ACADEMICS
Southwestern University
Fundamentals of Acting - Rick Romer
This course is designed to introduce students to the processes of acting, including developing clear characters, analyzing scripts, exploring dramatic action and conflict and making bold choices in the development of scenes and monologues. Students will work on basic acting skills including movement, voice, and improvisation. Substantial written and performance work is required.
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Stage Management - John Ore
An introduction to stage management for academic and professional theatre. This project-oriented course provides students with a survey of techniques and strategies aimed at modeling successful stage management. Students will gain hands-on experience by working in stage management in the Departments performance spaces.
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Festival Stage Management - John Ore
This project-oriented course surveys the job of the stage manager and the work “behind the scenes” of live performance with the emphasis on theatrical production. Our goal will be to become competent in the area of stage management, which will be realized through study, discussion, and (most of all) hands on experiential learning.
The “people skills” part of the job will be exercised with class discussion, relating our readings and our experiences to the subject at hand. I expect you to come to every class prepared and ready to voice your questions and comments, drawing upon personal experience when appropriate. We learn from each other as well as from texts and practical experiences, so please come to class prepared to listen and talk. There will, from time to time, be guest speakers including many of the faculty and staff involved in the camp; I expect you to be inquisitive and gregarious as we form our definition of what the stage manager is, and how each of the other members of the company rely upon this leader.
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Scenic Design - Desiderio Roybal
A study of the art and practice of theatrical scenic design. The focus of the course will be on the traditional approaches to scenic design and a study of the elements of composition as they apply to scenery. Students will work with different theatrical styles and settings and will present design concepts through painted renderings and/or models as well as drafting.
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Scenic Painting - Desiderio Roybal
A practical activity-based and lecture course which specializes in the study of various paint finishes and techniques that are applied to stage scenery. When working on class assignments, students will have the opportunity to experiment with paint, binders, tools and techniques. The techniques covered serve as a foundation for further study and exploration in the art of scene painting.
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Design Fundamentals - Desiderio Roybal
This beginning design course provides students the opportunity to explore the major areas of design for theatrical production: costume, scenery/props, sound and lighting. Students will be exposed to theatrical drawing, rendering, script analysis and collaboration. The format of this class will vary from discussion to lecture to group activities. This course is open to only first year students and sophomores. Juniors and seniors may register with the permission of the instructor.
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Costume Design - Kerry Bechtel
A study of the art and practice of theatrical costume design. Emphasis will be placed on the costume designers requirements for pre-production. Topics covered include analysis, research, basic figure proportion, color theory, sketching, swatching and rendering. Students will present design concepts through a series of renderings for selected periods and plays.
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Play Script Analysis - Sergio Costola
A course exploring various critical approaches to Western written texts intended for the stage. The selection of plays will help students develop the ability to analyze and evaluate a variety of scripts in terms of form, structure, tone and style. Students will be introduced to some of the most important realistic plays of the twentieth century while also exploring texts that depart from realism.
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Theatre History - Sergio Costola
A course exploring Western theatre and drama in a variety of periods. Theatre performances and plays will be analyzed as functions of different fields of influence (economic realities of production and attendance; politics and power relations within and outside the theatre; social norms regarding gender, race, ethnicity, religion, family, etc.; aesthetic values of the time). In addition, the course is meant to introduce students to methods of critical research and issues of historiography. Contributes to Race and Ethnicities Studies.
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Devising Theatre - Patrick Shaw
Devised theatre is a fancy term for skipping a script and making theatre in the room you’re in with the people you’re with. Over the course of the semester, we’ll explore the work of innovative theatre companies worldwide, develop storytelling craft, engage in methods of non-hierarchical collaboration, and, most importantly, make many, many beautiful little pieces of theatre. We’ll ask: what more can plays do? Can a play scare us like a horror film, feel like a love poem, take us back in time? What do you want to see happen in the room? In the world?
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Creative Dramatics for Youth - Desiderio Roybal
The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the field of creative dramatics and theatre for youth through lecture, demonstration, classroom workshops and community engaged learning with area youth groups. This course is a community engaged learning course in partnership with the Georgetown, Boys and Girls Club . Field work will take place on campus with club members. Students will learn skills necessary to work with young people on language and communication, problem solving, cooperative engagement, free and structured play, social awareness, empathy and an understanding if the art of creative expression.