The Theatre graduate program provides its students with the opportunity to prepare for professional careers in the Theatre Arts through a series of hands-on learning experiences and advanced research applications. Fields of study include acting, directing, production design, theatre management, box office management, play-writing, and theatre education. Students are given the skills and experience to achieve successful career goals upon graduation. Students prepare for these goals through intensive study of theatrical techniques and hands-on application of these techniques.
Credit Hours: Thesis - 30 semester hours
| Thesis (6 semester hours) | ||
| THE 518 | Thesis (6 semester hours required) | 6 |
Only 6 semester hours of credit for 518 per degree will be given upon satisfactory completion of the requirement | ||
| History and Theory (6 semester hours) | ||
| THE 511 | Dramatic Theory | 3 |
| THE 513 | Survey of Marginalized Theatre | 3 |
| THE 542 | Dev Mod Theatre | 3 |
| THE 543 | Dev Amer Theatre | 3 |
| Management, Design, and Technical Theatre (3 semester hours) | ||
| THE 512 | Theatre Management | 3 |
| THE 515 | Scenic Design | 3 |
| THE 516 | Costume Design | 3 |
| THE 545 | Stage Lighting | 3 |
| THE 550 | Theatrical Design | 3 |
| Creative Component (3 semester hours) | ||
| THE 540 | Directing Theory to Practice | 3 |
| THE 541 | Seminar Stage Direct | 3 |
| THE 544 | Playwriting | 3 |
| THE 560 | Acting | 3 |
| THE 561 | Meisner Acting I | 3 |
| Theatre Electives (6 semester hours) | ||
| 6 semester hours of electives-in theatre, which may include courses from the general requirements or additional theatre course offerings | 6 | |
| General Electives - (6 semester hours) | ||
| 6 semester hours of general electives in theatre, or 6 semester hours outside of the program with the approval from the Director of Theatre Graduate Studies | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Non-Thesis - 36 semester hours.
| Research (3 semester hours) | ||
| THE 595 | Research Lit & Techniques (3 semester hours required) | 3 |
| History and Theory (6 semester hours) | ||
| THE 511 | Dramatic Theory | 3 |
| THE 513 | Survey of Marginalized Theatre | 3 |
| THE 542 | Dev Mod Theatre | 3 |
| THE 543 | Dev Amer Theatre | 3 |
| Management, Design, and Technical Theatre (3 semester hours) | ||
| THE 512 | Theatre Management | 3 |
| THE 515 | Scenic Design | 3 |
| THE 516 | Costume Design | 3 |
| THE 545 | Stage Lighting | 3 |
| THE 550 | Theatrical Design | 3 |
| Creative Component (3 semester hours) | ||
| THE 540 | Directing Theory to Practice | 3 |
| THE 541 | Seminar Stage Direct | 3 |
| THE 544 | Playwriting | 3 |
| THE 560 | Acting | 3 |
| THE 561 | Meisner Acting I | 3 |
| Theatre Electives (9 semester hours) | ||
| 9 semester hours of electives in theatre, which may include courses from the general requirements or additional theatre course offerings. | 9 | |
| General Electives (12 semester hours) | ||
| 12 semester hours of general electives inside or outside of theatre that may be designated as a minor with the approval of the Director of Theatre Graduate Studies and the graduate advisor in the selected minor. | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
THE 511 - Dramatic Theory
Hours: 3
Dramatic Theory. Three semester hours. Studies of the major documents in the evolution of dramatic theory, from classical foundations through major movements to contemporary criticism.
THE 512 - Theatre Management
Hours: 3
Theatre Management. Three semester hours. Study of the practical problems of operating educational and community theatres. Problems of organization, business, and audience development are explored.
THE 513 - Survey of Marginalized Theatre
Hours: 3
A historical survey of influential theatre practitioners – playwrights, designers, directors, producers, theorists, and performers – whose work falls outside of the canon. Particular attention will be given to issues of visibility and accessibility of the diversification of theatre in a contemporary context. Prerequisites: None.
THE 514 - Theatre Pedagogy in Higher Education
Hours: 3
A seminar to aid in preparing students to teach theatre at the college and university levels. The course will explore the art, science, and profession of the collegiate theatre professor. Prerequisites: None.
THE 515 - Scenic Design
Hours: 3
An in depth look at the history, designers, and practical application of scenic design as it applies to theatre. Prerequisites: None.
THE 516 - Costume Design
Hours: 3
A graduate level in-depth examination of the principles, elements, theories, and practicalities of costume design and their relation to overall design considerations in the theatre.
THE 517 - Stage Properties
Hours: 3
This course will cover advanced techniques and skills necessary to create stage properties for use in theatrical productions.
THE 518 - Thesis
Hours: 3-6
Thesis. Six semester hours.
THE 540 - Directing Theory to Practice
Hours: 3
Through reading, discussion, and practice, students will explore the theories, vocabularies, and techniques needed to direct actors from differing backgrounds and levels of training. Attention is given to creating the director/actor relationship, director/actor communication, problem solving, rehearsal techniques, and the directorial styles of specific master directors.
THE 541 - Seminar Stage Direct
Hours: 3
Seminar in Stage Direction. Three semester hours. A study of theories and techniques of producing the play: style, genre, movement, business, and visual components.
THE 542 - Dev Mod Theatre
Hours: 3
Development of Modern Theatre. Three semester hours. A survey of the modern theatre from the rise of Naturalism to the present day, with attention being given to the theatrical conditions and changing intellectual climate of the Twentieth Century.
THE 543 - Dev Amer Theatre
Hours: 3
Development of American Theatre. Three semester hours. A study of the theatre as it reflects the social, artistic, and literary interests in America from the colonial period to the contemporary scene.
THE 544 - Playwriting
Hours: 3
Playwriting. Three semester hours. An individual study of dramatic theory, development of the script, and analysis of original scenes and plays. Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor.
THE 545 - Stage Lighting
Hours: 3
Stage Lighting. Three semester hours. Theory of color, optics, electrical instruments, and control for stage production and television.
THE 546 - Survey of Musical Theatre
Hours: 3
This course explores representative musical theatre from the 1800s to present day. Students will evaluate and compare a variety of musicals including Minstrel Shows, Vaudeville, Operetta, Musical Comedy, and Opera to present-day Broadway Musicals. Students will examine composers, lyricists, producers, directors, choreographers, and performing artists who have contributed to the development of musical theater.
THE 547 - Documentary Theatre
Hours: 3
This course explores playwrights, plays, and theatre companies that create docudramas — theatre pieces based on a documents, interviews, and texts in the public record. Students will study the techniques and processes of influential practitioners of docudrama, as well as apply their knowledge in practical application of scene creation.
THE 549 - Theatre as Art, Entertainment, and Business
Hours: 3
This course explores the place where theatre, social issues, and business meet. Additional study of the workings of board governance, as well as practices of effective board operations, is offered.
THE 550 - Theatrical Design
Hours: 3
Theatrical Design - Three semester hours Advanced work that examines theatrical design styles and their place in the collaborative process. Students study the technologies, theories, history, and individual designers essential to the understanding of the theatrical design process.
THE 559 - Period Makeup Design
Hours: 3
Provides an overview of the hair and makeup styles associated with different time periods. Emphasis of this course is on Western looks and styles and the associated ideals of beauty in those eras. Class covers various techniques and research methods for creating period makeup styles, rendering and design paperwork.
THE 560 - Acting
Hours: 3
Acting. Three semester hours. Intensive approach to acting styles to help the advanced student (1) sharpen technical skills; (2) gain experience in problem-solving situations for the actor; and (3) increase awareness of the complexities of the actor's craft. Memorized scene work; exercises in language, movement and characterization.
THE 561 - Meisner Acting I
Hours: 3
Through exercises, performance activities, presentations, and written reflection, this course provides the graduate student with a practical introduction to Sanford Meisner’s approach to actor training. Crosslisted with: THE 461.
THE 562 - Meisner Acting II
Hours: 3
For the student-actor who has previously acquired a working knowledge of the foundational principles of Sanford Meisner’s approach to actor training, this course provides more advanced instruction in the following concepts: emotional preparation, interpretation, the personalization of text, the deeper wish and spine, personalizing the deeper wish, doings and personalizing the doings, provocative statements, and key facts. Prerequisites: THE 561: Meisner Acting I or instructor approval. Crosslisted with: THE 462.
THE 563 - Meisner Acting for the Camera
Hours: 3
This class offers theoretical and practical explorations of Sanford Meisner’s approach to working with both the text and the character through assignments based on monologue and scene work for the camera. Emphasis will be placed on honing the concepts of “Specificity,” “Doings,” and “Personalization” in performance, with an additional introduction to “Particularization.” Crosslisted with: THE 463.
THE 564 - Acting for TV and Film
Hours: 3
This course will define the differences between film, television, and stage acting, as well as other aspects of the business of acting. The course will offer the student opportunities for practical application of acting in television and film scenes, introduce basic approaches to film production, and present techniques to analyze the form, content, and meanings of films from an actor’s perspective.
THE 589 - Independent Study
Hours: 1-4
Independent Study. One to four semester hours. Individualized instruction/research at an advanced level in a specialized content area under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated when the topic varies. Prerequisite: Consent of department head.
THE 595 - Research Lit & Techniques
Hours: 3
Research Literature and Techniques. Three semester hours. A review of current research publications in theatre with emphasis on methodologies used. The student is required to research and write a formal paper using current research methodologies.
THE 596 - Advanced Summer Theatre Workshop
Hours: 3
Techniques, practices, problems, and processes in lighting, costume, scenic, sound, management, directing, and acting for the graduate student. This course will explore individual methods for negotiating and addressing artistic and/or managerial challenges during the practical, developmental process of theatrical productions, specifically Lion Theatre Camp productions. Crosslisted with: THE 496.
THE 597 - Special Topics
Hours: 3
Special Topics. One to four semester hours. Organized class. May be repeated when topics vary.
THE 599 - Rehearsal and Performance
Hours: 3
Rehearsal and Performance. Three semester hours. Preparation and performance, with laboratory, of Summer Theatre, touring, indoor and outdoor productions. Techniques, practices, problems, and processes in lighting, costume, scenic, sound, management, and acting for the graduate student.
