Mini Site Detail Example

THTR UN2005 Acting Workshop. 3 points.

When offered in Fall semester, open only to first-year students.Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

Prerequisites: Acting classes are open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Theatre Department through audition required: auditions for acting classes and for the semester's stage productions held 6pm on the first Tuesday and Wednesday class days of each semester. Acting classes begin meeting after auditions. For required details, consult "Auditions" on the Barnard Theatre Department website in advance: theatre.barnard.edu/auditions.

Course develops the processes and tools an actor needs to approach the text of a play. Students develop their physical, vocal, and imaginative range and skills through voice and speech exercises, work on non-verbal behavior, improvisation, and character development.  IN THE FALL SEMESTER OPEN ONLY TO FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS. Course encouraged for prospective BC Theatre and CU Drama and Theatre Arts majors.

THTR UN2022 PRACTICUM PERFORMANCE SHOW 1. 3.00 points.

Course can be taken for 1-3 points.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: Open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Department through audition required. Students cast as actors in a departmental stage production register for this course; course emphasizes the collaborative nature of production, and appropriate research and reading required in addition to artistic assignments. Auditions for each semester's stage productions held 6pm on the first Tuesday and Wednesday class days of each semester. For required details, consult "Auditions" on the Barnard Theatre Department website in advance: theatre.barnard.edu/auditions

THTR UN2023 PRACTICUM PERFORMANCE SHOW 2. 3.00 points.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: Open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Department through audition required. Students cast as actors in a departmental stage production register for this course; course emphasizes the collaborative nature of production, and appropriate research and reading required in addition to artistic assignments. Auditions for each semester's stage productions held 6pm on the first Tuesday and Wednesday class days of each semester. For required details, consult "Auditions" on the Barnard Theatre Department website in advance: theatre.barnard.edu/auditions

THTR UN2024 PRACTICUM PERFORMANCE THESIS 1. 3.00 points.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: Open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Department through audition required. Students cast as actors in a Senior Thesis in Directing register for this course. Auditions for each semester's stage productions held 6pm on the first Tuesday and Wednesday class days of each semester. For required details, consult "Auditions" on the Barnard Theatre Department website in advance: theatre.barnard.edu/auditions

THTR UN2025 PRACTICUM PERFORMANCE THESIS 2. 3.00 points.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: Open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Department through audition required. Students cast as actors in a Senior Thesis in Directing register for this course. Auditions for each semester's stage productions held 6pm on the first Tuesday and Wednesday class days of each semester. For required details, consult "Auditions" on the Barnard Theatre Department website in advance: theatre.barnard.edu/auditions

THTR UN2026 PRACTICUM PERFORMANCE THESIS 3. 3.00 points.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: Open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Department through audition required. Students cast as actors in a Senior Thesis in Directing register for this course. Auditions for each semester's stage productions held 6pm on the first Tuesday and Wednesday class days of each semester. For required details, consult "Auditions" on the Barnard Theatre Department website in advance: theatre.barnard.edu/auditions

THTR UN2027 Practicum Performance Dramaturgy. 3 points.

Prerequisites: Student dramaturgs are selected as part of the production team; students interested in dramaturging a faculty-directed production should have taken the Dramaturgy course (THTR UN3167) and consult with the instructor. Students interested in dramaturging a senior thesis in directing should be listed by the thesis director as part of the production proposal and register for this course in the semester of the production. Students doing a senior thesis in dramaturgy do not register for this course, but register for THTR UN 3997: Senior Thesis in Performance: Dramaturgy.

THTR UN2201 ACTING ENSEMBLE DIRECTING II. 1.00 point.

Students may participate as actors in Directing II as a 1-credit course; these students will comprise the Acting Ensemble. Actors will be cast in all four student-directed scenes and will participate in the feedback process following the showings. Actors must be available for both days of the week the course meets, but are only required to attend when they are performing; they are welcome to attend additional classes that may be of interest. Actors will be graded on their in-class performances (moment-to-moment work, collaboration with on-stage partners, memorization) and ability to respond and adjust to notes. Actors who are responsible and collaborative will succeed as part of the Acting Ensemble. Grading is Pass/Fail

THTR UN2210 Theatre Workshop. 1 point.

Prerequisites: To be taken only for P/D/F. Auditions for this class are sometimes required; please check with Theatre Department in advance. If audition is required, auditions held 6pm on the first Tuesday and Wednesday class days of each semester. Class begins meeting after auditions. For required details, consult "Auditions" on the Barnard Theatre Department website in advance: theatre.barnard.edu/auditions

Various topics presented by visiting theatre scholars, artists, and practitioners in a lecture/seminar/workshop series that will meet for at least four sessions during each semester. Topics, times, and visiting instructors will be announced by the department. Students must attend all classes to receive credit for the course.

THTR UN2422 PRACTICUM SCENIC PAINT. 1.00 point.

May be taken for 1-3 points.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: permission of Theatre Department Production Manager, Michael Banta (mbanta@barnard.edu). Training and practical props and/or scenic painting work on Departmental mainstage productions

THTR UN2423 PRACTICUM LIGHTS ＆ SOUND. 1.00 point.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: permission of Theatre Department Production Manager, Michael Banta (mbanta@barnard.edu). Training and practical lighting and/or sound work on Departmental mainstage productions

THTR UN2424 PRACTICUM WARDROBE ＆ RUN CREW. 1.00 point.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: permission of Theatre Department Costume Shop Manager Kara Feely (kfeely@barnard.edu). Training and practical costume construction and fitting work on Departmental mainstage productions

THTR UN2425 PRACTICUM STAGE MANAGEMENT. 3.00 points.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: permission of Theatre Department Production Manager, Michael Banta (mbanta@barnard.edu). Training and practical stage management work on Departmental mainstage productions

THTR UN2426 PRACTICUM DESIGN THESIS FESTIVAL. 3.00 points.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: permission of the Senior Thesis Festival coordinator. Training and practical work as student designer on the Senior Thesis Festival

THTR UN2427 PRACTICUM DESIGN ＆ PRODUCTION ASSISTANT. 2.00 points.

May be retaken for full credit. Prerequisites: permission of the Senior Thesis Festival coordinator. Training and practical design work assisting student designers for the Senior Thesis Festival

THTR UN3004 ACTING I. 3.00 points.

Prerequisite: Open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Instructor required; students admitted from Waiting List. Course develops physical, vocal, and imaginative range and skills needed to approach the text of a play: text analysis, speech exercises, non-verbal behavior, improvisation designed to enhance embodiment, movement, and projection. Gateway course to advanced courses; transfer students who have previous college-level course may be exempted with approval of Chair. May be retaken for full credit

THTR UN3005 ACTING II. 3.00 points.

Prerequisite: Open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Instructor required; students admitted from Waiting List. Students must have taken Acting I or equivalent to be eligible for Acting II sections. Acting II will offer several different sections, focusing on a specific range of conceptual, embodiment, and physical acting skills. Please check with the Theatre Department website forspecific offerings and audition information. May be retaken for full credit. All sections of Acting II fullfull the “Arts and Humanities” Foundations requirement at Barnard College

THTR UN3006 ADVANCED ACTING. 3.00 points.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

Prerequisites: Preference given to juniors and seniors; THTR UN 3004 or 3005 prerequisite. Enrollment limited to 14 students. Acting classes are open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Theatre Department through audition required: auditions for acting classes and for the semester's stage productions held 6pm on the first Tuesday and Wednesday class days of each semester. Acting classes begin meeting after auditions. For required details, consult "Auditions" on the Barnard Theatre Department website in advance: theatre.barnard.edu/auditions
Prerequisites: Preference given to juniors and seniors; THTR UN 3004 or 3005 prerequisite. Enrollment limited to 14 students. Acting classes are open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Theatre Department through audition required: auditions for acting classes and for the semesters stage productions held 6pm on the first Tuesday and Wednesday class days of each semester. Acting classes begin meeting after auditions. For required details, consult Auditions on the Barnard Theatre Department website in advance: theatre.barnard.edu/auditions Special problems of performance. In-class scene work, extensive outside research, rehearsals, and reading. Fulfills additional coursework in Acting for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts majors. May be retaken for full credit

THTR UN3007 Scene Lab. 3 points.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to 16 students. Acting classes are open to all Barnard and Columbia undergraduates. Permission of Theatre Department through audition required: auditions for acting classes and for the semester's stage productions held 6pm on the first Tuesday and Wednesday class days of each semester. Acting classes begin meeting after auditions. For required details, consult "Auditions" on the Barnard Theatre Department website in advance: theatre.barnard.edu/auditions.

Provides an overview of the creative process of acting: text analysis, circumstance, establishment of place, pursuit of intention in coordination with exercises and improvisation designed to enhance concentration, imagination, resonance, movement, and projection. Rehearsal 2 hours per week outside class, participation in discussion of plays, playwrights, and performances required. Fulfills one course in Acting for Theatre/Drama Theatre Arts majors.

THTR UN3008 PERFORMING GREEK TRAGEDY ON THE MODERN STAGE. 3.00 points.

This course aims to explore performing Greek tragedy on the modern stage. It will include an introduction to original performance practices in ancient Greece (space, masking, choral performance, costume, acting techniques) and an examination of how artists from different contemporary theatrical traditions have adapted ancient texts in modern performances and new versions of the plays. The bulk of the course will be focused on the problems of acting, interpreting, and reinterpreting parts of three plays on the stage, Sophocles’ Antigone, Euripides’ Medea, and Sophocles’ Ajax along with a new version by Ellen McLaughlin, who teaches playwriting at Barnard, Ajax in Iraq. Students will view all or parts of particularly interesting recent productions from various theatrical traditions, which will help them to tackle challenging issues such as choral performance and choral rhythms, masking, character work, dialogues and presenting formal political debates. For contemporary actors training in Greek tragedy offers a unique opportunity to improve their performance on stage through ensemble work and representing character through speech. It enhances dramaturgical capacities that a contemporary theater practitioner must exercise in exploring theory in practice and vice versa. This class is directed to students particularly interested in dramaturgy, directing, designing, translation, and Greek tragedy as well as acting

THTR UN3127 ZORA NEALE HURSTON ＆ BLACK PERFORMANCE. 4.00 points.

This course begins with focused attention on select plays of Zora Neale Hurston and her critical writing on performance, then takes ZNH’s aesthetics, politics, and provocations as a lens to study Black performance, broadly defined. We will consider the contexts in which Hurston pursued a career as playwright and theatremaker, and the influences that found their way into her plays including spiritual narratives and voodoo. We will turn our attention to key writers of the Harlem Renaissance to learn where ZNH first made her mark, and the milieu to which she ultimately turned her back. Each week’s reading/viewing will include primary sources (ZNH’s plays and dramaturgical statements) as well as scholarly criticism of those works or genre. The final weeks of the course will take up Black performance in the realms of dance and song from the early 20th century, and finish with more recent plays and visual art. In addition to short weekly response papers, students will complete a long-form research paper that may, if they choose, include a creative element

THTR UN3140 PERFORMING WOMEN. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to 16 students. This course examines the category of "woman" as it is mobilized in performance, considering both a variety of contemporary performances chosen from a wide range of genres and a diversity of critical/theoretical perspectives. Course fulfills lecture/seminar "studies" requirement for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major

THTR UN3141 Socialism/Communism in Performance. 4 points.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Enrollment limited to 16 students.

Analyzes dramatic texts and performances under the Communist regimes behind the Iron Curtain before 1989. Principal focus is on Czech, Polish, and East German playwrights and their productions; we will consider their work in both legal and illegal contexts. In order to gain a wider understanding of the diversity of underground performative cultures, works from Hungary, Romania, and Slovenia will be considered as well. The seminar also attends to dissident performative activities in the framework of the 1980s revolutions, and reflects on works by western authors and emigrant/diasporic writers produced on stages behind the Iron Curtain. Fulfills one (of two) required courses in dramatic literature/theatre studies/performance studies for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major.

THTR UN3142 BERTOLT BRECHT:MAKING OF THTR. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to 16; permission of instructor given at first class meeting. Course is conducted in English and readings are in English; German majors and German-speaking students may do readings and papers in German. This class provides a comprehensive overview of the drama, theatre, and theory of Bertolt Brecht, the most influential European playwright and theorist of the twentieth century, in the context of their original historical contexts and subsequent legacies. Course fulfills lecture/seminar "studies" requirement for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major

THTR UN3144 Ecologies of Transmedia Performance. 4.00 points.

Exploring transmedia performance as both a medial interaction in the physical space of theatre and a multiplatform environment expanding and extending beyond it, Ecologies of Transmedia Performance engages the NYPL for the Performing Arts archive to create an environmentally and socially self-aware, virtual transmedia performance/experience. To strengthen academic and digital competencies, the course consists of a seminar (meets on Tuesday) and a lab (meets on Wednesday), integrating several activities: experiencing and studying transmedia performances; conceptualizing transmediality; conducting archival research into transmedia theatre; and designing a transmedia performance (the digital tools we will work with include Google Sites, Google Scripts, and Google Cloud AI). Course enrollment is limited to 12; permission of instructor given after first class meeting. Fulfills one of the two required courses in dramatic literature/theatre studies/performance studies for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major

THTR UN3145 AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN PLAYWRIGHTS. 4.00 points.

African American women have been writing plays at least since the Harlem Renaissance and the American Little Theatre Movement (1910s-1920s). Initially many of their plays portrayed the plight of poor Black women either in the American South or in New York City’s Harlem, in each case showing a struggle for dignity in the midst of an unfair, dismissive, racist situation in which lynchings of Black men were a common enough occurrence and citizen rights were doubly denied these (generally educated) writers—both as Blacks and as women. Even plays depicting middle-class Black families or working women showed how just holding one’s head up and keeping food on the table (much less seeking fulfillment or advancement) was exhausting and often demeaning. Plays written with Black audiences in mind often sought to provide “uplift” and encouragement. Those anticipating white or mixed audiences frequently wanted to show Blacks as equal to whites in intellect, cleanliness, childrearing, honor, patriotism, and citizenship. Over the course of a century, Black playwrights have addressed racism, African American history, urban blight, a changing workplace, and Black American womanhood in a variety of styles ranging from so-called kitchen sink realism to comedy, fantasy, and abstraction. The readings in the course do not exhaust the possibilities for study but they will get you attuned to a rich trove of varied, important writing. In this seminar, students will read and discuss several plays/meeting, make both formal and informal class presentations, and write a final essay. Course fulfills lecture/seminar in drama studies, theatre studies, performance studies requirement for Theatre major

THTR UN3146 American Drama in the 1990s. 4 points.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to 16.

Examines American drama in the period between the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the attack on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001, considering a range of aesthetic (epic theatre, performance art), social (AIDS), and political (Reaganomics) issues of the period. Fulfills one (of two) required courses dramatic literature/theatre studies/performance studies for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major.

THTR UN3149 PERFORMANCE IN/OF SOUTH ＆ SOUTHEAST ASIA. 3.00 points.

This course actively interrogates the region of Southeast Asia as it is mobilized in performance. It will investigate performance as a theoretical lens, artistic medium, and everyday practice across Southeast Asia. Research and writing will draw upon theatre, dance, performance art, and ritual, focusing on the construction of national and personal identity through performance. The course examines themes of gender, sexuality, imperialism, and globalization. Through discussion, viewing, and weekly writing assignments, students hone their critical thinking skills and learn to formulate research questions and arguments that will culminate in one critical essay and two in-class exams. Course may fill either the Global Theatre requirement, or one (of two) required courses in dramatic literature/theatre studies/performance studies for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major, but not both

THTR UN3150 CRITICAL HISTORIES OF DRAMA, THEATRE, AND PERFORMANCE I. 4.00 points.

This course undertakes a dialectical approach to reading and thinking about the history of dramatic theatre, interrogating the ways writing inflects, and is inflected by, the material dynamics of performance. Course undertakes careful study of the practices of performance, and of the sociocultural, economic, political, and aesthetic conditions animating representative performance in “classical” theatres globally; course will also emphasize development of important critical concepts for the analysis of drama, theatre, and performance. Topics include the sociology of theatre, the impact of print on conceptions of performance, representing gender and race, the politics of intercultural performance, and the dynamics of court performance. Writing: 2-3 papers; Reading: 1-2 plays, critical and historical reading per week; final examination. Fulfills one (of two) lecture requirements for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts majors

THTR UN3151 CRITICAL HISTORIES OF DRAMA, THEATRE, AND PERFORMANCE 2. 4.00 points.

This course undertakes a dialectical approach to reading and thinking about the history of dramatic theatre, interrogating the ways writing inflects, and is inflected by, the material dynamics of performance in the modern era. Course undertakes careful study of the practices of performance, and of the sociocultural, economic, political, and aesthetic conditions animating representative performances in theatres globally; course will also emphasize development of important critical concepts for the analysis of drama, theatre, and performance. Topics include the sociology of theatre, the impact of print on conceptions of performance, representing gender and race, the politics of intercultural performance, and the dynamics of emerging forms and critical practices of performance analysis. Writing: 2-3 papers; Reading: 1-2 plays, critical and historical reading per week; final examination. Fulfills one (of two) lecture requirements for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts majors

THTR UN3154 THEATRE TRAD GLOBAL CONTEXT. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to 50 students. Provides a broad introduction to several traditions of nonwestern drama and theatrical practice, often placing recent and contemporary writing in relation to established conventions. Taking up plays and performance traditions from Asia, South Asia, and various African traditions, it may also consider the relation between elite and popular culture (adaptations of Shakespeare, for example), and between drama, theatre, and film. Course fulfills lecture/seminar "studies" requirement for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major

THTR UN3155 TRADITIONAL INDIAN PERFORMNCE. 4.00 points.

Course provides a perspective on traditional forms of Indian performance from classical theory to contemporary traditional practices. Course covers Sanskrit drama, Kathakali, Ramlila, and Chhau; extensive video of performances and guest practitioners. Course fulfills lecture/seminar "studies" course requirement for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major

THTR UN3156 MODERN ASIAN PERFORMANCE. 4.00 points.

This course studies contemporary Asian performance with a focus on modernity, covering most nations on the Asian continent. We will examine a variety of performance, ranging from dance to revolutionary theatre, from postdramatic staging to translated as well as made-in-Asia musicals. Theoretical questions under discussion include modernity, national/ethnic/gender identity, art and ideology, the Sinophone, global Asias, among others. Fulfills lecture/seminar requirement in Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major and minor programs

THTR UN3157 POSTCOLONIAL DRAMA:THE CANON ＆ ITS OTHER. 4.00 points.

This class is a close reading of postcolonial plays, both as they form a recognizable canon, and as counters to it. Through a grounding in postcolonial theory, students will explore how the colonial encounter leaves a lasting impact on language and performance. How do these playwrights tackle questions of authenticity, influence, inspiration and agency? What stories do they adapt, translate or reimagine? Also, we read in equal measure male and female playwrights, attending to the ways in which power and authority are negotiated by them. This class looks both at plays that are seminal to postcolonial writing and also newer ones that unsettle the position of the greats. Do we then understand postcolonialism as a historically bound literary trend or an ongoing process of exploration? Fundamentally we ask, in our efforts to decolonize the theatre, how do we find new ways or reading? Course fulfills lecture/seminar in drama studies, theatre studies, performance studies requirement for Theatre major

THTR UN3160 Queer Performance. 4 points.

This course surveys key theoretical and historical writings in the field of Queer Performance, both within and without Theatre and Performance Studies, as well as significant dramatic and performance works in the field. Beginning with an introduction to queer theory and questions surrounding gender and sexuality in performance, the course then moves into contemporary theories to examine works that use embodiment to question constructions of gender and sexuality onstage. Performances are regarded as provocations: what constitutes queer performance? Is sexuality all we mean by queer? What are the historical, aesthetic, and political aspects of queer performance? We will also pursue questions of practice and production: Where is queer performance staged and how is it received? How is it produced, fo whom, by whom, and with what funding? Is queer performance inherently or even necessarily radical? The course explores crosscultural performances, as well as performances spanning from theatrical stages to ritual to everyday performance. Course may fill either the Theory requirement, or one (of two) required courses in dramatic literature/theatre studies/performance studies for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major, but not both.

THTR UN3165 THEORIES OF PERFORMANCE STUDIES. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to 16 students. Course surveys the wide range of genres and categories addressed by the practice of modern "performance studies"; it introduces a number of performance practices, as well as relevant interdisciplinary methodologies. Students consider live performances as well as a number of mediated works, learning to think critically and creatively about the relation between text, technology, and the body. Course may fill either the Theory requirement, or one (of two) required courses in dramatic literature/theatre studies/performance studies for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major, but not both

THTR UN3166 Drama, Theatre, and Theory. 4 points.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to 16 students.

Intensive immersion in fundamental principles and practices of world drama, theatre, and performance, past and present. Close readings of performances, plays, video, film, and digital media.  Assignments include presentations, performance projects, and critical writing. Fulfills one course in Drama, Theatre, and Theory requirement for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts majors.

THTR UN3200 DIRECTING I. 3.00 points.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor given at first class meeting. Exploration of the evolution of the director's role in Europe and the US, including the study of important figures. Emphasis on text analysis, and varied schools of acting in relation to directing practice. Students gain a foundation in composing stage pictures and using stage movement to tell a story. All students will direct at least one fully-realized scene

THTR UN3201 DIRECTING II. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Students required to have taken THTR UN3200 Directing I or THTR UN3203 Collaboration: Directing and Design, or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 14 students. Permission of instructor given at first class meeting. Course focuses on developing an individual directorial style, placing emphasis on visual research, and the use of different staging environments: end-stage, in the round, environmental. Class is structured around scene-work and critique, and each student will direct at least three fully-realized scenes. Material typically drawn from European avant-garde

THTR UN3202 ADVANCED DIRECTING. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Open to students who have taken at least one course in directing. Required for students approved for Directing thesis, but open to all qualified students. Permission of instructor given at first class meeting.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have taken at least one course in directing. Required for students approved for Directing thesis, but open to all qualified students. Permission of instructor given at first class meeting. This course requires students to draw on all previous theatre training, synthesizing scholarship and research toward dynamic fully-realized scene work. Emphasis is on the director-actor relationship; students will direct at least three fully-realized scenes, typically drawn from Shakespeare, Chekhov, or other playwrights. Students may have the opportunity to make devised work, and will collaborate with students in the Advanced Acting class. Required for, but not limited to, students undertaking a senior thesis in directing

THTR UN3203 COLLABORATION:DIRCTNG/DESIGN. 3.00 points.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructors given at first meeting; enrollment limited to 24. Course focuses on developing both technical and collaborative skills of directors and designers. Students are assigned to different roles in creative teams working on a series of at least three fully realized and designed scenes. Introduction to various design disciplines and directing practice

THTR UN3210 DRAMATURGY. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor, given at first class meeting; enrollment limited to 12. This course teaches the research skills and practices a production dramaturg develops as part of the conceptual work of theatrical production. Course is focused on a series of activities: analyzing dramatic text, comparing different versions of script, conducting archival and cultural research, and presenting it to the production team. Fulfills as a "studio" or "praxis" course toward the Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts major. Does not fulfill a "seminar or lecture" requirement. Required for students undertaking a senior thesis in directing prior to the thesis year

THTR UN3211 Performance Lab. 4 points.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to 12 students. Course typically involves visiting critics/scholars/artists in developing experimental theatrical work.

THTR UN3300 PLAYWRITING WORKSHOP. 3.00 points.

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor given at first class meeting. Students will create and workshop plays, with a focus on learning new approaches to language and structure. Recommended for students undertaking a senior thesis in playwriting

THTR UN3301 PLAYWRITING LAB. 3.00 points.

Students will develop original dramatic scripts. Students will also read drafts of writers currently produced on New York stages to understand why changes and rewrites were made. Recommended for students undertaking a senior thesis in playwriting

THTR UN3303 UNUSUAL STORIES: CLUBBED THUMB PLAYWRITING. 3.00 points.

Clubbed Thumb commissions, develops and produces funny, strange and provocative new plays by living American writers. Clubbed Thumb’s plays vary in style and content, but are always 90 minutes or under. They feature substantial and challenging roles for all genders, are questioning, formally inventive, theatrical, and exhibit a sense of humor. Since its founding in 1996, the company has presented over 100 productions, and has been awarded 5 Obies, including the Ross Wetzsteon award for sustained excellence. This playwriting course will use Clubbed Thumb’s work and aesthetic as a launching point. The students will see all three of the plays in the 2023 Summerworks Festival, and will read several published scripts from previous Clubbed Thumb festivals. We will look at the stylistic and aesthetic choices of these plays, and students will engage in a series of writing assignment inspired by Clubbed Thumb’s work, culminating in a “Clubbed Thumb bakeoff” (a longer play written in a short period of time). The students will have the opportunity to engage with Clubbed Thumb artists, including the artistic leadership of Clubbed Thumb: Maria Striar and Michael Bulger

THTR UN3401 SOUND DESIGN. 3.00 points.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor given at first class meeting. Studies the art and practice of designing sound and scoring music for dramatic performance. Students study the relationship between concert and incidental music, and read plays toward the production of a score for live theatre. Students also read broadly in the fields of sound, music, acoustics, and the cultural analysis of sound as a component of performance. Background in music or composition not essential.

THTR UN3402 COSTUME DESIGN. 3.00 points.

Studio course exploring designing costumes for the stage. Students become familiar with textual and character analysis, research, sketching and rendering, swatching and introductory costume history. Application Instructions: E-mail the instructor with the title of the course in the subject line. In your message, include basic information: your name, school, major, year of study, and relevant courses taken, along with a brief statement about why you are interested in taking the course. Admitted students should register for the course; they will automatically be placed on a wait list, from which the instructor will admit them as spaces become available

THTR UN3403 LIGHTING DESIGN. 3.00 points.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to 12 students. Focuses on both the technical and creative aspects of theatrical lighting design. Students will learn the role of lighting within the larger design and performance collaboration through individual and group projects, readings, hands-on workshops, and critique of actual designs. Application Instructions: E-mail the instructor (acasey@barnard.edu) with the title of the course in the subject line. In your message, include basic information: your name, school, major, year of study, and relevant courses taken, along with a brief statement about why you are interested in taking the course. Admitted students should register for the course; they will automatically be placed on a wait list, from which the instructor will admit them as spaces become available

THTR UN3404 SCENE DESIGN. 3.00 points.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to 12 students. Permission of instructor given at first class meeting. Introduction to designing for the theatre. The course will focus on set design, developing skills in script analysis, sketching, model making, storyboarding and design presentation. Some investigation into theatre architecture, scenic techniques and materials, and costume and lighting design

THTR UN3405 PROBLEMS IN DESIGN. 3.00 points.

Prerequisites: Some design experience is helpful, though not required. Enrollment limited to 12 students. Studio-based course explores the main elements of theatrical design: sets, costumes, lighting, and sound through objects, materials, theatrical and non-theatrical environments. Students examine these design elements as both individual and interrelated components within a performance. Fulfills one course in Design requirement for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts majors. Fulfills one of three courses in performance fields for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts majors: design

THTR UN3406 Media & Production Design. 3 points.

Uses analysis and design to explore how media and projections can be used to construct narrative in theatre and support non-narrative forms of performance. Digital and analog media are explored for their potentials and limitations. Students learn how the media is produced and transmitted will be discussed as part of creating a video design. Students will produce projection projects using different kinds of media during the course requiring work outside of class time. Fulfills one of three courses in performance fields for Theatre/Drama and Theatre Arts majors: design.

THTR UN3413 STAGE MANAGEMENT. 3.00 points.

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor, given at first class meeting. This course explores the role of the stage manager and production manager in theatrical production. Students undertake hands-on exercises to develop the practical and collaborative skills essential to working both as a stage manager and production manager--script analysis; production timeline and rehearsal management; technical rehearsal; budgeting; working with directors and designers; working with unions; health and safety codes; house management; box office

THTR UN3997 SENIOR THESIS IN PERFORMANCE. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Appropriate coursework and substantial production experience, including a major crew assignment in the junior year. Enrollment limited to senior Theatre majors. Combined and special majors may be considered under exceptional circumstances. Permission of the instructor required. Students register for this course to pursue approved theses in acting, design, directing, dramaturgy, solo performance, or stage and production management. Students will act in, direct, design, stage manage or dramaturg a play in the Barnard Department of Theatre season, or write a short play or solo performance piece that will be produced (according to departmental guidelines) in the Senior Thesis Festival. Collaboration is expected and students will meet weekly with faculty and other seniors. A written proposal must be submitted in the spring of the junior year and be approved. In addition to the performance, an extensive written Casebook is required: see departmental guidelines

THTR UN3998 SENIOR THESIS IN RESEARCH. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to senior Theatre majors. Combined and special majors may be considered under exceptional circumstances. Permission of the instructor required.
Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to senior Theatre majors. Combined and special majors may be considered under exceptional circumstances. Permission of the instructor required. In-depth research project culminating in a substantial written thesis on any aspect of drama, performance, or theatre research

ENTA GU4625 SHAKESPEARE PERFORMANCE STUDIES. 4.00 points.

This course will work across three general approaches to Shakespearean drama and performance. First, we’ll consider the historical forms of performance that have used Shakespearean drama as the material for theatrical endeavor. Second, we’ll consider theoretical paradigms for performance that resituate an understanding that privileges either the “theatrical” or the “literary” identity of Shakespeare’s plays. And, finally, we’ll consider how we might consider the plays as themselves theoretical instruments for thinking about performance. Throughout the semester we will consider stage, film, and online productions, and the ways they articulate a sense of both “Shakespeare” and “performance.” This course is a seminar, and while there is no formal prerequisite, students who have had a previous Shakespeare course will find the reading more manageable: we will rarely be doing the kind of “overview” of a play, but will be incisively considering specific elements of performance. Application Instructions: E-mail the instructor wworthen@barnard.edu with the title of the course in the subject line. In your message, include basic information: your name, school, major, year of study, and relevant courses taken, along with a brief statement about why you are interested in taking the course. Admitted students should register for the course; they will automatically be placed on a wait list, from which the instructor will admit them as spaces become available

THTR UN3999 INDEPENDENT STUDY. 1.00-4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and the chair required.
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor and the chair required. Students submit, before the semester begins, a detailed proposal for independent research to a faculty sponsor