Courses

THEA 101. An Introduction to Drama: Theater and Film.A survey of the nature and history of drama on stage and in motion pictures. Beginning with a discussion of action, plot, and character, the course moves on to consider the elements of theatrical performance—including acting, directing, and design—as well as important plays from the Greeks to the present. These may include works by Sophocles, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, Brecht, and Beckett. It then shifts focus to film, examining the elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, and sound, and concluding with a study of major films from the silent era to the twenty-first century. These may include works by Chaplin, Wells, Bergman, Hitchcock, Scorsese, and David Lynch. Normally offered every year. M. Andrucki.Concentrations.

THEA 130. Introduction to Design. The creation of theater is a synthesis of text, performance, and visual imagery. This course explores how the visual aspect of theatrical design affects the way an audience perceives, feels, and responds to text and action. Students learn to use line, mass, color, and texture to communicate metaphoric and thematic ideas as they relate to the overall theatrical experience. They examine how forms of art, architecture, and music use these tools to influence and transform the audience, and build on this foundation to create a design vocabulary for theater. Students discuss how clothing, adornment, and body language influence the way individuals perceive others and present themselves. They learn the fundamentals of collaborative creation, and design scenery and costumes for a classic work of dramatic literature. Required of all majors. No previous art or theater training is required. Enrollment limited to 14. Normally offered every year. B. McDowell.Concentrations.

THEA 132. Theater Technology.This course provides a look "behind the curtain" to reveal the secrets of theater magic. Students learn the geography of various types of theaters as well as mechanical and electrical systems. They are introduced to the materials and methods for fabricating scenery and rigging, practice the safe use of woodworking tools, experiment with painted scenic finishes, and learn the basics of stage lighting and sound. Many of the skills introduced in this class are transferable to other artistic practices or domestic needs. This is a hands-on course; all students participate in the preparation and presentation of theater department productions. Enrollment limited to 14. M. Reidy.Concentrations.

THEA 200. The Classical Stage.We still measure theatrical excellence by the achievements of ancient Greece and Rome, Elizabethan England, and seventeenth-century France. This course studies selected plays and works of critical theory from those remarkable times and places. Authors may include Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plato, Aristotle, Plautus, Terence, Horace, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Jonson, Webster, Corneille, Racine, Moliere, and the neoclassical theorists of France and Italy. The viewing of filmed versions of several of the plays on the syllabus reveals the continuing vigor of these classical works in performance. Open to first-year students. M. Andrucki.Concentrations.

THEA 205. Shakespeare on Film.A study of the film versions of several plays by William Shakespeare. These may include Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Richard III, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado about Nothing, Titus Andronicus, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Film directors may include Reinhardt, Olivier, Kurosawa, Kozintsev, Branagh, and Taymor. Readings in film analysis and criticism supplement the close study of the texts of the plays and careful viewing of the films. Open to first-year students. M. Andrucki.Concentrations.

EN/TH 207. First Plays, 1580-1980.Every great writer starts somewhere. This course explores the first plays of ten major dramatists to discover how they shaped their early works and how their early works shaped them. The course focuses on the problems and strategies of "novice" playwriting in different contexts. Combining theater history with literary and dramaturgical critique, the course situates these works in their originating cultural moments. How do playwrights become "professional"? How can we use early works to identify writers' formative concerns and expectations? Current playwrights share with students how learning to write for the stage influenced their first plays. Recommended background: THEA 101, 200, 220, 240, or ENG 213 or 214. Prerequisite(s): one 100-level English course. New course beginning Winter 2013. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 30. M. Pangallo.Concentrations.

EN/TH 218. The London Theater Season of 1608-1609.This course explores the plays and events of the London theater season of 1608-9 in order to discover how the context of those years affected the plays written and performed then, and the ways the plays affected their context. We examine a range of plays, from different companies and venues, and in different genres. We also read non-dramatic works from those years in order to discover and analyze connections between them and what we see in the plays. How did theater reflect and influence contemporary cultural, social, and political thought? What relationship existed between plays written for audiences and the lived experiences of those audiences beyond the theater? In short, what can we learn about the history and literature of theater by putting plays into their specific, local moment in time? Recommended background: ENG 213 or 214. Course crosslisted as EN/TH 218 beginning Fall 2012. Enrollment limited to 30. (Pre-1800.) One-time offering. M. Pangallo.Concentrations.

THEA 220. The Modern Stage.The premiere in 1879 of Henrik Ibsen's incendiary masterpiece, A Doll House, sparked an explosion of creativity in Western theater and drama over the next 125 years. This course studies two dozen of the most important plays staged during that turbulent period. In addition to Ibsen, authors may include Strindberg, Chekhov, Shaw, Pirandello, Brecht, O'Neill, Beckett, Genet, Pinter, and various contemporary playwrights. Students also read critics and theorists who have attempted to make sense of this revolutionary period. Viewings of filmed versions of several of the plays on the syllabus help to reveal their power in performance. Open to first-year students. M. Andrucki.Concentrations.

AA/TH 226. Minority Images in Hollywood Film.This course explores representations of African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans both in mainstream Hollywood films and those by oppositional independent filmmakers. Film viewings, discussions, readings, and written assignments explore the construction of racial otherness through specifically cinematic techniques. The careers and oeuvres of influential minority filmmakers and actors including Sidney Poitier, Oscar Micheaux, Anna May Wong, Dolores del Rio, Ang Lee, and Spike Lee are examined. Open to first-year students. Staff.Concentrations.

CI/TH 230. Drama and Theater of China.Nothing is impossible in Chinese theater. On stage, we see a wronged soul lamenting his tragic death, a young lady being brought back to life by true love years after passing away, and a series of misunderstandings and coincidences twisting a funeral into a comedy. Chinese people celebrate happiness, joy, crisis, dilemma, desperation, and pain through theater. In this course, students experience breathtaking performance practices, apprehend inspiring theatrical aesthetics, and examine Chinese theatrical performances from ancient shamanistic rituals to contemporary intercultural collaborations. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. X. Fan.Concentrations.

THEA 231. Scene Design.This course presents in-depth study of the creative and practical tools used by set designers to visually enrich and shape the theatrical experience. Students study a history of theatrical architecture and design, focusing on how they have shaped the uses of stage space and the vocabulary of modern scene design. The course builds on aesthetic fundamentals developed in THEA 130, and examines in greater depth the relationship between set designers and theatrical texts. Practically, students learn fundamentals of theatrical drafting, perspective and scale drawing, and model making. This course is recommended for students with an interest in the visual and emotional impact of effective scene design on drama and performance. Prerequisite(s): THEA 130, or an individual portfolio review. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 14. Instructor permission is required. B. McDowell.Concentrations.

THEA 232. Lighting Design.This course provides an introduction to the unique aesthetic and technical decisions a lighting designer must make. Students examine the modern lighting aesthetic by studying popular culture and learning to translate these images to the stage. Students also are required to serve on a lighting crew for one of the department's productions and design part of the spring dance concert. Prerequisite(s) or corequisite(s): one of the following: THEA 101, 130, or 132. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 14. Instructor permission is required. M. Reidy.Concentrations.

THEA 233. Costume Design.In theater, as in life, clothes often "make the man." This course focuses on the myriad aspects of personality, position, and state of mind created and enhanced for stage characters by the art of costume design. Emphasis is placed on analyzing play texts and bringing characters to life. The course builds on aesthetic fundamentals developed in THEA 130, and offers further instruction in costume research, figure drawing, and sketching and painting skills used to present costume design information. This course is recommended for students with an interest in visual and emotional impact of effective design on drama and performance. Prerequisite(s): THEA 130 or an individual portfolio review. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 14. B. McDowell.Concentrations.

THEA 235. Dress and Adornment in Western Culture.Dress means more than just fashion. The history of dress and human adornment reveals political, sexual, economic, and cultural conditions, often entwined in subtle or ephemeral ways with the aesthetics of what we perceive as fashion. This course begins with early Greek culture and continues through the Roman and Byzantine empires, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Restoration, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and into the current era. Students examine not only physical appearance, but also the other factors that have driven the myriad changes in the history of fashion in Western culture. Enrollment limited to 20. B. McDowell.Concentrations.

THEA 236. Pattern Drafting and Draping.This course introduces students to the skills of pattern drafting, draping, and fitting garments, as well as some advanced costume construction skills and increased familiarity with the properties of different textiles. The course is structured as a series of lectures, demonstrations, and the completion of several hands-on projects by students. Recommended background: basic sewing skills. Enrollment limited to 12. B. McDowell.Concentrations.

THEA 240. Playwriting.After reviewing the fundamentals of dramatic structure and characterization, students write one full-length or two one-act plays. Recommended background: two courses in theater or dramatic literature. Not open to students who have received credit for THEA s41. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 15. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA 242. Screenwriting.This course presents the fundamentals of screenwriting: concept, plot, structure, character development, conflict, dialogue, visual storytelling and format. Lectures, writing exercises, and analyses of films such as The Social Network, Chinatown, and Rushmore provide the student with the tools to create a short screenplay. Prerequisite(s): THEA 240. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission is required. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA 261. Beginning Acting.This course introduces the student to the physiological processes involved in creative acting. The student learns the Stanislavski approach to the analysis of realistic and naturalistic drama. Exercises leading to relaxation, concentration, and imagination are included in an improvisational context. Studies in motivation, sense perception, and emotion-memory recall lead the student to beginning work on scene performance. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 16. Normally offered every semester. P. Kuritz.Concentrations.

THEA 263. Voice and Speech.Students examine the nature and working of the human voice. Students explore ways to develop the voice's potential for expressive communication with exercises and the analysis of breathing, vocal relaxation, pitch, resonance, articulation, audibility, dialect, and text performance. Recommended background: one course in acting, performance, or public speaking. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 20. Normally offered every year. K. Vecsey.Concentrations.

TH/WS 264. Voice and Gender.This course focuses on the gender-related differences in voice from the beginning of language acquisition through learning and development of a human voice. A variety of interdisciplinary perspectives is examined according to the different determinants of voice production—physiological, psychological, social interactional, and cultural. Students explore how race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and age affect vocal expression. Students also analyze "famous" and "attractive" human voices and discuss what makes them so. Recommended background: THEA 263 and/or WGST 100. Open to first-year students. K. Vecsey.Concentrations.

DN/TH 270T. Studio Dance: Movement for Theater.Movement skills for performers focusing on body conditioning (mechanics, strength, flexibility), dance steps commonly used in theater and musical theater, and character development through movement and stance. This course is valuable for actors, dancers, and musicians. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. Staff.Concentrations.

DN/TH 270U. Studio Dance: Alexander Technique.Introduction to the principles and practices of the Alexander Technique, a practice that is critical for actors, dancers, and musicians for freeing the body for maximum efficiency by identifying unwanted movement patterns and constrictions. Alexander Technique helps teach performers relaxed and efficient ways to work that enhance performance and avoid injury. Class work includes simple anatomy, developmental movement, monologue work, analysis of movement, analysis of tension, journaling, breathing, and relaxation techniques. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. Staff.Concentrations.

DN/TH 270V. Studio Dance: Movement for Actors.This course explores the dynamics and dimensions of movement in theatrical space for actors. Through exercises and techniques based on the work of Jacques LeCoq and Jerzy Grotowski, actors free themselves of limiting physical habits, develop trust in their instinctual reactions, and deepen their characterizations. Utilizing neutral mask, improvisation, and an experimental entry into the natural world, and other artistic forms, actors build physical breadth, intensity, and nuance as a cornerstones of a more complete embodiment of tragic and comedic performance. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. Staff.Concentrations.

DN/TH 271U. Studio Dance: Alexander Technique.Introduction to the principles and practices of the Alexander Technique, a practice that is critical for actors, dancers, and musicians for freeing the body for maximum efficiency by identifying unwanted movement patterns and constrictions. Alexander Technique helps teach performers relaxed and efficient ways to work that enhance performance and avoid injury. Class work includes simple anatomy, developmental movement, monologue work, analysis of movement, analysis of tension, journaling, breathing, and relaxation techniques. Course crosslisted beginning Winter 2012. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. C. Dilley.Concentrations.

DN/TH 271V. Studio Dance: Movement for Actors.This course explores the dynamics and dimensions of movement in theatrical space for actors. Through exercises and techniques based on the work of Jacques LeCog and Jerzy Grotowski, actors will free themselves of limiting physical habits, develop trust in their instinctual reactions, and deepen their characterizations. Utilizing neutral mask, improvisation and an experimental entry into the natural world and other artistic forms, actors will build physical breadth, intensity, and nuance as a cornerstones of a more complete embodiment of tragic and comedic performance. New course beginning Winter 2012. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. M. Reidy.Concentrations.

DN/TH 272U. Studio Dance: Alexander Technique.Introduction to the principles and practices of the Alexander Technique, a practice that is critical for actors, dancers, and musicians for freeing the body for maximum efficiency by identifying unwanted movement patterns and constrictions. Alexander Technique helps teach performers relaxed and efficient ways to work that enhance performance and avoid injury. Class work includes simple anatomy, developmental movement, monologue work, analysis of movement, analysis of tension, journaling, breathing, and relaxation techniques. Course crosslisted beginning Winter 2012. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. C. Dilley.Concentrations.

DN/TH 272V. Studio Dance: Movement for Actors.This course explores the dynamics and dimensions of movement in theatrical space for actors. Through exercises and techniques based on the work of Jacques LeCog and Jerzy Grotowski, actors will free themselves of limiting physical habits, develop trust in their instinctual reactions, and deepen their characterizations. Utilizing neutral mask, improvisation and an experimental entry into the natural world and other artistic forms, actors will build physical breadth, intensity, and nuance as a cornerstones of a more complete embodiment of tragic and comedic performance. New course beginning Winter 2012. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. M. Reidy.Concentrations.

DN/TH 273U. Studio Dance: Alexander Technique.Introduction to the principles and practices of the Alexander Technique, a practice that is critical for actors, dancers, and musicians for freeing the body for maximum efficiency by identifying unwanted movement patterns and constrictions. Alexander Technique helps teach performers relaxed and efficient ways to work that enhance performance and avoid injury. Class work includes simple anatomy, developmental movement, monologue work, analysis of movement, analysis of tension, journaling, breathing, and relaxation techniques. Course crosslisted beginning Winter 2012. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. C. Dilley.Concentrations.

DN/TH 273V. Studio Dance: Movement for Actors.This course explores the dynamics and dimensions of movement in theatrical space for actors. Through exercises and techniques based on the work of Jacques LeCog and Jerzy Grotowski, actors will free themselves of limiting physical habits, develop trust in their instinctual reactions, and deepen their characterizations. Utilizing neutral mask, improvisation and an experimental entry into the natural world and other artistic forms, actors will build physical breadth, intensity, and nuance as a cornerstones of a more complete embodiment of tragic and comedic performance. New course beginning Winter 2012. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. M. Reidy.Concentrations.

DN/TH 274U. Studio Dance: Alexander Technique.Introduction to the principles and practices of the Alexander Technique, a practice that is critical for actors, dancers, and musicians for freeing the body for maximum efficiency by identifying unwanted movement patterns and constrictions. Alexander Technique helps teach performers relaxed and efficient ways to work that enhance performance and avoid injury. Class work includes simple anatomy, developmental movement, monologue work, analysis of movement, analysis of tension, journaling, breathing, and relaxation techniques. Course crosslisted beginning Winter 2012. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. C. Dilley.Concentrations.

DN/TH 274V. Studio Dance: Movement for Actors.This course explores the dynamics and dimensions of movement in theatrical space for actors. Through exercises and techniques based on the work of Jacques LeCog and Jerzy Grotowski, actors will free themselves of limiting physical habits, develop trust in their instinctual reactions, and deepen their characterizations. Utilizing neutral mask, improvisation and an experimental entry into the natural world and other artistic forms, actors will build physical breadth, intensity, and nuance as a cornerstones of a more complete embodiment of tragic and comedic performance. New course beginning Winter 2012. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. M. Reidy.Concentrations.

DN/TH 290. Performance.Working under faculty direction, students perform major roles in departmental productions as actors, designers, or technicians. Two semesters of DN/TH 290 constitute one course credit. No more than one course credit may be earned through DN/TH 290. Department chair permission is required. Staff.Concentrations.

SP/TH 341. Spanish Theater of the Golden Age.This course focuses on the study of Spanish classical drama of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Reading and critical analysis of selected dramatic works by Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Calderon de la Barca, Miguel de Cervantes, Ana Caro, Maria de Zayas, and Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz among others offer an insight into the totality of the dramatic spectacle of Spanish society during its imperial century. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite(s): one 200-level Spanish literature course. Not open to students who have received credit for SP/TH 241 or SPAN 241. Enrollment limited to 20. B. Fra-Molinero.Concentrations.

THEA 360. Independent Study.Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study per semester. Normally offered every semester. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA 362. Advanced Acting.Students extend their technique to explore two unique performance challenges—the classical dramas of the world's stages and the peculiar nature of comic performance. Prerequisite(s): THEA 261. Not open to students who have received credit for THEA 262. Enrollment limited to 16. P. Kuritz.Concentrations.

THEA 364. Advanced Voice and Speech.A study of vocal and physical techniques for the exploration of theatrical texts. Specialized topics for the vocal professional include: characterization as it relates to voice and speech; cold readings; assessing and preparing for the vocal demands of a role; working with the vocal coach. Recommended for students intending to focus on acting or performance art in the senior thesis. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission is required. K. Vecsey.Concentrations.

THEA 365. Special Topics.Offered occasionally in selected subjects. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA 370. Directing.An introduction to the art of directing, with an emphasis on creative and aesthetic problems and their solutions. Included is an examination of the director's relationship to the text, the design staff, and the actor. The approach is both theoretical and practical, involving readings, rehearsal observation, and the directing of scenes and short plays. Prerequisite(s) or corequisite(s): THEA 261 or 265. Open to first-year students. Instructor permission is required. Normally offered every year. P. Kuritz.Concentrations.

THEA 457. Senior Thesis.By departmental invitation only. Students undertake a substantial academic or artistic project. Students register for THEA 457 in the fall semester and for THEA 458 in the winter semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both THEA 457 and 458. [W3] Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA 457, 458. Senior Thesis.By departmental invitation only. Students undertake a substantial academic or artistic project. Students register for THEA 457 in the fall semester and for THEA 458 in the winter semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both THEA 457 and 458. [W3] Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA 458. Senior Thesis.By departmental invitation only. Students undertake a substantial academic or artistic project. Students register for THEA 457 in the fall semester and for THEA 458 in the winter semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both THEA 457 and 458. [W3] Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA s26. Theater Production Workshop I.Working under faculty supervision and with visiting professional artists, student actors, directors, designers, and technicians undertake the tasks necessary to produce a play. Readings and discussions explore various ways of understanding and producing a text. Instructor permission is required. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA s26C. An Introduction to Puppet Design and Construction.Working with Bates faculty and a visiting artist from Figures of Speech Theatre, students explore various materials and methods for building articulated puppet figures with a focus on the process of creating an object intended expressly for performance. An overview of the history of puppet design and the current state of the art accompanies practical work in puppet making. The course concludes with a showing of student work. Recommended background: THEA 101 and 130. Enrollment limited to 12. M. Reidy.Concentrations.

THEA s27. Scenic Painting.Scene painting, a long-practiced art form, relies on visual illusion to create realistic effects. Crucial to scene painting is meeting the challenge of producing paintings on a large scale that will be seen at great distances, as Michelangelo did in giving life to the Sistine Chapel. This course focuses on mastering a broad array of tools and techniques that allow scenic painters to accomplish both realistic effects and visually interesting art. Projects include marbling, wood graining, trompe l'oeil, and painting on a large scale. The course is hands-on and project-based. Projects are cumulative, building skills that can be incorporated into individually chosen final projects. Recommended background: Some painting or drawing experience. Enrollment limited to 10. B. McDowell.Concentrations.

THEA s30. Theater Production Workshop II.Experienced students, working under faculty supervision and occasionally with visiting professional artists, produce a play under strict time, financial, and material constraints. Readings and discussions explore various ways of understanding and producing a play. Prerequisite(s): THEA s26. Instructor permission is required. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA s32. Theater Production Workshop III.The most experienced theater students work under faculty supervision and in leadership positions with other students in the production of a play. Readings and discussions challenge students' notions about acting, directing, and design for the theater. Prerequisite(s): THEA s26 and s30. Instructor permission is required. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA s33. Central European Theater and Film.A study of Hungarian, Polish, and Czech theater and film, focusing on the impact on these arts of the social and political changes of the last fifty years, from the Polish and Hungarian uprisings of 1956 to the rebuilding of culture in the region following the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1989. While in Budapest, students view films at the Hungarian National Film Archive and attend performances of central European theater at the International Contemporary Drama Festival and the Hungarian National Theater. Visits to theater and film centers in Prague are also included. Prerequisite(s): some background in one of the following: theater, film, or modern European history. Enrollment limited to 18. Instructor permission is required. M. Andrucki, K. Vecsey.Concentrations.

RH/TH s40. Digital Video Production.A hands-on, immersion course at Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine, in the art of storytelling through digital video production, including both narrative fiction and documentary genres. Students learn cinematic language, storytelling, storyboarding, drafting a shooting script, location scouting, casting talent, rehearsing, blocking, and directing actors and crew. They also consider the roles of filmmakers, from producers and directors to camera and sound specialists and editors. Students are introduced to Final Cut Pro and the postproduction process. During the course students are expected to research, write, shoot, and edit a number of finished works. Enrollment limited to 8. Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA s41. Playwriting.After reviewing the fundamentals of dramatic structure and characterization, students write one full-length or two one-act plays. Recommended background: two courses in theater or in dramatic literature. Not open to students who have received credit for THEA 240. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 15. Staff.Concentrations.

THEA s50. Independent Study.Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study during a Short Term. Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations.