Comedian Eric Idle notes, "LIfe doesn't make any sense, and we all pretend it does. Comedy's job is to point out that it doesn't make sense, and that it doesn't make much difference anyway." This course examines and analyzes the many forms of stage comedy. What might the comedic play teach us about the self and culture(s), espeicially when we come to understand its patterns of transgression to subvert social norms through jokes and laughter?
In this workshop-based course, students will continue to learn and hone the basic elements of writing for the stage: voice, craft, and process. Playwriting work will be augmented by a focus on studying full-length plays and perspectives from global playwrights to expose students to a variety of forms, genres, structures, and narratives. A central goal of this course will be understanding the wide possibilities of creating a theatrical work from outside of a Western Naturalism perspective.
In this course, students will learn to appreciate and analyze design elements in theatrical contexts by applying class instruction in a wide variety of design-related topics to independent research and peer discussions. A focus of the work will be on a vigorous exchange of observations, ideas, and critical analysis of how design elements and topics--ranging from the human brain to fashion history--affect our perception of character and story in live performance and other media, such as films and video games. Assignments consist of reading, research, and small-scale presentations.
This is an introductory studio course that focuses on creating design elements for stories with dramatic structure. Students will learn to use design tools to create spaces and characters needed for effective dramatic storytelling. Independent research and in-class presentations, along with collaboration among classmates will be required. No previous design or studio experience is required. However, this is an appropriate next-level course for students who have taken THDA 265 or 266 and who want to continue study of design. Spring semester. Professor Lee.
How do the arts play a role in society? How does performing produce a community’s collective experience that involves forms of social engagement? How does an artist consider social practice through the lens of performance? This course focuses on exploring a socially engaged art practice that creates collaborative and participatory processes with specific communities and their social and civic issues. In this course we will put theory into practice from engagement with various theoretical developments in relation to social practice in art to movement practices into creative projects.
(Offered as THDA 231 and BLST 231) Did you know that James Hewlett, a 19th-century Black actor, was among the first to perform solo plays? Yet, despite its rich two-century-old history, Black American Theater has consistently been overlooked and excluded from the annals of American theater. With "Reclamation," we will embark on an exciting journey to excavate the legacy of Black American theater pioneers and their incredible impact on contemporary theater.
In this second course in the craft of speaking, students learn to shape and speak text to powerful effect. Students build on prior work to extend vocal range and capacity while learning component principles of spoken expression. Articulation, inflection, methods of contrast and interpretation, tone, verbal imaging and aural structures of poetry and rhetoric are practiced in a studio setting. Emphasis is placed on personal engagement and presence to others while speaking. Assignments in text scoring and memorization support class work.
The study and practice of ballet as a contemporary movement vocabulary. Objectives include the intellectual and physical practice in ballet, including increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the intermediate/advanced level. Appropriate prior experience is required. A half-course. This course may be repeated for credit. Spring semester. The Department.
In an atmosphere of curiosity, warmth and constructive risk-taking, this course investigates the dynamic possibilities of the moving relationships of our dancing bodies. We will practice and develop deep kinesthetic sensitivity and listening as we explore both an intellectual and embodied understanding of contemporary dance partnering basics such as weight sharing, momentum, counterbalance, force, fulcrums, tone and resistance. Directing our attention to cause and effect, our experimentation with different choices will guide our learning process.
In this studio course for beginners and intermediate dancers, students will learn about the dance techniques and culture of Hip-Hop, a popular form of Afro-diasporic cultural production and, for many, a lifestyle. Dance is a community thing. Students will learn about what differentiates hip-hop from related dance movements, alongside movements from the funk era, and social party dances from the 80’s to today.
