THEATRE ARTS
College of Creative Arts
(See Theatre Arts in the Academic Programs section for information on the degrees)
Undergraduate Courses
125 Movement I: Skills (3) [GE]
Developing the actor's free and responsive body. Exercises, improvisations, and the performance of movement studies are used to develop physical awareness and range of movement. May be repeated for a total of six units.
130 Acting Workshop I (3) [GE]
Introduction to the craft of acting. Improvisations, theatre games, and exercises to develop flexibility, imagination, agility, and expressiveness in the beginning actor. [CAN DRAM 8]
131 Improvisation Workshop (3) [GE]
Understanding, exploring, and experiencing the situational interaction between people. With selected social issues and/or problems as themes, improvisation presents possibilities for varied actions. Thus, the human experience is broadened and deepened from a practical and aesthetic perspective.
210 Introduction to Design for Stage and Screen (3) [GE]
Introduction to stage and production design. Aesthetic principles and basic drafting and sketching techniques for production design and art direction in stage, cinema, television. Drafting production designs, floor plans, perspective, watercolor, light and shade. No previous experience required. Laboratory.
214 Second Year Written Composition: Theatre Arts (3)
Prerequisite: ENG 114 or equivalent. Training in expository-argumentative composition with emphasis on writing the longer essay and term paper; special attention to logic, organization, rhetoric. Focus on selected playwrights, productions. Literature germane to twentieth century experience. May be taken in lieu of ENG 214. Must be taken after student has completed 24 units and before completing 60 units. ABC/NC grading.
220 Oral Interpretation of Literature (3)
Sound, sense, and structure of literature through combined experiences in reading aloud and listening. Analysis, preparation, presentation, verbal, non-verbal means of communicating ideas, themes, emotional values of prose, poetry, drama.
223 Voice I: Skills (3)
Developing the actor's free and responsive voice. Exercises and the performance of simple texts are used to develop the full range of voice and its coordination with body and emotion. [CAN DRAM 6]
230 Acting Workshop II (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 130 or equivalent. Continuation of basic actor training. Added emphasis on beginning scene study and greater emotional expressiveness. May be repeated for a total of six units on advisement.
240 Evaluating the Theatrical Script for Production (3)
Beginning experience in studying the written script from the existing repertory for use in building a fundamental approach to production. Examination of various textual approaches to production such as given circumstances, language, syntax, as well as the organization of emotional, visual, and vocal content.
300 Theatre Imagination (3) [GE]
Exploration of various theatrical arts: acting, directing, scenic design, costuming, make-up, lighting; from the audience's and artist's point of view. Analysis of the relation between theatrical experiences and issues of contemporary concern. Playgoing and visiting artists are regular components of course.
304 Focus on Acting (1)
Topic to be specified in Class Schedule. Examination of specific actors, schools of acting, or acting genres. May be repeated for a total of three units as topics vary.
310 Stage Scenery and Properties (2) [GE]
Corequisite: TH A 315. Construction techniques for the theatre; use of wood, metals, plastics, and paint; tools and processes for construction, rigging, and movement of scenery; function and operation of the production organization. Minimum of three hours weekly required in construction laboratory.
312 Costuming and Make-up (2) [GE]
Corequisite: TH A 315. Costume construction, fabrics, basic patterns, wardrobe plotting, and historical styles; theory and techniques in the use of theatrical make-up. Work on crews for productions required. Laboratory.
313 Stage Lighting and Sound (2) [GE]
Corequisite: TH A 315. The use of sound and stage lighting as elements of theatrical production. Three hours of class time per week are assigned to the study of lighting and one hour to sound.
315 Theatre Production: Technical Crew (1) [GE]
F,S
Corequisite: TH A 310, 312, or 313. Practical experiences in phases of technical crew work associated with university productions. May be repeated for a total of six units.
330 Acting Workshop III (3)
Prerequisites: TH A 125, 223, and 230 plus an audition. Emphasis on creating a number of roles through intensive scene study. Approaches to individual actor problems. May be repeated for a total of six units.
331 Group Improvisation (2)
Prerequisite: TH A 131 or 230 or equivalent. Exploration of advanced improvisation techniques and genres with emphasis on ensemble playing. Laboratory. May be repeated for a total of four units.
332 Asian Acting for "Western" Actors (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 130, or consent of instructor. Study in and practice of various principles of acting based on Asian models; special emphasis on physical training for "Western" actors. Possible models include, but not limited to, No, Kabuki, the Suzuki Method, and Beijing opera. May be repeated twice for credit.
333 Lyric Theatre Workshop (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: TH A 130 or equivalent. Introduction to the fundamental techniques of integration in acting, singing, and movement, as utilized in music theatre performance. May be repeated for a total of six units.
335 Rehearsal and Performance Technique (1)
Prerequisite: audition. Detailed work on a major production with rehearsal and performance as requirements. Laboratory. May be repeated for credit as often as admitted to the course by audition, but may not be counted towards major or minor requirements in drama.
340 Principles of Directing (3)
Prerequisites: TH A 230 and 310 or equivalents. The qualifications of the director; the choice of plays for production; tryouts and methods of casting; preparation of the play script; building the rehearsal schedule; fundamentals of composition, movement, stage business and characterization as applied to the directing of plays. Directing laboratory.
401 Theatre Backgrounds: 500 B.C.–1642 (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: sophomore standing or above. The physical structure, representative plays, personalities, practices and theatre traditions from the Greek periods to 1642.
402 Theatre Backgrounds: 1642–1900 (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: sophomore standing or above. The physical structure, representative plays, personalities, practices, and theatre traditions from 1642–1900.
403 Theatre Backgrounds: 1900–Present (3) [GE]
The physical structure, representative plays, personalities, practices and theatre traditions from 1900 to the present.
404 Lesbian and Gay Theatre and Drama (3)
Prerequisite: upper division standing. For course description, see HMSX 404.
406 The Art of Comedy (3) [GE]
Exploration of the techniques and materials of the art of comedy. A consideration of what makes people laugh, from the simplest jokes to the most intricate stage farces. Discussions with working comedians, comic actors, and writers.
408 Asian Plays and Performance Styles (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: upper division standing. Topic to be specified in Class Schedule. An examination of drama, performance, theatrical aesthetics, and conventions of production in a concentrated region of Asia—India, China, Japan, and other selected countries. May be repeated for a total of six units when topics vary.
410 Scene Design for Stage and Screen (3)
Prerequisite: upper division standing. Principles and practices of stage and production design for various forms of theatre, television, and cinema. Developing floor plans; methods of pictorial representation, scale drawings, color perspective, models. Scene painting laboratory. May be repeated for a total of six units.
412 History of Stage Costume (3)
Costume and related movement and manners in major historical periods; adaptation for the stage.
413 Stage Lighting Design (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 313. Planning and evolving lighting for theatre productions; slide projection painting techniques; problems involved in equipping the school theatre with flexible lighting. Work on crews for productions required. May be repeated for a total of six units. Laboratory.
415 Area Study in Theatre Production (1-3)
Prerequisites: TH A 310, 312, 313, 315, or equivalents. Area and unit value to be specified in Class Schedule. Concentrated experiences in selected aspects of theatre production; costuming, make-up, sound, lighting, properties, scene design, scene painting, stagecraft. May be repeated for a total of nine units as topics vary.
416 Theatrical Make-Up (2)
Prerequisite: TH A 312 or equivalent. Advanced methods and materials of make-up for theatrical characterization. Work on crews for productions required. Laboratory.
423 Voice II: Styles (3)
Prerequisites: TH A 220, 223, or equivalents. Continuation of basic voice training. Added emphasis on developing vocal skills required by different styles of drama such as improvisation, realism, restoration, and Shakespeare.
425 Movement II: Styles (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 230 or equivalent. Continuation of basic movement training. Additional emphasis on movement styles such as mime, commedia, use of masks to develop the actor's versatility, and control of movement. Laboratory. May be repeated for a total of four units.
430 Acting Workshop IV (3)
Prerequisites: TH A 330 plus an audition. Refined training of the actor as a theatrical instrument. Application of technique to the level of interpretation. Work in period and style. Laboratory. May be repeated for a total of six units.
433 Musical Theatre Workshop (3)
Prerequisites: audition and concurrent enrollment in MUS 311-312. Practice in acting, singing and dancing through participation in scenes from musical plays. Laboratory. May be repeated for a total of six units of credit.
435 Theatrical Audition (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 230 or equivalent. Preparation for various audition situations. Development of skills in sight-reading; selection and rehearsal of appropriate audition pieces. Investigation of acting opportunities in professional and semi-professional theatre. Laboratory.
440 Acting/Directing Workshop (3)
Prerequisite: For actors, TH A 220 and 230 plus an audition. For directors, TH A 340 and consent of instructor. Extensive participation in the performance of student-directed scenes from plays of various types and periods. Laboratory. May be repeated for a total of six units.
444 The Spectacle of Revolution: Politics in Theater and Film (3)
Prerequisite: upper division standing. The political nature of artistic spectacle, primarily in the twentieth century. Theater and film as battlegrounds of ideas and political movements. Politics as performance, art as confrontation. (Also offered as CINE 444 and IAC 444.)
450 Children's Literature and Oral Experiences (3)
Children's literature with emphasis on content and use; selected introductory experiences from the following: reading aloud, storytelling, creative drama.
451 Storytelling and Folk Literature (3) [GE]
Prerequisite: upper division standing. Methods and techniques of storytelling using selections from folktales, myths, legends, fables, and special types of poetry as resource materials.
453 Puppetry (3)
Play production with puppets. Practical work in constructing and manipulating simple puppets which may be used in nursery, elementary and secondary teaching, therapy, recreation, and creative drama. Laboratory.
460 Play Development Workshop (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 130 or 300 or equivalent. A collaborative workshop in which playwrights, directors, actors, and designers develop and refine new theatre pieces by producing them. Studio development of new plays from existing drafts through staged readings to showcase productions.
500 Explorations in Theatre Arts (3)
Topic to be specified in Class Schedule. Exploration of a specific topic relevant to theatre arts. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
505 Historical Styles for the Theatre (3)
Seminar in social and art influences in the major historical periods as a frame of reference for the study of dramatic literature, scene design, costuming, acting, and directing.
510 Advanced Stagecraft (3)
Prerequisites: TH A 310 or equivalent. Advanced experiences in drafting stage carpentry and working with various construction materials; problems of stage rigging, stage machinery and special effects; organization and operation of the scene construction shop. May be repeated for a total of six units. Laboratory.
512 Theatre Costume Design and Construction (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 312 or equivalent. Pattern drafting, wardrobe plotting, choice of materials, techniques in adapting historical styles. Work on crews for productions required. May be repeated for a total of six units. Laboratory.
515 Organization for Production (2)
Prerequisites: TH A 310, 312, 313 or equivalent. Application of principles of stage management to theatre productions; individual projects in the organization and supervision of technical crews. Work on crews for productions required. May be repeated for a total of six units with consent of instructor. Laboratory.
519 Theatre Management (3)
Public relations; house management, promotion and publicity; box office operation; theatre finances, practical experiences in the box office and in house management during public performances. Classwork, two units; laboratory, one unit.
523 Voice III: Techniques (1-3)
Prerequisite: TH A 423 or equivalent. Area and unit value to be specified in Class Schedule. In-depth study of a vocal performance technique such as dialects and musical theatre. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
525 Movement III: Techniques (1-3)
Prerequisite: TH A 425 or equivalent. Area and unit value to be specified in Class Schedule. In-depth study of physical performance technique such as staged combat, period deportment, circus skills, movement in musical theatre. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
530 Acting: The Play (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 223, 230, 312 and audition. Performance techniques through detailed work on faculty-directed scripts; emphasis upon integration of theory and techniques of acting. Laboratory. May be repeated for a total of nine units of credit.
531 Styles of Acting (3)
Prerequisite: audition. Area of study to be specified in Class Schedule. Participation in scenes from selected periods of drama. May be repeated for credit as areas vary. Laboratory.
532 Asian Theatre Workshop (3)
Prerequisites: TH A 340 plus one of the following: TH A 332, 408, or consent of instructor. Analytical and creative study of Asian theatre; practice in acting and directing traditional Asian theatre pieces or Western plays with Asian techniques; development of new performance style based on Asian examples.
533 Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop (3)
Prerequisites: TH A 433 and audition. Advanced practice in performance techniques for musical plays, with participation in selected scenes. May be repeated for a total of six units. Laboratory.
540 Directing Workshop in Open Staging (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 440 or equivalent. Principles and procedures for staging drama in the arena and thrust theatres with application of the theory and methods to class projects in play selection, script preparation, production, acting, and directing.
551 Creative Dramatics (3)
Exploration of and participation in spontaneous drama activities; emphasis on materials and ideas applicable for use with children. May be repeated for a total of six units with consent of instructor.
557 Theatre Workshop II (1-3)
Prerequisites: TH A 125, 230, or equivalents. Topic and unit value to be specified in Class Schedule. Experiences in the acting and/or directing of one-act plays, multi-media productions, improvisations, theatre games, and other experimental media of theatrical expression. May be repeated as topics vary.
605 Writing and Performing Monologues (3)
Prerequisite: CW 301 or TH A 130 or consent of instructor. Priority given to Creative Writing and Theatre Arts majors. Workshop in creation of contemporary performance monologues. Development of original pieces through writing, performance, and critique; study of artists in the field. (Also offered as CW 605.)
610 Practicum in Theatre (3)
Prerequisite: consent of supervising staff. Advanced individual projects in costume, make-up, lighting, or scene design; properties, stagecraft; theatre administration or theatre architecture. May be repeated in a different area of interest for a total of twelve units of credit.
612 Period Movement and Manners (1)
Prerequisites: TH A 401 and 402 or equivalents. Examination of movement and manners in major historical periods and the relationship of costume and accessories to the acting and directing of period plays. CR/NC grading only.
615 Seminar in Technical Theatre Arts (3)
Prerequisites: TH A 410, 413, 512, 519 or equivalents related to seminar topic and senior standing. Topic to be specified in Class Schedule. Research studies related to advanced aspects of theatre arts: costuming, make-up, lighting, multimedia, scene design, stagecraft, properties, stage management, theatre administration, and theatre architecture. May be repeated for a total of nine units as topics vary.
640 Directing: Collaborative Concepts (3)
Prerequisites: TH A 210, 310, 313, and 340 or equivalents. Practice in the evolution of a production concept. Techniques of director/designer collaboration. Effects of the concept in making a union of theatre elements.
652 Projects in Storytelling and Folk Literature (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 451, 450, or 220. Continued study and experience in storytelling to audiences. Applications of voice, dialects, movement, and non-verbal communication to specific programs. Investigations into multi-cultural styles of performance among storytellers around the world. Open to all students.
657 Practicum in School and Community Drama (3)
Prerequisite: departmental permission. Supervised field work experience in conjunction with school and community performing arts program. May be repeated once for credit by permission of supervisor.
660 Advanced Play Development Workshop (3)
Prerequisites: TH A 130 or 340 or 460, and consent of instructor. Development of original plays by students, through rehearsal and presentation of staged reading. Intensive study of new plays, and the process and technique of mounting the staged reading for playwrights, directors, and dramaturgs.
690 Brown Bag Theatre Company (5)
Prerequisites: TH A 130, 230, 223, plus audition. Corequisite: TH A 330. The program centers around an intensive study and studio presentation of fourteen different texts during the semester. May be repeated once for credit.
Graduate Courses
Theatre Arts graduate students may take courses in acting, directing, management, and design to fulfill the requirements for the Master of Arts in Drama.
700 Theatre Research Methods (3)
Corequisite: TH A 707. Current objectives and perspectives in theatre research. Study of research methodology and bibliographical resources. Identification and analysis of problems for group and/or individual investigation. Evaluation of research studies.
701 Seminar: Theatrical History and Historiography (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 401 or ENG 570 or ENG 571 or equivalent. Selected topics from theatrical history. Special emphasis on the relation between the theatre and its cultural contexts, the uses of theatrical history in contemporary production, and on the techniques of production reconstruction.
702 Seminar: Shakespearean Production Style (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 401 or ENG 570 or ENG 571 or equivalent. A study of the concepts and techniques of Shakespearean staging from the Elizabethans to the present.
703 Seminar: The American Stage (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 402 or ENG 574 or equivalent. A close study of the American tradition in the theatre with an emphasis on major plays and productions from O'Neill to the present.
704 Seminar: Contemporary Plays and Performance (3)
Prerequisite: TH A 402 or ENG 574 or equivalent. Analysis of significant playwrights and production styles in the contemporary theatre. The "new naturalism;" performance art; post-modernism.
705 Seminar: Performance and Production Theory (3)
Prerequisite: undergraduate background as appropriate. Topic to be specified in Class Schedule. Close examination of theatrical theory, selected from the areas of acting, directing, theatrical architecture and design. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
707 Seminar: Theatrical Writing (1)
Corequisite: TH A 700. A practicum in theatrical writing of various sorts: critical, historical, journalistic, and technical.
709 Seminar: Dramatic Literature and Criticism (3)
Prerequisite: a graduate course in theatre backgrounds and/or dramatic literature. Contemporary approaches in dramatic criticism applied to selected works of dramatic literature.
711 Collaborative Processes in Theatre (3)
Prerequisites: classified M.F.A. status in theatre arts and consent of instructor. Graduate collegium addressing the processes of theatrical collaboration.
723 Voice: Advanced Skills (2)
Prerequisites: classified M.F.A. status in theatre arts and consent of instructor. Advanced work in vocal skills related to specified styles of theatre. May be repeated for a total of eight units.
725 Stage Movement: Advanced Skills (2)
Prerequisites: classified M.F.A. status and consent of instructor. Advanced work in movement skills related to specified styles of theatre. May be repeated for a total of eight units.
730 Performance Studio (5)
Prerequisites: classified M.F.A. status in theatre arts and consent of instructor. A project-oriented performance workshop including realism, the classic repertory, and post-modern theatre. Extensive participation in the staging of scenes from plays of various genres and periods. Laboratory. May be repeated for a total of twenty units.
731 Understanding and Performing Shakespeare (3)
Prerequisites: classified M.F.A. status in theatre arts and consent of instructor. Acting workshop with particular emphasis on approaches to understanding and performing the works of Shakespeare. Laboratory.
740 Play Production Concepts (3)
Prerequisites: classified M.F.A. in theatre arts or consent of instructor. Methods and principles that encourage a conceptual approach toward play production. Formal techniques and thematic studies that provide the theatre practitioner with a coherent perspective for the interpretation of dramatic material.
750 Design Studio (3)
Prerequisites: classified graduate status in theatre arts and consent of instructor. Tutorial studio exploration of design problems in theatre arts. May be repeated for a total of nine units.
757 Internship in Theatre (3)
Prerequisites: final year in M.F.A. in theatre arts program, and departmental permission. M.F.A. internship assignment, under faculty supervision, to professional production experience with Bay Area theatre companies, performing arts agencies, or production organizations. May be repeated for a total of six units.
810 Advanced Practicum in Theatre (3)
Prerequisites: classified graduate standing in theatre arts and consent of instructor. Development, solution, and presentation of design problems for professional theatre.
852 Directed Experience in Drama Education (3)
Prerequisite: departmental permission. Supervised observation and directed experience in the teaching of basic drama courses; analysis of teaching problems. May be repeated for a total of six units.
894 Creative Work Project (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser. Creative work formulated and presented by the student under faculty supervision as a culmination of study for the M.A. in Drama and the M.F.A. in Theatre Arts. Graduate Approved Program and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.
898 Master's Thesis (3)
Prerequisite: consent of graduate major adviser. Research formulated and presented by the student under faculty supervision as a culmination of study for the Master of Arts in Drama; organization of materials into an appropriate written presentation. Graduate Approved Program and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.