Theatre – Albright College

Theatre

Take Your Theatre Degree to the Stage, to the Screen and Beyond

A theatre degree from Albright can take you to amazing places! Our graduates have gone on to enjoy exciting and fulfilling careers with prominent theatre companies and have had the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the television and motion picture industries, too. Others have used their skills in education, arts administration and arts therapy. If you want to continue your studies, you’ll be glad to know that our alumni have been accepted at some of the most respected and prominent graduate schools in the country.

Are you ready to achieve your dreams of a theatre degree? Albright is the place for you. Here, you will immerse yourself in your art as you experience theatre through production, history, literature and theory. You will explore theatre’s vast possibilities for expression, inquiry and scholarship. And you will work side by side with faculty and students who share your passion for the craft.

You will also have the opportunity to expand your skills and your professional horizons, and you will be encouraged to combine majors to create a path that will help you achieve your goals. And of course, you’ll want to look into joining the Domino Players, our improv groups and our sketch comedy team. Whether you’re an aspiring actor, a budding playwright, an industrious technician or someone who just loves theatre, Albright will help you set the stage for success.


RAVE REVIEWS

Albright College was named the winner of eight 2020 national Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival awards for its celebrated production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, by Simon Stephens.


Your Opportunity to Shine

Ready to take center stage? Albright has so many unique and exciting opportunities for you – from full theatre productions to sketch comedy to improv and more.

The award-winning Domino Players perform on the campus of Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.

The Domino Players Theatre Company

One of the Kennedy Center’s most highly decorated programs, Albright’s resident theatre company has delighted audiences with bold and brilliant performances for nearly a century.
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Albright Improv

Have a love for unscripted comedy? Albright is for you! Under the direction of our award-winning resident improv artist, Professor Matt Fotis, we offer two unique opportunities to develop your improvisational skills: Less Than or Equal To, our open-access ensemble, and Pockets With Pants, our traveling audition-based company.
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Students from the Less Than or Equal To improv group perform on the campus of Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania
A student performs with the Albright Sketch Society on the campus of Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Albright Sketch Society

It’s where The Second City meets Saturday Night Live! The Albright Sketch Society produces two student-written sketch comedy shows per year as well as the satirical magazine The Albright Lampoon.
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Student Organizations

Here in our vibrant artistic community, opportunities to perform, engage and entertain extend far beyond the main stage of the Domino Players.

DP Studio
The Domino Players Studio is a student-run production organization whose mission is to provide support and guidance for Albright’s young theatre artists. DP Studio accomplishes its mission via an ongoing series of preprofessional workshops and seminars in the areas of playwriting and acting (stage combat, dialects, transition into the profession, etc.). Under its auspices, the group also produces the following events:

    • 96-Hour Theatre Collaboratory
      Building on our tradition of creating new work, the DP Studio provides creative support once a year to teams of exhilarated young theatre artists who gather together to envision, develop, rehearse and perform an evening of original theatre pieces that have all been created within the span of 96 hours.
    • Short Play Festival
      Every November, the DP Studio produces an evening of completely student-created work. Student playwrights, directors, designers, actors and producers put together an evening of original short plays.
    • Green and Growing
      At the end of each semester, two evenings in the Wachovia Theatre are set aside to make room for staged readings of original works by student playwrights, as well as ambitious productions of existing works by student directors. These events have also served, quite often, as the production aspects of numerous Senior Honors Thesis Projects that are offered by our most gifted matriculating students of the Theatre Department. More specifics about some of these projects can be found by visiting our Student Artistry and Scholarship page on our website.
    • Shadow Casts
      For several years now, one of the highlights of the Albright theatre season has been DP Studio “shadow cast” simultaneous-performance productions to the classic cult movies Mean Girls and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP)
ASTEP is a nonprofit organization whose international mission is to connect performing and visual artists from around the world with underserved youth to awaken their imaginations, foster critical thinking and help them break the cycle of poverty in their local communities with personal empowerment and social change through arts education and outreach. Albright College is proud to support one of the country’s first chapters of ASTEP. All Albright students – regardless of academic major – are welcome to join ASTEP.

The Children’s Theatre of Albright
Under the leadership of Dr. Fotis, The Children’s Theater of Albright produces quality, original works of theatre specially designed for young audiences.

Albright Arts Magazine (AM)
The Albright Arts Magazine – better known as Albright AM: Waking Up the Arts – is a student-run arts magazine, published twice a year, that covers all things art at and around Albright College. For more information, go to www.albrightam.wordpress.com.

Virtual Black Box (VVB)
Students in theatre, digital studio art, digital video arts, digital communications, music business, arts administration, and fashion have joined forces to create an organization dedicated to supporting the creative process involved in the preproduction, production, and postproduction aspects of developing original works specifically designed for new media platforms. Displaying their projects in the Wachovia Theatre’s Lynn Morrow Memorial Lobby and on YouTube, the VBB also works to archive main stage productions of The Domino Players and market arts events.


“If you had asked me in my freshman year if I ever thought this would be my reality, I would have laughed.”

— Sania Fontaine ’20


Senior Showcase

Our faculty comprises celebrated authors, award-winning artists, Renaissance specialists, costume experts and Grammy nominees. While they may come from diverse backgrounds, they all share one thing in common – their love for teaching.

Michael-Hertzog, Theatre and Mathematics major at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Michael Hertzog

Michael uses his dual major of theater and mathematics to hone his craft as both a performer and a theatre technician.

Kayla Hickson, Theatre and Arts Administration major at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Kayla Hickson

An actress, writer and award-winning viola player, Kayla has already appeared in two television series and a movie.

Karis King, Theatre and English major at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Karis King

Karis has a co-major in Theatre and English. She is an aspiring editor who is passionate about honoring the writers’ work.

Kylee headshot Kylee Mawson
Co-Major: Theatre & Arts AdministrationKylee Mawson (She/Her) is a singer, actress, and lover of theatre from Coatesville, PA who recently made the jump from majoring in Biology/Pre-Veterinary Science to pursuing a co-major in Theatre and Arts Administration. She first fell in love with the theatre in middle school when she signed up to be on stage crew, and went on to participate in musicals through her senior year of high school.Before switching her major at the end of her sophomore year, Kylee had thought that theatre was just a hobby. However, a pivotal conversation with Music and Theatre Professor Jeffrey Lentz helped her realize that her passion could become her vocation. Kylee went on to study abroad for a semester in London in Fall 2019, and she fell in love with the city while diving into her art and theatre education. Kylee believes that everyone should have the opportunity to make and experience art and theatre. In her free time, Kylee enjoys watching sitcoms and crime shows, singing, and spending time with friends and family.
Matthew headshot Matthew Ortiz
Major: TheatreMatthew Ortiz (He/Him) is a Puerto Rican/Irish writer and actor whose experiences growing up on the edge of Philadelphia and attending school in the city actively influence much of his writing.Matt was awestruck by the world of film at a young age, and went on to become an avid student of the medium, expanding his knowledge and practice of the craft throughout his education. Matt strives to tell important stories that tackle difficult but resonant social and personal issues.

At Albright, Matt has performed in works such as Mosaic (a student-created devised movement performance) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Through his coursework, he has honed the structure and discipline required to pursue his passion for writing as a profession. Matt hopes to go on to attend a Masters program in Screenwriting so that he can continue to refine his writing skills and further his writing career. In his free time, Matt grows his craft by pursuing a wide range of hobbies such as cinematography, music, reading, and rugby.

Matthew headshot Katsuto Sakogashira
Co-Major: Theatre & Biology
Minor: MusicKatsuto “Sako”gashira ( 迫頭克人 ) (He/Him) is an aspiring Japanese theatre director, scenic designer and playwright. While studying at Albright, Sako fell in love with the musicality of English. In all of his work in theatre, Sako strives to support actors in their instrumentation of this music, and ways to make it richer and more resonant with audiences.Throughout his multi-disciplinary education, Sako has learned that open collaboration and honest conversation produce work with greater integrity. Sako pursues truth in all his collaborative endeavors, and strives to produce work for the stage that is revelatory through its honesty.

After graduating from Albright, Sako plans to begin his theatre career in Japan. While he looks forward to immersing himself in Japanese theatre and exploring his native language’s unique expressions of truth, he ultimately wants to collaborate internationally to celebrate the beauty of many languages and their colorful expressions of truth.

Andrew headshot Andrew Svarczkopf
Major: TheatreAndrew Svarczkopf (He/They) has had his head up in the clouds while dreaming about being an actor since he was in his first middle school production. He has been able to begin making these dreams real at Albright, honing his craft and discovering ways to apply it in life beyond the stage. Andrew was recently able to help take Albright’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, where it won eight national awards.Beyond theatre, Andrew enjoys pursuits that also require character-building, world-building, and storytelling: video games, tabletop roleplaying games, as well as Live Action Role Playing games. He writes plays, stories, and Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. When he is not telling collaborative stories, Andrew spends time with his dog, a pit-vizsla mix named Sazon.
Bence headshot Bence Veres
Major: TheatreBence Veres (He/him) Is an aspiring director and screenwriter who has been a lover of the art of film for as long as he can remember. He strives to make consciousness-expanding work that asks questions about morality, existence, and perception.Bence plans to pursue a career in film after attending graduate school, where he hopes to learn more about his craft with and from like-minded cinema enthusiasts and experienced practitioners. When he is not making work, Bence enjoys an eclectic range of music, and the company of philosophical literature. Some of his favorites include Jean-Paul Sartre’s Being and Nothingness and Terence Mckenna’s True Hallucinations: Being an Account of the Author’s Extraordinary Adventures in the Devil’s Paradise.

Photo credits: John Pankratz


About Our Curriculum

CREATIVITY: Explore and refine their individual creative intuition and develop successful ways of communicating those ideas and visions to their collaborative colleagues.

AESTHETIC: Acquire and develop the vocabulary and temperament required to critique theatrical productions as a sensitive, insightful and informed audience member.

ANALYSIS: Acquire and develop the ability to read and analyze a play script using appropriate vocabulary and learn how to recognize a variety of narrative structures when assessing the theatrical components imbedded therein.

ORIGINAL WORK: Gain experience with creating original theatrical material through writing, improvising and/or devising and refining it through the new play development and/or rehearsal process.

SKILLS: Acquire and develop basic skills in a wide range of theatre job descriptions, including writing for performance, design, dramaturgy, performance and technology. Upon graduation, students shall have achieved a level of proficiency in at least one area sufficient to enter the workforce.

HISTORY: Comprehend the role theatre has played, and still plays, in cultures and societies and possess knowledge of various different theories, architectures and methodologies of these periods.

SCHOLARSHIP: Acquire and develop the ability to research and write at the collegiate level within the discipline of theatre studies.

INDUSTRY: Grasp the range and scope of the theatrical industry and the career options within that industry, as well as to have begun to forge connections with working theatre professionals through interactions with guest artists here and internships or summer jobs elsewhere.

We are proud of our ever-growing list of successful graduates who continue to enjoy fulfilling careers in Theatre, Film, Television, Opera, Arts Education, Arts Administration, Arts Therapy, as well as a variety of other professions that capitalize on the creative and collaborative problem-solving skills that come from studying the art of theatre.

Our students have gained entry some of the county’s finest in graduate programs including:

  • Brown University – M.A. in Dramatic Literature
  • Brooklyn College – M.F.A. in Dramaturgy
  • California Institute of Integral Studies – M.A in Drama Therapy
  • New York University’s Steinhardt School – M.A. in Educational Theatre
  • New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts – M.F.A. in Scenic Design
  • Ohio State University – Ph.D. in Dramatic Literature
  • Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts – M.F.A. in Acting
  • Towson University – M.F.A. in Devised Theatre
  • University of Minnesota – M.F.A. and Acting
  • University of Pittsburgh – M.F.A. in Scenic Design
  • University of Texas at Austin – M.M. in Vocal Pedagogy
  • University of Washington – M.F.A. in Acting
  • Yale University’s School of Music – M.M. in Opera Performance
  • Yale University’s School of Drama – M.F.A. in Sound Design

Our graduates work professionally at theatre companies through the country including:

  • Arden Theatre
  • Arena Stage
  • Atlantic Theatre
  • Berkeley Rep
  • Ford’s Theatre Society
  • Hartford Stage
  • Labyrinth Theatre
  • Lank Theatre Company
  • Long Wharf Theatre
  • Manhattan Theatre Club
  • Merriam Theatre
  • Newcity Theatre
  • New York City Opera
  • New York Theatre Workshop
  • Oregon Shakespeare Festival
  • Playwright’s Horizons
  • Primary Stages
  • Public Theatre
  • Saratoga International Theater Institute
  • Soho Rep
  • State Theatre of Chicago
  • Syracuse Stage
  • Troika Entertainment
  • Two River Theatre Company
  • Tyrone Guthrie Theater
  • Yale Rep

Our graduates have also worked within the Network/Cable Television industry for shows such as:

  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine
  • Blue Bloods
  • Bull
  • Castle
  • Criminal Minds
  • General Hospital
  • Glee
  • Hope & Faith
  • Law & Order
  • Law & Order: SVU
  • House of Cards
  • Kevin Can Wait
  • Nurse Jackie
  • Queens Supreme
  • Prime Suspect
  • Royal Pains
  • Santa Clarita Diet
  • Scandal
  • Sex and the City
  • The Chica Show
  • The Good Wife
  • The 100
  • White Collar
  • 30 Rock

As well as in the motion picture industry in feature films including:

  • A Gifted Man
  • Bloody Bobby
  • Burning Blue
  • Righteous Kill
  • Saving Lincoln
  • The Avengers
  • The Last Five Years
  • The Royal Tenenbaums
  • The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3
  • The Ticking Man
theatre

Jen Rock
Assistant Professor
jrock@albright.edu

theatre

Liz Polley
Assistant Professor of Theatre
epolley@albright.edu

theatre

Donald Quilinquin
Technical Director and Master Electrician
dquilinquin@albright.edu

theatre

Matt Fotis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Theatre, Department Chair, Director of Undergraduate Research
610-921-7873
mfotis@albright.edu

theatre

Julia Matthews, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Theatre
610-921-7660
jmatthews@albright.edu

theatre

Jeffrey Lentz, M.M.
Senior Artist in Residence (Theatre/Music)
610-921-7806
jlentz@albright.edu

theatre

Wayne Vettleson, M.F.A.
Associate Professor of Theatre, Emeritus
wvettleson@albright.edu

Majors and Minors in Theatre

The Theatre Department invites students to examine the impact of their original creative work through the critical lens of an ever-deepening appreciation for the stage’s rich cultural heritage via an academic course of study that combines theory with practice.  We offer an array of courses and experiences designed to explore the wide-ranging history, literature, and aesthetics of this timeless art form alongside a variety of practical courses that provide students with the fundamental skills and crafts necessary for producing theatre in today’s professional world.

We offer a Bachelor of Arts degree to majors in Theatre; however, many students opt to combine Theatre with another major, such as Arts Administration, Education, Communications, Fashion, English, History, or Music. Courses in costume design and stage makeup are offered in cooperation with the Fashion Department and our new interdisciplinary major in Digital Video Arts prepares students to employ their theatrical creativity toward careers in film and new media. In all cases, we encourage our students to develop their resume along with their transcript.  Internships, study abroad, and student driven projects provide the real world applications of the classroom experiences.

Requirements for the Theatre Major

– THR 101 The Creative Process (required for General Studies: Foundations: Fine Arts)

– THR 110 Introduction to Theatre Technology

– THR 150 Acting Studio I

– THR 210 Design Fundamentals

– THR 280 Script Analysis

– THR 288 Great Ages of Theatre I

– THR 289 Great Ages of Theatre I

– THR 491 Senior Seminar

One of the following skills courses:

– THR 211 Stagecraft

– THR 212 Theatre Electrics

– THR 213 Audio Technology

– THR 214 Stage Makeup

– THR/FAS 220 Costume Construction

– THR 250 Acting Studio II

– THR 252 Acting for the Camera

– THR 255 Improvisational Theatre

– THR 260 Playwriting

One of the following 300-level dramatic literature courses:

– THR 388 Postmodern American Drama

– THR 389 Postmodern British and European Drama

– ENG 354 Shakespeare

One of the following 400-level courses:

– THR 401 Advanced Production Experience
(requires two formal production assignments)

– THR 482 Advanced Internship

Three other theatre courses selected in consultation with adviser


The Theatre Co-Major

One of the finest aspects of Albright’s interdisciplinary approach to learning is that our students are actively encouraged to expand their intellectual and artistic horizons by combining areas of concentration to tailor-make an undergraduate experience as academically unique and satisfying as they can imagine. Many students opt to combine theatre with another major, such as Arts Administration, Education, Communications, English, History or Music Industry. As you can see, there is lot of flexibility within the combined major in Theatre to offer you the ability to create the program that best suits your abilities and career goals.

Requirements for the Theatre Combined Major

– THR 101 The Creative Process (required for General Studies: Foundations: Fine Arts)

– THR 110 Introduction to Theatre Technology

– THR 150 Acting Studio I

– THR 210 Design Fundamentals

– THR 280 Script Analysis

– THR 491 Senior Seminar

One of the following Theatre History Courses:

– THR 288 Great Ages of Theatre I

– THR 289 Great Ages of Theatre I

One of the following 300-level dramatic literature courses:

– ENG 354 Shakespeare

– THR 388 Postmodern American Drama

– THR 389 Postmodern British and European Drama


The Theatre Minor

Our interdisciplinary and experiential approach to learning is the perfect environment for aspiring artist scholars to examine the nature and purpose of the live theatrical event in relation to their academic studies in other departments. For those students who wish to augment their scholarly experience with a peripheral focus in Theatre, we offer a five course minor.

Requirements for the Theatre Minor

– THR 101 The Creative Process (required for General Studies: Foundations: Fine Arts)

– THR 150 Acting Studio I

– THR 280 Script Analysis

One of the following Skills Courses:

– THR 210 Design Fundamentals

– THR 211 Stagecraft

– THR 212 Theatre Electrics

– THR 213 Audio Technology

– THR 214 Stage Makeup

– THR/FAS 220 Costume Construction

– THR 250 Acting Studio II

– THR 252 Acting for the Camera

– THR 255 Improvisational Theatre

– THR 260 Playwriting

One of the following 300-level dramatic literature courses:

– THR 388 Postmodern American Drama

– THR 389 Postmodern British and European Drama

– ENG 354 Shakespeare

One other theatre courses selected in consultation with adviser


Interdisciplinary Major in English-Theatre

Winston Churchill famously said that Britain and America are two nations separated by a single language. The same is true of the two departments involved in this major. Literature people read texts that were written to be performed, and theatre people perform texts that were written in the first place; theatre people forget the literacy frame of the text and literary people forget its dramatic matrix. Falling in the gap between the two approaches is the curiously intermediate phenomenon of dramatic art itself, the enactment of a text. The primary goal of the English-Theatre interdisciplinary concentration is therefore to offer students a systematic way to try to fill that gap, so that, for instance, the function of metaphor will be as vivid to the theatrical as to the literary person and the function of the performance will be as significant to the literary as to the theatrical person.

Students interested in this concentration should contact Professor Alberto Cacicedo in the English Department or Professor Julia Matthews in the Theatre Department.

– THR 101 The Creative Process (recommended as General Studies: Foundations: Fine Arts)

_ ENG 204 American Literature (recommended as General Studies: Connections-Humanities)

– ENG 201 Major British Texts to 1780

– ENG 202 Major British Texts from 1780 to the Present

– THR 280 Script Analysis

– ENG 354 Shakespeare

– THR 388 Postmodern American Drama

– THR 389 Postmodern British and European Drama

– THR 491 Senior Seminar

One of the following Theatre Skills Courses:

– THR 150 Acting Studio I

– THR 210 Design Fundamentals

– THR 211 Stagecraft

– THR 212 Theatre Electrics

– THR 213 Audio Technology

One of the following Theatre History Courses:

– THR 288 Great Ages of Theatre I

– THR 289 Great Ages of Theatre I

One of the following English Courses

– ENG 350 Old English Literature & Language

– ENG 352 Chaucer

– ENG 355 Renaissance Literature

– ENG 356 Milton and the 17th Century

– ENG 357 Dryden to Black:  Restoration and 18th Century Literature

– ENG 366 Romanticism:  Monsters and Vision on the Brain

– ENG 368 Literature of the Victorian Era

– ENG 372 British Fiction to 1890

– ENG 373 Modern British and Irish Fiction

– ENG 374 European Fiction

-One from the following English Courses

– ENG 380 Modern American Women Poets

– ENG 384 Major American Writers to 1865

– ENG 385 Major American Writers from 1865 to the Present

– ENG 386 Modern American Fiction

One from the following Two Seminar Courses

– ENG 399 Seminar on Theory and Methods

– ENG 491 Senior Seminar: The Discipline of English Studies


Digital Video Arts

The Digital Video Arts Interdisciplinary Major was terminated on December 15, 2017. Students declared in this major on this date can continue with it, but no other students can declare it.

Introductory/Aesthetics

ART 265 Computer Graphics (required for General Studies: Foundations: Fine Arts)

THR 101: The Creative Process

DIG 265: Digital Literacy

THR 150: Acting Studio I

DIG 201: Video I

THR 280: Script Analysis

Skill Sets

THR 213: Audio Technology

MUS 241: Electronic Music I

THR 252: Acting and the Camera

THR 361: Screenwriting

DIG 300: Digital Media Production

DIG 301: Video II

ARA 390: Project Management-Arts Administration

Capstones

THR/DIG 382: Internship

DIG 420: Senior Seminar: Producing


THR 101: The Creative Process
Creativity takes many forms and contributes to every field of study. Visual, narrative, spatial and performative expressions of ideas all contribute to the collaborative art of theatre. In this participatory class, students gain confidence in their individual intuitions and in the collaborative process as they explore different types of creative expression. Students build their own aesthetic framework as they practice critiquing works of art. Satisfies General Studies Foundations-Fine Arts requirement.

THR 110: Introduction to Theatre Technology
This course teaches the student about the skills required to be a theatre electrician, scenic carpenter, and run-crew member.  Students will hang lights, learn about electricity, learn to tie knots, crew two productions, and use the CAD drawing program.   While learning the craft of the theatre, the students will experience ways the craft makes the art possible. The tools used to make the art are part of the art.

THR 150: Acting Studio I
This course introduces and explores the fundamental principles of acting for the stage. In a studio environment, students apply the requisite vocabulary for communicating within the performing arena through exercises and techniques that hone a thorough understanding of the process involved in creating a character—a process that utilizes body, mind and voice. Satisfies General Studies Foundations-Fine Arts requirement.

THR 201: Production Experience
Students gain practical experience by participating in the Domino Players’ theatrical productions as performers, technicians, designers or stage managers. No previous experience is required; however, individual production assignments are determined by the faculty based on auditions and student competencies. Students must complete a minimum of 45 hours on the production to be eligible for credit; some assignments require more hours than the minimum. Most assignments entail evening and weekend rehearsals and performances. This is a non-credit course. Prerequisite: Instructor permission 

THR 210: Design Fundamentals
Where do those cool ideas come from? How do I connect with this play? How do I explain my ideas to myself, to others? This class will explore these and more.  Through projects, peer-review, and lots of reading, you will be given tools and techniques for approaching the design process for the theatre.  There will be no tests and little formal writing.  You will be expected to explore and explain your own ideas and question and comment on the ideas of your peers.  Active two-way feedback intended to move the creative and collaborative process forward is the theme around which your work shall evolve. 

THR 211: Stagecraft
A survey of the various materials and construction techniques used to build stage settings. Wood working, metal working, rigging and other skills are explored. Basic construction of stock scenic units are applied to both projects and actual productions’ scenery.

THR 212: Theatre Electrics
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the techniques and technologies used by professional master electricians and assistant lighting designers.  Basic physics of electricity, equipment repair, console operation, and CAD program literacy are the foundations of the coursework. Practical experience coupled with lecture and demonstration give the student the basic skill sets to begin work as a theatre electrician.

THR 213: Audio Technology
As a comprehensive consideration of audio equipment and sound reproduction techniques, this course provides an understanding of basic audio engineering, signal paths and sound system design.  How the sound wave is captured, processed, distributed, amplified and reproduced are the core ideas.  The course includes the basic ideas and aesthetic foundations of theatre sound design.  

THR 214: Stage Makeup
In this class the students will develop an understanding and skills necessary to design and execute two-dimensional Stage Makeup within the educational and professional theatre worlds. Application techniques, makeup Morgue development and a student portfolio will be created.

THR/FAS 220: Costume Construction
This course will explore the techniques of costume and period clothing construction. The class will cover history of garment pattern development, sewing techniques and the creation of historic clothing using modern patterning and sewing techniques.  As a final project for this class, students will be expected to create a complete period costume from concept to wearable three-dimensional garment.

ARA 220: Introduction to Arts Administration
Arts administrators need to be able to bring the arts to their communities. They must be able to determine why the arts are important for a community and communicate that information to their audiences. The course will provide an introduction on how arts organizations, including theater, dance, music, and visual arts, engage artists and audiences and how they are governed. We’ll look at both the leadership of individual organizations, as well as the larger public policy and community issues surrounding the arts.  The course also includes overviews of historical contexts, economic conditions, organizational cultures and financial systems.  The course highlights similarities and differences between arts administration and non-creative-industry administration.

THR/ENG 235: Major Playwrights and Theatre Topics
These courses focus on major playwrights, dramatic forms or significant intellectual issues in world drama. Satisfies general studies literature requirement.

THR 250: Acting Studio II
Advancing on the experiences of Acting Studio I, this course focuses attention on the specific process of preparing a role from an existing text. Particular emphasis is given to psycho-physical energy, vocal stamina and textual analysis. Additional objectives relating to the demands of specialized performance techniques (such as period movement, verse speaking, performance art or physical comedy) are selected each semester. Prerequisite: THR 150

THR 252: Acting for the Camera
This course explores the fundamental principles of acting for the camera. In a studio environment, students engage in weekly exercises and scene-studies aimed at assisting them make a nuanced transition from stage to screen. Emphasis will be placed on the development of a keen appreciation for the symbiotic relationship between actor and camera, the acquisition of a working knowledge of film and television terminologies/practices, and the expansion of the performer’s range of emotional, intellectual, physical, and vocal expressivity within the arena of mediated performance. Prerequisite: THR 150

THR 255: Improvisational Theatre
This studio workshop explores the vocabulary and techniques utilized by actors within the world of improvisational theatre. Intensive, performance-based studio sessions introduce then hone essential skill sets through a series of movement and language exercises. Daily production meetings lay the foundation for a culmination in a public performance. Finally there will be a critique of original work that intends to test the participant’s application of the skills developed during the studio workshop.

THR 260: Playwriting
This course is designed as an introduction to basic playwriting structure and technique, as well as a survey of relevant dramatic literature. Students will complete writing exercises designed to enhance their dramatic writing skills and expand their theatrical horizons. Among other assignments and writings, students will write and revise a ten-minute and one-act play. Satisfies General Studies Foundations-Fine Arts requirement.

THR 280: Script Analysis
This course is devoted to the textual analysis of playscripts from the perspective of the theatre practitioner.  Students will analyze a range of plays for their formal components, and will draw conclusions about genre and style.  Students will analyze scripts for their production requirements from the vantage points of performers, designers, directors and managers.

THR 283: Special Topics
Topics of interest that are not covered in other courses will occasionally be offered.

THR 287: History of the American Musical
This course engages in a panoramic view of the American Century through the lens of one of its most inimitable creations — the Broadway Musical. From this vantage point we examine compelling connections between the historic and artistic development of this quintessentially American of all art forms with the socio-economic, cultural, political, and technological advances that fueled its’ inception, zenith, decline, and contemporary rebirth. Throughout our journey, students will develop a strong, interdisciplinary arts vocabulary of elements, theories, and practices that will enable us to hone a keen appreciation for the collaborative process involved of “putting together” a musical theatre work for the live commercial stage. With our skills finely tuned, we will then focus our learned attention toward a capstone project aimed at helping us predict Broadway’s future marketplace and cultural impact. Satisfies General Studies: Connections requirement.

THR 288: Great Ages of Theatre I
This survey course introduces students to the history, critical theory and literature of the major eras of western theatre from 500 BC to the 18th century. The student also studies the theatre architecture and theatrical conventions of each era in order to understand how theatre arts reflect society and culture. Satisfies General Studies Connections requirement.

THR 289: Great Ages of Theatre II
The goal of this course is to track the development of the modern approach to theatrical production. In doing so, the student will trace the evolution of the modern designer and director. Beginning with the Romantic period, the course traces the path of dramatic literature and production through the 1960s. Satisfies General Studies Connections requirement.

THR 311: Scenography
An in-depth study of the process of creating an environment for a performance event. Text analysis, design fundamentals and interpretive skills are applied to a series of projects that will be peer reviewed. Prerequisite/Co-requisite: THR210

THR 312: Designing with Light
This course studies light as a design medium. After obtaining a clear understanding of the nature of the medium, students 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. Students are encouraged to explore the application of lighting to their own area of artistic endeavor to gain more fruitful and complete expression of their ideas. Prerequisite/Co-requisite: THR210

THR/FAS 320: Stage Costuming
This course is an introduction to the process of costume design and production. Topics covered include period costume research, play analysis, budgeting, and costume rendering.  Also, this course will introduce costume studio personnel and their responsibilities in the costume design/production process. Prerequisites: FAS 105 and 112

THR 350: Directing Studio
This course examines the theoretical and practical aspects of directing for the stage. Topics include: the structural analysis of dramatic texts; the actor/director relationship; rehearsal techniques; articulation of a director’s vision for a play; the director/designer relationship; visual and spatial dynamics; and the art of problem-solving. Participants direct scenes or short plays and are encouraged to create original works. Prerequisite: THR 150

ENG 354: Shakespeare
This course examines 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 361: Screenwriting
This course explores the fundamentals of storytelling utilizing the tools and structure used by television and film. Students will learn basic screenwriting structure and technique. Students will complete writing exercises designed to enhance their dramatic writing skills and expand their creative horizons. Among other assignments and writings, students will write and revise three short films. Prerequisite: THR 260 or permission of the instructor

THR 382: Internship
A practical, professional work experience at an off-campus site, under the supervision of a mentor at the worksite and a faculty member on campus. Prerequisite: permission of the faculty

THR 388: Postmodern American Drama
This course explores the themes, theories and theatrical techniques of the contemporary American stage. Students study the works of several major American playwrights, their use of traditional and nontraditional methods of stage production and their exploration of the undercurrents inherent to contemporary American life. Also satisfies English major requirements.

THR 389: Postmodern British and European Drama
This course explores the themes, theories and theatrical techniques of the contemporary British and European stages. Students study the works of several major British/European playwrights, their use of traditional and nontraditional methods of stage production and their exploration of the diminishing role of nationalism inherent to the ever-changing face of contemporary Europe. Also satisfies English major requirements.

ARA 390: Project Management for Arts Administrators
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve a specific goal. By nature, projects usually have a well-defined beginning and end, and are constrained by time, funding, and the expected outcomes (deliverables). The temporary nature of project management as well as the personal and humanistic approach to creating artistic products often conflict with professional business operations. In practice, project management in the arts often requires the development of a distinct set of skills. This course will enhance and test students’ knowledge of budgeting, marketing, human resources, planning/time-management, and project implementation and evaluation within the framework of the creative process. Half of the course will be based on readings and research (texts and online) discussed in class and in written assignments, and the other portion will be a project-based lab, with the first part containing an individual assignment and the later half focused on a group project that introduces concepts of leadership and team-building skills.  An additional lab of 1 to 1.5 hours per week will be arranged in consultation with the instructor.  Prerequisite: ARA 220 or sophomore standing

THR 401: Advanced Production Experience
Senior theatre concentrators will conduct a significant applied project as supervised and approved by the theatre faculty. Proposals must be submitted to the theatre faculty by April 15 of the junior year.  All students will submit preliminary research before the production, and documentation and reflection afterwards, according to written guidelines approved by the faculty adviser. Prerequisite: Senior standing and faculty approval of a completed proposal

THR 482: Advanced Internship
A practical, professional work experience at an off-campus site conducted under the supervision of a mentor at the worksite and a faculty member on campus. Prerequisite: departmental approval

THR 491: Senior Seminar in Theatre
A capstone course in which students address the issues and professional opportunities of the contemporary theatre. Specific topics will vary from year to year, depending on the interests of senior students and faculty. Students will develop and present senior projects that synthesize their undergraduate experiences. Prerequisite: Senior standing