Theater Studies Course Atlas - Fall 2007

Sec. 000 - MW  10:40-12:35     Max: 12     Room: 203 Schwartz Center (Theater Lab)

Sec. 001 - MF  10:40-12:35     Max: 12     Room: 203 Schwartz Center (Theater Lab)       

Content: The course provides a theoretical and practical introduction to the basic skills of acting: warming up, voice and movement, improvisation, character development, script analysis, scene work and collaborating as an ensemble. The student will acquire a working vocabulary in the fundamentals of acting.

TTh 10-11:15    Max: 12    Room: 203 Schwartz Center (Theater Lab)

Content: How does the actor bring truth to the stage? The aim of this course is to introduce you, first hand, to the skills involved in such a task. No prior acting experience is required. Class sessions will include physical and vocal exercises, many of them rigorous, and improvisational exercises designed to strengthen the individual/group imagination and to build ensemble. Course work will include extensive scene-study, requiring regular outside-class preparation and in-class performance.

THEA 131              ///              Basic Stagecraft
Scott Little

TTh 10:00-11:15          Max: 18          Room: MGM Theater, DUC

Students are required to sign up for one of the following labs:

1) Tues. Lab - 2:30-4:30       MAX: 6      Instructor: Scott Little
2) Wed. Lab. - 2-4       MAX: 6      Instructor: Scott Little
3) Thurs. Lab - 2:30-4:30       MAX: 6      Instructor: Scott Little

Please note that you will need to enroll in the lab that best fits your schedule.

Content: The primary goal of the course is to provide beginning students with an awareness and understanding of the technical aspects of theater production. The course will provide students with an overview of the visual aspects of theater along with construction techniques for props and set. Practical exercises are directly related to productions staged in the Mary Gray Munroe Theater and include assignments to technical crews for productions of Theater Emory. The course will involve three hours of lecture and two hours of lab work per week, plus 60 hours of crew assignments.

Particulars: Grading is based on participation in class, lab work, and theatrical productions, as well as progress over the semester.

Texts:
Required: Holloway, John. Illustrated Theatre Production Guide
Recommended: Carter, Paul. The Backstage Handbook, 3rd Ed.

A $20 supplies fee will be charged to students' Bursar accounts.

(Freshmen Seminar)

THEA 101S - 000 (THEA 190)    ///    Freshman Seminar: Intro. to the Theater
Janice Akers

TTh 2:30-3:45, and periodic Wed. eve. lab 7-10 pm.      Max: 15      Room: 205 Rich Bldg.

Content: Introduction to Theater asks students to explore the question, "What makes theater a living, breathing entity?" Students will be asked to create theater projects based on dramatic literature, current events and personal biography. Along with covering some of the major developments of theater history, students will examine the topic of theater collaboration from the perspective of playwright, director, designer and actor. This class will include readings, video presentations, group discussion, creative writing, improvisation and performance. Introduction to guest artists and attendance at live theater events will allow students to experience first hand how theater professionals collaborate to create a stimulating and challenging art form.

Particulars: Grades are based on attendance and participation. Two to three short response papers and in-class worksheets are required along with attendance of live performance events and three evening labs. Students will collaborate on a final project at the end of the semester.

Text: Wainscott, Ronald & Fletcher, Kathy, Theatre: Collaborative Acts

THIS COURSE HAS BEEN CANCELED

THEA 190 - 000    ///      Freshman Seminar:  Introduction to Performance
Donald McManus    

TTh 11:30-12:45      MAX: 15      Room: 203 Schwartz Center (Theater Lab)

Content: This seminar is an intensive introduction to theatrical performance. Students will learn how to present scenes from existing theatrical texts as well as originally conceived performance pieces. A variety of different styles and approaches will be studied including: music theatre, clown, improvisation, stand-up comedy, dramatic monologues and dialogues. The semester will culminate in an ensemble performance. Each class will include a brief warm-up designed to develop the students’ understanding of their bodies as abstract means of expression and as vehicles for portraying as wide a variety of characters as possible.

Grading will be based on: Attendance, punctuality, concentration, respect for colleagues, analytical and creative written assignments, preparation and performance of presentations, final presentation.

NOTE: This course can count as an elective in the Theater major or minor should a student choose to declare.

THEA 201SWR - 000     ///    Reading for Performance
Donald McManus

TTh 1-2:15        Max: 12      Room: 201 Rich Bldg.

Content: The aim of this seminar is to practice the close reading required to lift a play effectively and intelligently from page to stage. Through a close analysis of a variety of plays for such issues as plot, patterns of action and theme, characterization, style, genre, extra-textual reference, visual and sonic elements, and world of the play, we will sort out the challenges and rewards of practical knowledge of and responsibility to the text. The course will also touch on theater semiotics (how things express meaning from the stage, and the variety of options different sign-systems offer) and textual adaptation for performance. Our ongoing exploration will incorporate the specific awarenesses that actors, directors, designers, and dramaturgs need to construct from a play-text.

Particulars: Grades will be determined by class participation, a variety of short papers, and a final paper.

Texts: Representative plays ranging from classical Greek, Renaissance, naturalism, expressionism, contemporary realism, modern poetic drama, and post-modern experimental drama, plus handouts and internet resources will be used.

THEA 201SWR - 001     ///    Reading for Performance
Donald McManus

TTh 11:30-12:45      MAX: 12     Room: 207 Rich Bldg.

Content: The aim of this seminar is to practice the close reading required to lift a play effectively and intelligently from page to stage. Through a close analysis of a variety of plays for such issues as plot, patterns of action and theme, characterization, style, genre, extra-textual reference, visual and sonic elements, and world of the play, we will sort out the challenges and rewards of practical knowledge of and responsibility to the text. The course will also touch on theater semiotics (how things express meaning from the stage, and the variety of options different sign-systems offer) and textual adaptation for performance. Our ongoing exploration will incorporate the specific awarenesses that actors, directors, designers, and dramaturgs need to construct from a play-text.

Particulars: Grades will be determined by class participation, a variety of short papers, and a final paper.

Texts: Representative plays ranging from classical Greek, Renaissance, naturalism, expressionism, contemporary realism, modern poetic drama, and post-modern experimental drama, plus handouts and internet resources will be used.

THEA 215      ///     History of Drama and Theater  I
Michael Evenden

- Same as ENG 215

MWF 12:50-1:40     Max: 13 THEA, 10 ENG     Room: 211 Rich Building
LAB Th 4-5:15    Room: 205 Rich Bldg.

Content: A survey course based on lecture and group discussion that broadly covers Western dramatic literature and theater history from the Greeks to French neoclassicism. A strong historical emphasis will be required in a course that focuses on a public art form as it transforms itself radically to correspond to many different cultural situations.

Particulars: Three written examinations, objective and analytic. Optional paper.  Not recommended for first-year students.

Texts: Students will be expected to read two to three plays a week. Playwrights to be covered include Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plautus, Terence, Roswitha, Marlowe, Jonson, Shakespeare, Racine, Behn, Calderon, and Lope de Vega.

A $10 photocopying fee may be charged to students' Bursar accounts to cover handouts and additional materials.

THEA 221      ///     Acting:  Scenework
John Ammerman

MWF 2-3:50    MAX: 10    Room: 210 Rich Bldg.

Recommended Prerequisite: Theater 221 is open to students who have taken Theater 121 or, in the case of those who have considerable experience, to students who obtain permission of the instructor.

Content: An introduction to acting scenes. This process-oriented course will focus on the development of character relationship through principles of objective, circumstance, habit, activity, age, and emotion.  Scenes will include both contemporary dramatic literature and Shakespeare.

Particulars: As a performance-based course, there will be a variety of exercises and tasks involving work with a partner, which includes both graded and non-graded assignments. Grading will be based on the performance of selected scenes, including the final, and will require outside rehearsals on a regular basis in order to prepare for presentation. Attendance, participation, and cooperation are crucial for the growth and development of each performer's skills.

THEA 223     ///     Voice and Diction
Alexandre Harrington

TTh 11:30-12:45        Max: 16       Room: 205 Rich Bldg.

Content: An overview of voice and diction for actors and others. Through group exercises, text work, and individual instruction, students will learn practical techniques to achieve proper breath support, vocal production, vocal range, articulation, and physical alignment necessary for stage performance and public speaking.

Text: The Voice Book, by Michael McCallion.

THEA 224     ///    Movement for the Actor
John Ammerman

MWF 10:40-12:35        MAX: 10        Room: 210 Rich Bldg.

This is a course heavily focused on physical exercise and conditioning.

Content: A laboratory workshop class focusing on the development of movement techniques through exercise and practice. Elements include center, balance, kinesthetics, combat, weapons, mime, clowning, improvisation, and rhythm.

Particulars: As a performance-based course, there will be a variety of exercises and tasks involving both solo and partner work. Grading will be based on the performance of selected and assigned topics, including the Final Exam, and will require outside rehearsals on a regular basis in order to prepare for presentation. Each actor will be required to dress in workout attire. Attendance, participation, and cooperation are crucial for the growth and development of each performer's skills.

THEA 231    ///     Costume Design
Leslie Taylor

TTH 10-11:15         Max: 8        Room: 311C Schwartz Center

Content: This design class will put an emphasis on costume design. We will study costume design from both an historical and conceptual basis. Students will read and design on paper a variety of plays throughout the semester. We will explore techniques of communicating the visual idea, through drawing, collage, and painting. Students will also learn how to organize and manage the technical requirements such as materials, time and budget.

Particulars: Grading is based on attendance, participation, and completion of projects. There will be 3-4 design projects over the course of the semester as well as a more fully realized final project. No prerequisite, no drawing skills necessary.

A supplies fee may be charged to students' Bursar accounts. No text will be used.

THEA 234     ///     Sound Design
Judy Zanotti

M 1-4     MAX: 4      Room: 207 Rich Bldg.

Prerequisite: None

Content: This is an introductory course to the technology and design of sound for the theater.

Particulars: Topics will include acoustics, sound reinforcement, script analysis and design development, as well as mini-disc, CD and tape recording, mixing and editing.

THEA 241S     ///    Seminar: Theater Administration
Pat Miller

TTh 1-2:15        MAX: 12        Room: 207 Rich Bldg.

Permission of the instructor required for students who are not majors or minors in an arts discipline

Content: This course is intended for future working artists, arts executives, and active supporters of the arts. It provides an understanding of how the values of society, the principles of business, and the power of government affect the artist's means of working. Historical models, contemporary challenges and practical applications will be covered.

Particulars: There will be a final project designed by the student with the approval of the professor, two tests, a practical assignment in connection with the Theater Emory productions, and considerable class discussion.Grading: 10% class participation, 15% practical assignments, 30% tests, 45% final project.

Texts: The texts for the course will be selected material distributed by the teacher, plus assigned readings in the current issues of the Sunday Arts and Leisure Section of The New York Times, Variety, and American Theater Magazine, all of which are available in the library.

Experience in theater, dance, music, film, or related arts is needed for a sucessful experience in the course. Students who are not majors or minors in an arts discipline are required to have permission of the instructor to take the course.

THEA 300R     ///      Production Laboratory
William Moore 00P, Scott Little 01P

TBA      Max: 5    Room: MGM Theater, DUC

Permission of instructor required prior to enrollment.

Content: The goal of this course is to provide students with a meaningful learning experience through the assumption of technical or administrative responsibilities in conjunction with the productions of Theater Emory and research areas of Theater Studies.

Particulars: Students should make arrangements with the departmental faculty regarding their assignments prior to registration. Grades are determined by the student's ability to successfully execute the tasks given to them by the individual instructor assigned to them. Each student enrolled in the class should contact the instructor during the first week of class and before the end of Drop/Add to determine their work assignment for the semester.

THEA 312     ///    Shakespeare in Performance
Alice N. Benston and Tim McDonough

TTh 2:30-3:45        MAX: 12        Room: 207 Rich Bldg.

Optional Acting Lab for this course: THEA 421R 000– enroll separately

Content: An intense study of six of Shakespeare's plays representing several genres--history, comedy, tragedy and romance. We will read the plays closely, research stage history, and consider staging possibilities and problems in light of contemporary commentary (political, psychoanalytical, feminist, etc.). Students may enroll in the accompanying THEA 421R, a performance lab, for an additional 2 credits (see 421R, section 000).   While it is not required, students most interested in the performance aspect of the course should take the lab, as THEA 312 is for reading, analyzing, discussion, and writing only.

Particulars: Grading--attendance and participation in discussions, two short written assignments, one longer mid-term paper, performance assignations, final performance/paper. Attendance at a series of screenings will also be required.

Texts: The Riverside Shakespeare or equivalent

THEA 316S   ///     Studies in Genre: Science and Theater
Amy Cook

- Cross listed with ENG 389RS 001

TTh 11:30-12:45        Max: 15       Room: 309 Schwartz Center

Content: This class will look at encounters between science, plays, and performance; we will read plays and science together and experiment with these ideas through in-class performance.

For example, we will read Hamlet in light of Renaissance skepticism and A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in terms of the language of containment in cold war America. We will explore the interplay between discoveries of germs and contagion with the dramaturgy and performance tradition of A Doll House. Finally, we will read two studies on mirror neurons and experiment with how this might inform contemporary performance strategies.

Students will be expected both to perform and to explore the science, though no experience or expertise with either is required.

THEA 330R    ///   Stagecraft Laboratory
William Moore

F  1:00-4:00    MAX: 5    Room: MGM Theater, DUC

Permission of instructor required

Content: This course is intended for students interested in the art and crafts of properties and set dressing. The specific content of the course will vary according to the productions being staged by Theater Emory and will include practical exercises and assignments in property design, construction, acquisition and assisting the props master and production manager. A background in construction, crafts, Photoshop, painting, sculpting and art/art history are helpful. Or, choose to learn them in the course.

Particulars: In format, the course will function as a tutorial involving weekly meetings with the instructor. In addition, students will be required to assume significant supervised responsibilities connected with Theater Emory productions. These responsibilities will vary in the number of hours per week depending on the student's specific assignment. Grading is based on the successful completion of responsibilities assigned to the students during the semester.

THEA 331R 00P    ///    Costume Design Tutorial
Leslie Taylor

TBA    MAX: 5

Prerequisite: THEA 231 and/or written permission of instructor

Content: This course will provide further information for students who have demonstrated an interest and ability in costume design. Students will advance their skills and knowledge by either completing several in depth projects or assisting the costume designer on a Theater Emory project.

Particulars: Grades are determined on the basis of successful completion of major design projects, attendance in class, and growth.

THEA 332R 00P     ///     Scene Design Tutorial
Leslie Taylor

TBA    MAX: 5

Prerequisite: THEA 232 and/or written permission of instructor

Content: This course will provide personalized instruction for those students who have demonstrated an interest and ability in the area of set design. The course will enable advanced students to develop and further their talent, skill, and knowledge in set design. A major part of the course will involve either assisting the set designer in the execution of Theater Emory productions or designing and executing scenery for student productions emanating from classes offered by the department, as well as design projects.

Particulars: Grades are determined on the basis of successful completion of major design projects, attendance in class and working on Theater Emory and class productions.

THEA 333R 00P    ///    Lighting Design Tutorial
Judy Zanotti

TBA       MAX: 3

Prerequisite: THEA 233 and/or written permission of instructor

Content: The goal of this course is to provide advanced students with a further understanding of the lighting design process. Theatrical, as well as dance, concert, film and video lighting practices will be covered.

Particulars: Students are graded on their completion of five lighting projects, a practical design assignment, and development throughout the semester. The course will involve two hours of lecture per week plus 90 hours of assignments.

Texts: The course will include material from a variety of texts.

THEA 334R 00P      ///    Sound Design Tutorial
Judy Zanotti

TBA       MAX: 3

Prerequisite: THEA 234 and/or written permission of instructor

Content: An advanced course in the theory and practice of sound design

THEA 341R 00P    ///    Theater Administration Tutorial
Pat Miller

TBA    MAX: 5    Variable Credit: 2-8 hours

Prerequisite: Enrollment requires permission of the professor and is dependent upon completion of THEA 241 and the availability of a suitable project for the student.

Content: This is a tutorial on practical problems in theater administration, including budgeting, contracting, and marketing. This course is a continuation of the theoretical work covered in THEA 241. Students take responsibility for an aspect of the administrative work for productions in the Theater Emory season.

Particulars: Participation and completion of the assigned administrative responsibilities are the most important considerations for grading.

Texts: Students are expected to read American Theatre Magazine, Variety, and the Sunday New York Times Arts & Leisure Guide on a regular basis. Readings on special topics may be assigned throughout the course.

THEA 370    ///    Creating New Works
Vincent Murphy

TTh 2:30-3:45     Max: 10     Room: 203 Schwartz Center (Theater Lab)   

Content: A workshop that will explore methods of collective collaboration and literary adaptation.  In the course of the semester, students will participate in the creation of new works in several possible ways: as a member of the whole group, with a small group of collaborators, and as an adaptor/director.

Particulars: No prerequisite. Writers, actors, technicians, directors, and designers are welcome to participate in their respective capacities, but all will do some acting, writing, design, and directing work.

Before the first class, all students must choose a favorite short story or novel that has both dialogue and narrative.

Texts:
Frank Manley, Within The Ribbons, North Point Press
Vincent Murphy, book in progress Page to the Stage

THEA 372RWR 00P     ///    Playwriting   
Ken Weitzman

- Same as ENG 372RWR 00P

T 2:30-5:30     MAX: THEA 5 (ENG/CW 10)     Room: 201 Rich Bldg.

No prerequisites, but application for this course is required. See the fall 2007 Creative Writing course Atlas for details.
www.creativewriting.emory.edu/atlas/index.html

Students wishing to take 372 as a Theater Studies course should hand in their application to John Ward in Theater Studies, Rich Building 225, by the deadlines stated at the top of the Creative Writing course atlas. Note that you may obtain permission numbers for THEA 372 from John Ward (jward03@emory.edu).

Students wishing to take 372 as a Creative Writing course should hand in their application to Paula Vitaris in Creative Writing.

Content: An introduction to the craft and art of playwriting. No previous experience necessary in playwriting, acting, or theater.  This course will focus on writing exercises and a final project that will allow students to experience first-hand the creative process, from finding inspiration to the fundamentals of playwriting (character, dramatic action, dialogue) to the exciting collaboration implicit in presenting the play to an audience.

Texts:
How I Learned to Drive, Paula Vogel
The As If Body Loop, Ken Weitzman
The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Martin McDonagh
The Zoo Story, Edward Albee

Additional texts will be available on Reserves Direct and include a series of one-act and ten-minute plays from playwrights John Patrick Shanley, Bill Bozzone, Steve Martin, Rachel Axler, Albert Innaurato, Naomi Iizuka, Harold Pinter and Leroi Jones/Baraka

No pre-requisites. Students should budget for photocopying. Outside of class time, students are required to attend on-campus readings and colloquia sponsored by the Creative Writing Program and play readings sponsored by The Playwriting Center of Theater Emory.

THEA 389WR 000    ///    Special Topics: Total Theater of W. B. Yeats
James Flannery

- Cross listed with ENG 489WR 001

TH 4:00-7:00     Max: 5  (10 ENG)     Room: Callaway N116

Content: W. B. Yeats is generally acknowledged as the greatest poet and one of the most innovative dramatists of modern times.   As T. S. Elliot wrote:   "[Yeats] is one of those few whose history is the history of their own time, who are part of the consciousness of an age which cannot be understood without them."

This course will focus on the major poems and plays of Yeats as well as his extraordinarily rich and productive life.   The word "total" in the title refers to the Yeatsian idea of a theater in which all the arts (poetry, music, acting, dance and spatial imagery) are combined.   The other sense of the word reflects Yeats's lifelong study of folklore, mythology, and the occult sciences as well as his practical involvement in the shaping of modern Ireland as a politician, critic and social activist.  

Particulars: Students are required to write a one and a half to two page response paper every other week based on the assigned reading.   In addition, undergraduate students will write a final paper of 3000 - 5000 words.   Graduate students will write a final paper of approximately 10,000 words.

Texts:

The Yeats Reader:   A Portable Compendium of Poetry, Drama and Prose, ed. Richard J. Finnernan (New York: Scribner, 1997.)

Course packet consisting of sixteen additional plays of Yeats.

THEA 397R 00P     ///    Directed Studies in Theater

TBA     MAX: 5

Written Permission of Supervising Instructor Required

Content: Special projects, research, and readings under the direction of a faculty member.

THEA 400R 00P     ///      Acting Tutorial
Faculty

TBA    MAX: 10

Written permission of instructor required

Content: This course provides advanced theater students with a context for intensive work on specific acting issues. It is intended to meet individual needs; to supplement, extend, and enrich the training offered in regular acting classes; and to give specialized instruction to students in connection with performance projects. Both private and small group tutorials are offered; qualified students with specific needs and learning agenda are encouraged to apply.

Permission for tutorial sessions must be obtained from Theater Studies prior to registration. Admission is by departmental approval.  A tutorial normally involves eight hours of personalized instruction, and may be taken for one or two credits.

THEA 421R  000    ///   Optional Acting Laboratory for THEA 312:
                                                                            Shakespeare in Performance
McDonough / Benston

TTh 1-2:15    MAX: 12    Room: 203 Schwartz Center (Theater Lab)

2 credit hours

Content: This laboratory focuses on skills and issues in Shakespearean acting, including: scansion, emphasis and shaping of text; gesture, movement and space on the Elizabethan stage; the soliloquy; acting images and antitheses.

THEA 421R  00P    ///   Acting Laboratory: Credit for Theater Emory Productions

1 or 2 credit hours, permission only

THEA 421R  01P    ///   Acting Laboratory: Credit for Theater Emory Productions

1 or 2 credit hours, permission only

THEA 490SWR     ///      Aesthetics and Criticism of Theater
Alice N. Benston

TTh 11:30-12:45    MAX: 12    Room: 201 Rich Bldg.

Content: This seminar, the capstone course for theater majors, is designed to provide the student with an overview of major documents that address the nature of the theatrical event. The critical documents will be examined and critiqued for their implications for those involved with theater, from playwright, through theater practitioners to critics and audience.

Particulars: The course is a seminar which presupposes that the discussion will lead to "group" discovery. In preparation for active participation, each student will keep a Reaction Journal, and each student should be prepared to start the discussion based on these entries. Participation, journals, two short papers plus one longer critical paper are required.

Texts:
-- M. Huxley and N. Witts, The Twentieth Century Performance Reader
-- ON E-RESERVE: Bernard E. Dukore, Dramatic Theory and Criticism

Supplementary material distributed in class.

THEA 495R 00P     ///     Honors Project in Theater

Qualification for honors and consent of department required

Content: This course is designed to provide advanced students with a learning experience designed to meet their specific interests and needs. In some cases this may involve weekly instruction on a particular aspect of acting or stagecraft. In other cases a student may wish to work with an individual faculty member on a research project concerned with a particular dramatist, historical period or critical theory.

Particulars: Grading policies will be determined by the particular nature of the project undertaken. Permission for enrollment is by vote of the faculty and must be obtained during preregistration in the previous semester. See the Department for more specific information.
Please direct questions or comments to Theater Studies.

THEA 497 00P     ///     Senior Project in Theater

Consent of department required

Content: A supervised project in any area of theater for seniors. Total credit not to exceed twelve hours.

THEA 499R 00P     ///     Special Project in Theater

Consent of department required

Content: A supervised project in any area of theater. Total credit not to exceed twelve hours.

updated 4/24/2007
by John Ward (jward03@emory.edu)