THEA - Theater

The purpose of acting is to portray honest behavior under imaginary circumstances. This class will introduce students to a practical, on your feet approach to acting using script analysis, improvisation, and acting techniques grounded primarily in the concepts of Objective/Tactic and Given Circumstances. Ultimately the goal of all acting is to combine the precision of preparation with the spontaneity of improvisation. The class culminates in a showcase performance combining scenes, monologues, and improvisation.

This class will introduce students to the basic skills of theatrical improvisation: Listening, Accept & Add (Yes, And), and Immediacy. As the semester continues we will add more advanced skills, including Characterization, Objectives, Game, and Heightening. These skills will be applied to both short form improv scenes and long form improv formats, which are typically designed to more closely resemble traditional scripted theatre. In addition, students will watch online improv sets, and then comment upon and critique those sets. The class will also include two showcase performances.

Prerequisite: Fulfillment of the Composition requirement of the Core. This class is an immersion in both the theatre and cinema of the great comedic actor, director and writer Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton. The student will come to understand Buster’s personal and artistic evolution from his early theatre days as a part of his family’s vaudeville act to his early silent films with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and on through his masterpiece of silent cinema The General (1926) and beyond.

Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed the Composition Requirement. This class is an introduction to the art of playwriting and focused on developing a reliable process for student writers as they move from creative conception to completed dramatic script. It is designed for students with previous experience as well as those with minimal experience. All students will expand their conception of artistic possibilities by discussing the shorter plays of many significant playwrights as well as these writers? thoughts about their own processes for creation and playwriting.

Prerequisites: THEA 101 and permission of instructor. 

An advanced course in acting in which students build upon the foundations developed in THEA 101. Students will explore more advanced acting techniques, possibly including elements of the Meisner, method acting, and/or physical theatre. They will also begin exploring unique approaches to various acting styles, from Shakespeare to modern realism and beyond.

Prerequisite: ENGL 100 or ENGL 101 or 3 credits from ENGL 110-139. This course will examine the history, development, literary devices, and production values of a variety of theatre and drama, from Ancient Greece and Rome to the nineteenth century. Playwrights studied may include Sophocles, Aristophanes, liturgical dramatists, commedia performers, Shakespeare, Jonson, Chikamatsu, Molière, Sheridan, Tyler and Daly. (H1, G)

Prerequisite: ENGL 100 or ENGL 101 or 3 credits from ENGL 110-139. This course will examine the history, development, literary devices, and production values of a variety of theatre and drama, from nineteenth century Realism to the present day. Playwrights studied may include Ibsen, Wilde, Chekhov, O’Neill, Miller, Williams, Albee, Beckett, Pinter, Shepard, Mamet, Wilson and Kushner.(H2, G)

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor. This class is an introduction to the artistic process of the director focusing on the fundamentals of directing plays for live theatre. We will touch on all aspects of the director's process from initial conception through the rehearsal process to performance.

Students in Theatre Practicum will participate in Hood College Theatre productions, either on stage as actors, backstage as technicians and designers, or in some combination of both. In addition to participating in productions, students will participate in workshops given by guest artists throughout the semester, will learn the basics of lighting, set, and costume design, and will gain experience in live event marketing and publicity.

Offered at the discretion of the department. An opportunity for groups of eight or more students to study topics suggested by their special interests and those of the faculty and not included in the regular offerings.

Prerequisite: ENGL 219. May not be taken on an audit basis. 

This workshop course is designed to help the student understand the principles of dramatic writing through lectures, workshops, and staged readings of student work. Students will learn about dramatic structure, character, dialogue, and various approaches to theatricality. Suitable for all levels of experience.

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor. Independent work in theater. Conferences.