Theater Arts Program Curriculum

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE THEATRE ARTS MAJOR
52 credit hours
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts

Theatre Curriculum and Description:
The Theatre Arts Program curriculum provides students with a broadly based and fundamentally sound bachelor of arts theatre education and training within a liberal arts context. The Program’s courses in its Required Core Curriculum and Performance and Design/Technology Tracks have been sequenced to ensure that students can complete the degree requirements within a four-year period.

REQUIRED CORE CURRICULUM (37 total credit hours):

THEA 0151 Introduction to Performance (3)
THEA 0152 Scenography (3)
THEA 0251 Theatre Management (3)
THEA 0260 Script Analysis & Interpretation (3)
THEA 0261 Theatre History: Early Stages (3)
THEA 0353 Theatre Workshop (6) or THEA 0360 Theatre Productions (6)
THEA 0380 Professional Theatre Seminar (1)
ENGL 0287 World Drama (3)
ENGL 0365 Dramatic Theory & Criticism (3)

Students select one course from each category, A, B, and C:                     
A. THEA 0262 Theatre History: Renaissance to Romanticism (3)
     THEA 0263 Theatre History: The Modern Stage (3)
B.  ENGL 0317 Shakespeare: Tragedies & Histories (3)
     ENGL 0318 Shakespeare: Comedies & Romances (3)
C.  ENGL 0321 Irish Drama  (3)
     ENGL 0364 American Drama (3)
     ENGL 0366 Drama of the Western World (3)
     ENGL 0370 Modern Drama (3)

TRACKS OF STUDY:

I. Performance Track (15 credit hours) Select five of the following seven courses:
THEA 0121 Acting Styles: Techniques, Theory & Practice (3)
THEA 0252 Acting I (3)
THEA 0255 Directing I (3)
THEA 0357 Acting II (3)
THEA 0359 Acting for Film & Television (3)
THEA 0368 Directing II (3)
ENGL 0371 Playwriting (3)

II. Design/Technology Track (15 credits):
THEA 0343 Sound Design for Theatre (3)
THEA 0354 Costume Design (3)
THEA 0356 Stagecraft Techniques (3)
THEA 0389 Scene Design (3)
THEA 0390 Lighting Design (3)

Advanced Design Courses: An advanced course in one of the design fields is offered each semester under the Program’s THEA 0330 Special Topics in Theatre.

III. Theatre Studies Track (15 credit hours):
Students must consult with a Theatre Arts Program advisor in choosing their courses in order to ensure a sufficient breadth and balance within the concentration. Courses may be selected from the Performance and Design/Technology tracks, from the Approved Theatre Elective Courses list, and from the Required Core Curriculum, provided those courses are not being used to fulfill the requirements of that area. This track is recommended for students who want to pursue one of the State Department of Education alternative routes to licensure in Theatre.

APPROVED THEATRE ARTS ELECTIVE COURSES:

Students may petition to substitute courses from this list of electives to satisfy the Core Curriculum or the Performance or Design/Technology track requirements. Approval will be granted by the student’s faculty advisor and the department chair provided such substitutions satisfy the depth, breadth, and specificity of study required by the Theatre Arts Program.
THEA 0120 Performance Studies (3) **
THEA 0250 Oral Interpretation (3)
THEA 0350 Dramaturgy
THEA 0355 Theatre Applications (3) *     
THEA 0358 Acting Seminar (3) **
THEA 0362 Research Seminar in Theatre (3)
THEA 0398 Internships in Theatre (3-15)
THEA 0399 Independent Study (3)
ENGL 0276 Writing About the Arts
ENGL 0285 Basics of Film Writing
ENGL 0367 Film Theory and Criticism (3)
ENGL 0385 Screenwriting for Feature Film
ENGL 0391 Special Studies in Film (3)
ENGL 0393 History & Development of the Motion Picture (3)
ART 0103 Drawing I (3)
ART 0104 Design Fundamentals (3)
ART 0106 Art Survey I (3)
ART 0107 Art Survey II (3)
MCOM 0101 Introduction to Communication (3)
MCOM 0332 Writing for Radio & Television (3)
MUSC 0101 Music Appreciation (3)
MUSC 0160 History of Jazz (3)
MUSC 0200 Music History I (3)
MUSC 0201 Music History II (3)
* May be taken twice for credit.
** Students cast in or who serve in significant roles in mainstage productions are enrolled in these courses. These courses are "topics courses" and "theatre laboratories," for they introduce students to different playwrights, genres, periods, styles, and acting techniques. Each of these courses may be taken up to four times for credit.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE THEATRE ARTS MINOR

21 credit hours
One course from each of the following areas:

A) Theatre History:
THEA 0104 Introduction to Theatre
THEA 0261 Theatre History: Early Stages
THEA 0262 Theatre History: Renaissance to Romanticism
THEA 0263 Theatre History: The Modern Stage

B) Dramatic Literature:
ENGL 0287 World Drama
ENGL 0317 Shakespeare: Tragedies & Histories
ENGL 0318 Shakespeare: Comedies & Romances
ENGL 0321 Irish Drama
ENGL 0364 American Drama
ENGL 0366 Drama of the Western World
ENGL 0370 Modern Drama

C) Performance:
THEA 0120 Performance Studies
THEA 0121 Acting Styles: Techniques, Theory & Practice
THEA 0151 Introduction to Performance
THEA 0252 Acting I
THEA 0255 Directing I
THEA 0357 Acting II
THEA 0358 Acting Seminar
THEA 0359 Acting for Film & Television
THEA 0368 Directing II

D) Design:
THEA 0152 Scenography
THEA 0343 Sound Design for Theatre
THEA 0354 Costume Design
THEA 0389 Scene Design
THEA 0390 Lighting Design

E) Technical Theatre:
THEA 0353 Theatre Workshop (6 credits)
THEA 0356 Stagecraft Techniques (3 credits)
THEA 0360 Theatre Production (6 credits)

Electives:
Students must take one or two additional elective theatre courses — as necessary to achieve the required 21 credit hours — to be chosen from the Required Theatre Arts Core Curriculum, from the Tracks of Study, or from the Approved Theatre Arts Elective Courses.