Theatre Arts

An introduction to the theory and practice of stagecraft in the live theatre. This course concentrates on the machines, materials and methods used by the theatre technician to accomplish the set and prop designs of a play. This course will concentrate on stage carpentry, prop construction, scene painting, and stage management. The course is a combination of lecture and shop work and requires backstage participation.

Drama Therapy is a group process emphasizing play, spontaneity, embodiment, relatedness and role flexibility. This course will use experiential ways of learning both the theory and processes of drama therapy. Drama therapy techniques can be used to work with groups in clinical, educational, corporate and social service settings. The course is especially useful for (1) theatre arts students who are interested in applying their skills to “real world” situations, and (2) for social work, psychology, education, communication or business students who wish to learn embodied, spontaneous ways to approach group process and conflict.

A survey of Shakespeare’s major poetic and dramatic works. In addition to background on Shakespeare’s life and the Elizabethan theatre, the early portion of the course covers the narrative poem Venus and Adonis and the Sonnets. The remainder of the course is dedicated to the study of major comedies from Love’s Labors Lost to The Tempest, history plays from Richard II to Henry V, and the major tragedies.

This course allows the student to apply principles of staging the play to projects designed to provide experience in approaching the particular problems of the director. The course culminates in a public performance of a short (ten minute) play chosen in collaboration with the instructor.