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 Theatre
Professor Morrow, Chair
Lecturer Vettleson, Theatre Technical Director
Lecturer Lentz, Artist in Residence
The Theatre Concentration is designed to expose the student to
the wide variety and deep scope of theatre as an art form, literary
heritage, and cultural touchstone. When enhanced by the performance
and production opportunities afforded by the College’s Domino
Players Company, the Theatre Concentration is at once an academic
program, a creative outlet, a preparation for post-graduate work,
and a foundation for professional and avocational life work. Many
Albright graduates have been accepted into prestigious graduate
programs such as Yale, Rutgers, and University of Minnesota. These
and others have also enjoyed successful professional careers both
on stage and in television.
Theatre
concentrators are required to take the following:
THR 110 Great Ages of Theatre I
THR 111 Great Ages of Theatre II
THR 215 Theatre Production and Design
THR 217 Survey of Modern Drama
Two 300 level Dramatic Literature courses
THR 399 Junior Seminar {requires three tutorials completed by
spring of Junior year}
THR 491 Senior Seminar
Four additional courses from the following:
THR 250 Workshops in Acting
IDS 212 Introduction to Educational Theatre
THR 216 Designing with Light
THR/ENG 235 Major Playwrights and Theatre Topics
THR 350 Directing Workshop
ENG 354 Shakespeare
THR 388 Postmodern American Drama
THR 389 Postmodern British and European Drama
Combined
Theatre concentrators are required to take the following:
THR 110 Great Ages of Theatre I
THR 111 Great Ages of Theatre II or THR 217 Survey of Modern Drama
Two 300 level Dramatic Literature courses
THR 391 Junior Seminar or THR 491 Senior Seminar
Two additional courses from the following:
THR 111 Great Ages of Theatre II
THR 217 Survey of Modern Drama
THR 250 Workshops in Acting
IDS 212 Introduction to Educational Theatre
THR 215 Theatre Production and Design
THR 216 Designing with Light
THR/ENG 235 Major Playwrights and Theatre Topics
THR 350 Directing Workshop
ENG 354 Shakespeare
THR 388 Postmodern American Drama
THR 389 Postmodern British and European Drama
Theatre concentrators and combined concentrators must take additional
courses beyond the required courses to fulfill the general studies
arts and humanities-literature requirements.
Theatre concentrators and combined concentrators will be encouraged
to spend one semester off campus in an internship focused educational
institute, or other venue. Such opportunities are currently available
at the National Theatre Institute, the Washington Center, and Ohio
Consortium, but several opportunities exist elsewhere nationally
and abroad as well. Course work at these facilities will be integrated
into the Albright degree program.
The Theatre Program is a group of six courses that can supplement
any Albright College concentration or combined concentration.
Students
in the Theatre Program are required to take the following six courses:
THR 110 Great Ages of Theatre I
THR 111 Great Ages of Theatre II or THR 217 Survey of Modern Drama
Two 300 level Dramatic Literature courses
Two additional courses from the following:
THR 111 Great Ages of Theatre II
THR 217 Survey of Modern Drama
THR 250 Workshops in Acting
IDS 212 Introduction to Educational Theatre
THR 215 Theatre Production and Design
THR 216 Designing with Light
THR/ENG 235 Major Playwrights and Theatre Topics
THR 350 Directing Workshop
ENG 354 Shakespeare
THR 388 Postmodern American Drama
THR 389 Postmodern British and European Drama
Dramatic literature courses may be used to satisfy the general
studies humanities-literature requirement. Specified dramatic literature
courses may also be used to fulfill English concentration requirements.
Specified Theatre courses (THR 110, 111, 215, and 216) may be used
to satisfy the general studies arts requirement.
Courses:
| THR
110 |
Great Ages
of Theatre I
This survey course introduces students to the history, critical
theory, and literature of the major eras of the western theatre
from 500 BC to the mid-nineteenth century. The students will
also study the theatre architecture and theatrical conventions
of each era in order to understand how theatre arts reflect
the society and culture of its time. Satisfies general studies
arts requirement. |
| THR
111 |
Great Ages
of Theatre II
The goal of this course is to track the development of the
modern theatrical production approach. In doing so, the student
will trace the evolution of the modern designer and director.
Beginning with the Romantic period, the course will trace the
path of dramatic literature and production through to the mid-twentieth
century. Satisfies general studies arts requirement. |
| THR
215 |
Theatre Production
and Design
This course is a survey of the various styles and conventions
of theatrical production. It will focus on the development of
a vocabulary of theatre and theatrical design, and on the technology
used to execute these designs. Introduction to theatre design
and script analysis will be followed by focus on each of the
four design areas of theatre: scenery, costumes, lighting, and
sound. Satisfies general studies arts requirement. |
| THR
216 |
Designing with
Light
This course is dedicated to the study of light as a design
medium. After obtaining a clear understanding of the nature
of the medium, the focus will turn to its application to other
art forms. Architecture, painting, and theatre are some of the
areas that make heavy use of light to alter and augment the
presentation of their respective works. The student will be
encouraged to explore the application of lighting to their own
area of artistic endeavor to gain more fruitful and complete
expression of their ideas. Satisfies general studies arts requirement. |
| THR
217 |
Survey of Modern
Drama
Students study the most important European, British, and
American playwrights of the modern era {1875-1950}; their experiments
with form and style, their demands upon the artisans of the
theatre, and their social consciousness that is the backbone
of the modern drama. Satisfies general studies humanities-literature
requirement. |
| THR/ENG
235 |
Major Playwrights
and Theatre Topics
These courses, designed primarily for general studies literature
credit, focus upon major authors, major literary forms, or upon
significant intellectual issues in World literature. Several
theatre specific topics are offered which satisfy the theatre
concentration requirements. Satisfies general studies humanities-literature
requirement. |
| THR
250 |
Acting Workshop
Offered during the interim, students experiment with the
basics of scene study and
acting. Occasionally, this course will be combined with the
Directing Workshop. |
| THR
350 |
Directing Workshop
Offered only in conjunction with the Acting Workshop, students
will learn the basics of directing by working with the acting
students. |
| ENG
354 |
Shakespeare
The major Shakespearean plays. Primary emphasis is on a
close reading of the plays, but the Elizabethan background and
modern Shakespearean criticism are also studied. |
| THR
381 |
Tutorials –
Independent Study
Beginning no earlier than the spring of their freshmen year
and finishing by the spring of the junior year, each concentrator
must complete three tutorials (no credit, graded independent
study projects). The topic for each tutorial will be selected
by the student and adviser to focus on the student’s area
of theatrical interest. Normally there will be a balance of
academic, theoretical, and practical emphasis to the courses.
For example, a design student might take tutorials in drafting
and model making, influence of major designers on theatre, and
design concepts and rendering. These three tutorials are required
for the Junior Seminar (THR 399). |
| THR
388 |
Postmodern
American Drama
This course will emphasize the American Dramatists’
need to confront important ideas and issues, their use of traditional
and nontraditional methods of stage production, and their exploration
of the undercurrents inherent to contemporary American life.
Students will study the works of several major American playwrights
such as Edward Albee, David Mamet, and Sam Shepard. In addition,
students working in small groups will participate in two seminar-type
projects, one of which will focus on a variety of contemporary
playwrights within a generic grouping such as ethnic, feminist,
gay, and so forth. Alternates with 389. Also satisfies English
concentration requirements. |
| THR
389 |
Postmodern
British and European Dramatists
This course will focus on two major groups of playwrights
whose work led to an artistic and thematic revolution in the
modern theatre. The student will explore the Theatre of the
Absurd – as it challenges traditional theatre conventions
and as it manifests the
metaphysical anguish of the absurdity of the human condition.
Playwrights studied will include Beckett, Ionesco, Arrabal,
and Genet as well as the British playwrights Stoppard, Shafer,
and Pinter. Working in several groups, each student will participate
in some aspect of the performance of a short scene from and
absurdist play. They will also participate in a seminar-type
project focused on a British playwright not otherwise
studied in this course. Alternates with 388. Also satisfies
English concentration requirements. |
| THR
399 |
Junior Seminar
By the end of their junior year, the Theatre Concentrator
must complete three tutorials (THR 381). The Junior Seminar
is the culmination of these tutorial experiences by way of a
final project. The student will be required to write a research
paper combining conceptual, academic, and practical work of
the tutorials into a final project. For example, a student interested
in acting will have studied technique, movement, and performance
through the tutorials and will end up creating a performance
as their final project. The process of creating that character
and the research used to discover it will be the foundation
of the paper. The course is structured as a seminar in which
the students share the process and content of their research
in a peer evaluated and supported environment. |
| THR
491 |
Senior Seminar
An in depth study of critical theories of theatre. This
course will prepare the student for graduate level critical
thinking and analysis. Also tuned to the student’s specific
area of interest, this seminar will require the student to do
independent reading and research followed by written analysis
and examination of style, content, and impact of dramatic literature
and its production. |
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