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Regulations & Requirements

Regulations & Requirements

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Amherst College Courses

Amherst College Courses

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Theater and Dance

Professors Dougan and Woodson (Chair); Assistant Professor Bashford; Playwright-in-Residence Congdon†;  Five College Associate Professor Branner; Five College Assistant Professor Matteson; Visiting Assistant Professor Eliraz; Five College Lecturer Sylla;  Visiting Lecturers Maginsky and Nugent; Visiting Instructors K. Couch, Escobar, and Salem.

*On leave 2016-17. 

† On leave fall semester 2016-17.

Curriculum. The study of theater and dance is an integrated one. While recognizing historical differences between these arts, the department emphasizes their aesthetic and theoretical similarities. The basic structure of the curriculum and the organizational pattern of the department’s production activities are designed to promote the collaborative and interdependent nature of the theatrical arts. Faculty, staff and major students form the nucleus of the production team and are jointly responsible for the college’s Theater and Dance season. Advanced students carry specific production assignments. Students in Core Courses and in Courses in the Arts of Theater and Dance also participate, through laboratory experiences, in the creation and performance of departmental productions.

Major Program. In the election of departmental courses, students may choose to integrate the many aspects of theater and dance or to focus on such specific areas as choreography, playwriting, directing, design, acting, performance art and video. Because advanced courses in theater and dance are best taken in a prescribed sequence, students preparing to major in the department are advised to complete the three Core Courses and one course in the Arts of Theater and Dance by the end of the sophomore year. Two of the three core courses are offered every semester in rotation. Students interested in the possibility of majoring in the Department should consult with the Chair as soon as possible.

Minimum Requirements. The three Core Courses; two courses in the History, Literature and Theory of Theater and Dance (one of which must be THDA 114, Sources of Contemporary Performance); two courses in the Arts of Theater and Dance (For the purpose of fulfilling this requirement, two half-courses in dance technique approved by the Department may replace one course in the Arts of Theater and Dance); one advanced course in the Arts of Theater and Dance; the Major Series: 400H and 498 or 499. More specific information about courses which fulfill requirements in the above categories can be obtained from the Department office.

The Senior Project. Every Theater and Dance major will undertake a Senior Project. In fulfillment of this requirement, a student may present work as author, director, choreographer, designer, and/or performer in one or more pieces for public performance. Or a student may write a critical, historical, literary or theoretical essay on some aspect of theater and dance. As an alternative, and with the approval of the department, a student may present design portfolio work, a directorial production book or a complete original playscript. In such cases, there will be no public performance requirement. In all cases, the project will represent a synthesis or expansion of the student’s education in theater and dance. 

Project proposals are developed in the junior year and must be approved by the faculty. That approval will be based on the project’s suitability as a comprehensive exercise. Because departmental resources are limited, the opportunity to undertake a production project is not automatic. Approval for production projects will be granted after an evaluation of the practicability of the project seen in the context of the department’s other production commitments. Written proposals outlining the process by which the project will be developed and the nature of the product which will result must be submitted to the Department chair by April 1 of the academic year before the project is proposed to take place. The faculty will review, and in some cases request modifications in the proposals, accepting or rejecting them by May 1. Students whose production proposals do not meet departmental criteria will undertake a written project.

Comprehensive Evaluation. Because the Theater and Dance curriculum is sequenced, successful completion of the required courses and of the major series—Production Studio and Senior Project—represents satisfaction of the departmental comprehensive requirement. In addition, majors are required to attend departmental meetings and end-of-the-semester interviews each semester.

Departmental Honors Program. Departmental recommendations for Honors will be based on faculty evaluation of three factors: (1) the quality of the Senior Project, including the documentation and written work which accompanies it; (2) the student’s academic record in the department; and (3) all production work undertaken in the department during the student’s career at Amherst.

Extra-Curriculum. In both its courses and its production activities, the Department welcomes all students who wish to explore the arts of theater and dance. This includes students who wish to perform or work backstage as an extracurricular activity, students who elect a course or two in the department with a view toward enriching their study of other areas, students who take many courses in the department and also participate regularly in the production program while majoring in another department, as well as students who ultimately decide to major in theater and dance.

111 The Language of Movement

An introduction to movement as a language and to dance and performance composition. In studio sessions students will explore and expand their individual movement vocabularies by working improvisationally with weight, posture, gesture, patterns, rhythm, space, and relationship of body parts. We will ask what these vocabularies might communicate about emotion, thought, physical structures, cultural/social traditions, and aesthetic preferences. In addition, we will observe movement practices in everyday situations and in formal performance events and use these observations as inspiration for individual and group compositions. Two two-hour class/studio meetings and a two-hour production workshop per week. Selected readings and viewing of video and live performance.

Limited to 20 students. Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Woodson.

Other years: Offered in Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Spring 2025

112 Materials of Theater

An introduction to design, directing, and performance conducted in a combined discussion/workshop format. Students will be exposed to visual methods of interpreting a text. Early class discussions focus on a theoretical exploration of theater as an art form and seek to establish a vocabulary for and understanding of basic theatrical conventions, with readings from Aristotle through Robert Wilson. Students will spend the bulk of the semester testing these theories for themselves, ultimately designing their own performances for two plays. Two two-hour classes and two-hour production workshop included in this time.

Limited to 12 students per section. Fall and spring semesters. Professor Dougan.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2011, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022

113 Action and Character

This course examines the creation of dramatic action and character from the points of view of  both the playwright and the actor.  Students learn how to analyze and bring dramatic texts to life through a creative process, using the body, voice and imagination.

Classwork includes regular acting exercises designed to develop craft and to give students an understanding of creative and collaborative processes. Homework includes regular rehearsal assignments and theoretical texts, along with practical research and short writing assignments in various modes.  Two two-hour class meetings per week.  In addition, a lab component (equivalent to two hours per week) puts class study into production context.

Twenty students who attend the first class will be admitted to the course. Pre-registration will be open to a limited number of students on a provisional basis, with additional spaces opened on the first day of class.  Notice of those admitted will be posted within 24 hours of the first meeting.

Limited to 20 students. Final admission with consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Bashford.


 

Other years: Offered in Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Spring 2025

114 Contemporary Performance:  Case Studies

This course will focus on case studies of selected works and artists of contemporary performance over the last century as a means of placing the creation and practice of theater and dance in context.  We will closely consider these case studies as reflective of important aesthetic traditions and experiments in contemporary performance.  In addition, we will seek connections between the different case study examples and the social, cultural and political environments that fostered them.  We will reflect on issues of race, gender, identity, political activism, individual expression and differing collaborative structures in our encounters with these case studies.  We will also look to historical precedents and sources that inform our understanding of artistic innovations and processes. Required of  Theater and Dance majors.

This foundation course in the history/theory of performance is open to all students. Limited to 30 students.  Spring semester. Visiting Professor Eliraz.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020

115H Contemporary Dance: Modern 1/2

The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level. A half course. Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Fall semester.  Five College Professor Matteson.

Other years: Offered in Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018

116H Contemporary Dance Techniques: Modern 3

The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level. A half course.  Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Omitted 2016-17.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2015

117H Contemporary Dance Technique Modern 3/4

Technical investigations of weight sharing, body-part manipulations, off-balance support, lifting and being lifted, negative space, resistance, and various ways of harnessing forces of momentum. How can we move with confidence, spatial awareness, and fearless agency when in close proximity and in contact with other bodies?  Duets, trios, and groups will be challenged to kinetically build set partner dances with repeated opportunities in the last part of class to perform, often with the added challenge of speeding up. 

Fall semester: Five College Professor Matteson. Spring semester: Visiting Lecturer Nugent.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022

119H Contemporary Dance Techniques: Contact Improvisation

The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level.  A half course.  Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Omitted 2016-17.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2009, Spring 2012

120H Contemporary Dance Techniques: Ballet/Modern 1/2

The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level.  A half course.  Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Omitted 2016-17.

Other years: Offered in Spring 2012, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

121H Contemporary Dance Technique: Modern Ballet 2/3

The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level. A half course.  Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Fall semester. Visiting Instructor Salem.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2016, Spring 2019

142H Contemporary Dance Techniques: West African

The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as increased body awareness, alignment, flexibility, coordination, strength, musical phrasing and the expressive potential of movement. The course material is presented at the beginning/intermediate level.

Fall semester. Five College Lecturer Sylla.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021

153 African-American Theater History

How does African-American theater construct and express Black experiences and identities?  This lecture and discussion course explores the development of African-American cultural production in twentieth- and recent twenty-first century American theater.  In this course we will explore the significance of performance as a Black diasporic cultural tradition. We will consider the ways in which a distinctive Black sensibility emerged on the modern American stage from pre- and post-colonial expressive practices and aesthetics, and how the theatrical work of African-American artists exposes, critiques, and resists marginalization. Through a broad investigation of select productions, plays, essays and other texts we will identify the underlying philosophies and techniques of performance that inform the works, and assess their significance in relation to other American theatrical movements and to American history. In our study and inquiry we will collaborate on vivifying select texts, paying close attention to how race, class, and gender/sex impact our understanding of the worlds and events that unfold within them.

Limited to 30 students. Fall semester. Visiting Instructor Escobar.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2016, Fall 2017

154 Re-Imagining the Classics

How can we look back to classic plays that were written one or two millennia ago and use them as the basis for a new piece of art that will be relevant and inspiring to a contemporary audience?

This course will explore how artists from various media--theater, film, TV, dance, music, painting--have interpreted and re-authored classical texts. We will discuss western classics as well as canonical texts from Japan, India, Africa and Latin America.

Are there any shared fundamental human elements among these very different continents and cultures? What made these texts enter the eternal dramatic canon of our civilization? Why are artists from various disciplines constantly attracted to re-authoring these classics? How can we build upon these works of the past to create something new, personal and relevant to our time?

The course will examine these questions using a variety of audio-visual examples, dramatic and critical texts, and studio exercises.  Students will also re-author a classical text as a contemporary piece, in various artistic media.

Limited to 20 students.  Fall semester.  Visiting Professor Eliraz.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2016, Fall 2017

160 Dynamics of Play Reading: Elements, Structures, Paradigms

In this course, students explore elements of dramatic literature and their implications for audience experiences in performance. Character, language, spectacle, plot, rhythm, and theme are studied in the light of dynamic audience response in real time and space. Particular emphasis is placed on exploring the legacy of classical form and later evolutionary and innovative responses to it. In addition to exercises in analytical and descriptive writing, students undertake experiential projects that explore distinctive theatrical conventions of the plays studied. When possible, course activities may also include attending live performances.  Exemplary plays are chosen for their contrasting qualities, from antiquity to the present, including plays by Euripides, Shakespeare, Chekhov, Shaw, and selected post war authors. Two class meetings per week.

Spring semester. Professor Bashford.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2010, Spring 2012, Fall 2014, Spring 2016

209 Contemporary Dance Technique and Repertory Modern 3/4

This course will include studio sessions in contemporary modern/jazz dance technique at the intermediate level and rehearsal sessions to create original choreography; the completed piece(s) will be presented in concert at the end of the semester. The emphasis in the course will be to increase expressive range, technical skills and performance versatility of the dancer through the practice, creation and performance of technique and choreography. In addition, the course will include required readings, the viewing of dance videos and live performances to give an increased understanding of the historical and contemporary context for the work.  Audition for course enrollment will be held the first day of class.

Omitted 2016-17.   Five College Professor Matteson.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2020

216H Contemporary Dance Techniques: Modern 4/5

The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as 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.  A half course.  Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Omitted 2016-17.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2012, Spring 2021, Spring 2022

217H Contemporary Dance Techniques: Modern/Ballet 4

The study and practice of contemporary movement vocabularies, including regional dance forms, contact improvisation and various modern dance techniques. Objectives include the intellectual and physical introduction to this discipline as well as 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.  A half course.  Because the specific genres and techniques will vary from semester to semester, the course may be repeated for credit.

Omitted 2016-17.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2013, Spring 2018

225H The Craft of Speaking II: Spoken Expression

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 course culminates in presentations of prepared texts. Two class meetings per week.

Requisite:  THDA 125H.  Spring semester.  Professor Bashford.

Other years: Offered in Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2023, Spring 2025

230 The Instrument:  Body of Work

“All theatre is about paying attention.”  Andrei Serban

This studio course will offer techniques that foster expansive physical and emotional concentration as well as the development of character through improvisation scores and within scene work.  As performers of theater, students will explore issues of voice, body and imagination by refining inherent resources with specificity of action and articulate expression.

Two two-hour sessions per week.  Previous theater and / or dance experience recommended.  Readings in acting theory accompany the discipline of weekly physical explorations.

Requisite: THDA 113. Omitted 2016-17.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2020

234 Dance and History: sites, bodies, and perspectives

Dance and History focuses on dance as an expression of cultural and global identities and introduces a variety of western and non-western dance forms and practices in their cultural, social, and political contexts. As such, our investigation will consider the aesthetic traditions, history, and practice of select western and non-western dance forms including African, Asian, and European theatrical, ritualistic, social, and/or vernacular movement practices. We will learn about how dance transmits cultural, social, and political values and develop an understanding of a diverse range of dance forms and practices. Through readings, discussions, video/visual materials, movement experiences, and attendance at live dance events, we will practice observing, analyzing, discussing, and writing about dance thoughtfully, clearly, and intelligently. Throughout our study we will integrate critical thinking, reading and analytic skills.

Limited to 30 students. Spring semester. Visiting Instructor Escobar.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2017

242 Plays in Play: The Ensemble and the Playwright

In this course, students conduct rehearsal investigations into the work of a particular playwright, and explore ways in which coordinated action renders dramatic writing in theatrical form.  In addition to examining selected plays and background material, students develop ensemble techniques of play, improvisation, and staging.  Emphasis is placed on the communicative means required to develop a shared vision.  This course is open to students interested in any aspect of play production but is required for students who want to do advanced work in directing in the department.  All students should expect to act, co-direct, conduct research, and explore basic visual design implications together.  The course will culminate in a workshop-style performance, and group rehearsals outside of class meeting times are required.  This course may be repeated once when the selected playwright is different.  The playwright for fall 2016 is Bertolt Brecht.

Requisite: A prior college-level course in theater or permission of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Limited to 24 students.  Fall semester. Professor Bashford. 

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2012, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016

249 Partner Dancing (Beginner Composition)

In this course, we practice moving and being moved by each other.  We explore weight sharing, body-part manipulations, off-balance support, negative space, resistance, and various ways of harnessing forces of momentum.  We generate inventive dances using a toolbox of construction methods.  We discuss how our moving and making movement together illuminate and intertwine personal identities, cultural backgrounds, compositional habits, and aesthetic sensibilities. We study eclectic performance troupes and cross-cultural duet forms that use collaborative partnering – how bodies negotiate in time and space to create moving relationships – to embody questions of intimacy, race, power, and place. There are regular out-of-class reading and writing assignments in the creative process, performance viewings with written reflections, and a final choreography project with a public showing. 

Requisite:  A previous movement course or permission of the instructor. Limited to 20 students.  Spring semester. Professor Matteson.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2017, Fall 2019

250 Video Production: Bodies in Motion

(Offered as THDA 250 and FAMS 226.)  This studio production class will focus on multiple ways of tracking, viewing, and capturing bodies in motion. The course will emphasize working with the camera as an extension of the body to explore radically different points of view and senses of focus. We will experiment with different techniques and different kinds of bodies (human, animal, and object) to bring a heightened awareness of kinesthetic involvement, animation and emotional immediacy to the bodies on screen and behind the camera. In addition, we will interject and follow bodies into different perceptions of time, progression, place and relationship. In the process, we will express various experiences and theories of embodiment and question what constitutes a body. Depending on student interests, final projects can range from choreographies for the camera to fictional narratives to documentary studies. The class will alternate between camera sessions, both in the studio and on location, and sessions in the editing suite working with Final Cut Pro.

Requisite: Previous experience in composition. Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Professor Woodson.

Other years: Offered in Spring 2012, Spring 2014, Spring 2017, Fall 2023

251 Intermediate Composition: Making Dances

This course will provide strategies and approaches for developing choreography. Solo, duet and small group exercises in and out of class will generate inventive movement that will be the source material for each student in the making of a new dance. These dances will be performed in various stages of development throughout the semester as works-in-progress. Emphasis will be placed on continuous revision and a willingness to throw the creative process into the public forum as a means of gaining information for further work. Two two-hour class meetings per week and weekly lab/rehearsals. 

Consent of the instructor is required for students without a previous dance composition course.  Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2016-17.  Five College Professor Matteson.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in January 2022, Spring 2022

252 Scripts and Scores

This course will provide structures and approaches for creating original choreography, performance pieces and events. An emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary and experimental approaches to composition, choreography, and performance making. These approaches include working with text and movement, visual systems and environments, music, sound and chance scores to inspire and include in performance. Students will create and perform dance, theater, or performance art pieces for both traditional theater spaces and for found (indoor and outdoor) spaces.

This course is open to dancers and actors as well as interested students from other media and disciplines. Two two-hour class meetings per week and weekly lab/rehearsal sessions. Consent of the instructor is required for students with no experience in improvisation or composition.

Limited to 12 students. Omitted 2016-17. Professor Woodson.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2012, Spring 2014, Spring 2023

253 Intermediate Choreography

This course will provide students with tools and techniques for deepening and expanding their ability to express movement and help them create original choreography through a range of compositional structures. Using different improvisational methods based on diverse sources, the class will experiment with ways to generate personal movement and structure this material into choreographic works. The course will also help students develop clarity in  their choreographic and performance intention and tools for discussing and analyzing the art of choreography. The course is focused on combining physical practice and creative methods with critical thinking in order to develop and extend each student's movement language.  This class is for students who are at an intermediate level in dance technique and/or composition.

Requisite: Previous courses in dance technique and/or composition. Limited to 15 students. Omitted 2016-17.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2016

255 Sound, Movement, and Text: Interactions and Collaborations

(Offered as THDA 255, ENGL 223, and MUSI 255) This studio course is designed as an interactive laboratory for dancers, composers, actors, writers/poets, vocalists, and sound artists to work together to create meaningful interactions between sound, movement, and text. Working individually and in collaborative groups, students will create original material in the various media and experiment with multiple ways to craft interesting exchanges and dialogues between word, sound, and movement or to create hybrid forms.  The emphasis in the course will be to work with exercises and structures that engender deep listening, looking, and imagining.  Some of the questions that inform the course include: How do music, voices, electronic, digital, and natural sounds create a sonic world for live performance and vice versa? How can movement inform the writing of text and vice-versa? How can we successfully communicate and collaborate across and between the different languages of sounds, words, and movement?  We will have a series of informal studio performances, events, and installations throughout the semester with a culminating final showing/listening at the end of the semester.

Requisite: Previous experience in composition in one or more of the central media, or permission of the instructors. Limited to 16 students. Spring semester. Professor Woodson and Visiting Instructor Meginsky.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020

260 Costume Design and Fashion History

An introduction to the analytical methods and skills necessary for the creation of costumes for theater and dance with emphasis on the integration of costume with other visual elements. Western costume history. Lab work in costume construction.

Requisite: THDA 112 or consent of the instructor.  Limited to 8 students.  Fall semester.  Professor Dougan.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Spring 2021

261 Lighting Design

An introduction to the theory and techniques of theatrical lighting, with emphasis on the aesthetic and practical aspects of the field as well as the principles of light and color.

Requisite: THDA 112 or consent of the instructor. Lab work in lighting technology.  Fall semester. Resident Lighting Designer Couch.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2011, Spring 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021

263 Scene Design

The materials, techniques and concepts which underlie the design and creation of the theatrical environment.

Requisite: THDA 112 or consent of the instructor. Limited to 8 students. Omitted 2016-17. Professor Dougan.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2020, Fall 2020

270 Playwriting I

(Offered as THDA 270 and ENGL 222) A workshop in writing for the stage. The semester will begin with exercises that lead to the making of short plays and, by the end of the term, longer plays--ten minutes and up in length. Writing will be done in and out of class; students’ work will be discussed in the workshop and in private conferences. At the end of the term, the student will submit a portfolio of revisions of all the exercises, including the revisions of all plays.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 15 students. Not open to first-year students. Fall semester: Five College Professor Branner. Spring semester: Playwright-in-Residence Congdon.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022

330 Acting Studio

The actors bring characters to life, through text, physicality and voice.  Using their own bodies, they transform the words from a play’s pages in order to become another live being onstage. This art requires not only technique, but more importantly, an original and personal interpretation of the text, its characters, and their actions.

One of the goals of this course is to nourish each actor’s capacity for personal and original interpretation, or what might be called the elusive “artist’s voice. Another goal is developing independent skills to rehearse a scene. Working toward these goals, we will work in a lab environment, rehearsing scenes and monologues from various playwright’s scripts. We will employ physical and analytical tools, which would enrich the actors’ palate of skills, foster their artist’s voice and advance their way of rehearsing a play.  The class meets three times per week for two hours.

Requisite: THDA-111, THDA-113, or a prior course in acting at the college level, or by permission of the instructor.  Limited to 16 students. Fall and spring semesters.  Visiting Professor Eliraz.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2017, Spring 2018

350 Video and Performance

This advanced production class will give students an opportunity to explore various relationships between live performance and video. Experiments will include creating short performance pieces and/or choreography specifically designed for the video medium; creating short pieces that include both live performance and projected video; and creating short experimental video pieces that emphasize a sense of motion in their conceptualization, and realization. Techniques and languages from dance and theater composition will be used to expand and inform approaches to video production and vice-versa. Sessions include studio practice (working with digital cameras and Final Cut Pro digital editing) and regular viewing and critiques. Students will work both independently and in collaborative teams according to interest and expertise.

Requisite: Previous experience in theater, dance, music composition, and/or video production or consent of the instructor. Limited to 10 students. Omitted 2016-17.  Professor Woodson.

2023-24: Not offered

352 Performance in Place: Site Specific 

(Offered as THDA 352, FAMS 342 and MUSI 352.) The focus of this studio course will be to create performances, installations and/or videos in multiple locations both on and off campus.  This course is especially designed for students in dance, theater, film/video, art, music and creative writing who want to explore the challenges and potentials in creating performances and events outside of traditional "frames" or venues (e.g., the theater, the gallery, the concert hall). In the first part of the semester we will experiment with different techniques for working together as an ensemble and developing responses to different spaces. We will then select different sites--based on student interest and location access--and spend the rest of the semester creating events/performances on site.  Interaction with communities at these sites will also be explored, connecting the artistic work to community engagement and raising awareness of the issues and ethics involved in site-specific performance. These projects will be performed in process and at the end of the semester in a three-day festival.  Two 80-minute classes; outside rehearsal/lab sessions TBA.

Requisite: Previous experience in improvisation and/or composition in dance, theater, performance, film/video, music/sound, installation, creative writing, and/or design is required. Omitted 2016-17.  Professor Woodson.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2013, Spring 2016, Spring 2021

353 Performance Studio

(Offered as THDA 353 and FAMS 345.)  In this advanced course in the techniques of creating performance, each student will create and rehearse a performance piece that develops and incorporates original choreography, text, music, sounds and / or video. Improvisational and collaborative structures and approaches among and within different media will be investigated.  The final performance pieces will be presented in the Holden Theater. 

Two ninety-minute class sessions per week.  There will be weekly mandatory showings.  These showings are a working document of the important and  necessary vicissitudes within a creative process.   

Requisite: THDA 252 or the equivalent and consent of the instructor. Fall semester. Professor Woodson.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2020, Fall 2021

360 Design Studio

An advanced course in the arts of theatrical design. Primary focus is on the communication of design ideas and concepts with other theater artists. Also considered is the process by which developing theatrical ideas and images are realized. Students will undertake specific projects in scenic, costume and/or lighting design and execute them in the context of the Department’s production program or in other approved circumstances. Examples of possible assignments include designing workshop productions, and assisting faculty and staff designers with major responsibilities in full-scale production. In all cases, detailed analysis of the text and responsible collaboration will provide the basis of the working method. May be repeated for credit.

Requisite: THDA 260, 261, 263 or consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. Professor Dougan.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Spring 2020

363 Design Studio II

This course is a continuation of THDA 360, an advanced course in the arts of theatrical design. Primary focus is on the communication of design ideas and concepts with other theater artists. Also considered is the process by which developing theatrical ideas and images are realized. Students will undertake specific projects in scenic, costume and/or lighting design and execute them in the context of the department’s production program or in other approved circumstances. Students in this course will design for a full-scale production. In all cases, detailed analysis of the text and responsible collaboration will provide the basis of the working method. May be repeated for credit.

Requisite: THDA 260, 261, or 263 or consent of the instructor.  Fall and spring semesters. Professor Dougan.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Spring 2020

370 Playwriting Studio

(Offered as THDA 370 and ENGL 322) A workshop/seminar for writers who want to complete a full-length play or series of plays. Emphasis will be on bringing a script to a level where it is ready for the stage. Although there will be some exercises in class to continue the honing of playwriting skills and the study of plays by established writers as a means of exploring a wide range of dramatic vocabularies, most of the class time will be spent reading and commenting on the plays of the workshop members as these plays progress from the first draft to a finished draft.

Requisite: THDA 270 or the equivalent. Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 10 students. Spring semester. Playwright-in-Residence Congdon.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022

400H Production Studio

An advanced course in the production of Theater and Dance works. Primary focus will be on the integration of the individual student into a leadership role within the Department’s producing structure. Each student will accept a specific responsibility with a departmental production team testing his or her artistic, managerial, critical, and problem-solving skills.  A half course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Fall and spring semesters. Professor Woodson.

Other years: Offered in Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Spring 2025

490 Special Topics

Independent Reading Course. Full course.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.

Other years: Offered in Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Spring 2025

498, 499 Senior Departmental Honors

For Honors candidates in Theater and Dance.

Open to seniors. Spring semester. The Department.

Other years: Offered in Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2024

History, Theory & Literature Departmental Courses

285 Collaborative Dramaturgy

In this course, students explore the function of the dramaturg in the process of theatrical creation, collaborating with directing, acting, and design students on projects created in Directing Studio (THDA 380). Student dramaturgs learn to conduct various methods of play analysis and targeted research concerning the work of given playwrights, their cultural milieus, and past production histories. As collaborative work proceeds, students learn to tailor additional research and analysis in concert with rehearsal activities.  Activities include written analysis and synthesis of their findings, rehearsal and performance analysis, oral critique, and participation in creative conversations. Special emphasis is placed on developing skills in effective written and oral communication with actors, directors, and designers in support of a shared artistic vision.  This course is appropriate for students interested in developing analytical skills related to the processes of directing, design, playwriting, and the study of dramatic literature more generally. Two class meetings per week, and students should expect to attend a significant number of rehearsal and performance events outside of class meeting times.

Requisite: One prior college course in the arts or dramatic literature, or permission of the instructor. Limited to 24 students. Omitted 2016-17. Professor Bashford.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2015

Arts of Theater & Dance Courses

125H The Craft of Speaking I: Vocal Freedom

A beginning studio course in the development of voice for speaking. Students develop range and tone through regular physical exercises in relaxation, breathing technique, placement, and presence. Individual attention focuses on helping each student develop the physical, mental, and emotional self-awareness needed for expressive vocal production. Practice is oriented toward acting for the stage, but students with a primary interest in public speaking, teaching, or improved interpersonal communication will find this course valuable. A modicum of reading and written reflection is required.  Three class meetings per week.

Admission with consent of the instructor. Limited to 28 students from among those who attend the first class meeting, admitted based on class year and major.  Fall semester.  Professor Bashford.

Other years: Offered in Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024

227 Knowing Bodies, Moving Minds: Community in Motion

In this course, students investigate how the arts – specifically, dance and movement – can be used in a collaborative fashion to extend various forms of knowledge within a specific community. The course considers "knowing" as a phenomenon situated in the human body, in ways that may be physical, social, emotional, and intellectual. Students learn models and philosophies of community arts education and apply them in practice, first with one another, and then working with students at a local high school. One class per week is devoted to theory, reflection, and preparation; the other class each week is used to facilitate movement exchanges with high school students. The course also includes frequent written reflection, online discussion, and the creation of interactive campus and community arts projects. Readings include the educational theories of Dewey, Whitehead, and Paulo Freire, along with feminist theories of the body as a site of knowledge.

Omitted 2016-17.

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2015

Studio Courses

122H Contemporary Dance Technique: Hip Hop

This class is designed to focus on the movement aspect of hip hop culture. Dance in the tradition of B-Boys and B-girls while learning a wide variety of hip hop movement. From the old school "bronx" style to commercial hip hop, learn a wide range of hip-hop vocabulary in a course emphasizing group choreography, floor work, and partner work. No previous dance experience is necessary. Class will incorporate funk, street, b-boy/b-girl, and house elements to stretch and tone the body. Class will include across the floor and center combinations which will ask the dancers to find their relationship to musicality, athleticism, dynamics, and articulation of the body.

Spring semester.

Other years: Offered in Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2025

340 Directing Studio

This is a studio course in leading collaborators toward completed theatrical interpretations of dramatic texts. Each student director independently produces and directs two medium-length, site-specific projects. Reading, writing, and class sessions are devoted to the practice of directing and to discussion of problems and approaches. Topics include the articulation of coherent artistic intent, the role of the audience in performance, and the use of space, sound and light. Studio exercises are employed to support directorial techniques. In addition, this course considers organizational and research methods related to successful production, and, when possible, students may collaborate with students enrolled in a relate course, such as acting or design. Two class meetings per week. Students should expect to schedule a significant amount of rehearsal time outside of class meetings for the successful completion of projects.

Requisite:  One of the following: THDA 240, 242, 252 or equivalent college-level experience with consent of the instructor. Spring semester. Professor Bashford.

Other years: Offered in Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2019, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Spring 2025