This course investigates the counterfactual, speculative, subjunctive impulse in overtly speculative drama and film with a particular focus on race and gender. We examine an international range of plays by such authors as Caryl Churchill, Tess Onwueme, Dael Orlandersmith, Derek Walcott, Bertolt Brecht, Lorraine Hansberry, Craig Lucas and Doug Wright, as well as films such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Pan’s Labyrinth; Children of Men; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; X-Men; Contact and Brother From Another Planet.

The elements of line, texture and color, and their application to design and character delineation. Research of clothing styles of various cultures and eras. Enrollment limited to 15.

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of stage lighting design. Over the semester, we cultivate sensitivity towards the expressiveness of light and the relationship between light, form and space, eventually learning to manipulate light to articulate ideas. Through script analyses and design projects, we learn to understand the power of light in enhancing stage presentations, acquire skills in illuminating the drama, and apply such skills to collaboration with the production team at large.

The course develops overall design skills for designing sets for the theatre. After reading assigned plays, students learn to develop their designs by concentrating on character analysis and visualizing the action of the play. Visual research, sketches, basic drafting skills and model building are some of the areas in which students learn to develop their ideas. This course also emphasizes the importance of collaborating with every member of the creative team. Enrollment limited to 12.

The plays, theatres and playwrights of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Europe. A leap from Büchner to Ibsen, Strindberg, Shaw, Chekhov, Wedekind and Gorky onwards to the widespread experimentation of the 1920s and earlier avant garde (e.g., Jarry, Artaud, Stein, Witkiewicz, Pirandello, Mayakovsky, Fleisser, early Brecht). Special attention to issues of gender, class, warfare and other personal/political foci. Attendance may be required at selected performances.

Same description as THE 200. There is one general meeting in the Green Room, Theatre Building. Attendance is mandatory; attendance at weekly production meetings for some assignments may be required. S/U only.

This is a laboratory course which gives one credit for participation in a Theatre Department production. Most positions are designed for people with no previous experience. Offerings within the course cover all areas of theatre production, on stage and off, including positions as stage crew, light and sound board operators, dressers, stage managers, design assistants, box office assistants, props charges, electricians, or actors. May be taken four times for credit, with a maximum of two credits per semester.

This course is an introduction to a methodology for the study of dress as material culture, examining physical structures, terminology, technology of clothing production, as well as some of the historical, social and cultural variables shaping- and shaped by- clothing. It is a hand-on class using garments from the Smith Historic Clothing Collection. Students work in small teams to study several similar garments, identifying common features as well as distinctions that may reflect different classes, aesthetic choices and industrial influences. S/U only. Enrollment limited to 24 students.

Introduction to physical, vocal and interpretative aspects of performance, with emphasis on creativity, concentration and depth of expression. Enrollment limited to 14.

Introduction to physical, vocal and interpretative aspects of performance, with emphasis on creativity, concentration and depth of expression. Enrollment limited to 14.