Spring 2025 Theater Courses

THTR 101 Introduction to Theater

Through lectures, discussions, hands-on- experiences, master classes with visiting theater professionals, and performances outside of class, this course introduces students to significant texts, ideas, and crafts essential to the study of theater. Projects involve acting, directing, design, and theater criticism; writing assignments familiarize students with the analytic tools and accepted vocabulary of theater scholarship. [H].  Required for Theater Majors/Minors.  MWF 9:30-10:20 AM, Studio Theater (123) – 248 N. 3rd St.  Alexander Owens.

THTR 111 World Theater II: 19th-21st Century

How are the arts today directly influenced by global theater from the 19th and 20th centuries? What can theatrical experiments and movements from 200 years ago teach us about what it means to be an artist and an innovator today?  This course will immerse students in global theater styles and plays from the last 300 years that embody the politics and cultures of their time. From melodrama to digital theater today, the course will dive into the rapid changes that occurred in staging, playwriting, and the roles of gender, sexuality, race, and class. Through team-based learning activities, students will have the opportunity to stage a variety of performance styles and invent their own theater manifestos and movements. TR 9:30-10:45 AM, Studio Theater-248 N. 3rd St.  Courtney Ryan

THTR 120 Theater Performance Practicum
THTR 121 Theater Production Practicum
THTR 122 Theater Design Practicum

THTR 208 Theater and Diversity

This course examines live and streaming theater productions that address issues of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, and accessibility, and explores the extensive inclusivity struggles that face those who currently work in the theater. The course also explores creative strategies that can be used to mitigate the lack of diversity often evident in classical theater.  [GM1,H,V W].   MW 2:45-4:00PM, Studio Theater (123)– 248 N. 3rd St.  Mary Jo Lodge.

THTR 270 Topics: Scenic Painting

The implementation of theatrical scenic art can be traced back to some of the earliest examples of theatre production, and includes wide-ranging disciplines, encompassing virtually the entire scope of painting and craft techniques. The specialized knowledge of the scenic painter can play a pivotal role in the generation of a staged environment. This course considers the elements and principles of design, and how they are applied to painted composition for theatrical staging. Additionally, this course will explore and exercise some of the most commonly used techniques of scenic painting employed in theatrical production. [H] No prerequisite. F 1:15-4:00PM,  Painting Studio – WVAB.  Katrina Miller.

THTR 280 Speaking Power

Intending to be a lawyer? Public Relations in your future? Need to master the arts of persuasion? Lacking confidence when speaking in public? Planning on any career in business that requires speaking with authority? You’ll need to become proficient at rhetorical technique. This course will focus on effective speaking strategies for life and for professions, including: analyzing effective speeches; writing and delivering persuasive rhetoric; building confidence and authority; mastering argument techniques; fostering “presence” for public performances; and channeling anxiety to build focus. [H,V,W]  (01) TR 1:15-2:30 PM, Studio Theater (123)-248 N. 3rd St. Melissa Livingston.   (02) MW 11:40 AM-12:55 PM, Simon 125. Mark Sapara.

THTR 286 Theater and Sports

In this course, students will explore the complex relationship between theater and sports, with a particular focus on plays and musicals that feature sports as their subject matter. Students will examine common sports tropes in entertainment, like driven underdogs, and will explore thorny ethical issues related to sports, including doping, cheating, and sports betting. Students will also engage with complicated questions about how sports plays engage with gender, sexuality, race, and disability. [H,V].  MW 1:15-2:30 PM, 248 N. 3rd St.-Studio Theater (123). Mary Jo Lodge.

THTR 330 Acting III

This course will introduce students to the plays and practice of a variety of theatrical styles from throughout history and around the world. Students will explore theatrical and performance techniques and styles including Greek,  Elizabethan Theatre (Shakespeare), Commedia dell’arte, Farcical Comedy, and  Expressionism. In addition, students will learn basic stage falls and some simple hand-to-hand stage combat techniques. Class projects will include performances of monologues and scenes, as well as script analysis and research projects, so that, through learning by doing, students will be able broaden their experience of what theater is and can be. TR 2:45-4:00 PM, 248 N. 3rd St.-Studio Theater (123), Melissa Livingston

THTR 373 Internship
THTR 400 Senior Project
THTR 496 Thesis