Courses ofInstruction
Theatre
Core Faculty
Chris Woodworth, Associate Professor of Theatre, Department Chair
Chris Hatch, Associate Professor of Theatre
Heather May, Professor of Theatre
Ed Hallborg, Technical Director
Affiliated and Adjunct Faculty
Kelly Walker, Sound and Projection Designer
Mission Statement
Theatre has the power to reimagine worlds. The mission of the Theatre Department at Hobart and William Smith Colleges is to give students opportunities to make and study theatre with a particular emphasis on how theatre transforms society through sharing spaces, raising voices, and crafting stories.
Offerings
The Department offers a major and two minors (one disciplinary and one interdisciplinary) and produces three main stage faculty-directed shows per year. The Theatre Department offers students the opportunity to make and study theatre in the classroom, on stage, and in the community.
Theatre Major (B.A.)
disciplinary, 12 courses, 11 credits
Learning Objectives:
- Make theatre through collaborative processes that bring together production elements including acting, directing, design, and technical production.
- Connect theatre to the world through community engagement, inclusivity, embodiment, and social justice.
- Analyze and interpret texts in preparation for theatrical production.
- Explore the interrelationship between theatre and society in respective cultural contexts and across time.
- Develop empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative skills in and beyond theatre.
Requirements:
At least 12 courses including THTR 100, THTR 130, THTR 490, two courses from the Theatre History/Literature/Theory category (THTR 220, THTR 300, THTR 308, THTR 309, THTR 310, THTR 320), and two semesters of THTR 900 OR one semester of THTR 900 and an additional elective; three electives in theatre which constitute a concentration in either acting, theatre production, theatre history/literature/theory, or theatre of/for social change; two additional electives in Theatre or from the list of cross-listed courses listed below. Electives will be selected in consultation with the advisor. No more than three courses may be at the 100-level and at least six courses must be at the 300-level or above (one or two of which are the two THTR 900 half credits). The major may include no more than one independent study and no more than two courses from outside the department. All courses (except THTR 900) must be completed with a C- or better, and six courses must be unique to the major.
Courses in Theatre
THTR 100 From Page to Stage: Introduction to Script Analysis
THTR 130 Acting I
THTR 160 Stagecraft
THTR 220 Theatre History I
THTR 280 Stage Management
THTR 290 Theatre for Social Change
THTR 295 The Performing Arts of Bali
THTR 300 American Drama
THTR 308 American Experimental Theatres
THTR 309 Feminist Theatre
THTR 310 African American Theatre
THTR 320 Theatre History II
THTR 330 Acting II
THTR 335 Shakespearean Performance
THTR 340 Advanced Acting Styles
THTR 360 Lighting
THTR 361 Sound Design for Theatre
THTR 362 Designing for Theatre and Stage
THTR 370 Playwriting Workshop
THTR 424 Writing about Performance
THTR 450 Independent Study
THTR 480 Directing
THTR 490 Senior Capstone
THTR 495/496 Honors
THTR 900 Theatre Production Practicum
Cross Listed Courses
CLAS 108 Greek Tragedy
DAN 100 Introduction to Dance
DAN 101 Introduction to Dance: Body and Self
DAN 102 Introduction to Modern
DAN 107 Introduction to Jamaican Dance
DAN 110 Introduction to Dances of the African Diaspora
DAN 210 Dance History I: Perspectives on Ballet
DAN 212 Dance History II: Perspectives on Modern Dance
DAN 214 20th Century Dance History: Gender, Race, and Difference
DAN 230 Community Arts: Activism Embodied
DAN 314 Dance Criticism: Embodied Writing
DAN 250 Dance Improvisation
DAN 200 Dance Composition I
DAN 300 Dance Composition II
DAN 325 Movement Analysis: Laban Studies
DAN 940, 942, 944, 946 Modern II
DAN 945 Jazz Dance: Tradition and Innovation
DAN 950 Jamaican Dance II
DAN 955 Dances of the African Diaspora II
DAN 980 Dance Ensemble
EDUC 220 Storytelling
ENG 136 Shakespeare on Screen
ENG 233 Medieval Drama
ENG 236 Shakespeare
ENG 336 Shakespeare: Topics
ENG 339 Shakespeare’s Contemporaries
ENG 417 Shakespearean Adaptation
FRNE 255 Modern French Theatre
SPN 355 Contemporary Theater: Innovations in Hispanic Drama
SPN 392 Dramaturgas
GSIJ 213 Transnational Feminism
GSIJ 218 Queer Representation in Theatre and Film
GSIJ 219 Black Feminism and Theatre
Appropriate Courses for Each Concentration Include:
Acting
THTR 290 Theatre for Social Change
THTR 295 The Performing Arts of Bali
THTR 330 Acting II
THTR 335 Shakespearean Performance
THTR 340 Advanced Acting Styles (may be repeated for credit)
Theatre Production
THTR 160 Stagecraft
THTR 280 Stage Management
THTR 360 Lighting
THTR 361 Sound Design for Theatre
THTR 362 Designing for Theatre and Stage
THTR 370 Playwriting Workshop
THTR 480 Directing
Theatre History/Literature/Theory
THTR 220 Theatre History I
THTR 320 Theatre History II
THTR 300 American Drama
THTR 308 American Experimental Theatres
THTR 309 Feminist Theatre
THTR 310 African American Theatre
THTR 424 Writing about Performance
Theatre of/for Social Change
THTR 290 Theatre for Social Change
THTR 309 Feminist Theatre
THTR 310 African American Theatre
THTR 370 Playwriting Workshop
THTR 480 Directing
Theatre Minor – Disciplinary
6 courses, 5.5 or 6 credits
Requirements:
At least 6 courses including THTR 100, THTR 130, three elective courses in theatre selected from the two groups of courses below, and either THTR 900 or an additional elective. At least one of the electives must be from the Dramatic Literature, History, and Theory Group and at least one must be from the Theatre Production and Performance Group. Additional electives may be taken from either group. All courses must be in Theatre. At least three courses must be at the 200-level or above and at least three courses must be unique to the minor. The minor may include no more than one independent study in theatre. All courses (except THTR 900) must be completed with a C- or better.
Dramatic Literature, History, and Theory
THTR 220 Theatre History I
THTR 300 American Drama
THTR 308 American Experimental Theatres
THTR 309 Feminist Theatre
THTR 310 African American Theatre
THTR 320 Theatre History II
THTR 424 Writing about Performance
Theatrical Production and Performance
THTR 160 Stagecraft
THTR 280 Stage Management
THTR 290 Theatre for Social Change
THTR 295 The Performing Arts of Bali
THTR 330 Acting II
THTR 335 Shakespearean Performance
THTR 340 Advanced Acting Styles
THTR 360 Lighting Design
THTR 361 Sound Design for Theatre
THTR 362 Designing for Theatre and Stage
THTR 370 Playwriting Workshop
THTR 480 Directing
Theatre Minor – Interdisciplinary
6 courses, 5.5 or 6 credits
Requirements:
At least 6 courses including THTR 100, THTR 130, three elective courses in theatre selected from the two groups of courses below, and either THTR 900 or an additional elective. At least one of the electives must be from the Dramatic Literature, History, and Theory Group and at least one must be from the Theatre Production and Performance Group. Additional electives may be taken from either group. At least two and no more than three of the elective courses must be outside of Theatre. At least three courses must be at the 200-level or above and at least three courses must be unique to the minor. The minor may include no more than one independent study. All courses (except THTR 900) must be completed with a C- or better.
Dramatic Literature, History, and Theory
CLAS 108 Greek Tragedy
DAN 210 Dance History I: Perspectives on Ballet
DAN 212 Dance History II: Perspectives on Modern Dance
DAN 214 20th Century Dance History: Gender, Race, and Difference
DAN 314 Dance Criticism: Embodied Writing
ENG 136 Shakespeare on Screen
ENG 233 Medieval Drama
ENG 236 Shakespeare
ENG 336 Shakespeare: Topics
ENG 339 Shakespeare’s Contemporaries
ENG 417 Shakespearean Adaptation
FRN 255 Modern French Theatre
SPN 355 Contemporary Theater: Innovations in Hispanic Drama
SPN 392 Dramaturgas
THTR 220 Theatre History I
THTR 300 American Drama
THTR 308 American Experimental Theatres
THTR 309 Feminist Theatre
THTR 310 African American Theatre
THTR 320 Theatre History II
THTR 424 Writing about Performance
GSIJ 213 Transnational Feminism
GSIJ 218 Queer Representation in Theatre and Film
GSIJ 219 Black Feminism and Theatre
Theatrical Production and Performance
DAN 100 Introduction to Dance
DAN 101 Introduction to Dance: Body and Self
DAN 102 Introduction to Modern
DAN 107 Introduction to Jamaican Dance
DAN 110 Introduction to Dances of the African Diaspora
DAN 230 Community Arts: Activism Embodied
DAN 250 Dance Improvisation
DAN 200 Dance Composition I
DAN 300 Dance Composition II
DAN 325 Movement Analysis: Laban Studies
DAN 940, 942, 944, 946: Modern II
DAN 945 Jazz Dance: Tradition and Innovation
DAN 950 Jamaican Dance II
DAN 955 Dances of the African Diaspora II
DAN 980 Dance Ensemble
EDUC 220 Storytelling
THTR 160 Stagecraft
THTR 280 Stage Management
THTR 290 Theatre for Social Change
THTR 295 The Performing Arts of Bali
THTR 330 Acting II
THTR 335 Shakespearean Performance
THTR 340 Advanced Acting Styles
THTR 360 Lighting
THTR 361 Sound Design for Theatre
THTR 362 Designing for Theatre and Stage
THTR 370 Playwriting Workshop
THTR 480 Directing
Course Descriptions
THTR 100 From Page to Stage: Introduction to Script Analysis This course will teach students how to analyze and break down dramatic literature in order to create a blueprint for production choices. Students will engage in the close examination of literature in varied styles, regions, and historical periods from the points of view of theatre practitioners (actors, directors, and designers), learning diverse techniques of analysis in the process. These techniques include the study of plot structure, character analysis, internal and external actions, conflict, rhythm, and idea/theme. This course encourages students to consider the links between other periods and our own, and the ways in which detailed readings of dramatic literature inform the communicative and aesthetic power of the performed text. (May, offered annually)
THTR 130 Acting I Non-actors often ask actors "how do you learn all those lines,” thinking that the memorization process is the bulk of what it is to be an actor. This course will work to demystify the acting process and to introduce the beginning student to the craft of acting through the use of improvisation, theatre games, acting exercises, monologues and scene work. Instead of simply relying on their instincts, students will learn how to craft a performance through careful analysis of the character and the script with a special emphasis placed on objective/action-based acting. Time will also be spent discussing how the techniques we learn about acting can help us in our pursuit of accomplishment in other professional settings such as job interviews, business presentations, and public speeches. This course is a prerequisite for all other courses in acting and directing. (Hatch, Woodworth, offered every semester)
THTR 160 Introduction to Stagecraft This is a lecture/laboratory course which will provide students with a practical overview of the technical production aspects of live theater and performance. Students will work in the classroom, scene shop and off-stage developing an aptitude in set construction, props, introductory lighting and stage effects as determined by production need. The class focuses on the non-performative aspects of theatre from hands-on skill building to production budgeting. A wide breath of topics are presented through weekly readings, assignments, video and lecture/discussions. All students complete a weekly lab (and two weekend labs) in which they will work in the McDonald Theatre and scene shop working on the current faculty-directed productions (Hallborg, fall, offered alternate years)
THTR 220 Theatre History I Through an examination of the people, events, works, documents, institutions, and social conditions of the theatrical past, this course will explore the development of theatre from the fifth century B.C.E. to approximately 1700 C.E. Students will be introduced to the theoretical issues surrounding the writing of history as well as research practices and opportunities in the field of theatre history. Students will interpret salient dramatic and theoretical texts and illustrate the ways in which these texts connect to the making of theatre as well as the ways in which theatre shapes and reflects larger culture(s). Over the course of the semester, students will explore pivotal moments in theatre history including Ancient Greece and Rome, Medieval Europe, Classical India, Yuan China, Early Modern England, Renaissance Italy, Neoclassical France, the Spanish golden Age, and Restoration England. Students will engage with historic material in a wide array of modes including research, performance, and design. (Woodworth, offered alternate years)
THTR 280 Stage Management In his seminal book The Back Stage Guide to Stage Management, Thomas A. Kelly describes stage managers as "responsible and adaptable communicators who have the ability to handle and coordinate diverse groups of artistic personalities with tactful discipline and a sense of humor. They establish a creative environment by combining the ability to prioritize and anticipate and solve problems, with calm sensitivity and grace under pressure. Their ability to do the above stems from organizational ability, acquired technical knowledge..., familiarity with union requirements, and an inspirational personality that creates positive energy." This class examines the way in which stage managers fulfill these wide-ranging duties, studying the process of stage management from pre-production to closing night. Stage management emphasizes practical knowledge and skill development, through case studies, generation of a prompt book for a hypothetical production, and guest lectures with professionals in the field. (May, spring, offered alternate years)
THTR 290 Theatre for Social Change Due to the intimate and immediate relationship between theatre practitioners and audiences, theatre has been employed as a means of encouraging social action since the beginning of its history. As far back as 411 BCE, Aristophanes used the City Dionysia to reach massive and influential audiences with his anti-war play Lysistrata. Although contemporary theatre is typically associated with commercial success stories such as those on Broadway, the tradition of using theatre to inspire social change continues across the world, often outside of mainstream theatre spaces and in places as diverse as corporate boardrooms and city street corners. This course will introduce students to a variety of movements, practitioners, and approaches to creating theatre that encourage communities to work outside of dominant (and often violent/repressive) structures to instigate social change. Although such work has happened through critical stagings of classical texts such as Lysistrata, this course will emphasize the work being done by those who put the primary emphasis on social justice, with a secondary concentration on theatre – in other words, those who see theatre specifically as a vehicle for social change and alter their craft in order to best service this goal. Theatre for Social Change will combine traditional academic approaches (reading, writing, etc.) with giving students the practical experience of collaborating together to create a short piece of theatre meant to provoke social change on the HWS and/or Geneva communities. In keeping with the democratic spirit of theatre for social change, in which all participants are viewed as bringing something to the table, no performance experience is required for this course. (May, spring, offered alternate years)
THTR 295 Performing Arts in Bali This course will be a three week intensive exploration into the rich performing arts tradition of Bali, Indonesia. Students will be immersed in various aspects of Balinese performing arts including Dance, Masked Performance, Traditional Instrument Performance, Shadow Puppetry, and Mask Carving. Courses will be taught alongside master artists at the Mekar Bhuana conservatory in Depansar, Bali. This conservatory will serves particularly well due to their mission to uphold the ways of traditional Balinese performing arts rather than what is becoming a more tourist-centric morphing of many of the traditional forms. Studio work will be supplemented with attendance at profession productions of different Balinese performing arts, allowing students to see what they are studying at a professional level and allowing them to learn and experience how ingrained the performing arts are in other aspects of Balinese culture. Planned excursions will also take us to visit various crafts-people throughout the region, allowing us to see how Balinese instruments, masks, and puppets are made. (Hatch, J-term or summer, offered alternate years)
THTR 300 American Drama In "Possession," an essay on playwriting, Suzan-Lori Parks writes, "The history of Literature is in question. And the history of History is in question too. A play is a blueprint of an event: a way of creating and rewriting history through the medium of literature." Given the history of the United States, it is hardly surprising that the development of American drama is fraught. How have notions of American history and identity been created and rewritten on U.S. stages? In what ways has theatre contributed to the construction of narratives of nationhood? What are the tensions inherent in the study of American theatre history? Through investigations of nationalism, nostalgia, and contestation, students in this course will explore the formation and deconstruction of the canon(s) of American theatre, exploring the work of artists and practitioners from the 19th century through today. (Woodworth, offered occasionally)
THTR 308 American Experimental Theatres What does it mean to be an experimental theatre artist in the United States? This course seeks to answer that question through an exploration of iconoclast artists and ensembles that challenged the status quo in theatrical production, offering new paradigms for playwriting, destabilizing conventions of actor training, revolutionizing the role of the director, transforming practices of scenography, and unsettling the audience-performer relationship. This course ranges in scope from the early 20th century grand national experiments of the Little Theatre Movement and the Federal Theatre Project (Unit #1: Foundations) to the radical staging of the Living Theatre and Bread & Puppet in the midst of social and political turmoil of the 60s and 70s (Unit #2: Revolutions) to the multimedia reconceptualizations of contemporary artists The Wooster Group and The Builders Association (Unit #3: Deconstructions). Using dramatic texts, films, digital archives, and performance scholarship students in this course will explore the visionaries, revolutionaries, and troublemakers that established a legacy of experimental performance work in the United States. What are the ramifications of experimentation in the American theatre? How do theatrical experiments both reaffirm and resist narratives of national identity? In what ways might the radical stagings of the past, provide an insight into the experimental theatre of the future? (Woodworth, offered occasionally)
THTR 309 Feminist Theatre This course will survey twentieth and twenty-first century British and American feminist theatre, focusing on performance texts that address salient concerns of first, second, and third wave feminisms, as well as performance modes that trouble such designations. Specifically, this course will examine the oft-marginalized role of women in mainstream commercial theatre both historically and within contemporary contexts. It will also explore the ways in which feminist theatre practitioners' work in coalition with other social justice movements such as suffrage, workers' rights, civil rights, and LGBT rights to create works that resist and/or redefine historically misogynistic modes of performance. The course will explore the ways in which notions of corporeality, intersectionality, poststructuralism, performativity and the gaze have shaped feminist performance traditions. (Woodworth, offered occasionally)
THTR 310 African American Theatre The legacy of African Americans in theatre in the United States is rarely acknowledged due to cultural amnesia and the predominance of white voices in all fields of theatre, journalism, and scholarship. This course seeks to introduce students to the diverse range of African American voices in the theatre throughout U.S. history. Although the course will briefly contextualize African American productions within the dominant culture's performance traditions (such as minstrelsy) in order to better understand the profound challenges facing black artists, the overwhelming area of study will be black authors, practitioners, and theorists from the 1900s to the present day. (Woodworth, offered occasionally)
THTR 320 Theatre History II Through an examination of the people, events, works, documents, institutions, and social conditions of the theatrical past, this course will explore the development of theatre from approximately 1700 C. E. to the present. Students will build on the historiographical methodologies pertaining to the writing of history that were introduced in theatre History I, as well as research practices and opportunities in the filed of theatre history. Students will interpret salient dramatic and theoretical texts as well as archival material and illustrate the ways in which these texts connect to the making of theatre as well as the ways in which theatre shapes and reflects larger culture(s). Over the course of this semester, students will explore pivotal moments in theatre history including 18th century Continental Theatre, 18th Century Sentimental and Laughing Comedy and Bourgeois Tragedy, German Romanticism, Chinese Opera, Melodrama, Modern Realism, French symbolism, the historical avant-garde (Dada, Futurism, Expressionism, Surrealism), Post-War Theatre, Theatre of the Absurd, Epic Theatre, and Postmodern Theatre. Students will engage with historic material at an advanced level in a wide array of modes including research, performance, and design. (Woodworth, offered alternate years)
THTR 330 Acting II A continuation of the skills discovered in Acting I, this course is designed to deepen the student's understanding of the craft of acting through a dual focus on an enhanced understanding of Stanislavski-based acting techniques and an exploration into the overall profession of acting. Students work on multiple scenes, hone their audition technique, explore various voice and movement exercises, and examine aspects of the profession of acting. The course culminates with a class showcase of scenes and monologues from throughout the semester. Prerequisite: Theatre 130. (Hatch, spring, offered alternate years)
THTR 335 Shakespearean Performance A performance-oriented approach to Shakespeare. Starting with short monologues, actors will learn tools to consider meter, rhythm, intentions, and imagery as they bring Shakespeare's texts to life. Students will work on multiple monologues, a short scene, and a final performance, the latter of which will be open to guests. No previous experience with Shakespeare is required to be successful in this class! Prerequisite: Theatre 130. (Hatch, spring, alternate years)
THTR 340 Advanced Acting Styles In Advanced Acting Styles, students will continue to master the skills of the performer developed in Acting I. Each time the course is offered, a different era, genre, or style of acting will be studied in-depth. The topic for the course will sometimes be selected to directly compliment a play that will be featured in an upcoming main stage production. Other topics may look to address another topic not regularly offered in the Department's training. Recent topics have included devised theatre, movement for the stage, comedic acting, and the plays of Strindberg and Ibsen. This course can be repeated for full credit three times with a different focus each time. Prerequisite: Theatre 130 or permission of instructor. (Hatch, Woodworth, May, offered alternate years)
THTR 361 Sound Design for Theatre Sound Design for Theatre is lecture/laboratory course that will provide an introduction to fundamental concepts of acoustics, sound reproduction and reinforcement. Students will study essential elements of sound design as it applies to theatre including script analysis, creating sound plots, obtaining and creating sound elements, show control, and operating intercom systems. Students will apply what they have learned in the course to develop a final portfolio project to be presented in class. (Staff, offered occasionally)
THTR 362 Designing for Theatre and Stage An overview of the design principles and process that guide contemporary theatre productions. Topics will include an introduction to 2d and 3d design elements, CAD modeling and script analysis. The roles of scenic, lighting, costume and sound design are explored for their individual Impact on a production concept. The final project asks students to attend simulated production meetings and create a full design concept, cue lists, and renderings for a script. (Hallborg, offered occasionally)
THTR 370 Playwriting Workshop This course is designed to further the understanding of the craft of playwriting as it is first discovered in the playwriting process workshop. Students are encouraged to nurture the development of their skills through daily writing exercises, to develop a personal and consistent process for writing, to shake up any preconceived notions about playwriting, to explore a personal point of view or voice for their writing, to develop and sharpen their skills in analysis and critique, to test the flexibility of creative thought necessary for the crafting of dramatic literature, and to complete a short one-act play by the end of the semester. Prerequisite: Theatre 178 or 278. (Woodworth, offered occasionally)
THTR 480 Directing This is the study of the fundamental skills and collaborative processes needed to direct a piece of live theatre, including blocking, script analysis, research methods, approaches to casting, and rehearsal techniques and structures. This course gives students experience in many aspects of the directing process including: script analysis, research, blocking, working with actors, and shaping a production, as well as an understanding of how to collaborate with designers, cast a production, work with stage managers and production teams, and navigate the professional process. This course will also teach directors the valuable lessons of receiving and incorporating criticism and feedback, and experience analyzing the work of others. Prerequisite: THTR 100 or 130. (May, offered occasionally)
THTR 490 Senior Capstone The Senior Capstone synthesizes the cumulative knowledge that students have amassed in the discipline through a focus on contemporary performance trends and developments in order to help them define the nature of their desired future engagement in the field. Students will research contemporary theatre companies and practitioners, critics and visionaries, producing agencies, funding institutions, and other relevant organizations in order to learn about the theatrical community that awaits them. Students will draw upon this research to develop a portfolio of their work, giving consideration to the ways in which they wish to present themselves as theatre artists and patrons to the world beyond HWS. Finally, students will work together as artist/scholars to create a collaborative project that best reflects their strengths as a cohort and the message they wish to share with the HWS community. (May, offered every fall)
THTR 495/496 Honors
THTR 900 Theatre Production This course is a studio-based course on the art and craft of producing theatre. It is open to all students who are cast in, or are part of the production team (which may include actors, designers, stage managers, production crew, etc.) for a faculty directed production. Students will acquire first hand experience with the process of mounting a play on stage. Students will be involved, as appropriate given their part in the play, in any and all aspects of the production process, including auditions, rehearsals, production meetings, set construction, and performances. This is a half credit course which may be taken only once a semester but which may be repeated up to four times. This course must be taken credit/no credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (Hatch, May, Woodworth, offered each semester)