Theater

Assistant Professor: Notarfrancisco; Visiting Assistant Professors: Franco, Hoffman; Associate Professor Jaffe, chair

The Major in Theater

The major in theater forms an integrated study wherein students develop a broad knowledge of theater by balancing the study of literature, criticism, and history of drama with creative performance experience in studio work and production.

In addition to the department faculty, students have an opportunity to work with guest artists in acting, directing, design, and technical theater. The varied production program is designed to offer challenging theater to the community while setting professional standards. The College is the college of record for a number of programs offered by the Eugene O′Neill Theater Center, including: the National Theater Institute (NTI) in Waterford, Connecticut, the Moscow Art Theater Semester (MATS), and the O′Neill Theatermakers summer intensive program. Both NTI and MATSoffer an intensive semester program providing students with a unique opportunity to experience the rigors and standards of professional theater within the context of a liberal arts experience. It is recommended that if a student completes a semester away, it should be taken in the junior year. The Theatermakers summer intensive program offers a six-week immersion in training and professional observerships, awarding credit for two college courses.

Majors must arrange for an audition/interview in the spring of the sophomore year. The major consists of a minimum of eleven courses. Students must take the following required courses from both Areas of Study.

Area 1 - Performance and Production

Required: Courses 104, 120, 245, and two of the following 206, 212, 226, 322, 323, 324 and a total of four credit hours from the following courses: 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218. While students participate in different aspects of production as they complete this requirement for the major, they will experience different facets of theatrical production and learn how each aspect of production contributes to the whole.

Area 2 - Dramatic Literature, Criticism, and History

Required: Course 141; Course 241; Course 231; English 209, 210, 331, or 493Y/494Y.

Additional Required courses: Two of the following: Course 207, 339D, Classics 204, 222, English 303, or any 300-or 400-level courses in Theater or dramatic literature in other departments.

The Minor in Theater

Minors must arrange for an audition/interview, in the spring of the sophomore year. A minor consists of seven courses: Course 104; 120; 141; Course 206, 212, or 226; Course 231, Classics 204, 222, Slavic Studies 263, or English 303; English 209, 210, 493F or 494F; Course 241; and a total of two credit hours from the following courses: 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218. While students participate in different aspects of production as they complete this requirement for the minor, they will experience different facets of theatrical production and learn how each aspect of production contributes to the whole.

Learning Goals in the Theater Major

The major in theater exposes students to all aspects of dramatic production: acting, directing, design, technical theater, playwriting and dramaturgy, while providing a thorough grounding in dramatic literature and theater history. Through their course of study, students develop an understanding of how theater is created and a critical cultural context through which they can interpret performance in a nuanced and informed manner.

Our curriculum is designed to produce graduates who have achieved proficiency in the following areas:

KNOWLEDGE OF THEATER

The Department of Theater emphasizes acting and directing, but we ask students to study and work on all elements of theater so that they understand process of creating theater.

Through experience with historical, critical, and dramaturgical methods of research, students will learn how to consult a variety of sources and apply them to the creation and scholarship of theater. Primary areas of investigation include:

Visual sources
Professional Public performances
Historical and literary sources

Development of critical reading and writing skills will strengthen students′ abilities in these areas:

Knowledge of the canon
Script analysis
Critical models to develop aesthetic sensibility
Models of historical and literary analysis

Performing creative material develops students′ understanding of the art and craft of the theater. Components of this work include:

Studio and classroom explorations
Continuing faculty guidance throughout production process
Public discussion after opening night
Critiques for performance and technical students after each performance

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AS AN OUTGROWTH OF THEATER

The Department of Theater encourages growth through the fulfillment of concrete tasks and responsibilities demanded of its practitioners. These tasks promote learning by:

Fostering collaborative skills and the ability to work as part of a team
Strengthening of presentational and leadership skills
Developing administrative skills
Giving opportunities to develop creative abilities
Enhancing aesthetic sensibilities

CITIZENSHIP IN THE THEATRICAL COMMUNITY

Through completion of the major, students achieve an ethical awareness that will enrich both their artistic projects and other endeavors. Citizenship includes:

Fostering a dialogue with the college and the larger community
Presenting social concerns of a multi-cultural society and encouraging artistic dialogue about them
Discussing dimensions and facets of humanity presented through dramatic productions
Establishing life-long habit of theater attendance
Becoming an active patron of the arts

Courses at Connecticut College

THEATER 104 ACTING I: PREPARATION A foundation course in acting technique with extensive physical and vocal work, including an introduction to textual analysis and character development. All students are required to work on a crew for a college production.

No prior acting experience is required. Enrollment limited to 16 students. Offered both semesters. This course satisfies General Education Area 5. Staff

THEATER 113 PUBLIC SPEAKING Speech and vocal techniques emphasized to culminate in individual projects designed for public speaking and small group communications.

Enrollment limited to 15 students. Staff

THEATER 120 TECHNICAL THEATER A practical foundation course in costume, makeup, mask, stage technology, lighting, sound, and scenery. Two two-hour sessions per week, plus crew work on college productions. Prospective majors should take this course and Acting I during their freshman year.

Enrollment limited to 16 students. Offered both semesters. This course satisfies General Education Area 5. S. Notarfrancsico

THEATER 141 THE ART OF THEATER An examination of the process by which theater is created in contemporary America. Explanation of how each of the elements of theater−acting, directing, design, playwriting, dramaturgy, and theater spaces−contributes to the creation of the total theatrical production. Attendance at several productions at professional regional theaters in the area and college productions required. Prospective majors should take this course by the end of their sophomore year.

Enrollment limited to 16 freshmen and sophomores, or with permission of instructor. Special fee. This course satisfies General Education Area 4 and is a designated Writing course. Staff

THEATER 206 ACTING II: SCRIPT ANALYSIS Study and practice of script analysis for actors, with a focus on contemporary American and European plays. Breaking down scenes into units and analyzing them for objectives, relationships, complications, and key moments in order to interpret and shape the action in rehearsal and performance.

Prerequisite: Course 104; and 120 (may be taken concurrently). Enrollment limited to 12 students. Staff

THEATER 212 PLAYWRITING STUDIO Writing projects include elements of writing for the stage, including circumstance, action, character, mood, diction, and construction. A journal as a working tool for the development of writing habits and projects. One short play and one other independent project required. Reading from the works of O'Neill.

Prerequisite: Completion of all 100-level requirements for any major plus permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 10 students. This is a designated Writing course. J. Ranelli

THEATER 213, 214 PRACTICUM: CREW HEAD Extended work as crew head (typically publicity or make-up) for one of the theater department’s mainstage productions. Students work with director and designers, attend production meetings and appropriate rehearsals, and supervise crew. One credit hour, pass/not passed marking. May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Staff

THEATER 215, 216 PRACTICUM: MAJOR CREW HEAD/ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Extended work as a major crew head (typically props, sound, or costumes) or assistant stage manager for one of the theater department′s mainstage productions. Students work with director and designers, attend production meetings and appropriate rehearsals, and supervise construction and running crews. Two credit hours. May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Staff

THEATER 217, 218 PRACTICUM: STAGE MANAGEMENT Extended work as stage manager for one of the theater department′s mainstage productions. Students work with director and designers, attend production meetings and rehearsals, and supervise assistant stage managers and running crews. Three credit hours. May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Staff

THEATER 226 DIRECTING ONE: COACHING THE ACTOR The fundamental elements of performance including: script analysis of character function, relationship, and action; basic acting techniques and how they can be applied to creating performances by means of the collaboration between actor and director; and visual composition and metaphoric images. Students will develop communication skills essential to professional interaction through in-class presentations, coaching, and discussions.

Prerequisite: Courses 104 and 120 and 206 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 15 students. Staff

THEATER 228 PLAY READING AS PUBLIC PERFORMANCE Creating a performance context for the reading of new and classic texts for the theater. Vocal and physical exercises, and analysis of dramatic texts. Performances will be staged in various locations both on campus and in the community. Student performances with evening rehearsals may be required. Recommended for sophomores and juniors.

Prerequisite: Course 104 and permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 15 students. Staff

THEATER 231 AMERICAN DRAMA American dramatic literature from Mowatt to Mamet. Themes of major American playwrights such as O'Neill, Hellman, Williams, and Hansberry explored. Performance art and theater collectives included.

Prerequisite: Course 141. Recommended for sophomores and juniors. Staff

THEATER 238 SCREENWRITING An introduction to the possibilities, problems, and conventions of dramatic writing for the screen. Students will explore the concepts of character, story, dramatic structure, visualization and economy of dialog. Through a series of exercises students will develop an idea into a finished script for a short film. This is the same course as Film Studies 238.

Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Permission of the instructor required. Enrollment limited to 12 students. This is a designated Writing course. Staff

THEATER 241 THEATER AND CULTURE Theater architecture, works of dramatic literature, and performance from major periods in world theater history. Special attention will be given to the multicultural nature of performance. Videos, visiting lectures, and field trips.

Prerequisite: Course 141 or permission of the instructor. Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. This course satisfies General Education Area 4 and is a designated Writing course. Staff

THEATER 245 DESIGN AESTHETICS Focus on overall visual design skills including individual and group projects. Developing responses to plays and other media, and expressing those responses through set and light design. Particular attention will be given to the ways by which artists communicate with other artists and the audience through visual imagery. All students are required to work on a crew for a college production.

Permission of the instructor required. Enrollment limited to 12 students. Staff

THEATER 297 COSTUME HISTORY The development of dress in the West, from Ancient Egypt to the present. Emphasis on style and silhouette, including textiles, cosmetics, hair dressing, and fashion accessories that created the differing ideals of beauty throughout history. Concentration on the social, political, and historical events that contributed to the evolution of clothing. This is the same course as Art History 297.

Enrollment limited to 40students. Students may not receive credit for this course and Theater/Art History 207. This course satisfies General Education Area 4. S. Notarfrancisco

THEATER 299 ART OF PROTEST: OCCUPY_____ This is the same course as Sophomore Research Seminar 299C. Refer to the Sophomore Research Seminar listing for a course description.

THEATER 301 DIRECTING TWO: BUILDING A CONCEPT The study and practice of the directing process through examination of production styles and concepts, analysis and staging of dramatic texts, and discussion of performance theory. Each student is expected to direct a one-act play for public performance as the culmination of the semester's work. Extensive rehearsal time is required in addition to class meetings.

Prerequisite: Courses 226 and 236, and permission of the instructor. Recommended for juniors and seniors. Enrollment limited to 8 students. Staff

THEATER 308 SPECIAL PROJECTS IN THEATER Explorations of the techniques of creating original work.

Prerequisite: Courses 104 and 120, and permission of the instructor. Recommended for juniors and seniors. Student performances with evening rehearsals may be required. Staff

THEATER 308B GENDER ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE An exploration of gender issues in contemporary dramatic literature and performance with an emphasis on collaborative practices used to create performance works. Student performances with evening rehearsals may be required. Staff

THEATER 322 ADVANCED SCENE STUDY: CHEKHOV, IBSEN, STRINDBERG, AND O'NEILL Intensive text analysis and performance of scenes from the major plays of Chekhov, Ibsen, Strindberg, and O'Neill, together with readings in acting theory.

Prerequisite: Course 236 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 10 students. Staff

THEATER 323 ADVANCED SCENE STUDY: STYLES Intensive text analysis and performance of scenes from plays that demand a heightened performance style. Class will focus on playwrights such as Molière, Beckett, and Coward. Two two-hour class meetings per week plus extensive rehearsal time.

Prerequisite: Course 236 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 10 students. Staff

THEATER 324 ADVANCED SCENE STUDY: SHAKESPEARE Intensive text analysis and performance of scenes and soliloquies from the major plays of Shakespeare, together with readings in acting theory.

Prerequisite: Course 236 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 10 students. Staff

THEATER 330, 430 CONCENTRATION PROJECT This is a studio class for theater majors who are completing their concentrations or seek to develop their production work beyond the curricular offerings. Admission to the course is based on demonstrated excellence in related theater department courses and demonstrated ability to develop and pursue effort with a high degree of initiative and responsibility.

Permission of the instructor. Staff

THEATER 339, 340 SEMINARS IN THEATER Open to junior and senior majors, and to others with the permission of the instructor.

THEATER 339A, 340A SEMINARS IN THEATER: PRACTICAL DRAMATURGY This course is designed as a practical approach to the study of dramatic literature. Since the emphasis of such a course is to read for production and performance, rather than for academic research, the course will focus on a limited number of plays from the world repertoire. These plays will be covered in depth in class as hypothetical production projects. Each play project will require external research: reading and writing assignments; it will also require students to participate in individual and group exercises, reports or demonstrations in class. Staff

THEATER 339B, 340B SEMINARS IN THEATER: THEORIES OF PERFORMANCE Modern and classic approaches to performance art explored through the work of theoreticians, directors, and critics such as Aristotle, Wagner, Brook, Craig, and Chaikin. Appropriate videos, films, and plays considered in tandem with theoretical and critical readings. Staff

THEATER 339C, 340C SEMINARS IN THEATER: HISTORY OF THE AVANT-GARDE A study of the contemporary theater of Europe and the U.S. focusing on the anti-realists who shaped the avant-garde response in this country to the "fourth wall convention." Playwrights such as O'Neill, Brecht, and Pirandello will be studied as well as directors, theorists, and performance artists. Staff

THEATER 339D, 340D SEMINARS IN THEATER: EUGENE O'NEILL AND HIS AMERICA The life, times, and works of the United States' most honored playwright, with special emphasis on the New London roots of many of his dramas.

Open to juniors and seniors. Enrollment limited to 15 students. This is a designated writing course. Staff

THEATER 339E, 340E SEMINARS IN THEATER: PERFORMANCE STUDIES This course employs ″performance″ as a lens through which Vietnamese culture and society can be scrutinized. Through site visits and readings, students will investigate such topics as the performance of nationality, cultural dynamics of tourism, and representations of history from the interdisciplinary perspective of performance studies.

Open to juniors on SATA Vietnam. Enrollment limited to 16 students. Staff

THEATER 339F, 340F SEMINARS IN THEATER: THE BREAKOUT/BREAKTHROUGH MUSICAL: FORM AND CONTENT An examination of the context and impetus of some of the most important American musicals of the 20th and 21st centuries, from Show Boat to Fela! The music, book, and lyrics will be used to look at the creators' lives, the socio-political climate in which they lived, and the cause, issue, or cultural blindspot they were trying to bring to light. The course will focus on how the creators′ mission informed their methods and allowed them to make theatrical history.

Enrollment limited to 20 students. R. Jett

THEATER 295, 296 FIELD WORK Supervised practical work at an established theater company or organization. Students will work under the supervision of an official or director of the field theater and will keep a journal or record of the experience, including analysis from a theoretical viewpoint, which will be submitted to the supervising faculty member. Under exceptional circumstances, students may enroll for more than four hours in field work credit in a given semester.

Prerequisite: Completion of four courses in theater, recommendation of the supervising faculty member, practical experience, permission of the participating organization and field supervisor and approval by the advisory committee on theater. Staff

THEATER 291, 292 INDIVIDUAL STUDY

THEATER 391, 392 INDIVIDUAL STUDY

THEATER 491, 492 INDIVIDUAL STUDY

THEATER 497-498 HONORS STUDY

Barbara Walen Long Wharf Theater Internship

THEATER 260 PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTION (Long Wharf Theater Internship) To be taken concurrently with Course 261 during residence at the Long Wharf Theater. Practical experience in one or more of the following areas and departments of Long Wharf Theater: Backstage (scenery, electrics, stage management, costumes) or front-of-house operations (box office, development, communications, literary office). Significant responsibility in the managerial and practical aspects in chosen areas which culminate in professional public contact or performance. Eight hours credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of a major crew and permission of the supervising faculty member and appropriate Long Wharf director.

THEATER 261 THEATER REPERTORY AND PERFORMANCE CRITICISM (Long Wharf Theater Internship) To be taken concurrently with Course 260 during residence at the Long Wharf Theater. Following written material required: Reviews and critiques of the plays in performance there and other area professional theaters which address how the production concept reflects the historical, social and aesthetic background of the plays; a "profile" on one of the playwrights produced at the theater during the internship; journal of day-to-day activities during the internship; paper describing the professional insights gained and activities pursued during the internship. Eight hours credit.

Prerequisite: Courses 226 and 241, permission of the supervising faculty member and appropriate Long Wharf director.

At the National Theater Institute (NTI)

THEATER 201 DIRECTING All students direct scenes and short performance pieces learning not only basic directing skills through tablework and exercises but also how to become an artistic leader by adapting to the needs of the script, space and actors. Emphasis on directing scenes from classic and contemporary plays.

THEATER 202 PLAYWRITING Designed to assist aspiring writers in their development through a great variety of projects reflecting the range of contemporary theater. After a series of introductory exercises, students concentrate on writing a 30-minute play with the course culminating in Playwrights Week, a weeklong presentation of the student plays.

THEATER 210 DESIGN Celebrating the power of visual theater through exploration of a classical and a contemporary play, students are encouraged to explore the individual perceptions and interpretations of text in physical form and are challenged to find clear ways to communicate visually.

THEATER 300 ACTING The National Theater Institute is not imprisoned in any one method; it embraces those appropriate to the individual text. Emphasis on the art and craft of acting designed to enable the students to free the imagination and enhance their versatility. Classes will include scene study, improvisation, audition preparation, and styles.

THEATER 310 MOVEMENT AND VOICE Classes in both vocal technique and production along with dance and movement techniques for the actor. Movement classes include: Tai Chi, Droznin Russian movement, Biomechanics, yoga, dance, and stage combat. Voice training covers Linklater method, dialect work, and singing.