University Bulletin (2020-2021)

• Minor
• Major (BA)
• Master of Fine Arts

The Theater Arts Department focuses on a liberal arts education in theater arts. Students are given a deep grounding the theater history, literature and theory and gain experience both in theoretical knowledge and practice. With an emphasis on physical and vocal skills as well as acting and directing, playwriting, stage management and design, students can be more confident when they are involved as actors, dancers, writers, directors, or designers.

Because the major involves learning about and practicing classical techniques, theory, and experimental methods of devising and creating original theater pieces they are equipped with tools working on productions and projects that are centered around themes of social justice, classical and experimental theater, and working collaboratively as well rounded theater artists. The goal of our program is to prepare students to articulate and demonstrate a solid vision as young theater artists and the tools to begin their artistic work, whether their future lies in professional theater, graduate study in theater arts, or elsewhere.

Undergraduate Major

The major in theater arts is designed to give students a solid foundation in dramatic literature, theory, and history (LTH), as well as the opportunity to explore all areas of practical theater performance and production. Students will complete required courses in three categories: Foundational, Courses for Exploration, Courses for Immersion and Practicum Courses. While the department encourages experimentation and adventure, the curriculum stresses the cultivation of solidly rooted understanding, investigation, and development of skills. We ask students to explore their own creative impulses with honesty and intelligence. Students are expected to become involved in the department's production season in various ways, from performance to production work.

The department participates in the European cultural studies major (ECS) at Brandeis, and, in general, its courses are open to ECS students.

Graduate Program in Theater Arts

Admission to the Graduate Program in Theater Arts has been suspended.

The graduate programs in theater arts are designed to provide the highest level of theatrical investigation and practice. This prepares talented students for a professional life in the theater in the area of acting. With an intention to create young theater artists who will shape the future of American and world theater, Brandeis theater arts is dedicated to the transmission of technique-based knowledge, as well as providing professional-level performance experience in the various venues with the Brandeis Theater Company in the Spingold Center for the Performing Arts. Our goal is to set the stage for a theater of the future that is alive with excitement, clarity, and surprise.

Theater Arts is the interdisciplinary study of humanity, focusing on what it takes to be part of the process of performing and making a play on stage.

The Department of Theater Arts offers courses in four areas that are key to a well-rounded theater experience — Acting/Performance, Design, Production, and Dramatic Literature and History. Our students are given an opportunity to participate in the art of theater in all its parts. For example, students may act, direct, sing, dance, design, manage, build, and provide crew support on our productions as part of their major study. With a solid grounding in fundamental theater practices and exploration of cutting edge techniques, students begin their journey to find their unique voice.

Knowledge

Understanding how theater has an impact on the world is important. It is also valuable for a student to learn what is involved in creating a role, working in an ensemble, making the space of the theater come alive with a design, and to learn how to communicate and be clear about ideas and the basic needs for a production.

1. Think conceptually and critically about theater text performance and production.
2. Have an understanding of the history of theater, its relationship to the cultures that produce it, and a fundamental knowledge of theater genre and style.
3. Develop a vocabulary and introductory skills in all areas of theater technique.
4. Have advanced knowledge in a specific area within theater as a result of the student’s concentration within the major.
5. Obtain experiential knowledge of stage and performance practices.

Core Skills

Learning skills and techniques in Theater Arts is a crucial part of being a Theater Major. For Theater Minors these are also a way to learn about practices and methods that can enhance and support their chosen major. As a major or minor, students can specialize in a particular area of theater performance or study a variety of methods and disciplines. Also, students are given the opportunity to develop their own material and perform their own work in the theaters provided by the department.

Acting

1. Familiarity with styles of actor training
2. Working knowledge and vocabulary of acting techniques
3. Ability to implement standard acting methodologies/performance skills in voice, physical technique/expression, and improvisation.
4. Practical experience in building a character through text analysis.

Directing

1. Be able to articulate action and dramatic structure
2. Understand analysis of plays from varying periods, genre, and styles.
3. Experience in conducting artistic research and rehearsal process.
4. Have a fundamental knowledge of artistic process with designers and actors, and how to conduct a rehearsal and collaborate with theater artists.
5. Appreciate directing as a visual art form.

Design/Production

1. Working knowledge and vocabulary in all design areas.
2. Have an understanding of the artistic process in the area of design and production: Costume, sets, lights, sound, stage management, stage crafts.

Theater History and Literature and Criticism

1. Investigate classical and contemporary theater
2. Examine writers, texts, approaches, and productions in their particular cultural and historical contexts.
3. Develop skills in close reading and critical inquiry.

Social Justice

On the stage, or in any given performance space students make social justice a part of their work in the theater.

1. Students should possess an understanding of how theater has been used outside of the traditional realm for community building and individual growth.
2. Students will be equipped with the tools to create original pieces that can be used for giving voice to social issues through collaboration and interaction within performance.

Upon Graduating you will be able to

1. Have more confidence when addressing or articulating ideas to a group of people
2. Apply auditioning and interviewing skills.
3. Create original work.
4. Understand the value of the focus and discipline necessary to create and collaborate in the theater.
5. Apply liberal arts knowledge of theater text, skill, and creativity to any professional situation.
6. Pursue advanced study in a specific theatrical area of your choosing.

Students who wish to major or minor in Theater Arts should meet early in their academic career with the Undergraduate Advising Head to develop a plan.

In general, students wishing to major in Theater Arts should enroll in THA 10a (Theater as Performance) and in the first year and should complete THA 11a and 11b by the end of their second year. The advantage of taking THA 10a, 11a and 11b in the first semesters is that most Theater Arts courses require one or both of these courses as prerequisites. Students could then begin to take both required courses and electives during the sophomore year.

Admission to the Graduate Program in Theater Arts has been suspended.

Dmitry Troyanovsky, Chair
Performance and Directing.

Cameron Anderson
Design.

Nancy Armstrong
Singing.

Jennifer A. Cleary, Undergraduate Advising Head
Introduction to theater. Stage management. Theater practicum. Theater education. Public speaking.

Susan Dibble
Movement for the actor. Dance.

Arthur Holmberg 
Dramatic literature. Theory history. Performance theory.

Adrianne Krstansky
Acting.

Marya Lowry
Acting. Voice production.

Ryan McKittrick
Theater literature. Theory and history. Playwriting.

Robert Walsh
Stage movement and combat. Public speaking. Directing. Business of Show Business.

Students wishing to minor in Theater Arts must take a selection of at least six courses in the department, including THA 10a, and either THA 11a or THA 11b, and a cohesive progression of four other courses selected with the approval of the chair (THA 15b Public Speaking: The Art of Oral Communication and THA 16b Genius in Small Group Communication: Theory and Practice may not count for an elective in the minor.)

No grade below a C- will be given credit toward the minor.

No course taken pass/fail may count toward the minor requirements.

All undergraduate majors must complete thirteen one-semester courses and two practicum courses (two half-course credit practicums). The total major requirement, including practicum courses, is the equivalent of fourteen one-semester courses. Required courses for the major include:

1. Foundational courses (3 courses):
   
   THA 10a (Theater as Performance)
   THA 11a (Theater Texts and Theory I)
   THA 11b (Theater Texts and Theory I)
2. Exploration courses (4 courses):
   
   THA 23a Movement for the Stage or THA 25a Voice for the Stage
   THA 66a American Drama Since 1945
   THA 70a Directing or 71a Playwriting
   THA 125b Art of Scenography I
3. Immersion courses (6 courses):
   
   THA 21b Acting Language and Action
   
   One of the following:
   THA 76a British, Irish and Postcolonial Theater
   THA 115b The Avant-Gardes in Performance
   THA 123a American Musical Theater
   
   One of the following:
   THA 133a Acting: Modern Realism
   THA 133b Acting the Classics
   THA 135b Lighting Design
   THA 164a Costume Design
   THA 175a Art of Scenography II
   THA 185b Advanced Playwriting and Dramatic Structure
   
   Three courses from any other Theater Arts courses. One course cross-listed in Theater may be used towards the Immersion requirement. THA 15b Public Speaking: The Art of Oral Communication and THA 16b Genius in Small Group Communication: Theory and Practice may not count as an elective in the theater major. The theater arts department encourages majors to consider the following courses for one or more of their three elective options:
   
   RECS/THA 140a Russian Theater
   THA 102b Shakespeare on Stage and Screen
   THA 142b Women Playwrights
   THA 144b Black Theater and Performance
   THA 145a Queer Theater
   
   Note: One Theater Independent Instructional Course (THA 92a, 97a, 98a,b or 99a,b) may be substituted for an Immersion course with departmental approval.
4. To fulfill the practicum requirement, students must also take EITHER two semesters of THA 30a OR one semester of THA 30a AND one field-specific practicum in acting, directing, movement, stage management, dramaturgy, or design (THA 42a, 43a, 44a, 45a, 47a, 48a).
5. Foundational Literacies: As part of completing the Theater Arts major, students must:

   • Fulfill the writing intensive requirement by successfully completing one of the following: THA 71a, THA 76a, THA 142b, THA 150a, OR RECS/THA 140a.

   • Fulfill the oral communication requirement by successfully completing: THA 199a.

   • Fulfill the digital literacy requirement by successfully completing one of the following: THA 70a or THA 125b.

6. No course with a final grade below C- can count toward fulfilling the requirements for the major in Theater Arts.
7. No course taken pass/fail may count toward the major requirements.
8. Only students competing one semester of THA 99a Senior Research and one semester of THA 99b Senior Thesis will be qualified to receive departmental honors. Students must have completed foundational and exploration courses prior to beginning Thesis work. Students must have completed a course in the area of study in which they are proposing their research/thesis. It is suggested that the student have completed an advanced course in the area of study in which they are proposing their research/thesis, or that they will be enrolling in an advanced course within the year that the research/thesis will begin.

Admission to the Graduate Program in Theater Arts has been suspended.

Acting

Program of Study

Graduate acting students form the core of the Brandeis Theater Company (BTC). The company is the department's production wing which performs in various venues, including in the Spingold Center for Performing Arts. Students study and train in a preset curriculum of classes offered by the graduate acting faculty. In addition, they rehearse and perform every semester as part of the BTC season. Students concentrate on developing skills in stage movement, speech and voice production, and scene study. Also, students develop a deep appreciation of theater literature and the various plays and playwrights who have contributed to the canon of world drama. While the program centers itself on performance, students are required to contribute as citizens to the department and the university in general. Citizenship requirements can be met in a number of ways in the process of students earning their graduate assistantships, including teaching and advising undergraduates and functioning in performance and mentoring capacities within the department. Graduate acting students are subject to an annual review for readmission to the program. See the department website for complete graduate acting curriculum.

Required Courses for First-Year Actors

THA 130a Suzuki
THA 199a Production Vocal Coaching Lab
THA 201a and b Acting I
THA 205a and b Movement I: Parts I and II
THA 207a Text and Context
THA 210a and b Voice I
THA 212a and b Speech I
THA 214a and b Singing I
THA 258a Stage Combat I

Required Courses for Second-Year Actors

THA 130a Suzuki
THA 199a Vocal Production Coaching Lab
THA 255a and b Movement II
THA 260a and b Voice II
THA 262a and b Speech II/ Dynamics
THA 264a and b Singing II
THA 268a Stage Combat
THA 283a and b Acting II

Required Courses for Third-Year Actors

THA 130a Suzuki
THA 199a Vocal Production Coaching Lab
THA 309a Whole Voice Workshop
THA 310a Singing III
THA 319a The Actor/Director Collaboration
THA 319b Solo Performance
THA 355a Career Workshop: Part 1, Acting for Camera
THA 355b Career Workshop: Part 2, Auditioning
THA 399d Actors Showcase

Residence Requirement

Three years of full-time study.

THA 2a Introduction to Theater: From the Page to the Stage
[ ca ]
Intended for non-majors. Does not count towards the major or minor in Theater Arts.
An introduction and investigation of theater in its many aspects. This course will acquaint the student with the theatrical elements of production and performance and familiarize the student with the role of artist and audience. Usually offered every year.
Jennifer Cleary

THA 10a Theater as Performance
[ ca ]
Develops the student's ability to read a theatrical text through the lens of the directorial mind and the voice/body/imagination of the performer. Reading, discussions, papers and exercises about acting, directing, dance, performance art, devised work, etc. will constitute the bulk of this course. Intended for Theater majors as well as students with no theater experience. Usually offered every year.
Adrianne Krstansky and Ryan McKittrick

THA 11a European Theater Texts and Theory I
[ ca ]
The evolution of Western drama from its ritual origins through the mid-eighteenth century. Greek tragedy, Roman comedy, medieval drama, Italian humanism, Spanish Golden Age comedias, and French neoclassicism. Attention paid to theater history, dramatic theory, and performance. Usually offered every year.
Arthur Holmberg

THA 11b European Theater Texts and Theory II
[ ca ]
A continuation of THA 11a, covering plays, history, and political theory. Romanticism to the present, including realism and the avant-garde. Usually offered every year.
Arthur Holmberg

THA 15b Public Speaking: The Art of Oral Communication
[ oc ]
Does not meet the requirements for the major or minor in Theater Arts. May not be used to satisfy the Creative Arts distribution requirement.
Introduces the basic concepts and techniques of making presentations to groups of people. Students explore the principles of human communication and apply them to various situations and forms of spoken discourse. Students develop a process for analyzing the audience and situation; for choosing, limiting, and researching a subject; for developing effective habits of vocal delivery; and for writing their own speeches. Usually offered every year.
Jennifer Cleary, Marya Lowry, and Robert Walsh

THA 16b Genius in Small Group Communication: Theory and Practice
[ oc ]
Does not meet the requirements for the major or minor in Theater Arts. May not be used to satisfy the Creative Arts distribution requirement.
The study of small group communication centers on placing the self as secondary and the group as primary, implementing the art of compromise and collaboration. This course develops critical skills in communicating in public and within a small group context. Course meetings introduce theoretical frameworks around small group communication and students will immediately put ideas into practice in class. Requires group work inside and outside of class. Usually offered every second year.
Jennifer Cleary

THA 21b Fundamentals of Acting
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 23a or THA 25a or permission of the instructor.
An introduction to the art and craft of acting. This course focuses on analysis and performance techniques including the use of actions, objectives, obstacles, engaging with the "other," dramatic conflict, and physical and emotional give and take of playing scenes from dramatic literature. Usually offered every semester.
Adrianne Krstansky

THA 22b Undergraduate Singing
[ ca ]
May be repeated for credit.
Explores the fundamentals of singing in detail, concentrating on breath and relaxation, placement and resonance, tonal quality, and flexibility. Specific exercises for each facet of vocal production are explored. Work includes solo and ensemble singing. Usually offered every year.
Nancy Armstrong

THA 23a Movement for the Stage I
[ ca ]
The actor's job is to create action out of meaning and meaning out of action. Stories can be told with a simple physical gesture, a position or shape of the body in space. The dynamic physical action or quality in which a body moves can convey a rich and fascinating narrative. Developing a keen awareness of one’s movement and physical expressiveness is essential for presenting and performing on the stage or in a public forum. The online course will involve exercises designed to unleash the individual’s imagination in order to bring courage and responsiveness into the body. The online course will offer an in-depth approach designed to develop physical skills and tools for theater performance. Usually offered every year.
Susan Dibble

THA 25a Voice for the Stage
[ ca ]
The focus of the class is to develop the human voice in preparation for performance. Foundational exercises are designed to deepen the student's connection to breath, expand vocal color, range and resonance, and to develop clarity, stamina and power, while connecting body, voice and imagination to the expressive use of language. Usually offered every year.
Marya Lowry

THA 30a Theater Practicum
Yields half-course credit. May be repeated once for credit. There is a mandatory class meeting for this course at the beginning of each semester. The instructor will email the class with a date and time of the beginning of semester informational meeting. This meeting is mandatory and usually takes place during the second week of classes.
A hands-on production course, providing exposure to and experience in the practical aspects of theater production. Under professional direction, students develop a working knowledge of a specific theatrical area and learn how all areas come together in creating theater. Students work as crew members for the Brandeis Theater Department. Usually offered every year.
Jennifer Cleary

THA 35a The Audition
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 21b.
Actors obtain work through an audition process; therefore, actors need to audition well. This course aims to prepare mid- and upper-level acting students for that process. Topics include resumes, material selection, preparation, and practice in various kinds of auditions using both classical and contemporary literature. Usually offered every second year.
Robert Walsh

THA 40a The Art of Visual Narrative and Production Design
[ ca ]
Explores the process of creating visual narrative - how do we travel from idea to image to visual storytelling? We will learn to create evocative environments and visual metaphor that transport the viewer, transcend reality, and make stories. We will construct and deconstruct the idea of performance space both theatrical and site-specific. How do we create the psychological landscape of a story? What can an architectural detail tell us about character? What can we learn from objects? We will approach design from an interdisciplinary perspective that will challenge students to combine visual art, new media, performance, and space, in surprising and meaningful ways. Of interest to designers, actors, directors, film-makers, fine artists, and anyone interested in the process of creating a visual story line. Usually offered every year.
Cameron Anderson

THA 42a Acting Practicum
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in acting positions for the Brandeis Theater Department. Usually offered every year.
Adrianne Krstansky

THA 43a Dance and Movement Practicum
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in movement/dance positions for the Brandeis Theater Department. Usually offered every year.
Susan Dibble

THA 44a Directing Practicum
Prerequisite: THA 70a. Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in directing and assistant directing positions for the Brandeis Theater Department. Usually offered every year.
Dmitry Troyanovsky

THA 45a Design/Technical Practicum
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in design/technical and assistant design/technical positions for the Brandeis Theater Department. Usually offered every year.
Cameron Anderson

THA 47a Stage Management Practicum
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be repeated for credit with the permission of the instructor.
Lab credit for students serving in stage management positions for the Brandeis Theater Department. Usually offered every year.
Jennifer Cleary

THA 48a Dramaturgy Practicum
Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. May be taken only once for credit.
Lab credit for students serving in dramaturgy and assistant dramaturgy positions for the Brandeis Theater Department. Usually offered every year.
Ryan McKittrick

THA 50a The Practice of Professional Scenic Design
Yields half-course credit.
Students will be exposed to the professional process of bringing a large-scale scenic design to the stage. In a studio setting, the professor will share her ongoing international and national projects with the class, enabling them to understand the creative processes involved in designing on a large scale, the practical conversations involved in negotiating budget, professional collaboration, and the realization of a design. This course will also be a laboratory for students currently designing for the department - students will share their processes with their classmates, passing on what they are learning, and inspiring others in turn to seek design opportunities in the department. Professional designers (lighting, scenic, sound, and costumes) and directors from the community will visit the class, offering workshops and lectures on their work. Students will be invited to attend the professor's technical rehearsals, load ins, shop visits, and performances at local theaters. Usually offered every second year.
Cameron Anderson

THA 66a The American Drama since 1945
[ ca ]
Examines the major plays and playwrights representing styles from social realism to avant-garde performance groups and the theater of images. Usually offered every second year.
Arthur Holmberg

THA 70a Directing: Imagination in Action
[ ca dl ]
Prerequisite: THA 10a or permission of the instructor.
Examines the art of theater from the director's perspective. Focuses on how theory and practice meet in the crucible of actual rehearsal, production, and performance from the director's point of view. Usually offered every year.
Dmitry Troyanovsky

THA 71a Playwriting
[ ca wi ]
Prerequisite: THA 10a or permission of the instructor.
Introduces students to the fundamentals of playwriting. Attention will be given to dramatic structure, the development of character, and stage dialogue. In addition to completing a number of playwriting exercises, students will write one ten-minute play and one one-act play. Work will be shared with the class and read aloud. Usually offered every year.
Ryan McKittrick

THA 92a Internship in Theater
All THA students completing internships for credit must enroll in this seminar.
This seminar continues the process of experiential learning through the completion of various projects that utilize the resources of the professional theaters in the Boston area. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 97a Senior Project
Students may complete a senior project to fulfill the final requirements of the major. Completion of this course does not qualify the student for departmental honors. Students should meet with their adviser to develop a suitable project. Usually offered every semester.
Staff

THA 98a Independent Study
Prerequisite: University GPA equal to a B or higher. Enrollment limited to juniors and seniors.
Students may elect either a research paper, a production project, or a combination of the two. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 98b Independent Study
Prerequisite: University GPA equal to a B or higher. Enrollment limited to juniors and seniors.
Students may elect either a research paper, a production project, or a combination of the two. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 99a Senior Research
With permission of the department, qualified students may choose to complete a thesis paper, a play, or a project in theater arts. This course may be taken alone to fulfill major requirements or in conjunction with THA 99b to complete a full-year thesis project, making the student eligible for departmental honors. Students wishing to obtain honors will undergo review by their advisers before being allowed to enroll in the continuation of the thesis project, THA 99b, and must obtain permission of the adviser and department chair before registering. Offered every fall semester.
Staff

THA 99b Senior Thesis
With permission of the department, qualified students may choose to complete a thesis paper, a play, or a project in theater arts. This course may be taken alone to fulfill requirements for the major or in conjunction with THA 99a to complete a full-year thesis project, making the student eligible for departmental honors. Students wishing to obtain honors will undergo review by their advisers and must obtain permission from their advisers and the department chair before registering. Offered every spring semester.
Staff

RECS/THA 140a Russian Theater: Stanislavsky to Present
[ ca djw hum wi ]
Throughout its history, Russian theatre has tried to communicate truthfully in a mostly repressive society. This course introduces students to the achievements of theatre artists from Stanislavsky through Post-Modernism. We will examine the work of groundbreaking directors like Meyerhold, Vakhtangov, and Lyubimov. We will read and analyze representative works of major modern and contemporary playwrights. The course load consists of readings, discussions, papers and in-class projects. Usually offered every second year.
Dmitry Troyanovsky

RECS/THA 148a Russian Drama: Text and Performance
[ hum oc ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian. Formerly offered as RECS 148a.
Examines the rich tradition of Russian drama and theater. Readings include masterpieces of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including those by Chekhov, Pushkin, Gogol, Ostrovsky, Mayakovsky, Erdman, and others. Usually offered every second year.
David Powelstock

THA 101a Stage Management
[ ca ]
Introduces the field of stage management in the American professional theatre. Through readings, discussions, and practical applications, students will engage in the theatrical process from auditions and pre-production to rehearsal and performance. The current nature of the professional theatre workplace in the United States will also be discussed. Some previous theatrical knowledge and/or experience is expected. Required for students interested in pursuing stage management positions with the Brandeis Theater Department. Usually offered every year.
Jennifer Cleary

THA 102b Shakespeare: On Stage and Screen
[ ca ]
Shakespeare wrote his plays to be seen and heard, not read. This course approaches Shakespeare as a man of the theater who thought visually as well as verbally. Explores Shakespeare's scripts in their original theatrical context, subsequent production history, and migration to film. Usually offered every second year.
Arthur Holmberg

THA 105a Singing for Musical Theater
[ ca ]
May be repeated for credit.
Fundamentals in singing techniques using the repertoire of the musical theater. Students practice healthy vocal habits for breath support, focusing resonance, extending the tonal line, and clarity of diction. The course is a combination of group sessions and individual lessons. Usually offered every year.
Nancy Armstrong

THA 106a Advanced Undergraduate Singing
[ ca ]
Enrollment by audition only.
Explores the music of a Broadway Musical Theater composer. Usually offered every year.
Nancy Armstrong

THA 109a Improvisation for Theatre: Acting Unscripted
[ ca ]
An approach to acting through the stimulation of the actor's imagination and creativity, freeing the actor's impulses and faith. Improvisation breaks down the elements of scene work and, through a series of exercises, makes these elements more personal and accessible to the actor. Usually offered every year.
Adrianne Krstansky and Dmitry Troyanovsky

THA 109b Physical Theater, Body, Gesture, and Character
[ ca ]
Works on physical awareness, economy, precision, specificity and introduces methods of stage movement training that encourages creativity, flexibility and grace. The course focuses on teaching the student how to develop an imaginative,expressive and dynamic stage presence while telling a character's story in a play or movement piece. The course includes Rudolf Laban's movement theory, mask and 'red-nose' clown training. Usually offered every year.
Susan Dibble

THA 110a Moving Women/Women Moving
[ ca ]
Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement.
Among the influential women leaders in America are choreographers who shaped the history of modern dance in the twentieth century. This course will focus on the work and lives of these women. Students will learn dance techniques and investigate the twists and turns in the lives of these extraordinary artists. Usually offered every third year.
Susan Dibble

THA 110b Modern Dance and Movement
[ ca ]
Offers a variety of fundamental dance/movement methods, while focusing primarily on the basic forms and movement vocabulary of Modern Dance. Students will learn to appreciate modern dance as a valuable art form and engage in collaborative creative projects, history, research, and a variety of choreographic styles. Students will develop physical and mental strength and flexibility by participating in warm-ups, traveling phrases across the floor, combinations, and structured improvisations. Usually offered every year.
Susan Dibble

THA 111b Stage Combat
[ ca ]
The course's purpose is to teach the basic skills necessary for the creation of effective and safe stage combat. At the completion of the semester, student competency will be tested by means of a choreographed "fight" utilizing compulsory moves and safety techniques. Usually offered every year.
Robert Walsh

THA 115a The Human Voice for Life and Art
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 10a or permission of the instructor.
Explore the un-boundaried voice – deeply breathed and dynamically embodied. Traditional Anglo-American methodologies are combined with archetypal imagery and ethnic vocal styles organized to harness untapped resources of energy, deepen full-bodied breath connection, and strengthen imaginative muscles in order to invigorate a more personal connection to your voice. In this workshop-style course we will explore and celebrate the wide range of colors, timbres, heights and depths available to the human voice. The course is appropriate for actors, singers, and anyone interested in exploring their vocal potential in a creative environment. Usually offered every year.
Marya Lowry

THA 115b The Avant-Gardes in Performance
[ ca hum ]
Explores the avant-garde movements including symbolism, decadence, futurism, constructivism, Dada, surrealism, expressionism, existentialism, pop art and happenings, performance art, minimalism, and postmodernism as alternative forms of expression that challenge mainstream art. Attention is paid to the interactions among theater, painting, dance, music, and film. Usually offered every second year.
Dmitry Troyanovsky

THA 120a Dance in Time
[ ca ]
Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement.
Focuses on how life cycles, nature and the elements, rhythm and structure in traditional dance forms and rituals, poetry, social events, and human behavior, for example, can all contribute to the understanding of dance and its place in the history of the world. Students are given the opportunity to explore these ideas as well as learn about and practice the creative process by using a variety of sources that inspire and inform the human being who participates in dance of all kinds. Usually offered every second year.
Susan Dibble

THA 120b Movement and Dance Theater Composition
[ ca ]
Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement.
An online studio course designed to teach the art of making dances and movement theater. Students will learn from the story of this artform and how it involves exploring the use of space, theme, rhythm, repetition, and music. The online course offers an introduction to the process of creating original dance and movement theatrical work for the stage and presents exercises and tools for creating dance movement using inspiration from autobiographical material, visual and oral content, poetry, literature, forms of all kinds in a variety of disciplines. Usually offered every year.
Susan Dibble

THA 123a American Musical Theater
[ ca ]
Analyzes American musicals in their historical contexts: students learn how to analyze the structure and score of musicals, and develop a vocabulary for examining the visual dimensions of productions. Attention will be given to production histories. Usually offered every year.
Ryan McKittrick

THA 125a Acting for the Camera
[ ca ]
A process-based acting class. Emphasis is on developing the actor's ability to work honestly and creatively in front of the camera. All work is videotaped. Students regularly review their performances in order to advance their critical understanding of the work. Usually offered two consecutive years with a third-year hiatus.
Staff

THA 125b The Art of Scenography: Scenic Design and Invention for Performance
[ ca dl ]
Prerequisite: THA 10a or permission of the instructor. May be repeated for credit if taught by different instructors. Open to non-majors.
Introduces students to the process of creating evocative and imaginative designs for the stage. This course is designed for students of all majors and years who want to learn about scenic design. Working with a variety of source material, students will explore how to develop ideas and striking theatrical images that tell the story of the text. How can we create a psychological visual environment that transports the viewer to another time and space? How do textures, colors, and composition work on the mind? We will use installation art, sculptural thinking, and creative writing to inspire our environments. We will examine the body and the space it inhabits to create new interdisciplinary possibilities. How can new technologies such as video and projection inform our process? Working in a studio setting, students will be introduced to methods and craft of set design - including research, sketching, model making and drafting. Above all, students will be asked to take risks, and begin to develop their artistic vision. Of interest to designers, directors, film-makers, fine artists, and anyone interested in the process of creating a visual story line. Students are required to purchase materials. Usually offered every year.
Cameron Anderson

THA 126a Playing for Change - Community Building and Social Change on Stage
[ ca djw ]
Examines ways in which theatrical arts can create change in a variety of non-traditional situations. This course is grounded in the discussion/practice of theater activists such as Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. For both theater and non-theater students, this course focuses on how and why this collaborative, useful art form can be introduced into sociological, psychological, political, cultural, educational, medical, and historical paradigms. Students will generate work surrounding social issues of importance to them. Usually offered every second year.
Jennifer Cleary

THA 126b Playback Theatre
[ ca ]
Comfortable clothing recommended. May not be taken for credit by students who took THA 195a in spring 2014.
Playback Theatre is a form of improvisation where audience members voluntarily share true stories and then instantly witness a group of actors and a musician recreating the ‘essence’ of what was shared. Deeper issues related to the audience and society are revealed through the metaphorical reenactments of each story, reinforcing a sense of community and self worth. In this course we will learn the basic skills and forms required to perform Playback Theatre successfully, as well as analyze some of the theories of how the Playback experience strengthens communities by connecting people. Usually offered every second year.
William Chalmus

THA 130a Suzuki
[ ca ]
Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement. Undergraduates may repeat this course twice for credit, once with each instructor.
Developed by the Japanese theater artist Tadashi Suzuki, the Suzuki method of acting training develops physical strength, stamina, and agility while engaging the imagination and will of the actor. Through a series of walks, statues, and marches, students are taught to breathe and move from the core of their bodies. This training allows students to act from physical impulse, resulting in a deep and personal experience of language and the world of play. Usually offered every semester.
Staff

THA 132a Collaborative Theater Making
[ ca ]
May be repeated once for credit.
An exploration of the process of collaborative creation from the idea to performance. Students work as performers, directors, writers, and designers to create original theater pieces based on current events, literature, theater, genres, and personal obsessions. Usually offered every year.
Adrianne Krstansky

THA 133a Acting: Modern Realism
[ ca ]
Prerequisite: THA 21b or permission of the instructor. Four class hours per week.
Focus is on releasing the creative energies of the actor through integrated work on technique and text. Building on the curricula of THA 21b, student actors are guided in applying basic acting concepts to scenes from contemporary and modern drama. Students explore how to take responsibility for their own development through the rehearsal process. Introduces relevant techniques such as script analysis and research. Usually offered every year.
Adrianne Krstansky and Dmitry Troyanovsky

THA 133b Acting the Classics
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: THA 11a, THA 11b and THA 21b or permission of the instructor. Four class hours per week.
Explores specific approaches to rehearsing and performing in the heightened world of classical texts, including William Shakespeare. The course is designed to release the actor’s creative energies by stimulating an appetite for size, power and extravagant physical/vocal communication, to deepen the actor’s analytical skills and free the actor for greater intellectual and emotional engagement. You will develop a respect for and understanding of form while gaining ease and joy in the fully realized expression of heightened language texts. Usually offered every second year.
Marya Lowry

THA 135b Lighting Design
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: THA 11a, THA 11b and THA 21b or permission of the instructor.
Studies an approach to developing a light plot with an emphasis on lighting mechanics and drafting conventions. The student also develops visual awareness through the study of artistic composition as well as learning a conceptual approach to lighting design. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 138a The Business of Show Business
[ ca ]
Provides students with an overview of the many different facets of what it takes to produce live theater in America today. With an emphasis on non-profit theater, students will learn about organizational structure, aesthetic and artistic goals, facilities management, budgeting and revenue streams, public relations/marketing/advertising and communication. From brainstorming to barnstorming, this course will give students the step-by-step process of delivering live, professional theater. Usually offered every second year.
Robert Walsh

THA 138b Creative Pedagogy
[ ca oc ]
Focuses on creativity in pedagogy from a theatrical lens and is meant for anyone who wishes to teach anyone just about anything! This course will focus on the building of community and confidence that takes place within any learning environment that utilizes creative and theatrical arts as a modality. We will discuss the foundation and theories behind teaching, learning, and creative expression, allowing students to ground their own work in what has and hasn't worked in the past, as well as to expand their own creative reach and risk-taking capabilities. Usually offered every second year.
Jennifer Cleary

THA 142b Women Playwrights: Writing for the Stage by and about Women
[ ca deis-us wi ]
Introduces the world of female playwrights. This course will engage the texts through common themes explored by female playwrights: motherhood (and daughterhood), reproduction, sexuality, family relationships, etc. Students will participate in writing or performance exercises based on these themes. Usually offered every second year.
Adrianne Krstansky

THA 144b Black Theater and Performance
[ ca deis-us ]
Explores aesthetic innovations and transformations in African American theater and performance and examines the crucial role the stage has played in shaping perceptions and understandings of blackness. Usually offered every second year.
Isaiah Wooden

THA 145a Queer Theater
[ ca deis-us ]
Explores significant plays that have shaped and defined gay identity during the past 100 years. Playwrights span Wilde to Taylor Mac. Examining texts as literature, history, and performance, we will explore cultural change, politics, gender, the AIDS epidemic, camp, and coming out. Usually offered every third year.
Dmitry Troyanovsky

THA 150a Global Theater: Voices from Asia, Africa, and the Americas
[ ca djw nw wi ]
Explores dramatic literature and performance traditions from across the globe. Examines the ways various artists have engaged theater to express, represent, and interrogate diversity and complexity of the human condition. Usually offered every second year.
Isaiah Wooden

THA 155a Icons of Masculinity
[ ca ]
Using icons from movies, fiction, theater, and television who represent manhood, this course explores how American men have defined and performed their masculinity. Various archetypes, including the cowboy, the gangster, the rogue cop, the athlete, the buddy, the lover, and Woody Allen are examined. Usually offered every second year.
Arthur Holmberg

THA 156a Making Mirth: Building Resilience and Creating Balance
[ ca ]
Aims to build resilience through dance, movement, storytelling, comedy, improvisation and the power of play. Students will learn various methods for obtaining calm and balance while learning about the body and students will learn various methods for obtaining calm and balance while learning about the body's natural abilities in creating resilience. Usually offered every third year.
Susan Dibble

THA 164a Costume Design
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: THA 11a, THA 11b and THA 125b or permission of the instructor.
Explores the social and political themes within various dramatic texts and discuss how those themes influence design choices. We will examine the ways specific costume design choices - period, silhouette, texture and color - convey meaning, and will gain experience creating and presenting theoretical costume design concepts as paper projects. Intended for Theater Arts majors as well as students with no theater experience. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

THA 165b Tough Guys and Femmes Fatales: Gender Trouble in Noir and Neo-Noir
[ ca ]
Looking at gender anxiety in noir and neo-noir, this course explores how the genre has evolved and what this evolution reveals about the ongoing negotiations of masculinity, femininity, and power. Attention paid to how actors embody and perform masculinity. Usually offered every second year.
Arthur Holmberg

THA 175a The Art of Scenography II - Scenic Design and Invention for Performance
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: THA 11a, THA 11b and THA 125b or permission of the instructor.
Building off of what students learned in The Art of Scenography I, this class will continue to explore the process of creating evocative and imaginative designs for the stage. We will move into more advanced model making and drafting - analyzing in greater detail all the materials necessary to communicate designs to the workshops. We will look more deeply into the collaborative process with the director and design team. How does one design differently for opera, musical theater, and straight theater? Working with a variety of source material, students will explore how to develop ideas and striking theatrical images that tell the story of the text. How can we create a psychological visual environment that transports the viewer to another time and space? How do textures, colors, and composition work on the mind? We will use installation art, sculptural thinking, and creative writing to inspire our environments. We will examine the body and the space it inhabits to create new interdisciplinary possibilities. How can new technologies such as video and projection inform our process? Working in a studio setting, students will continue to refine the craft of set design - including research, sketching, model making and drafting. Above all, students will be asked to take risks, and continue to develop their artistic vision. Of interest to designers, directors, film-makers, fine artists, and anyone interested in the process of creating a visual story line. Students are required to purchase materials. Usually offered every second year.
Cameron Anderson

THA 177b Stage Technology
[ ca ]
Explores the theater structure as a machine to house theatrical productions and traditional, as well as current, techniques for the movement and rigging of scenery within that mechanical environment. Specific projects are assigned to develop scenery shifting strategies that allow for a variety of technological solutions to scenic movement problems. Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 180a In Your Face: Staging the Self through Theatrical Installation
[ ca ]
Students will create a living theatrical self-portrait. Through an exploration of site-specific theater and performance art and design, students will explore themselves and their values in order to create an original live work of theater. We will ask ourselves how our experiences, past and present, can become fodder for a performance that creates social transformation and empowerment. What are the differences between how we see ourselves and how others see us? How can our narratives be transformed into mythology and metaphor? Assignments and exercises throughout the semester will focus on the nuance and interplay of written and visual elements, so that students’ self-portraits emerge as truly interdisciplinary installation pieces. The visual components of projects will not follow text but will emerge linked organically to performance. Some projects will begin with a writing exercise that explores the self (letters, emails, blogs, journals, poetry, memoirs, and autobiographies). These texts will then be translated into visual expressions (video, photo, and painting). Other projects will begin with the visual idea (family heirloom, object) and a text will be written in response. What story can emerge from a family heirloom? How can an heirloom be transformed into art? Finally, how can visual expression and text be combined to tell a powerful story of transformation? The course will culminate with the creation of a living self-portrait that will combine performance and design. No experience in performance, theater, or design expected. Of interest to students of all disciplines, of particular interest to theater-makers, filmmakers, and fine artists. Usually offered every second year.
Cameron Anderson

THA 185b Advanced Playwriting and Dramatic Structure
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: THA 11a, THA 11b and THA 71a or permission of the instructor.
Students write plays inspired by the dramatic structures of scripts from the Greeks to the present. Texts analyzed include works by Euripides, Seneca, Hegel, Aristotle, Racine, Sarah Kane, Lope de Vega, Shakespeare, Harold Pinter, Richard Greenberg, Caryl Churchill, Arthur Schnitzler, David Hare, Sergi Belbel, and Kuan Han-ch’ing. Usually offered every second year.
Ryan McKittrick

THA 190a Ensemble Production: Director Designer Collaboration
[ ca ]
Prerequisites: THA 70a or THA 125a or permission of the instructor.
Allows directors and designers to collaborate on a work of visual theater. This course explores one of the key aspects of contemporary theater making in the United States and abroad; today directors must be able to master the visual aspects of theatre, while designers need to embrace the narrative and stylistic demands of live performance. Students will be encouraged to challenge assumptions -- such as defining themselves as directors or designers -- and to collaborate on innovative theater pieces with an extensive visual vocabulary. Students will work in groups, experimenting with a variety of artistic approaches. Usually offered every second year.
Cameron Anderson and Dmitry Troyanovsky

THA 195a Topics in Theater and Drama
[ ca ]
Prerequisites and enrollment limits vary with course topic and instructor.
Study of special topics in theater history, dramatic literature, theatrical production, acting, or design. May be repeated for credit as the course topic varies. See Schedule of Classes each semester for further information.
Staff

THA 199a Senior Seminar: The Professional Experience
[ oc ]
Prerequisite: Senior standing. Yields half-course credit. Open only to Theater Art majors.
Professional field exploration and preparation for all seniors graduating with a degree in Theater Arts, covering a variety of topics through in-depth seminars with working professionals, faculty, and staff. Students will be exposed to all of the possibilities awaiting them within the professional field and will gain skill in presenting their own work In theater. Students in the seminar will work extensively on their oral communication skills in professional and presentational settings. Usually offered every year.
Jen Cleary

THA 390a Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff

THA 390b Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff

CA 125a Provocative Art: Outside the Comfort Zone
[ ca ]
Presents, analyzes and discusses art that provokes controversies, discomfort, and other strong responses. This class will focus on a broad range of artistic expressions, including visual art, theater, film, music, and literature with Brandeis faculty as well as visiting artists. Usually offered every year.
Gannit Ankori, Mark Brimhall-Vargas, and Will Chalmus

ENG 33a Shakespeare
[ hum ]
A survey of Shakespeare as a dramatist. From nine to twelve plays will be read, representing all periods of Shakespeare's dramatic career. Usually offered every year.
William Flesch or Ramie Targoff

ENG 118b Teaching Shakespeare Up Close and Personal
[ hum ]
Does not count towards the MA or PhD in English.
Examines two plays of Shakespeare from theoretical, historical, and practical viewpoints: the scholar's, actor's and the teacher's. These perspectives will open up a world of possibilities for sharing Shakespeare's plays in the classroom or on the stage. Usually offered every year.
William Flesch

ENG 123a Violence and the Body in Early Modern Drama
[ dl hum ]
May not be taken for credit by students who took ENG 23a in prior years.
Explores early modern understandings of the body, with particular attention to gender, sexuality, race, and nation. Considers the role of violence in determining who counts as fully human, who can be reduced to a body, and whose bodies can be severed from citizenship, recognition, and value. Explores as well the claims of the body and voice to memorialization and belonging, and the evidence of actors' bodies on the stage. Usually offered every third year.
Thomas King

ENG 133a Advanced Shakespeare
[ hum wi ]
Prerequisite: ENG 33a or equivalent.
An intensive analysis of a single play or a small number of Shakespeare's plays. Usually offered every third year.
William Flesch and Thomas King

ENG 151b Performance Studies
[ dl hum ]
Explores paradigms for making performance inside and outside of institutionalized theater spaces, with an emphasis on the performance of everyday life. Students read theories of theater and performance against paradigmatic dramatic texts and documents of social performance. Combining theory with practice, students explore and make site-specific and online performances. Usually offered every third year.
Thomas King

ENG 170b Contemporary Theatre and Performance: Between Rights and the Post-Human
[ hum ]
Students will explore two pressing questions: How do contemporary theatre artists work to rehumanize those denied humanity? During a global climate emergency, how can the theatre, which is traditionally defined by the co-presence of humans, relocate the human as only one of many lifeforms—not the center of everything but rather entwined with other organic, inorganic, and spiritual agencies? Usually offered every second year.
Thomas King

FA 23b Architectural Drawing and Design
[ ca ]
Priority given to Architectural Studies minors.
Teaches basic architectural drawing, drafting, and modeling skills under the umbrella of a unifying theory and/or theme. It is structured as an introductory studio course requiring no previous knowledge or background in architectural design. Students learn how to build models, execute architectural drawings, and to approach architectural design problems. Usually offered every year.
Staff

HBRW 144a Hebrew through Plays and Drama
[ ca fl hum oc wi ]
Prerequisite: Any 30-level Hebrew course or permission of the instructor.
Helps improve Hebrew language skills at the advanced-intermediate level by focusing on various creative aspects such as improvisations, drama, performance, and other acting techniques such as movement, imagination, and other basic skills necessary to act out scenes from various plays in the Hebrew language. Writing assignments and self-critique enhance the students' skills in language acquisition. The course culminates in the writing of one-act plays in Hebrew along with a theatrical performance and production. Usually offered every second year.
Sara Hascal

HBRW 164b Israeli Theater
[ ca djw fl hum oc wi ]
Prerequisite: Any 30-level Hebrew course or permission of the instructor.
An advanced-intermediate course that promotes language skills through the reading and analysis of plays. The student's creativity is developed through participation in acting and creative writing assignments. Usually offered every second year.
Sara Hascal

HISP 150a Staging Early Modern Spain: Drama and Society
[ fl hum ]
Prerequisite: HISP 109b or HISP 111b, or permission of the instructor.
Explores social class, gender, and violence in seventeenth-century Spanish dramas that deal with seduction, cross-dressing, revolution, and wife-murder. Authors to be studied include Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Alarcón, Tirso de Molina, and Calderón. Usually offered every second year.
James Mandrell

MUS 31a Broadway Bound: The Craft of Composing Music and Lyrics for the Theater
[ ca ]
Open to music majors and non-majors.
Do you like to write poetry or plays? Have you written music and/or lyrics and want to try your hand at writing musical theatre? In this class, you will learn how music functions in a dramatic context by writing songs (alone or in collaboration with others) and regularly presenting your material for peer and instructor feedback. Contemporary and traditional musical theater masterpieces will be analyzed. Usually offered every second year.
Neal Hampton

NEJS 184b Disability Cultures: Art, Film and Literature of People with Disabilities
[ djw hum ]
Explores cultural representations of disability in Israel, Europe, and the US. By focusing on literature, film, dance, and visual art, it explores physical, mental, and emotional disability experiences, and their relations to gender, sexuality, nationalism, and identity politics. Usually offered every second year.
Ilana Szobel

RECS/THA 148a Russian Drama: Text and Performance
[ hum oc ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English. Students may choose to do readings either in English translation or in Russian. Formerly offered as RECS 148a.
Examines the rich tradition of Russian drama and theater. Readings include masterpieces of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including those by Chekhov, Pushkin, Gogol, Ostrovsky, Mayakovsky, Erdman, and others. Usually offered every second year.
David Powelstock