University Bulletin (2015-2016)

THA 10a Theater as Performance
[ ca ]
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 in detail the artistic process a scenic designer goes through in order to transform text and story into evocative designs for the stage. What are the questions a designer must ask in her process of research, sketching, and designing, to bring the themes and ideas of the play to life? How does one transform an intellectual idea into a visual gesture? We will study this process from start to finish: from the first read of the play to opening night. The class will also explore the collaborative process: what is the interchange between designers and performers, directors, technicians and management, and how does a team achieve a unified vision for production? An overview of all the design elements (lighting, costume, and video) will be explored. Students will learn about these processes through individual and group creative projects, readings, and experiential learning. Intended for Theater majors as well as students with no theater experience. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Anderson

THA 11a Theater Texts and Theory I
[ ca ]
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 ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 100b in prior years.
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 ]
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 15bj Public Speaking
[ ca oc ]
Aims to give students the tools to speak confidently in any circumstance. One on one interviews, business presentations, or impromptu address, this class will foster a safe supportive environment for students to create articulate presentations, exploring and developing skills in audience analysis, research and informational organization and speech anxiety management. The essential tools gained here will be reinforced and applied in each section of this program. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Hinson, Mr. Jacobs, and Mr. Walsh

THA 21b Acting: Language in Action
[ ca ]
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. 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. 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.
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
[ ca ]
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
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in acting positions for the Brandeis Theater Company. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 43a Dance and Movement Practicum
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in movement/dance positions for the Brandeis Theater Company. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Dibble

THA 44a Directing Practicum
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in directing and assistant directing positions for the Brandeis Theater Company. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 45a Design/Technical Practicum
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in design/technical and assistant design/technical positions for the Brandeis Theater Company. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Anderson

THA 47a Stage Management Practicum
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in stage management positions for the Brandeis Theater Company. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Cleary

THA 48a Dramaturgy Practicum
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in dramaturgy and assistant dramaturgy positions for the Brandeis Theater Company. Usually offered every year.
Staff

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 ]
May be repeated for credit if taught by different instructors.
Examines the art of theater from the director's perspective. Focuses on how theory and practice meet in the crucible of actual rehearsal, production, and performance from the director's point of view. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Krstansky and Mr. Troyanovsky

THA 71a Playwriting
[ ca wi ]
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

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 ]
Introduces the field of stage management in the American professional theatre. Through readings, discussions, and practical applications, students will engage in the theatrical process from auditions and pre-production to rehearsal and performance. The current nature of the professional theatre workplace in the United States will also be discussed. Some previous theatrical knowledge and/or experience is expected. Required for students interested in pursuing stage management positions with the Brandeis Theater Company. 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 ]
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.
Staff

THA 109a Improvisation for Theatre: Acting Unscripted
[ ca ]
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.
Mr. Troyanovsky

THA 109b Physical Theater, Body, Gesture, and Character
[ ca pe-1 ]
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.
Works on physical awareness, economy, precision, specificity and introduces methods of stage movement training that encourages creativity, flexibility and grace. The course focuses on teaching the student how to develop an imaginative,expressive and dynamic stage presence while telling a character's story in a play or movement piece. The course includes Rudolf Laban's movement theory, mask and 'red-nose' clown training. 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.
Offers a variety of fundamental dance/movement methods, while focusing primarily on the basic forms and movement vocabulary of Modern Dance. Students will learn to appreciate modern dance as a valuable art form and engage in collaborative creative projects, history, research, and a variety of choreographic styles. Students will develop physical and mental strength and flexibility by participating in warm-ups, traveling phrases across the floor, combinations, and structured improvisations. 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 The Human Voice for Life and Art
[ ca ]
Explore the un-boundaried voice – deeply breathed and dynamically embodied. Traditional Anglo-American methodologies are combined with archetypal imagery and ethnic vocal styles organized to harness untapped resources of energy, deepen full-bodied breath connection, and strengthen imaginative muscles in order to invigorate a more personal connection to your voice. In this workshop-style course we will explore and celebrate the wide range of colors, timbres, heights and depths available to the human voice. The course is appropriate for actors, singers, and anyone interested in exploring their vocal potential in a creative environment. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Lowry

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 pe-1 ]
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.
Staff

THA 125b The Art of Scenography: Scenic Design and Invention for Performance
[ ca ]
May be repeated for credit if taught by different instructors. Open to non-majors.
Introduces students to the process of creating evocative and imaginative designs for the stage. This course is designed for students of all majors and years who want to learn about scenic design. Working with a variety of source material, students will explore how to develop ideas and striking theatrical images that tell the story of the text. How can we create a psychological visual environment that transports the viewer to another time and space? How do textures, colors, and composition work on the mind? We will use installation art, sculptural thinking, and creative writing to inspire our environments. We will examine the body and the space it inhabits to create new interdisciplinary possibilities. How can new technologies such as video and projection inform our process? Working in a studio setting, students will be introduced to methods and craft of set design - including research, sketching, model making and drafting. Above all, students will be asked to take risks, and begin to develop their artistic vision. Of interest to designers, directors, film-makers, fine artists, and anyone interested in the process of creating a visual story line. Students are required to purchase materials. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Anderson

THA 126a Playing for Change - Community Building and Social Change on Stage
[ ca ]
Examines ways in which theatrical arts can create change in a variety of non-traditional situations. This course is grounded in the discussion/practice of theater activists such as Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. For both theater and non-theater students, this course focuses on how and why this collaborative, useful art form can be introduced into sociological, psychological, political, cultural, educational, medical, and historical paradigms. Students will generate work surrounding social issues of importance to them. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Cleary

THA 126b Playback Theater
[ ca ]
Comfortable clothing recommended. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 195a in spring 2014.
Playback Theatre is a form of improvisation where audience members voluntarily share true stories and then instantly witness a group of actors and a musician recreating the ‘essence’ of what was shared. Deeper issues related to the audience and society are revealed through the metaphorical reenactments of each story, reinforcing a sense of community and self worth. In this course we will learn the basic skills and forms required to perform Playback Theatre successfully, as well as analyze some of the theories of how the Playback experience strengthens communities by connecting people. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Chalmus

THA 130a Suzuki
[ ca pe-1 ]
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.
Staff

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 132aj The Collaborative Process
[ ca ]
What does it take to become a master collaborator and be able to work with ease and expertise in any team situation? Under the guidance of the instructors, students work together to discover innovative solutions for real-life obstacles in the business world. A focus is placed on developing small group communication skills and a sense of ensemble through team-based, physically-intensive, fun activities. Students develop an awareness of the unique personal strengths that they can offer when called upon to work within a group. Through a progression of improvisational exercises, role plays and other interactions students will learn how to think quickly and then transform those thoughts into action. This version of the Collaborative Process is specifically curated for students in this JBS and will incorporate skill sets being fortified in the concurrent sections. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Hinson, Mr. Jacobs, and Mr. Walsh

THA 132b Studio: Life Drawing
[ ca ]
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.
Staff

THA 133a Acting: Modern Realism
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 21b or permission of the instructor. Four class hours per week.
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 ]
Four class hours per week.
Explores specific approaches to rehearsing and performing in the heightened world of classical texts, including Wm. Shakespeare and G.B. Shaw. The course is designed to release the actor’s creative energies by stimulating an appetite for size, power and extravagant physical/vocal communication, to deepen the actor’s analytical skills and free the actor for greater intellectual and emotional engagement. You will develop a respect for and understanding of form while gaining ease and joy in the fully realized expression of heightened language texts. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Lowry

THA 135b Lighting Design
[ ca ]
Prerequisites vary with instructor, please see the course schedule. 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 138aj The Business of Show Business
[ ca ]
Provides students with an in-depth, engaging investigation of the many different facets of what is necessary to produce live entertainment in America today and gives them the unique opportunity to explore local for-profit and non-profit arts companies as a lens through which to view the world of business on a macro level. Students will learn about organizational structure, aesthetic and artistic goals, facilities management, budgeting and revenue streams, public relations/marketing/advertising and communication as it relates to both for-profit and non-profit arts companies. From brainstorming to barnstorming, this course will give students the step-by-step process of delivering live, professional entertainment. Provides the practical context for students to actively employ the skills they are learning in the concurrent sections of this program. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Hinson, Mr. Jacobs, and Mr. Walsh

THA 138b The Real American Idols: Education through Creativity and Theatrical Pedagogy
[ ca ]
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 any learning environment that utilizes creative and theatrical arts as a modality. We will discuss the foundation and theories behind teaching, learning, and creative expression, allowing 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 and risk-taking capabilities. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Cleary

THA 142b Women Playwrights: Writing for the Stage by and about Women
[ ca wi ]
Introduces the world of female playwrights. This course will engage the texts through common themes explored by female playwrights: motherhood (and daughterhood), reproduction, sexuality, abuse, family relationships, etc. Students will participate in playwriting exercises based on these themes. 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 154b Scenic Construction Fundamentals
[ ca ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 54b in prior years.
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 Resilience and Creating Balance
[ ca pe-1 ]
Aims to build resilience through dance, movement, storytelling, comedy, improvisation and the power of play. Students will learn various methods for obtaining calm and balance while learning about the body and students will learn various methods for obtaining calm and balance while learning about the body's natural abilities in creating resilience. 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.
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.
Staff

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 The Art of Scenography II - Scenic Design and Invention for Performance
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 125b.
Building off of what students learned in The Art of Scenography I, this class will continue to explore the process of creating evocative and imaginative designs for the stage. We will move into more advanced model making and drafting - analyzing in greater detail all the materials necessary to communicate designs to the workshops. We will look more deeply into the collaborative process with the director and design team. How does one design differently for opera, musical theater, and straight theater? Working with a variety of source material, students will explore how to develop ideas and striking theatrical images that tell the story of the text. How can we create a psychological visual environment that transports the viewer to another time and space? How do textures, colors, and composition work on the mind? We will use installation art, sculptural thinking, and creative writing to inspire our environments. We will examine the body and the space it inhabits to create new interdisciplinary possibilities. How can new technologies such as video and projection inform our process? Working in a studio setting, students will continue to refine the craft of set design - including research, sketching, model making and drafting. Above all, students will be asked to take risks, and continue to develop their artistic vision. Of interest to designers, directors, film-makers, fine artists, and anyone interested in the process of creating a visual story line. Students are required to purchase materials. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Anderson

THA 175b Shakespeare–Flesh, Blood and Bones
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 10a or permission of the instructor.
The language of Shakespeare is, above all, physical, springing from the heart and the viscera, designed to touch the body, mind and spirit of the hearer. We will approach Shakespeare’s texts by working with image, movement, sound and song to investigate verse forms, rhetoric and the playful relationship of body, voice and thought. Framed in a workshop-style setting designed to expand the actor’s vocal-physical, emotional, intellectual and imaginative responsiveness to language, our research and explorations of scenes will culminate in an open performance. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Lowry

THA 177b Stage Technology
[ ca ]
Formerly offered as THA 277a.
Explores the theater structure as a machine to house theatrical productions and traditional, as well as current, techniques for the movement and rigging of scenery within that mechanical environment. Specific projects are assigned to develop scenery shifting strategies that allow for a variety of technological solutions to scenic movement problems. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 185a Advanced Lighting Design
[ ca ]
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 Advanced Playwriting and Dramatic Structure
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: THA 71a or permission of the instructor.
Students write plays inspired by the dramatic structures of scripts from the Greeks to the present. Texts analyzed include works by Euripides, Seneca, Hegel, Aristotle, Racine, Sarah Kane, Lope de Vega, Shakespeare, Harold Pinter, Richard Greenberg, Caryl Churchill, Arthur Schnitzler, David Hare, Sergi Belbel, and Kuan Han-ch’ing. 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.
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 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

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 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.
Staff

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

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 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 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.
Ms. Krstansky

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. Lowry

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

AAAS 165a Performance and the Politics of Black Authenticity
[ ca ss ]
Introduces students to black performance theory. Foregrounds the micro-politics through which black racialized subjects are shaped in the realm of culture. This course asks what is black authenticity? How is it evoked through performance? How is black performance political? Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Johnson

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 ]
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 ]
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 ]
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.
Staff

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 23bj 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. Offered as part of JBS program.
Staff

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

HBRW 144a Hebrew through Plays and Drama
[ ca fl hum wi ]
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 ]
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 Music and Lyrics for the Theater
[ ca ]
Open to music majors and non-majors.
Do you like to write poetry or plays? Have you written music and/or lyrics and want to try your hand at writing musical theatre? In this class, you will learn how music functions in a dramatic context by writing songs (alone or in collaboration with others) and regularly presenting your material for peer and instructor feedback. Contemporary and traditional musical theater masterpieces will be analyzed. 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