement, speech and voice production, and scene study. Also, students develop a deep appreciation of theater literature and the various plays and playwrights who have contributed to the canon of world drama. While the program centers itself on performance, students are required to contribute as citizens to the department and the university in general. Citizenship requirements can be met in a number of ways in the process of students earning their graduate assistantships, including teaching and advising undergraduates and functioning in performance and mentoring capacities within the department. Graduate acting students are subject to an annual review for readmission to the program. See the department Web site for complete graduate acting curriculum.

Required Courses for First-Year Actors
THA 130a Suzuki
THA 199a Production Vocal Coaching Lab
THA 201a and b Acting I
THA 202b Ensemble Building II
THA 205a and b Movement I: Parts I and II
THA 207a and b Text and Context
THA 210a and b Voice I
THA 212a and b Speech I
THA 214a and b Singing I
THA 258a Stage Combat I

Required Courses for Second-Year Actors
THA 130a Suzuki
THA 199a Vocal Production Coaching Lab
THA 255a and b Movement II
THA 260a and b Voice II
THA 262a and b Speech II/ Dynamics
THA 264a and b Singing II
THA 265a and b Rehearsal and Performance II
THA 268a Stage Combat
THA 283a and b Acting II

Required Courses for Third-Year Actors
THA 130a Suzuki
THA 199a Vocal Production Coaching Lab
THA 309a Whole Voice Workshop
THA 310a Singing III
THA 315a and b Rehearsal and Performance III: Parts 1 and 2
THA 317a Accent and Dialect Research
THA 319a The Actor/Director Collaboration
THA 319b Solo Performance
THA 355a Career Workshop: Part 1, Acting for Camera
THA 355b Career Workshop: Part 2, Auditioning
THA 399d Actors Showcase

Courses of Instruction

(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

THA 10a Theater as Performance
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course.
Develops the student's ability to read a theatrical text through the lens of the directorial mind and the voice/body/imagination of the performer. Reading, discussions, papers and exercises about acting, directing, dance, performance art, devised work, etc. will constitute the bulk of this course. Intended for Theater majors as well as students with no theater experience. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Krstansky and Mr. McKittrick

THA 10b Theater as Design
[ ca ]
Examines design as a foundational element of theater arts. The artistic process of transforming text and story into production will be explored. In addition to examining the various elements of the artistic team, setting, costume, lights, sound and projection, the class will also explore the collaborative process: an active interchange between designers and performers, directors, technicians and management to achieve a unified vision for production. Intended for Theater majors as well as students with no theater experience. Usually taught every year.
Ms. Anderson and Ms. Morrison

THA 11a Theater Texts and Theory I
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 100a in prior years.
The evolution of Western drama from its ritual origins through the mid-eighteenth century. Greek tragedy, Roman comedy, medieval drama, Italian humanism, Spanish Golden Age comedias, and French neoclassicism. Attention paid to theater history, dramatic theory, and performance. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Holmberg

THA 11b Theater Texts and Theory II
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 100b in prior years.
This is an experiential learning course. A continuation of THA 100a, covering plays, history, and political theory. Romanticism to the present, including realism and the avant-garde. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Holmberg

THA 15b Public Speaking: The Art of Oral Communication
[ ca oc ]
This is an experiential learning course.
Introduces the basic concepts and techniques of making presentations to groups of people. Students explore the principles of human communication and apply them to various situations and forms of spoken discourse. Students develop a process for analyzing the audience and situation; for choosing, limiting, and researching a subject; for developing effective habits of vocal delivery; and for writing their own speeches. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Walsh and Ms. Cleary

THA 21b Acting: Language in Action
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 10a or permission of the instructor. This is an experiential learning course. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 4b in prior years.
An introduction to the art and craft of acting. This course focuses on analysis and performance techniques including the use of actions, objectives, obstacles, engaging with the "other," dramatic conflict, and physical and emotional give and take of playing scenes from dramatic literature. Usually offered every semester.
Ms. Krstansky and Ms. Morrison

THA 22b Undergraduate Singing
[ ca ]
May be repeated for credit.
Explores the fundamentals of singing in detail, concentrating on breath and relaxation, placement and resonance, tonal quality, and flexibility. Specific exercises for each facet of vocal production are explored. Work includes solo and ensemble singing. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Armstrong

THA 23a Movement for the Stage I
[ ca pe-1 ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 9a in prior years. This is an experiential learning course. Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement.
The actor's job is to create action out of meaning and meaning out of action. Exercises designed to lead students into their imaginations in order to bring courage and responsiveness into the body. Focus on building necessary tools to create the balance between free form and free expression and an artistic and intelligent relationship to theater. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 30a Theater Practicum
Yields half-course credit. May be repeated once for credit. This is an experiential learning course. There is a mandatory class meeting for this course at the beginning of each semester. Contact the theater arts department office for exact date and time. Formerly offered as THA 41a, 12a and 81a.
A hands-on production course, providing exposure to and experience in the practical aspects of theater production. Under professional direction, students develop a working knowledge of a specific theatrical area and learn how all areas come together in creating theater. Students work as crew members for the Brandeis Theater Company. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Cleary

THA 35a The Audition
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 21b. This is an experiential learning course.
Actors obtain work through an audition process; therefore, actors need to audition well. This course aims to prepare mid- and upper-level acting students for that process. Topics include resumes, material selection, preparation, and practice in various kinds of auditions using both classical and contemporary literature. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 40a The Art of the Visual Narrative and Production Design
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course.
Explores the process of creating visual narrative - how do we travel from idea to image to visual storytelling? We will learn to create evocative environments and visual metaphor that transport the viewer, transcend reality, and make stories. We will construct and deconstruct the idea of performance space both theatrical and site-specific. How do we create the psychological landscape of a story? What can an architectural detail tell us about character? What can we learn from objects? We will approach design from an interdisciplinary perspective that will challenge students to combine visual art, new media, performance, and space, in surprising and meaningful ways. Of interest to designers, actors, directors, film-makers, fine artists, and anyone interested in the process of creating a visual story line. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Anderson

THA 42a Acting Practicum
Prerequisites: THA 2a and THA 12a. Yields half-course credit (two semester-hour credits) toward graduation and rate of work. May be taken only once for credit.
A hands-on course providing exposure to and experience in the practical aspects of acting and performance. Under professional direction or supervision, students develop a working knowledge of acting through performing, serving as understudies, or working as stage managers in a production with the Brandeis Theater Company, or the Undergraduate Theater Collective, or as part of a preapproved project within or outside the university. Students will meet periodically with their advisers to report on their progress. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 43a Dance and Movement Practicum
Prerequisites: THA 2a and THA 12a. Yields half-course credit (two semester-hour credits) toward graduation and rate of work. May be taken only once for credit.
A hands-on course providing exposure to and experience in the practical aspects of dance and movement performance. Under professional direction or supervision, students develop a working knowledge of dance through either performing in a production with the Brandeis Theater Company or the Undergraduate Theater Collective, or as part of a preapproved project within or outside the university. Students will meet periodically with their advisers to report on their progress. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 44a Directing Practicum
Prerequisites: THA 2a and THA 12a. Yields half-course credit (two semester-hour credits) toward graduation and rate of work. May be taken only once for credit.
A hands-on course providing exposure to and experience in the practical aspects of directing. Under professional direction or supervision, students develop a working knowledge of directing through either directing a production, serving as assistant directors, or working as stage managers on a production with the Brandeis Theater Company, the Undergraduate Theater Collective, or as part of a preapproved project within or outside the university. Students will meet periodically with their advisers to report on their progress. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hill

THA 45a Design/Technical Practicum
Prerequisites: THA 2a and THA 12a. Yields half-course credit (two semester-hour credits) toward graduation and rate of work. May be taken only once for credit.
A hands-on course providing exposure to and experience in the practical aspects of design and technical production. Under professional direction or supervision, students develop a working knowledge of design and technical theater through either designing a production, serving as assistant designers on a production, or working as stage managers on a production with the Brandeis Theater Company or the Undergraduate Theater Collective, or as part of a preapproved project within or outside the university. Students will meet periodically with their advisers to report on their progress. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Anderson

THA 47a Stage Management Practicum
Prerequisites: THA 2a and THA 12a. Yields half-course credit (two semester-hour credits) toward graduation and rate of work. May be taken only once for credit.
A hands-on course providing exposure to and experience in the practical aspects of stage management. Under professional direction or supervision, students develop a working knowledge of stage management through either stage managing or assistant stage managing a production with the Brandeis Theater Company, or the Undergraduate Theater Collective, or as part of a preapproved project within or outside the university. Students will meet periodically with their advisers to report on their progress. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Cleary

THA 66a The American Drama since 1945
[ ca ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 150a in prior years.
Examines the major plays and playwrights representing styles from social realism to avant-garde performance groups and the theater of images. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Holmberg

THA 70a Directing
[ ca ]
Examines the art of theater from the director's perspective. Focuses on how dramatic theory and interpretation meet in the crucible of actual rehearsal, production, and performance from the director's point of view. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hill, Ms. Krstansky and Ms. Terry

THA 71a Playwriting
[ ca wi ]
This is an experiential learning course. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 104a in prior years.
Introduces students to the fundamentals of playwriting. Attention will be given to dramatic structure, the development of character, and stage dialogue. In addition to completing a number of playwriting exercises, students will write one ten-minute play and one one-act play. Work will be shared with the class and read aloud. Usually offered every year.
Mr. McKittrick

THA 76a British, Irish, and Postcolonial Theater
[ ca wi ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 106a in prior years.
An exploration of the playwrights, political struggles, and aesthetic movements that shaped the evolution of British, Irish, and post-colonial drama in the twentieth century. Attention paid to race, class, gender, sexuality, and theater in performance. Playwrights include: Shaw, Yeats, Synge, O'Casey, Orton, and Churchill. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Holmberg

THA 92a Internship in Theater
All THA students completing internships for credit must enroll in this seminar.
This seminar continues the process of experiential learning through the completion of various projects that utilize the resources of the professional theaters in the Boston area. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 97a Senior Project
Students may complete a senior project to fulfill the final requirements of the major. Completion of this course does not qualify the student for departmental honors. Students should meet with their adviser to develop a suitable project. Usually offered every semester.
Staff

THA 98a Independent Study
Prerequisite: University GPA equal to a B or higher. Enrollment limited to juniors and seniors.
Students may elect either a research paper, a production project, or a combination of the two. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 98b Independent Study
Prerequisite: University GPA equal to a B or higher. Enrollment limited to juniors and seniors.
Students may elect either a research paper, a production project, or a combination of the two. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 99a Senior Research
With permission of the department, qualified students may choose to complete a thesis paper, a play, or a project in theater arts. This course may be taken alone to fulfill major requirements or in conjunction with THA 99b to complete a full-year thesis project, making the student eligible for departmental honors. Students wishing to obtain honors will undergo review by their advisers before being allowed to enroll in the continuation of the thesis project, THA 99b, and must obtain permission of the adviser and department chair before registering. Offered every fall semester.
Staff

THA 99b Senior Thesis
With permission of the department, qualified students may choose to complete a thesis paper, a play, or a project in theater arts. This course may be taken alone to fulfill requirements for the major or in conjunction with THA 99a to complete a full-year thesis project, making the student eligible for departmental honors. Students wishing to obtain honors will undergo review by their advisers and must obtain permission from their advisers and the department chair before registering. Offered every spring semester.
Staff

(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students

CLAS/THA 185a Athenian Tragic Theatre in Modern Performance
[ ca hum ]
Studies Athenian State Theatre tragedies in their own performance context with a critical eye on actual reperformance in our time. How can we recontextualize the messages and performance traditions of these works into those available to us now? Usually offered every fourth year.
Mr. Hill and Mr. Muellner

COML/THA 139b Enclosures: Contemporary Fictions and Imagined Spaces
[ ca hum ]
Considers literary and metaphorical enclosures and the way they can be interpreted and translated into different kinds of visual spaces. Working with contemporary fiction from different places and cultures, we will consider the role and meaning of enclosures and then discuss how we might interpret various forms of enclosures in visual terms. Students will have the opportunity to write critically and to create verbally and visually. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Anderson and Mr. Mandrell

RECS/THA 166a Chekhov's Stories on Stage
[ ca hum ]
Examines Chekhov's stories and plays as models of their genres. Students will explore these forms and ways of adapting a story or group of stories into drama. Each student will create a dramatic adaptation. Some of these will be staged for class presentation. Usually offered every fourth year.
Ms. Miller and Ms. Morrison

THA 101a Stage Management: Part I
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course.
An introduction to the field, treating the entire rehearsal and performance process and varying styles and levels of theatrical organization. Students stage-manage or assist on one department production. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Cleary

THA 102b Shakespeare: On Stage and Screen
[ ca ]
Shakespeare wrote his plays to be seen and heard, not read. This course approaches Shakespeare as a man of the theater who thought visually as well as verbally. Explores Shakespeare's scripts in their original theatrical context, subsequent production history, and migration to film. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Holmberg

THA 105a Singing for Musical Theater
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course. May be repeated for credit.
Fundamentals in singing techniques using the repertoire of the musical theater. Students practice healthy vocal habits for breath support, focusing resonance, extending the tonal line, and clarity of diction. The course is a combination of group sessions and individual lessons. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Armstrong

THA 105b Acting for Musical Theater
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: THA 21b and 105a or permission of the instructor.
An introduction to the art of the American musical genre. Focuses on learning the skills necessary to act a selected scene and song while maintaining strong emotional connection and expressive vocal/physical action. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Terry

THA 107a Studio: Costume Drafting
[ ca ]
After introducing basic skills in drafting bodices, sleeves, skirts, and pants, this course will emphasize adjusting patterns to specific measurements, and adapting modern and historical clothing for the stage. Various techniques of theater costuming will be demonstrated. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 109a Improvisation
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course.
An approach to acting through the stimulation of the actor's imagination and creativity, freeing the actor's impulses and faith. Improvisation breaks down the elements of scene work and, through a series of exercises, makes these elements more personal and accessible to the actor. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Krstansky

THA 109b Movement for the Stage II
[ ca pe-1 ]
Prerequisite: One semester of movement or dance. Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 9b in prior years.
Work on economy, precision, control of movement, and the link between feeling and expression. Course focuses on energy states, the four elements, Rudolf Laban's movement theory, and neutral mask. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 110a Moving Women/Women Moving
[ ca pe-1 ]
Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement.
Among the influential women leaders in America are choreographers who shaped the history of modern dance in the twentieth century. This course will focus on the work and lives of these women. Students will learn dance techniques and investigate the twists and turns in the lives of these extraordinary artists. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 110b Modern Dance and Movement
[ ca pe-1 ]
Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement.
A course designed to explore modern dance at an intermediate level. Students will learn combinations and complete dances with the style and techniques of Martha Graham, José Limón, and Merce Cunningham as a background for the class. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 111b Stage Combat
[ ca pe-1 ]
Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 10b in prior years.
The course's purpose is to teach the basic skills necessary for the creation of effective and safe stage combat. At the completion of the semester, student competency will be tested by means of a choreographed "fight" utilizing compulsory moves and safety techniques. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Walsh

THA 115a Vocal Gesture: The Expressive Use of the Voice
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course. May not be taken for credit by students who took 15a in prior years.
The study of the body voice begins with the exploration and application of sensory awareness training and its integration with vocal and physical life. Vocal gesture celebrates the power of physical and vocal liberation. Explores relaxation techniques to alleviate habitual, effort-filled movement; investigates alignment and breath work while carving up the space with voice and gesture. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Lowry and Ms. Terry

THA 115b The Avant-Gardes in Performance
[ ca hum ]
Explores the avant-garde movements including symbolism, decadence, futurism, constructivism, Dada, surrealism, expressionism, existentialism, pop art and happenings, performance art, minimalism, and postmodernism as alternative forms of expression that challenge mainstream art. Attention is paid to the interactions among theater, painting, dance, music, and film. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Holmberg

THA 120a Dance in Time
[ ca ]
Focuses on how life cycles, nature and the elements, rhythm and structure in traditional dance forms and rituals, poetry, social events, and human behavior, for example, can all contribute to the understanding of dance and its place in the history of the world. Students are given the opportunity to explore these ideas as well as learn about and practice the creative process by using a variety of sources that inspire and inform the human being who participates in dance of all kinds. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 120b Movement and Dance Theater Composition
[ ca pe-1 ]
Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement.
A studio course designed to teach the art of making dances and movement theater. Explores the use of space, theme, rhythm, repetition, and music and their relationship to the process of creating original work for the stage. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 123a American Musical Theater
[ ca ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 25a in prior years.
Analyzes American musicals in their historical contexts: students learn how to analyze the structure and score of musicals, and develop a vocabulary for examining the visual dimensions of productions. Attention will be given to production histories. Usually offered every year.
Mr. McKittrick

THA 125a Acting for the Camera
[ ca ]
A process-based acting class. Emphasis is on developing the actor's ability to work honestly and creatively in front of the camera. All work is videotaped. Students regularly review their performances in order to advance their critical understanding of the work. Usually offered two consecutive years with a third-year hiatus.
Ms. Krstansky

THA 125b Set Design
[ ca ]
Formerly offered as THA 225a.
Focuses on the visual skills and importance of the theatrical image. Each student explores the spatial and visual context of the play while developing the skills to express the idea. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Anderson

THA 126a Playing for Change - Community Building and Social Change on Stage
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course.
Examines ways in which theatrical arts can create change in a variety of non-traditional situations. This course is grounded in the discussion/practice with the work of theater activists, such as Augusto Boal. Students will be encouraged to bring their own ideas to the table as well - creating new work is part of the goal in this course. For theater and non-theater students, the focus is on how and why this collaborative, useful art form can be introduced into sociological, psychological, political, cultural, educational, medical, and historical paradigms. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Cleary

THA 126b Studio: Drafting
[ ca ]
Laboratory fee: $25 per semester. Formerly offered as THA 226a.
Specifically dedicated to developing drafting as a valid design language and tool for theatrical designers. Emphasis is placed upon development of techniques and skills to provide for clear communication of design ideas in the finished project. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 130a Suzuki
[ ca nw pe-1 ]
This is an experiential learning course. Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement. Undergraduates may repeat this course twice for credit, once with each instructor.
Developed by the Japanese theater artist Tadashi Suzuki, the Suzuki method of acting training develops physical strength, stamina, and agility while engaging the imagination and will of the actor. Through a series of walks, statues, and marches, students are taught to breathe and move from the core of their bodies. This training allows students to act from physical impulse, resulting in a deep and personal experience of language and the world of play. Usually offered every semester.
Mr. Hill

THA 132a The Collaborative Process
[ ca ]
Formerly offered as THA 32a. May be repeated once for credit.
An exploration of the process of collaborative creation from the idea to performance. Students work as performers, directors, writers, and designers to create original theater pieces based on current events, literature, theater, genres, and personal obsessions. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Krstansky

THA 132b Studio: Life Drawing
[ ca ]
Laboratory fee: $30 per semester. Formerly offered as THA 232a.
An introductory course in drawing skills, including life drawing and basic and perspective drawing. Life drawing includes figure-drawing instruction and studio practice with a focus on developing observational and drawing skills. Using various exercises involving movement, form, and shape, the student will learn the basics of perspective and drawing figures to scale. Usually offered every semester.
Mr. Moody

THA 133a Acting: Modern Realism
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 21b or permission of the instructor.This is an experiential learning course. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 33a in prior years.
Focus is on releasing the creative energies of the actor through integrated work on technique and text. Building on the curricula of THA 4a and b, student actors are guided in applying basic acting concepts to scenes from contemporary and modern drama. Students explore how to take responsibility for their own development through the rehearsal process. Introduces relevant techniques such as script analysis and research. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 133b Acting the Classics
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 133a. This is an experiential learning course. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 33b in prior years.
A continuation of THA 133a with work on more complex classical texts, including Shakespeare and the Greeks. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 135b Lighting Design
[ ca ]
Laboratory fee: $15 per semester. Formerly offered as THA 235a.
Studies an approach to developing a light plot with an emphasis on lighting mechanics and drafting conventions. The student also develops visual awareness through the study of artistic composition as well as learning a conceptual approach to lighting design. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 138a The Business of Show Business
[ ca ]
Provides students with an overview of the many different facets of what it takes to produce live theater in America today. With an emphasis on non-profit theater, students will learn about organizational structure, aesthetic and artistic goals, facilities management, budgeting and revenue streams, public relations/marketing/advertising and communication. From brainstorming to barnstorming, this course will give students the step-by-step process of delivering live, professional theater. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Walsh

THA 138b The Real American Idols: Education through Creativity and Theatrical Pedagogy
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course.
Focuses on creativity in pedagogy from a theatrical lens and is meant for anyone who wishes to teach anyone just about anything! This course will focus on the building of community and confidence that takes place within a learning environment that utilizes creative and theatrical arts as a modality. We will discuss foundation and the theories behind education, learning, and expression through storytelling, theatre, and creative dramatics. This exploration will help students to ground their own work in what has and hasn't worked in the past, as well as to expand their own creative reach. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Cleary

THA 140a Adapting and Revising: A Collaborative Process for Prose Writers, Playwrights, and Screenwriters
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 104a, ENG 129b, or permission of the instructor.
This seminar places prose writers (both fiction and nonfiction) with playwrights and screenwriters. Playwrights and screenwriters will learn the process of adapting prose, while fiction/nonfiction writers will learn about revising their work through the visual world of the stage/screen. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 142b Feminist Playwrights: Writing for the Stage by and about Women
[ ca wi ]
Introduces the world of feminist playwrights. This course will engage the texts through common themes addressed in many feminist plays: motherhood (and daughterhood), reproduction, sexuality, abuse, family relationships, etc. Usually Offered every second year.
Staff

THA 144b African-American Theatre: From Emancipation through the Obama Administration
[ ca ]
Explores the history, development and voice of African-American theater. The course will examine commercial controversial and crucial work in the canon of African-American theater. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

THA 145a Queer Theater: Wilde to Fabulous
[ ca ]
Explores significant plays that have shaped and defined gay identity during the past 100 years. Playwrights span Wilde to Kushner. Examining texts as literature, history, and performance, we will explore religion, poiltics, gender, the AIDS epidemic, and coming out. Usually offered every third year.
Staff

THA 146a Performing Asia: Theatre and Drama across a Continent
[ ca nw ]
Explores the multiple facets of Asian theater as an historical and literary presence as well as the practical creative process. We will examine a number of theatrical styles from various regions throughout Asia as well as the Middle East. The course is designed specifically as an introduction to the various aspects of Asian theater, including the basis of performance such as playwriting, acting, direction and design. Usually offered every third year.
Staff

THA 147a Latino Theater
[ ca ]
A survey and practice oriented course for students interested in learning about the history and legacies of U.S. Latino theater. Students will read assigned work, write critical reflections and create original works. Usually offered every third year.
Staff

THA 150b Sound Design
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 50b in prior years. Laboratory fee: $10 per semester.
Explores the process of modern sound design from concept to execution. Hands-on sound lab instruction provides a foundation for creative expression in the aural arts. Projects include creating aural images and soundscapes based on selected readings, static and moving images. This class provides a solid foundation in audio editing and MIDI sequencing. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

THA 152b Fundamentals of Lighting
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 52b in prior years. Laboratory fee: $15 per semester.
A hands-on investigation of the hardware and software of lighting design, the functions and use of stage lighting equipment, computer lighting consoles, design software, and production paperwork. Basic electrical theory and safety considerations concerning rigging, focusing, and power distribution will also be discussed. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 154b Scenic Construction Fundamentals
[ ca ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 54b in prior years. Laboratory fee: $25 per semester.
A course specifically designed to acquaint the student with the basics of scenery construction for stage, screen, and television. Techniques for fabrication and stabilization of two- or three-dimensional scenery will be explored, along with approved methods for fabrication of load-bearing stage structures. Students will be involved with actual construction of stock units as class projects. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 155a Icons of Masculinity
[ ca ]
Using icons from movies, fiction, theater, and television who represent manhood, this course explores how American men have defined and performed their masculinity. Various archetypes, including the cowboy, the gangster, the rogue cop, the athlete, the buddy, the lover, and Woody Allen are examined. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Holmberg

THA 156a Making Mirth: Building Psychological and Physical Resilience Through the Power of Play
[ ca ]
Trains fitness and resilience through movement skills and gaming. Students study protective factors that contribute to resilience to stress and adversity through dance, story, improvisation, and game design principles. Students will obtain more balance and awareness of the body and its natural abilities. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 161a Introduction to Scene Painting
[ ca ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 60a in prior years. Laboratory fee: $30 per semester.
This course offers an introduction to and studio experience in scene painting techniques. Execution processes are addressed during slide lectures and classroom demonstrations. Students will work on two of their own scene painting projects that will allow them to exercise creative choices in color research and design. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Moody

THA 164a Signifying Character: Creating Meaning Through Costume and Production Design
[ ca ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 64a in prior years.
Explores the social and political themes within various dramatic texts and discuss how those themes influence design choices. We will examine the ways specific costume design choices - period, silhouette, and color - convey meaning, and will gain experience creating and presenting cohesive costume design concepts. Intended for Theater majors as well as students with no theater experience. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

THA 165b Tough Guys and Femmes Fatales: Gender Trouble in Noir and Neo-Noir
[ ca ]
Looking at gender anxiety in noir and neo-noir, this course explores how the genre has evolved and what this evolution reveals about the ongoing negotiations of masculinity, femininity, and power. Attention paid to how actors embody and perform masculinity. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Holmberg

THA 175a Advanced Set Design
[ ca ]
Laboratory fee: $25 per semester. Formerly offered as THA 175a.
Focuses on advanced technical and visual skills. Each student delves further into using the text, music, and theatrical space to shape his or her designs. An emphasis is placed on developing an individual process to the work. Usually offered every semester.
Ms. Anderson

THA 175b Shakespeare in Performance
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 10a or permission of the instructor. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 75b in prior years.
Available to students interested in acting and/or directing. Focuses on interpreting Shakespeare's plays and the various stylistic approaches to performing his works. In addition to studying previous professional productions through critical commentary, reviews, and videos, students stage selected scenes in class and have them critiqued by the professor. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hill

THA 176a Technical Drawing
[ ca ]
This section focuses on the CAD software package Vectorworks 2008. The fundamentals of two-dimensional drafting and three-dimensional modeling using a CAD program will be introduced and developed. Emphasis will be placed on integrating CAD into the theatrical design process. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 185a Advanced Lighting Design
[ ca ]
Laboratory fee: $20 per semester. Formerly offered as THA 285a.
Develops a conceptual approach to design and also solves advanced problems in lighting design, that is, musicals, opera, and multiset productions. Those students with a lighting emphasis design the lighting for a departmental production. Usually offered every semester.
Staff

THA 185b Dramatic Structure: Analysis and Application
[ ca ]
Students read works from the Greeks to the present, analyzing a variety of dramatic structures as a means of deriving meaning from plays. Texts include works by Aristotle, Aeschylus, Seneca, Hegel, Racine, Sarah Kane, Lope de Vega, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Pinter, Richard Greenberg, Caryl Churchill, Arthur Schnitzler, David Hare, Sergi Belbel, Joe Orton, and Kuan Han-ch'ing. Students will have the opportunity to write a play modeled after one of the structures studied in class. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. McKittrick

THA 190a Ensemble Production
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: THA 10a and 10b or permission of the instructor. May be repeated for credit but can only count once towards the major. This is an experiential learning course.
Allows students the opportunity to rehearse and produce a piece within the classroom. This work could take the form of a one-act festival, ten-minute play series, movement piece, devised work, etc. Students will be encouraged to expand into new areas of interest, as well as bring their own creative ideas to the table. Students will work as an ensemble, fulfilling together all of the roles required to make the piece whole and bring it to fruition. Usually offered every semester.
Staff

THA 190b Senior Seminar
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: Senior class standing and declared theater arts major. This seminar is a capstone course and fulfills a requirement for all theater arts majors.
Usually offered every third year.
Staff

THA 195a Topics in Theater and Drama
[ ca ]
Prerequisites and enrollment limits vary with course topic and instructor.
Study of special topics in theater history, dramatic literature, theatrical production, acting, or design. May be repeated for credit as the course topic varies. See Schedule of Classes each semester for further information.
Staff

THA 199a Production Vocal Coaching Lab
Corequisite: Student must be currently cast in a departmental production. Course may be repeated for credit no more than six times.
All students cast in a speaking role for Main Stage and Laurie Theater productions are required to work with the vocal coach. Times for individual lessons are assigned at the first rehearsal of each production. Usually offered every semester.
Ms. Terry

(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students

THA 201a Acting I: Part 1
Acting in the first semester centers around exercises and rudimentary scene work designed to develop the actors' concentration, awareness of, and responsiveness to their own instrument, internal life, surroundings, and eventually the other actor. Through progressively stepped assignments, actors are introduced to basic performance elements and tools. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 201b Acting I: Part 2
A continuation of THA 201a. Work focuses on application of these concepts and techniques to contemporary and modern text. Additional skills such as thorough reading of a text, script analysis, research, and the actors' development through a rehearsal process are emphasized. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 205a Movement I: Part 1
Through physical awareness and alignment work, dance for the actor (including ballroom and folk dance styles), Alexander technique, movement improvisation, and creative projects, this course offers the actor a process in which to experience more flexibility and freedom of expression through movement. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 205b Movement I: Part 2
A continuation of THA 205a, with focus on space, time, energy, and character development through movement research. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 207a Text and Context
Before actors, directors, or designers begin to work, they need a fundamental understanding of the play at hand. This is an advanced course in how to read and study plays on their own terms and with an eye toward their eventual production and performance. Usually offered every third year.
Staff

THA 210a Voice I: Part 1
Vocal training with an emphasis on further development of the actor's instrument. Particular attention is given to breath release and proper support, freeing and placing the voice, resonance and vocal tone, breath/voice/body connection, development of a physical vocal warm-up, and integrating the body/voice work with text. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Lowry

THA 210b Voice I: Part 2
A continuation of THA 210a. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Lowry

THA 212a Speech I: Part 1
With attention to integration of voice and speech, this course lays the groundwork for the development of clear, efficient, effortless use of language through a deeper study of the physical act of speech. The student receives an in-depth analysis of personal speech patterns; regional influences are examined and identified. Texts include many varieties of poetry. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Terry

THA 212b Speech I: Part 2
Continuation of THA 212a. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Terry

THA 214a Singing I, Part 1
Fundamentals in vocal technique and music theory. A survey of music theater repertoire and some classical repertoire. Small groups and/or tutorials. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Armstrong

THA 214b Singing I, Part 2
Continuation of THA 214a. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Armstrong

THA 255a Movement II: Part 1
Open to undergraduate students with permission of instructor.
Includes warm-ups with strength, stretch, and alignment exercises. Course focuses on period movement and forms of expression based in medieval and Elizabethan concepts and ideas. The course includes a movement project using themes of heaven and hell and the human condition on earth. Historical dances included in the course are the galliard, pavane, estempie, branle, and farandole. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 255b Movement II: Part 2
This course open to undergraduates with permission of instructor.
A continuation of THA 255a, the student is exposed to a range of movement techniques including chorus movement, neutral mask, and clown. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 258a Stage Combat I: Part 1
The practical art of stage combat will be taught over the course of three semesters leading to the actor-combatant skills proficiency test adjudicated by a fight master from the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). The class is taught by a SAFD-certified teacher and covers such period weaponry as single sword quarterstaff, as well as unarmed combat, contemporary violence, and commedia/slapstick skills. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Walsh

THA 258b Stage Combat I: Part 2
A continuation of THA 258a. Required for first-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Walsh

THA 260a Voice II: Part 1
Continuation and consolidation of vocal skills learned in the first year. Vocal workouts are expanded to increase flexibility, range, and power. Special emphasis on releasing heightened emotion, skills for handling artifice in language, and the application of acquired knowledge to a variety of performance situations and environments. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Lowry

THA 260b Voice II: Part 2
A continuation of THA 260a. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Lowry

THA 262a Speech II: Part 1
A continuation of Speech I, focusing on rhythm and melody, leading into poetry, and specifically dealing with Shakespeare. Dialect work also begins during this year. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Terry

THA 262b Speech II: Part 2
A continuation of THA 262a. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Terry

THA 264a Singing II: Part 1
Intermediate vocal technique including a deeper focus on legato and leggiero work. Intermediate theory including intervals and ear training. A continuing survey of musical literature. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Armstrong

THA 264b Singing II: Part 2
A continuation of THA 264a. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Armstrong

THA 265a Rehearsal and Performance II: Part 1
Second-year actors are required to audition for and play as cast in all graduate productions. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 265b Rehearsal and Performance II: Part 2
Second-year actors are required to audition for and play as cast in all graduate productions. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 268a Stage Combat II
A continuation of THA 258b. The student's final semester of stage combat training culminates in the adjudication by a fight master from the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Walsh

THA 283a Acting II: Part 1 (Shakespeare)
Focuses on the skills necessary to analyze and perform Shakespeare's plays with confidence, ease, and authority. Elements of training include metrical analysis, rhetorical devices and how to use them, imagery, melody, dialogue and scene structure, physicalization of text, creative use of space, and performance of numerous scenes and speeches. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Lowry

THA 283b Acting II: Part 2
Curriculum builds upon the work of THA 283a with further focus on the classics and on characterization. Required for second-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 309a Whole Voice Workshop
Designed to confront the actor with a high level of physical/vocal and emotional connective work at the outset of advanced training. The voice is explored in such a way as to contact and harness the sources of energy hidden deep in the body and connect this energy to physical/vocal expression as applied to the sung-spoken word. The result is extended range, greater discipline, and fuller integration of voice and movement components of the actor training program. Required for third-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Lowry

THA 310a Singing III
The third year of vocal development demands consistency of body and breath coordination, matching resonance throughout the range, and timbre coloring when needed. Focused advanced technical exercises are introduced and learned. Musical phrasing and text delineation are emphasized. A recital at the end of the semester is required. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Armstrong

THA 315a Rehearsal and Performance III: Part 1
Third-year actors are required to audition for and play as cast in all BTC graduate productions. Required for third-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 315b Rehearsal and Performance III: Part 2
Third-year actors are required to audition for and play as cast in all BTC graduate productions. Continuation of THA 315a. Required for third-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Morrison

THA 317a Accent and Dialect Research
Introduces the methods of researching, analyzing, and executing accents and dialects for performance. In the laboratory setting and in private tutorials, the student fuses these methods into theatrical performances. Utilizes the actor's voice, speech, and text skills developed to date and applies them directly to independent projects and assignments focusing on accents and dialects. Required for third-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Terry

THA 319a The Actor/Director Collaboration
Examines the craft of acting from the point of view of the actor's ongoing collaboration with the director. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Hill

THA 319b Solo Performance
Addresses the challenges in creating a solo theater piece. Offers the actor an opportunity to create a performance piece that involves acting, writing, choreography, direction, and design. It also focuses on the individual's artistic ideas and passions. Students are given structured assignments and guidelines for developing the material and will create and perform an original theatrical piece at the end of the semester. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 355a Career Workshop: Part 1, Acting for Camera
Open only to third-year actors. Designed to introduce students to the techniques of acting on camera, better preparing them for the demands of an acting career. Required for third-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Doyle

THA 355b Career Workshop: Part 2, Auditioning
Open only to third-year actors. Addresses the practical demands of a career in the professional theater: the business aspects of building an acting career, interview and audition preparation, strategies for breaking into the business, developing short- and long-term goals, understanding your place in the world of theater. Professional directors and actors are invited to conduct auditions and discuss various aspects of radio, film, television, and theatrical work. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Lowry

THA 390a Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 390b Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 395a Topics in Theater and Drama
For graduate MFA students only. Topics may vary. Please consult the Schedule of Classes for further information.
Topics in theater history, dramatic literature, theatrical production, acting, or design. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 399d Actors' Showcase
Open only to third-year actors. Designed to bridge the gap between the university and the professional theater. Concentrates on identifying casting ranges, seeking theatrical material through weekly cold readings and feedback, and culminates in an ensemble presentation to the casting communities in Boston and New York. Required for third-year actors. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Walsh and Acting Faculty

Cross-Listed in Theater Arts

AMST 128b History as Theater
[ hum ss ]
Examines how documentary drama puts history on stage. Probes relationships between historical facts and truth. Students will research their own documentary drama: the notorious 1970 case of Brandeis radical students who turned to violence to pursue their goals. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Antler

CLAS 171a Greek Epic and Athenian Drama
[ hum ]
Surveys Greek epic poetry and the tragic and comic drama produced in the city-state of Athens (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes). The intention is to convey the place of these works in the social, political, religious, and intellectual life of ancient Greece as well as their enduring universality. Usually offered every fourth year.
Mr. Muellner

ENG 23a Remembering and Dismembering: Staging the Body in Early Modern England
[ hum ]
Seventeenth-century London performance investigated through the domains of its production--the court, the city, and the emerging "town," center of a new leisure class. Drama, masques, and music drama studied as modes of representation negotiating class mobility, changing concepts of state authority and personal identity, and shifts in gender and sexual relations. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. King

ENG 33a Shakespeare
[ hum ]
A survey of Shakespeare as a dramatist. From nine to twelve plays will be read, representing all periods of Shakespeare's dramatic career. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Flesch or Ms. Targoff

ENG 37b Modern Drama: Theatres of Rupture, Resistance, and Engagement
[ hum ]
How did theatre artists take “the modern” as a goal to be realized in the future and a crisis to be managed in the present? Playwrights include Ibsen, Wilde, Chekhov, Shaw, Synge, Glaspell, Brecht, Williams, Beckett, Pinter, Fugard, Fornes, Hwang, Churchill, Kushner, and Parks. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. King

ENG 64b From Libertinism to Sensibility: Pleasure and the Theater, 1660-1800
[ hum ]
Investigates the exchange between performance texts and contemporaneous discussions of class, nationality, and political party. Emphasizes the emergence of modern gender and sexual roles and the impact of the first professional women actors. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. King

ENG 133a Advanced Shakespeare
[ hum ]
Prerequisite: ENG 33a or equivalent.
An intensive analysis of a single play or a small number of Shakespeare's plays. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Flesch

FA 3a Introduction to Drawing I
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course. Beginning-level course. No previous drawing experience necessary. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. May be repeated once for credit if taught by different instructors. Studio fee: $75 per semester.
A studio class that introduces a range of drawing materials and methods, intended for both studio majors and non-majors. Students will draw from direct observation of still-life, landscape, and the human figure. Drawing media may include graphite, charcoal, ink, and collage, as well as watercolor and pastel. The drawings of great artists throughout history will be studied to provide examples of what is possible within this broad and expressive visual language.
Mr. Downey, Ms. Lichtman, and Mr. Wardwell

FA 3b Introduction to Drawing II
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course. Beginning-level course. No previous drawing experience necessary. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. May be repeated once for credit if taught by different instructors. Studio fee: $75 per semester.
An introduction to the materials and methods of drawing, intended for both studio majors and non-majors. A topics-based course. Each section will offer basic drawing instruction through focus on a particular theme, such as figure drawing, watercolor, or printmaking.
Mr. Downey, Ms. Kim, and Mr. Wardwell

FA 9a Introduction to Digital Photography
[ ca ]
This is an experiential learning course. Prerequisite: One Brandeis studio art course. May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor. Studio fee: $75. per semester.
An introduction to the visual forms and concepts of the photographic image. A range of digital techniques is covered along with aspects of the history of photography. Students must provide their own digital camera. Field trips and image presentations supplement the studio aspect of the course. Usually offered every semester.
Mr. Wiener

FA 23b Architectural Drawing and Design
[ ca ]
Studio fee: $75 per semester.
Teaches basic architectural drawing, drafting, and modeling skills under the umbrella of a unifying theory and/or theme. It is structured as an introductory studio course requiring no previous knowledge or background in architectural design. Students learn how to build models, execute architectural drawings, and to approach architectural design problems. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Abrams

FA 30a History of Art I: From Antiquity to the Middle Ages
[ ca ]
Open to all students; first-year students and sophomores are encouraged to enroll. May not be taken for credit by students who took FA 17a in prior years.
A survey of major styles in architecture, sculpture, and painting from prehistoric times to the Gothic cathedral. Usually offered every year.
Mr. McClendon

FA 30b History of Art II: From the Renaissance to the Modern Age
[ ca ]
Open to all students; first-year students and sophomores are encouraged to enroll. May not be taken for credit by students who took FA 18b in prior years.
A study of the major styles in architecture, painting, and sculpture of the West from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Unglaub

FA 62a Art since 1945
[ ca ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took FA 74a in prior years.
Survey of developments in painting and sculpture since World War II. Consideration of major trends of the period, including abstract expressionism, pop art, minimalism, color field painting, and realism. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Kalb

FREN 155b Contemporary Theater: Literature or Performance?
[ fl hum ]
Prerequisite: FREN 106b or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
Reading and in-class performance of plays ranging from Jarry’s Ubu roi and Beckett’s Godot to more traditional texts by Sartre and Giraudoux. Concludes with Yasmina Reza’s Le Dieu du carnage. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Hale

HBRW 144a Hebrew through Plays and Drama
[ ca fl hum wi ]
This is an experiential learning course. Prerequisite: Four semesters of Hebrew or permission of the instructor. Four class hours and two additional weekly hours of lab work are required.
Helps improve Hebrew language skills at the intermediate-high/advanced-level by focusing on various creative aspects such as improvisations, drama, performance, and other acting techniques such as movement, imagination, and other basic skills necessary to act out scenes from various plays in the Hebrew language. Writing assignments and self-critique enhance the students' skills in language acquisition. The course culminates in the writing of one-act plays in Hebrew along with a theatrical performance and production. Usually offered every year in the fall.
Ms. Azoulay

HBRW 164b Israeli Theater
[ ca fl hum wi ]
This is an experiential learning course. Prerequisite: Five semesters of Hebrew or permission of the instructor. Four class hours and two lab hours per week.
An advanced course that enhances advanced language skills through reading and analysis of plays. The student's creativity is developed through participation in acting and creative writing lab. In reading plays, students can also participate in Hebrew acting lab. Usually offered every second year in the fall.
Ms. Azoulay

HECS 150a Staging Early Modern Spain: Drama and Society
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English with readings in English translation.
Explores readings and representations of seventeenth-century Spanish drama in social and political contexts. Special attention to gender and violence in texts dealing with seduction, cross-dressing, revolution, and wife-murder, by writers such as Cervantes, Lope, Caro, and Calderón. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Fox

MUS 31a Broadway Bound: The Craft of Composing Songs for Musical Theater
[ ca ]
Recommended prerequisite for composers: MUS 5a or demonstration of requisite musicianship skills. Open to music majors and non-majors. Admission by instructor's permission. Aspiring lyricists will be required to submit a sample of their writing (lyrics, poetry). Aspiring composers will be required to perform live or submit a recording of song they have written. This is an experiential learning course.
Are you passionate about music theater? Have you written songs or lyrics or poetry? Is there a subject for a musical you think would make the perfect show? Open to aspiring composers and lyricists, students compose music and/or lyrics and present their material for peer and instructor feedback. Contemporary and traditional musical theater masterpieces are analyzed. Composers should have previous experience composing songs and will need to use a music notation program like Finale or Sibelius. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Hampton

RECS 148a Russian Drama: Text and Performance
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian.
Examines the rich tradition of Russian drama and theater. Readings include masterpieces of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including those by Chekhov, Pushkin, Gogol, Ostrovsky, Mayakovsky, Erdman, and others. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Powelstock