Theater Studies

THEATER STUDIES 101—INTRODUCTION TO THEATER (HA)

Fall. Credit, three hours. A theoretical and practical initiation to theater as a collaborative art. Includes script analysis as well as basic instruction in acting, improvisation, stage design, and play direction.

THEATER STUDIES 120—INTRODUCTION TO ACTING (HA)

Fall, spring. Credit, three hours. A hands-on course in acting technique that also requires written and verbal reflection. The course introduces the student to the following: warm-ups, improvisation, theater games, character study including written character scene work, collaborative presentations, and a final public performance that coalesces around one theme or one play. Students receive regular feedback from the instructor. Students read and study complete plays in order to create characters for scenes.

THEATER STUDIES 130—STAGECRAFT (HA)

Fall. Credit, four hours. A theoretical and practical initiation to technical theater. Practical assignments will be oriented toward mounting productions staged by Oxford Theater.

THEATER STUDIES 200R—THEATER PRACTICUM

Fall, Spring. Variable credit. Prerequisites: Previous theater experience at Oxford and permission of instructor. Advanced work in theater to include one or more of the following: directing, lighting, set design, and playwriting. May be repeated for credit.

THEATER STUDIES 210: READING FOR PERFORMANCE

TBA. Credits, three hours. Reading plays with a view to production. Exercises and projects explore how a text emerges in performance from the combined perspectives of actors, directors, dramaturges, designers, and audiences.

THEATER STUDIES 216—HISTORY OF DRAMA AND THEATER II (HA)

(Same as English 216) Spring. Credit, three hours. A history of the theater from the eighteenth century through the twentieth century, focusing on representative dramatic works and on the actor, staging, and audience as they have influenced the development of drama and the theater in the modern period. May be taken without Theater 215. Required for theater studies majors.

THEATER STUDIES 381—PRISON MEDIA AND PERFORMANCE

Fall. Credit, three hours. Examining the prison in media and performance to understand the American culture of punishment. We will reflect on mass incarceration and interrogate how creativity can contribute to prison reform and abolition. 

THEATER STUDIES 389R—SPECIAL TOPICS IN THEATER

On demand. Credit, one to four hours. Individual courses designed to introduce students to special topics in theater.

THEATER STUDIES 397R—DIRECTED STUDY IN THEATER

On demand. Credit, one to four hours. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Special projects, research, and readings under the direction of a faculty member.