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Theatre and Dance
TA342-349 Special Topics in Theatre 1-3 credits
Courses dealing with specialized topics, including those relevant to the actor, director, designers, or
other theatre practitioners. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
TA350 Playwriting Workshop 3 credits
This course consists of building blocks for those interested in pursuing playwriting. Techniques for
exploring character development, conflict, dialogue, and dramatic action is explored through specific
writing assignments. The culminating work is a short one-act play written by the students.
TA355 Advanced Acting 3 credits
This course provides for the study of various acting styles found in the genres of realism, comedy, and
tragedy. Periods of study include Elizabethan, Restoration, French Neo-classic, Victorian, and/or Early
American. Work is focused on researching the background and demands of each period and style and
to include this work in more intense scene and monologue work. Offered in alternate spring semesters.
Prerequisites: TA100, TA155 and TA260.
TA358 Acting: The British Approach 3 credits
The course is taught during the London semester. It examines the British approach to scene work and
the rehearsal process. Time is spent in working with the Standard British RP dialect. Students work with
scenes written by British playwrights such as Shakespeare, Noel Coward, Tom Stoppard, and Harold
Pinter. Offered fall semester. Prerequisites: TA100 and TA155. Recommended: TA260.
TA359 The Development of the American Musical 3 credits
This course is designed to provide a study of the history and repertoire of music in the theatre from
its early forms of operetta, burlesque, vaudeville and revue to the integrated and spectacle musicals
of today. This course focuses on the process of the writers, directors, performers and producers of
musical theatre and through discussions of the production elements provide insight into what makes
the musical form unique. Students have the opportunity to formulate their own aesthetic in regards to
musical theater. Prerequisites: TA100 and TA221.
TA360 London Theatre: Page to the Stage 3 credits
This course explores the transfer of dramatic literature from the page to the stage. Prior to attending
a London production, students analyze and interpret a given text and discuss its possible production
requirements. After viewing the production students assess it based on their pre-production analysis
and interpretation. Offered fall semester. Prerequisite: majors or minors.
TA400-405 Independent Studies in Theatre 1-3 credits
The opportunity for guided investigation into theatre research or production. Students may pursue a
broad scope of possibilities such as acting, directing, design, theatre administration. Production projects
are incorporated into departmental activities when possible. Consent of department required.
TA421 History of Theatre III: Realism and Naturalism to the Present 3 credits
This course is the third in a three-course sequence examining theatre within its historical context as a
socially constructed mode of artistic and cultural expression with an emphasis on international theatre.
Among the topics contemplated in this particular course are the contributions of Ibsen, Chekhov, and
Stanislavsky; Theatre Libre, Bertolt Brecht, and Samuel Beckett; the theatre of cruelty, political theatre,
the rise of Broadway, emerging world theatres, performance art, and contemporary theory. Offered
spring semester. Prerequisite: TA321.
TA425 Career Development II: Senior Showcase 1 credit
This course helps students develop documents and materials relative to auditioning and interviewing
for theatre related employment. Topics include resumes, head shots, monologues/songs, cold readings,
design/tech portfolios, cover letters, call boards, graduate school/additional training, audition/interview
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