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Theater > Student Creative Projects

Exceptional students may be permitted to undertake a creative project for credit in their junior or senior years.  Creative projects for a full credit are intended to build on and significantly exceed training and experience received in THTR 200 or THTR 205, as well as in other regularly-offered courses.
 
Students who intend to undertake a junior or senior creative project for credit through the department must have completed the literature core (THTR 230 and THTR 231) as well as the relevant section or sections of THTR 200 or THTR 205 before applying for creative project credit.  Applications must be made to the Director of Theater and the Department Chair no later than January 31 of the academic year prior to the project.  (The Director of Theater approves the project within the Theater Department season, and the Department Chair approves credit for the project.) 
 
THTR 392  Creative Project  (for 1 credit but not Senior Studies credit)
Students who have completed the literature core and the relevant section or sections of THTR 200/THTR 205 may apply to the Director of Theater and the Department Chair to receive 1 credit for the equivalent of a semester’s creative or advanced technical work on a Theater Department production. (The Director of Theater approves the student’s participation in the season, and the Department Chair approves credit.)  Creative projects approved for full credit might include:

- design (or in some cases, assistant design) of lights, set, or costumes for a department production
- educational outreach to supplement dramaturgy for a department production
- dramaturgical expertise applied to the development process for a new play
- individualized study in acting or performance techniques (which may or may not result in a public performance)
- writing, revision, and workshopping of an original one-act play
- directing for a department-approved project, such as PIPs

Please note: Participation in Garrick Players productions is encouraged but will not be approved for THTR 392 credit.  Paid shop hours or scholarship renewal hours may not be a primary source of work on a THTR 392 project.
            Applications to receive THTR 392 credit for volunteer work on a production outside of Lake Forest College will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
            Only in very extraordinary circumstances will a full-length, completely realized production be approved for inclusion in the Theater Department season, even if for THTR 392 credit.

THTR 492  Senior Project  (for 1 credit and Senior Studies credit)
Students who will have senior standing in the Theater major, and who have completed the literature core and the relevant section or sections of THTR 200/THTR 205 may apply to the Director of Theater and the Department Chair for a Senior Project to take the place of Senior Seminar. (The Director of Theater approves the project within the Theater Department season, and the Department Chair approves credit and the Senior Seminar exemption.) Senior projects should include both creative or advanced technical work on a Theater Department production, and an accompanying written component detailing the research and analysis that went into the practical work. Senior projects may be undertaken for 1 or 2 semesters, earning 1 or 2 credits, respectively. Senior projects might include:

- design of lights, set, or costumes for a department production, together with a written record of research and analysis
- realized plan for educational outreach for a department production, together with a dramaturgical protocol and a written record of analysis and strategic decisions
- individualized study and practice in acting or performance techniques, resulting in a public performance, and accompanied by an in-depth written record of research and analysis on the technique or the character
- writing, revision, and workshopping of an original full-length play, together with a written reflective and analytic account of the process
- directing for a department-approved project, together with a written record of the research and analysis that went into production decisions
- advanced research in one or more of the following areas: dramaturgy, stage management, design, directing, or literature/history.  The final product should comprise both a written document and a public presentation of your research

Please note: Participation in Garrick Players productions is encouraged but will not be approved for THTR 492 credit.  Paid shop hours or scholarship renewal hours may not be a primary source of work on a THTR 492 project.
            Applications to receive THTR 492 credit for volunteer work on a production outside of Lake Forest College will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
            Only in extraordinary circumstances will a full-length, completely realized production be approved for inclusion in the Theater Department season, even if for THTR 492 credit.

THTR 494  Senior Thesis
Students who will have senior standing in the Theater major, and who have completed the literature core and the relevant section or sections of THTR 200/THTR 205 may apply to the Director of Theater for a Senior Thesis to take the place of Senior Seminar. (The Director of Theater approves the project within the Theater Department season, and the Department Chair approves credit and the Senior Seminar exemption.) Essentially, a senior thesis should meet all the requirements of a Senior Project, be well-documented and well-executed, and undergo review by and defense before 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.  (See Academic Regulations in the Student Handbook for details.)
 
To be approved for Senior Thesis credit, a senior project must meet all the requirements for a senior project as well as the following: 1) significant emphasis on historical or theoretical context, 2) thorough documentation of the production process, including a specific description of the artistic goal, and 3) a reflective analysis of how well the realized project met the original artistic goal.
 
Please note: Participation in Garrick Players productions is encouraged but will not be approved for THTR 494 credit.  Paid shop hours or scholarship renewal hours may not be a primary source of work on a THTR 494 project.
            Applications to receive THTR 494 credit for volunteer work on a production outside of Lake Forest College will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
            Only in extraordinary circumstances will a full-length, completely realized production be approved for inclusion in the Theater Department season, even if for THTR 494 credit.