Course Descriptions

This is a workshop course designed to introduce students to the art of the actor, with a focus on physical work, vocal work, textual analysis, and developing the students’ awareness of practical acting tools and techniques. Students will apply approaches and techniques taught in class to a variety of situations and exercises, including written assignments, monologues and scene work.

This is a workshop course for intermediate students. It focuses on the theory and practice of improvisational acting. After an introduction to the fundamental principles of narrative structure and spontaneity, the student explores performance theatre-games, masks and improvisation as a tool to develop scripted theatre.

An intermediate scene study course focusing on text analysis and the performance of scenes and very short one-act plays.

A scene study course which explores style in classical and contemporary plays. Scene study will emphasize acting styles in groups of representative plays. Topics, set by the department, will vary each term.

This course will broaden the areas of expertise for Theatre department students in performance skills and workshops may include: Stage Combat, Acting is a Business, Advanced scene work, Voice Over and Animation, Physical Conditioning, Performance Methodologies, Audition Skills, Dance Partnering, Text and Music in Auditioning, and/or Embodied Acting and Movement work.

This course further develops the areas of expertise for Theatre department students in additional performance skills specialties and may be selected from the following topics: Stage Combat, Acting is a Business, Advanced Acting and/or Audition Skills, Lifts and Partner Dance, Text and/or Music in Auditioning, Improvisation into Text and Character Work, and/or Embodied Acting and Movement work.