THEA 001 "Theater and Performance" is an introduction to the art form and practice(s) of theater and live performance. We will study a variety of approaches, theories, genres, and critiques of live performance. This study will focus on contemporary, as well as historic practice(s). This course should provide the student with exposure to a wide variety of live performance across genres and time periods. The student will develop an understanding and appreciation of the importance of theater and live performance to the ever-changing world at large, and how the art form explores the nature and complexities of the human condition and can be a mirror to society. The course will also provide basic knowledge and context for all disciplines of live performance including, playwriting, dramaturgy, directing, choreography, performance, and design, thus encouraging students to identify areas of interest so they can pursue them further. We will study live performances inside as well as outside of class. In addition, we will read plays, librettos, and critical theory. Ultimately, the student will focus on the process of writing effectively about theater and performance by cultivating a point of view on each work covered that is both analytical as well as personal.
- Teacher: Matthew Saunders
This course is designed as a practical introduction to some of the principles, techniques, and tools of acting. Pulling from various approaches to actor training (including Stanislavsky and Lecoq), we will use exercises in improvisation and ensemble-building to discover what it means to be “present” on stage, how to take risks, and how to utilize the body and voice in performance. Additionally, we will work with material from existing play-texts to learn how to fully embody a character, stage a scene, and how to be fully “alive” on stage. Each student will have the opportunity to test out the course’s principles through work on a monologue and on a scene with a partner to be assigned by the instructor. Both the monologue and scene will be performed in front of the class.
- Teacher: Alexander Torra
- Teacher: Brady Gonsalves
- Teacher: Jude Sandy
