Academics

Department of Theater > Course Descriptions

Note:All Theater courses that employ field trips to Chicago as a theater experience will charge a fee.

Flat fees ranging between $150.00, $250.00, $350.00, and $500.00, will be charged along with tuition when students enroll. Since tickets are purchased before the semester begins the refund policy is 90% during the first seven days of classes, and 80% during the next seven days of classes. No refunds will be given after the final add/drop date.

Fees are NOT just ticket prices. Fees include tickets, ticket agent or broker charges, handling and administrative fees, transportation, photocopying, fees for guest speakers, post-performance discussions and other ancillary materials.

110 Origins and Theories of Theater
This course introduces students to the theoretical underpinnings of the discipline. Theater history and methodology are used to ask such basic questions such as: Why are humans drawn to perform? For sheer enjoyment? To express ideas through performance? Group psychology, ritual, cathartic transformation, celebration, invocation, and other concepts are examined through discussion, readings, and performance experiences. This course focuses on the ability to analyze and interpret works of dramatic literature through written, oral, and visual presentations.

120 Being on Stage
This course explores the many times we are on stage in life: job interviews, business presentations, teaching a class, or even in a court of law.  It is also an introduction to a wide variety of performance experiences including lecture, poetry and prose reading, stand-up comedy, improvisation, dance and music, as well as acting. Particular emphasis is on key presentation components of physical comfort and presence, clarity of message or intent, and variety in vocal delivery. Students will attend events in Chicago and on campus in order to learn how to talk and write about being on stage when performing in the theater or in daily life. Numerous explorations and on-stage exercises lead to final projects. This course is ideal for students majoring in the fields of music, communication, education, pre-law, pre-med, or business, as well as beginning or experienced actors.

THTR 121  Being Backstage
An introduction to the technology employed backstage to create the magic of theatrical design and special effects.  This course is open to beginning students of all disciplines, and will provide an experiential and practical orientation to stagecraft through projects in puppetry, set and prop construction, painting, makeup, and computer-assisted drafting (CAD).  Other topics include theater terminology, safety procedures, and hand & power-tool usage.

210 From Page to Stage: Communicating through Design
This course is an introduction to the processes and principles of design. It covers the development of a design concept through script reading and analysis; the discussion and analysis of professional set, costume, lighting, and sound designs; training in basic drafting skills; and  lecture information on theater technology and terminology. Several design projects are coupled with text readings and hands-on shop work with both power and hand tools, lighting instruments, and sound and lighting control systems.

220 Acting I: Creating a Character
For beginners and experienced actors alike. This course explores the basic methods of  creating and developing realistic characters through truthful explorations of the “self” and the “text.” A variety of acting methods are studied and practiced through interpretive and physical exercises, monologues, and scenes. The course work culminates in final scene projects.

Attendance at a number of local and regional performances is required. Writing assignments include analytic response papers on productions attended, in-class exercises, projects, and daily journal entries. This course is a recommended first course in theater studies whether or not the student has studied acting previously and is applicable for students of theater, education, and communication.

221 Acting II: Twentieth-Century Realism
An exploration of acting techniques required in modern and contemporary works from the early twentieth century to the present by authors such as Shaw, O’Neill, Williams, Inge, Miller, Pinter, Albee, Shepard, Churchill, Norman, Wilson, and others.

Scene projects include written script and  character analysis, daily journals, and in-depth critiques of self and peer performances. Prerequisites: Theater 220 and 232 or permission of the instructor through a placement test, an interview, and audition.

222 Acting III: Farce and Comedy Techniques
A practical study of comic techniques for modern, classic, and contemporary works. A variety of on-stage projects, film/video viewing, research projects, and field trips to local and regional performances combine to provide a detailed investigation of what makes us laugh and how  it is best achieved. Written assignments include papers of analysis, journals, and critiques of in-class and outside performances. Prerequisites: Theater 220 and 230; additionally, 231 and 232 are preferred but not required.

223 Acting IV: Classic Techniques
An actor’s buffet of verse and period style roles requiring special techniques and stylistic awareness. Scene work is coupled with research projects, journal assignments, and attendance at a variety of Chicago-area productions. Written analyses and critiques of field trips and in-class presentations fill out the curriculum. Prerequisites: Theater 220 and 260; additionally, 230, 231, and English 220 are preferred but not required.

224 Acting V: Performance Art Techniques
An exploration of modern and contemporary performance styles required by works from the early twentieth-century to the present by authors such as Pirandello, Brecht, Rice, Beckett, Ionesco, Genet, Grotowski, Artaud, Mnouchkine, Spaulding Gray, and others. Theories of Realism, Expressionism, Absurdism, and others will be examined in a performance context that includes skills in mime, improvisation, puppetry, dance, and more.

Students will create their own “Performance Art” works as well as reading or performing scripted works by others. Project work is coupled with research projects, journal assignments, and attendance at a variety of Chicago-area productions and exhibitions. Written analyses and  critiques of field trips and in-class presentations fill out the curriculum. This course is applicable for students of theater, art, literature, history, and communication. Prerequisites: Theater 220 or Art 130; Theater 223, 250, and 270 are recommended but not required.

225 Acting for the Camera –  Film Techniques
This course is an exploration of the acting techniques required in film, television, and other media. Knowledge and understanding of film techniques, vocabulary, and genre styles is accomplished through viewing and analysis of modern and contemporary film works from the early twentieth century to the present by noted authors and filmmakers.

Acting projects center on the performance of scenes, monologues, voice-overs, and commercials. Other projects include written script and character analysis, daily actor journals, and in-depth critiques of self and peer performances. Papers of analysis on films viewed in and out  of class and other research projects including adaptation of texts and acting styles for the screen are also required.  Prerequisites: Theater 220 and Theater 221 or permission of the instructor through a placement test, an interview, and an audition.

226 Improvisation Techniques
Targeted towards both theater majors and non-majors, this class will focus on the basic rules of improvisation (performing specified objectives onstage without a script), heightening the actors’ techniques of immediacy, relationship, commitment, storytelling, physicality, clarity, intuition, spontaneity, and creativity.  Objectives, Given Circumstances, and physical involvement will all be explored thoroughly.  Students will discover, through experience, their own possibilities of varied action, of personal freedom and self-expression within the parameters of basic stage improvisation. 

227 Bringing Chicago’s Art to Life
This course explores the connections between plastic, two- and three-dimensional art and time-based art such as music, dance, and theater.  Using the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, students will choose particular works of art and explore how they can inspire new works of theater art.  These explorations can be in the genres of traditional theater, music, dance, or performance art, but they must be created and performed by the students.  Additionally students will read and discuss a variety of theoretical works on the nature and creation of art.  Several small-scale projects and one longer performance project will be required.

230 Theater History I: Greeks to Shakespeare
History of the theater from its origins in religious ritual of ancient Greece to the productions of Shakespeare’s London. Emphasis is placed on  acting styles, production techniques, stage and auditorium architecture, and the socio-political milieu that formed the foundation of the  theater of each culture and period. (Cross-listed as English 230.)

231 Theater History II: Molière to Ibsen
History of the theater from the comedies of Molière to the beginning of twentieth-century realism in the plays of Ibsen and Chekhov. This course explores the conventions of acting and stagecraft¬¬ and cultural conditions that influenced each period’s theater. (Cross-listed as English 234.)

232 Theater History III: Shaw to Kushner
An exploration of modern and contemporary works from the early twentieth century to the present by authors such as Shaw, Pirandello, O’Neill, Brecht, Inge, Rice, Odets, Wilder, and Miller. Theories of Realism, Expressionism, and others will be examined in context with the social and cultural events that inspired them. (Cross-listed as English 237.)

235 Theater History VI: Musical Theater
A study of representative musical comedies, operettas, and related works that will provide topics for papers by students. Emphasis will be placed on relationship to political, social, and cultural events. Videotapes of musicals are viewed and discussed. Among works to be discussed are Show Boat, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, and others. (Cross-listed as English 236 and Music 235.)

236 Shakespeare
(Cross-listed as English 220.)

237 Theater History IV:  Performance Art
(Cross-listed as Art 237 and English 233.)

240 Theater in Chicago
Investigation and discussion of both classic and modern plays through attending performances at a wide variety of Chicago theaters, ranging from small special-interest companies to the world-famous Goodman and Steppenwolf theaters. Reading and analysis of selected plays is coupled with written critiques and group discussion. Cost of theater tickets is not included in tuition; it will be billed upon enrollment and is not refundable.

250 Directing
An introduction to directing for the stage. Students learn the fundamental principles of stage direction through a series of in-class  exercises and then apply them to scenes taken from major dramas. Emphasis is on directing projects and production research. Prerequisite: Theater 221.

255 Dramaturgy
An introduction to the role of the dramaturg within the theatrical production process. Includes readings by and about dramaturgs and hands-on experience in the following areas of dramaturgical pursuit: evaluating new scripts; creating  a production-specific “protocol” (research  compendium); analyzing and preparing a script for rehearsal; serving as an “in-house critic”; collaborating with directors, designers, and actors; creating and running educational programs for school and adult audiences; rehearsal functions and decorum; documentation techniques.

260 Voice and Diction
Theory and practice of oral communication; voice production and breathing techniques; articulation drills; development of effective delivery and presentation techniques; relaxation and confidence-building exercises; public speaking practice; communication skills for business, the creative arts, and professions.

270 Playwriting
This is a writing-intensive, beginning course in the craft of dramatic writing. Problems of writing for the stage will be studied through reading and analysis of published play scripts, theater attendance, and in-class and out-of-class writing projects. Group discussions and individual conferences are also required. (Cross-listed as English 242.)

271 Playwriting Seminar
This is a team-taught course that focuses on the collaboration between director, designers, and playwright in the creation and production of new works for the stage. Projects in writing, script analysis, casting, and presentation of original student works and/or works by professional authors are coupled with the same process for works adapted for the stage by students. Prerequisite: Theater 270. (Cross-listed as English 243.)

280 Chinese Literature in Translation: Love in Chinese Fiction and Drama
(Cross-listed as Asian Studies 250 and Chinese 250.  Meets GEC Cultural Diversity Requirement.)

282 Chinese Literature and Civilization: Golden Age of Chinese Drama
(Cross-listed as Asian Studies 252 and Chinese 252.  Meets GEC Cultural Diversity Requirement.)

285 American Celebrations: Chicago Performance and Alternative Culture
(Cross-listed as American Studies 200 and Sociology 275.  Meets GEC Cultural Diversity Requirement.)

308 Renaissance Drama
(Cross-listed as English 308.)

310  Advanced Design
A lab-oriented study of advanced problems in scene, lighting, and costume design including multiple-setting shows and period classics.  Emphasis is on visual research and student design projects.  Prerequisite: Theater 210 or permission of the instructor.

330 Global Theater
Focusing on the variety of cultural groups in the greater Chicago metropolitan community, this course explores how theater defines and enhances values of the communities examined. Lectures and discussions introduce the history and traditions of theater in selected cultural communities. Evening field trips to attend rehearsals and performances in each community include social/dining experiences; visits to museums, galleries, and houses of worship; meetings, parades, etc. Readings include dramatic and non-dramatic literature and theoretical works in theater, sociology, communication, religion, and other disciplines. Evaluation is based on research projects for each culture group and a final project focusing on the comparative analysis of the works and cultures studied. Prerequisite: At least one course in theater history. (Cross-listed as Asian Studies 330.  Meets GEC Cultural Diversity Requirement.)

336 African American Theater
African Americans have revolutionized mainstream theater in this country and around the world. Examples of white bigotry, from the inherent racism in the minstrel shows of the 1800s to the indictment of apartheid by Athol Fugard, are counterpoised with the work of black artists celebrating their ethnicity, sometimes in revolutionary forms of expression. This course surveys the work of actors, singers, dancers, playwrights, composers, lyricists, producers, and directors from the African theater  of William Henry Brown in 1821 through the collaboration of August Wilson and Lloyd Richards “chronicling black life in the decades of the 20th century.” Readings from Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) to King Hedley II (2001) are combined with film and video performances and field trips to the Black Ensemble Theater and E.T.A. and other Chicago theaters. Playwrights surveyed will include Richardson, Hughes, Hansberry, Childress, Bullins, Baraka, Fuller, Wilson, Cleage, Shange, and Parks.  (Cross-listed as African American Studies 336 and American Studies  336. Meets GEC Cultural Diversity Requirement.)

337 Women in Theater
This course will examine the involvement of women in the history of theater. Topics covered may include: the medieval plays of Roswitha, strong female characters (acted by men) in Shakespeare, the arrival of actresses on the Restoration stage, the eighteenth-century playwright Aphra Behn, the rise of “star” actresses in the nineteenth century, and such twentieth-century figures as Marsha Norman, Maria Irene Fornes, Beth Henley, Wendy Wasserstein, Caryl Churchill, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Hélène Cixous, and Ntozake Shange. Prerequisite: At least one course in theater history. (Cross-listed as English 337 and Women’s and Gender Studies 337. Meets GEC Cultural Diversity Requirement.)

338 Activism in Theater: Gay, Lesbian, Transgender Voices
This class will study the recent flourishing of gay, lesbian, and transgender voices in theater. We’ll look at various styles of activism and  performance, from farce to realism, to camp/ drag, to “queer” theater. Figures to be discussed include Charles Ludlam, Harvey Fierstein, Larry Kramer, William Hoffmann, Paula Vogel, Paul Rudnick, Tony Kushner, Jane Chambers, and Holly Hughes. Prerequisite: At least one course in theater history. (Cross-listed as English 385 and Women’s and Gender Studies 338.  Meets GEC Cultural Diversity Requirement.)

340 Theater Criticism
An intensive course on reading and writing brief, journalistic play critiques designed to help theatergoers make informed consumer decisions.  Attention to journalistic basics and issues of individual sensibility and taste. Class writings will be considered for campus publications.  Prerequisites: At least one of the following: Theater 240, 255.  (Cross-listed as English 340.)

343 Dramatic Criticism
Reading and discussion of principles and examples of dramatic criticism, from longer essays in scholarly books, academic journals, and magazines.  We will write our own dramatic criticism in response not only to plays on the page, but also to performances on campus and in Chicago theater.  (Cross-listed as English 343.)

358 Dramatic Theory
Discussion and application of major theories of drama, including Aristotle, Dryden, Stanislavski, Brecht, Artaud, and others.  We will apply each theory to appropriate plays from each theorist’s time period, plus we will apply all the theories to a selected work in order to come up with a range of theoretically informed producible production concepts for the play.  Prerequisite:  Theater 255.

362 On-Site Study at Victory Gardens Theater
In coordination with a Lake Forest College faculty member and the associate artistic director at Victory Gardens Theater, two students per semester will develop plans of individual study at Victory Gardens Theater. For the primary emphasis of the course, the students will be expected to work at Victory Gardens between 10 and 20 hours per week. The Lake Forest College faculty member will oversee all academic facets of the course and will meet regularly with the students at the Lake Forest College campus. Students enrolled in this course will take it as a Credit-D-Fail option.

For application information, interested students should consult with the faculty liaison. (Cross-listed as English 362.)

380 Violence in Theater: Shakespeare to Tarantino
Via reading selected works and viewing plays and films, this class will be an intense exploration of the conundrum of why, from the time of Shakespeare to the present day, violence in the arts continues to endure and, indeed, thrive. Prerequisite: Theater 220 and at least one course in theater history. (Cross-listed as English 380.)

390 Internship
Our Chicago connection allows us to offer unique, outstanding internship opportunities at a variety of world-famous theaters. Victory Gardens provides the cornerstone for our internship program, offering paid internships annually in areas of production management, dramaturgy, technical direction and design, artistic direction, advertising, and public relations. Additional opportunities are available at Steppenwolf Theater, Goodman Theater, and Second City. Smaller companies, yet no less well-respected, specializing in specific genres also offer internships. These include Bailiwick Theatre, Black Ensemble Theater, About Face Theater, and Lookingglass Theatre.

Internships must be applied for in the semester prior to enrollment and application includes on-campus interviews with faculty and staff and off-campus interviews with members of the host theater company. Junior class standing and other prerequisites apply based on the nature of the internship and the requirements of the host organization.

480 Senior Seminar
The aim of this course is to provide a “capstone” experience for students majoring in theater. The course allows students to reflect on why one makes theater and to develop their own conceptual basis for making theater. The course will stress issues that confront the theater artist, including professional practices. Students will divide their time between independent research and the classroom.  Classroom work will focus on student research presentations and discussions of practices and issues confronting the contemporary theater artist.  Prerequisite: senior standing in the major or permission of the instructor.

Topic for 2007-2008: Bringing Chicago’s Art to Life
This course explores the connections between plastic, two- and three-dimensional art and time-based art such as music, dance, and theater.  Using the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, students will choose particular works of art and explore how they can inspire new works of theater art.  These explorations can be in the genres of traditional theater, music, dance, or performance art, but they must be created and performed by the students.  Additionally students will read and discuss a variety of theoretical works on the nature and creation of art.  Several small-scale projects and one longer performance project will be required.

492 Senior Project
A well-documented and well-executed senior project completed in the senior year may count as a senior thesis. (See Academic Regulations in the Student Handbook for details.) As with other theses, the final project will be reviewed by a thesis-examining committee consisting of three faculty, at least one from outside the Theater Department. Students are encouraged to consult with members of this committee during the planning and execution of the project.

494 Senior Thesis