Courses

The Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities and University Theater are pleased to announce Fall 2007 Theater Courses. All information subject to change.

Fall 2007 Courses:

• TAPS 10100. Drama: Embodiment and Transformation.
• TAPS 10200. Acting Fundamentals.
• TAPS 10500. Staging Terror.
• TAPS 10700. Introduction to Stage Design. (=ARTV 26000/36300)
• TAPS 12000. Improvisation for the Actor.
• TAPS 15000. Beginning Playwriting. (=CRWR 10500/30500)
• TAPS 15500. Beginning Screenwriting. (=CRWR 27101/47101)
• TAPS 21000. Dance Composition.
• TAPS 28400. History and Theory of Drama I. (=CLAS 31200, CLCV 21200, CMLT 20500/30500, ENGL 13800/31000)
• TAPS 29800. Theater and Performance Studies Colloquium. (=CRWR 27105/47105)

All classes meet in the Bartlett Rehearsal Space unless otherwise noted.

ATTENDANCE AT THE FIRST CLASS SESSION IS MANDATORY. Course meets the General Education Requirement in the Dramatic, Musical, and Visual Arts.

Attendance at first class meeting is mandatory. At least three sections are offered per quarter with enrollment limited to twenty. This course meets the general education requirement in the dramatic, musical, and visual arts. Students examine the performance and the aesthetics of two dramatic works in contrasting styles but with unifying themes. The goal of the course is to develop in the students an appreciation and understanding of a variety of techniques and of the processes by which they are theatrically realized. Rather than focus on the dramatic text itself, this course concentrates on the piece in performance, including the impact of cultural context on interpretation. To achieve this, students are required to act, direct, and design during the course.

Time: M/W 3:00 - 4:20pm
Instructor: Tiffany Trent
Location: Reynolds Club, First Floor Theater

ATTENDANCE AT THE FIRST CLASS SESSION IS MANDATORY. Course meets the General Education Requirement in the Dramatic, Musical, and Visual Arts.

PQ: Consent of instructor. Prior theater or acting training not required. This course introduces fundamental concepts of performance in the theater with emphasis on the development of creative faculties and techniques of observation, as well as vocal and physical interpretation. Concepts are introduced through directed reading, improvisation, and scene study.

Time: M/W 1:30 - 2:50pm
Instructor: Heidi Coleman
Location: Reynolds Club, Design Lab

ATTENDANCE AT THE FIRST CLASS SESSION IS MANDATORY. Course meets the General Education Requirement in the Dramatic, Musical, and Visual Arts.

This course explores the interplay between horror, terror, and pleasure through in-class discussions of theoretical works and the possibilities of practical creative application. The paradox of the attraction to repulsion is considered as well as the values of shock, suspense, and subtlety. Texts include Grand Guignol, Shakespeare, Gothic Novels, and horror films.

Time: M/W 3:00 - 4:20pm
Instructor: Tom Burch
Location: Reynolds Club, Design Lab

This course explores the application of the visual and aural arts to the varied forms of design for the stage (i.e., scenic, lighting, costume, sound). We pay particular attention to the development of a cogent and well-reasoned analysis of text and an articulate use of the elements of design through a set of guided practical projects. Lab fee required.

Time: Mondays 1:30 - 4:20pm
Instructor: Susan Messing
Location: Bartlett Arts Rehearsal Space

Structured around the idea that acting is doing, this class explores the foundations of the actor's problem solving process. Emphasis is placed on developing the participants' ability for strong communication on stage, through exercises, games, and physicalization, focus, and concentration.

Time: Tuesdays 1:30 - 4:20pm
Instructor: Beau O'Reilly/Jenny Magnus
Location: TBA

Writing is a physical activity. However, most writing uses limited amounts of body and mostly mind. This class is designed for students who want to try something new: risk moving around and getting a shove in an unpredictable direction. One half of the class is focused on writing from the body. Students spend the other part of the class preparing for a performance of the work that they have created by using the most basic instruments at their disposal: their bodies and their ideas.

Time: Wednesday 3:00 - 5:50 pm
Instructor: John Petrakis
Location: TBA

This course introduces the basic elements of a literate screenplay, including format, exposition, characterization, dialog, voice-over, adaptation, and the vagaries of the three-act structure. Weekly meetings include a brief lecture period, screenings of scenes from selected films, extended discussion, and assorted readings of class assignments. Because this is primarily a writing class, students write a four- to five-page weekly assignment related to the script topic of the week.

Time: Wednesdays 3:00 - 5:50pm
Instructor: Sandra Kaufmann
Location: Bartlett Arts Rehearsal Space

When does movement become text? How do bodies combine with time, space, and energy to communicate ideas? In this workshop-formatted course, we explore these questions as we study and create dance. Students develop improvisational skills by exploring the dance principles of space, time, dynamics, and the process of abstraction. Through physical exercises, discussions, and readings, students learn how to initiate and develop movement ideas. Major dance works from many styles (e.g., ballet, modern, avant-garde) are viewed and analyzed, as students develop an understanding of choreographic forms. Students also develop a proficiency in the areas of observation and constructive criticism. The course culminates with a choreographic project.

Time: T/Th 12:00 - 1:20pm
Instructor: David Bevington/Heidi Coleman
Location: TBA

May be taken in sequence with ENGL 13900/31100 or individually. This course is a survey of major trends and theatrical accomplishments in Western drama from the ancient Greeks through the Renaissance: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, medieval religious drama, Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Jonson, along with some consideration of dramatic theory by Aristotle, Horace, Sir Philip Sidney, and Dryden. The goal is not to develop acting skill but, rather, to discover what is at work in the scene and to write up that process in a somewhat informal report. Students have the option of writing essays or putting on short scenes in cooperation with other members of the class. End-of-week workshops, in which individual scenes are read aloud dramatically and discussed, are optional but highly recommended.

Time: TBA
Instructor: TBA
Location: TBA

PQ: Consent of Director of Undergraduate Studies and Chair of Theater and Performance Studies Option. Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in TAPS. Creative Writing or MAPH students who are preparing theses for performance may participate with consent from their home department and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. NOTE: Students participate in both Autumn and Winter Quarters but register once and receive one grade.