Course Catalog
Please consult the Course Atlas for courses currently being taught.
Introductory Courses
101. Introduction to the Theater
Fall, spring. A theoretical and practical initiation to theater as a collaborative art.
Includes script analysis as well as basic instruction in acting, improvisation, stage
design, and play direction.
121. Acting: Fundamentals
Fall, spring. An introductory course on the principles and practice of the actor’s craft.
131. Stagecraft
Fall, spring. A theoretical and practical initiation to technical theater. Practical assignments
will be oriented toward mounting productions staged by Theater Emory.
190. Freshman Seminar in Theater
An introductory seminar on a special topic in theater studies.
Literature, History, and Aesthetics
201WR. Reading for Performance
Fall, spring. The close reading of plays with a view to production. Exercises and
projects explore how a text emerges in performance from the combined perspectives
of actors, directors, designers, and audience.
215. History of Drama and Theater I
(Same as English 215.) Fall. A general history of Western drama from its origins to
the neoclassical period, focusing on representative dramatic works and on the influences
of the actor, staging, and the audience.
216. History of Drama and Theater II
(Same as English 216.) Spring. A general history of Western drama from the eighteenth
to the twentieth centuries, focusing on representative dramatic works and on
the influences of the actor, staging, and the audience.
311. Greek Tragedy and Comedy in Performance
A consideration of several representative Greek tragedies and comedies with regard
to the possibilities and problems involved in staging.
312. Shakespeare in Performance
A consideration of several of Shakespeare’s plays and the possibilities and problems of
staging. A related laboratory covers acting issues in detail, including: scansion, emphasis,
and shaping; gesture, movement, and space; soliloquy; images and antitheses.
313. History of American Drama
A history of the American theater and its plays, including consideration of the actor,
staging, audience, and their influence on the development of American theatrical art,
performance style, and dramatic literature.
314. Twentieth Century Musical Theater
A study of the history and forms of musical theater in America since the turn of the
twentieth century.
315R. Studies in Period Drama
A systematic reading of a group of plays from a major period. Course will focus on
the style and historical context of the period.
316R. Studies in Genre
A systematic reading of plays through dramatic structure as genre, exploring such
major forms as tragedy or comedy.
317R. Studies in a Major Figure
A consideration of the work of a major theatrical figure (dramatist, director, designer).
319R. Dramaturgy Tutorial
Variable credit. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. An introduction to the many
roles of the dramaturg. Research assignments focus on the dramaturgical work surrounding
a Theater Emory production.
340WR. Arts Writing and Criticism
(Same as Journalism 340WR.)
365WR. Modern Drama
(Same as English 365WR.) Development of modern drama from the late nineteenth
century to 1950, including dramatists such as Ibsen, Shaw, Yeats, Synge, O’Neill,
and Williams.
366WR. Contemporary Drama
(Same as English 366WR.) Selected works of the contemporary theater since 1950,
including dramatists such as Beckett, Bond, Fornes, Gems, Pinter, Shepard, and Wilson.
372RWR. Playwriting
(Same as English 372RWR.) Workshop in writing plays.
375RWR. Advanced Playwriting
(Same as English 375RWR.) Prerequisite: Theater 372RWR or permission of instructor.
Intensive workshop in writing plays for advanced students.
490WR. Aesthetics and Criticism of the Theater
Fall. Prerequisite: Theater 201WR. A seminar, capstone to the theater studies major,
covering major critical texts that interrogate the nature of the theatrical event.
Interpretation and Performance
221. Scene Work
An introduction to the challenges of acting scenes. This process-oriented course will
focus on the development of character relationship through principles of objective,
circumstance, habit, activity, age, and emotion.
222. Speeches and Monologues
A systematic approach to the art of conjuring another time and place. Each student
will develop several narrative speeches of audition length. Topics include storytelling,
sound sense, movement, shaping, and opposites.
223. Voice and Diction
An overview of voice and diction for actors. Through group exercises and individual
instruction, students will learn techniques to achieve proper breath support, vocal
production, vocal range, and articulation necessary for stage performance.
224. Movement for the Actor
A course designed for the physical actor. This laboratory-focused course will explore
and develop a variety of processes unique to the construction of the actor’s physical
form and coordination. Topics include center, balance, kinesthetics, and rhythm in the
context of stage combat, mime, clowning, and physical relationship in scene work.
251. Directing I
Fall. Prerequisites: Theater 201 or a 200-level or higher acting course, or permission
of instructor. A theoretical and practical introduction to the art of staging plays,
including script analysis, rehearsal techniques, and presentation of scenes.
321. Advanced Scene Work
Prerequisite: Theater 221. Advanced work on character and relationship through a
variety of approaches.
322. Developing a Role
Prerequisites: Theater 222 and permission of instructor. Each actor works on two
substantive roles, with an emphasis on generating and shaping through-lines.
324R. Period Styles
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Advanced work on scenes in a variety of period
styles. Topics include center, sticking point, kinesthetics, fashion and manner, mask,
language/text work, characterization, and status.
351. Directing II
Prerequisite: Theater 251 or permission of instructor. Includes continued script investigation
of a major play, visualization, actor coaching, and analysis of the throughlines
of characters in the play.
370R. Creating New Works
Prerequisites: 200-level theater class or permission of instructor. A workshop for
the creation of new works by actors, designers, directors, and writers. Projects may
include performances created from improvisation, adaptations of fiction or nonfiction,
experimentation with classics, and self-scripted monologues.
400R. Acting Tutorial
Variable credit. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. An advanced course focused
on specified individual needs and interests of an advanced student actor. Can be
taken only twice.
421R. Applied Acting Laboratory
Variable credit. Prerequisite: permission of instructor or consent of department. A
course in a specialized area of acting, normally connected with a dramatic literature
course and/or a Theater Emory production.
451R. Directing Tutorial
Prerequisites: Theater 351 and/or consent of department. Advanced problems in staging
plays, including a fully mounted production of a one-act or full-length play.
Theater Administration, Design, and Production
230. Principles of Design
A theoretical and practical understanding of the process involved in conceiving and
executing a stage design and the interrelationship of the various design disciplines.
231. Costume Design
Prerequisite: Theater 230 or permission of instructor. An introduction to the theory
and practice of costume design. Includes script analysis from a visual perspective as
well as exercises to develop basic design skills.
232. Scene Design
Prerequisite: Theater 230 or permission of instructor. An introduction to the theory
and practice of scene design. Includes historical research, script analysis from a visual
perspective, and exercises to develop basic design skills.
233. Lighting Design
Prerequisite: Theater 230 or permission of instructor. An introduction to the theory
and practice of lighting design, including script analysis from a visual perspective as
well as classroom and practical exercises.
234. Sound Design
Prerequisite: Theater 230 or permission of instructor. An introduction to the theory
and practice of sound design, including script analysis and practical exercises in
analog and digital sound.
241. Theater Administration
A lecture/laboratory course on how artists accomplish their work in the face of
changes in values, government mandates, and the economy.
330R. Stagecraft II
Variable credit. Prerequisite: Theater 131 or permission of instructor. An advanced
tutorial on practical problems in properties and craftwork for theater.
331R. Costume Design Tutorial
Prerequisite: Theater 231 and/or permission of instructor. An in-depth approach to
the art, practice, and history of costume design. Work will center on conceptualization,
research, and design.
332R. Scene Design Tutorial
Prerequisite: Theater 232 and/or permission of instructor. An in-depth approach to
the art, practice, and history of scene design. Work will center on conceptualization,
research, and design.
333R. Lighting Design Tutorial
Prerequisite: Theater 233 and/or permission of instructor. An advanced course in
the theory and practice of lighting design, including lighting for the theater, dance,
concert, film, and video.
334R. Sound Design Tutorial
Prerequisite: Theater 234 and/or permission of instructor. An advanced course in the theory
and practice of sound design, including sound design for theater, dance, and film.
341R. Administration Tutorial
Prerequisite: Theater 241 and/or permission of instructor. A lecture/laboratory
course focused on practical problems in theater administration, including budgeting,
contracting, publicity, and stage management. Practical assignments oriented to
Theater Emory’s season.
Special Courses
300R. Production Laboratory
Variable credit. A course offered to advanced students undertaking substantial
responsibilities in productions staged by Theater Emory.
389R. Special Topics in Theater Studies
Individual courses designed to introduce students to special topics in theater.
396R. Colloquium in Theater
Spring. A one-credit course required for majors and minors. Must be taken twice to
complete major/minor. Comprised of lectures, workshops, and panel discussions with
faculty, guest artists, and alumni in addition to attendance at other arts events.
397R. Directed Studies in Theater
Variable credit. Prerequisite: permission of department. Special projects, research,
and readings under the direction of a faculty member.
495RWR. Honors Project in Theater
Variable credit. Prerequisites: qualification for honors and consent of department. A
supervised project in any area of theater.
497R. Senior Project in Theater
Variable credit. Prerequisite: consent of department. A supervised project in any area
of theater for seniors.
499R. Special Project in Theater
Variable credit. Prerequisite: consent of department. A supervised project in any
area of theater.
