BSU Catalog Home | Theatre Program | All-University Courses and Descriptions

Theatre (THTR)

(formerly Theatre and Communication Arts - THSP)

Check with department for semester when these courses are offered. Read each course description for prerequisites.

1020 PRACTICAL THEATRE EXPERIENCE (1-2 credits) Laboratory course in theatre activities. May include performance, production work, theatre management, and/or stagecraft activities. May be repeated. Liberal Education Category 11

1090 [Moved to English, as a Communication Arts (SPCM) course]

1100 [Moved to English, as a Communication Arts (SPCM) course]

1500 INTRODUCTION TO THEATRE (2 credits) Aesthetics and craft of the theatrical experience on stage, screen, and television. Discussion and analysis of all aspects of the theatrical arts, critical viewing of performances with written analysis, and participation with departmental productions. Liberal Education Categories 6 & 11

2010 SOPHOMORE THEATRE PRACTICUM (0 credits) Applied course for Theatre majors and minors. Students are required to be involved with each University Theatre production during each term of their sophomore year (or until they complete 65 credits). Opportunity to apply what is learned in classes as well as identify areas that need further study. Students confer with department chair to determine what assignments to take on and which faculty will supervise them. Department chair assigns a grade of “S” or “U” in consultation with supervisor. Prerequisite: 33 semester credits of university-level work.

2030 INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTWRITING (2 credits) Introduction to the various elements of scriptwriting and experience in writing scenes, one-act pieces, and full-length scripts for the stage or film. Prerequisites: ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102 or equivalent. Liberal Education Category 6 (Might not be offered every year)

2040 STAGE MAKEUP (3 credits) Basic and advanced skills in designing, applying, and building makeup for stage performance, especially to meet the demands of the Bangsberg theatres. Advanced skills require character and actor analysis and the execution of hair or wig designs and facial designs on self and others. Students are required to work one makeup crew for a University Theatre production.

2100 [Moved to English, as a Communication Arts (SPCM) course]

2150 [Moved to English, as a Communication Arts (SPCM) course]

2200 INTRODUCTION TO PERFORMANCE STUDIES (2 credits) The nature of performance and the oral tradition, from storytelling to reading aloud to the performance of literature, with emphasis on learning by doing. Students are expected to find an outlet for performance to meet a service learning requirement of the course. A public performance is also required. Liberal Education Category 6 (Might not be offered every year)

2210 THEATRE SCRIPT ANALYSIS (3 credits) For students of acting, directing, design, and playwriting. Techniques for analysis of the structural and performance dimensions of playscripts; examination of such structural techniques as the Greek chorus, Shakespearean language, classical theatre conventions, and Brechtian methods; and methods for determining psychological motivation of characters.

2320 VOICE AND ARTICULATION (2 credits) Students develop skills that preserve and cultivate the speaking voice. Students of performance may have special interest in breath, rate, pitch, and volume control, but the course is designed to be of use to any speaker of American English.

2460 INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN FOR THE THEATRE (3 credits) Introduction to theory and practice of theatrical design, text analysis, and the ways a production concept and visual metaphor can be communicated in the design of scenery, costumes, makeup, and lighting. Lecture and lab. (Might not be offered every year)

2510 THEATRE FORM AND PROCESS (3 credits) Study of the principal dramatic genres and forms, theatrical production styles, and the relationship of dramatic form and structure to production styles. The creative process of making theatre productions for an audience, focusing on the skills and artistic creativity of crafts people in the modern theatre. Familiarization with contemporary technology, working procedures and materials.

2600 INTRODUCTION TO STAGECRAFT (3 credits) Introduction to the basic principles and practices of stagecraft: scenic materials, construction, painting, stage lighting, and sound. Lectures and lab. Liberal Education Category 11 (Might not be offered every year)

2800 [Moved to English, as a Communication Arts (SPCM) course]

2925 [Moved to English, as a Communication Arts (SPCM) course]

3010 JUNIOR THEATRE PRACTICUM (0 credits) Applied course for Theatre majors and minors. Students are required to be involved with each University Theatre production during each term of their junior year (or until they complete 97 credits). Opportunity to apply what is learned in classes as well as identify areas that need further study. Students confer with department chair to determine what assignments to take on and which faculty will supervise them. Department chair assigns a grade of “S” or “U” in consultation with supervisor. Prerequisite: 65 semester credits of university-level work.

3030 ADVANCED SCRIPTWRITING (2 credits) Advanced study of the elements of scriptwriting for stage and/or screen. Experience in writing for stage and/or screen. Refining and fully developing a major script project, culminating in a simply staged performance of part of the script. Prerequisites: ENGL 3135 or THTR 2030 or consent of instructor. (Might not be offered every year)

3200 AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATRE (3 credits) Study of the genesis and evolution of musical theatre, with focus on the 20th century. Investigation of musical theatre form, composers, lyricists, book writers, producers, choreographers. Introduction to all major musical theatre styles, with emphasis on American musical theatre. Principles of criticism of musical theatre. Study is musical and theatrical. (Might not be offered every year)

3220 ADVANCED STAGE ACTING (3 credits) Enhancement of basic acting skills, introduction to some specialized acting styles, improvisation, character research. Scene presentations. (Might not be offered every year)

3300 PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGEMENT (3 credits) Principles and practices of stage management, including rehearsal coordination, prompt book preparation, and director/cast/crew relationships during rehearsals and performances of live performance events. Combines classroom instruction with practical experience. Students stage manage or assistant-stage manage a show during the semester, participating in rehearsals and performances. (Might not be offered every year)

3550 STAGE DIRECTING (4 credits) Development and function of the director in American theatre; artistic and technical concerns of the modern director; production preparation process for the director; scene work; public presentation of one-act plays. Prerequisite: THTR 2510 or consent of instructor. (Might not be offered every year)

3640 SCENE DESIGN (3 credits) Introduction to principles of study and practice of the design of scenery for the theatre. Imagination as impetus for design, analysis, metaphor, and conceptualization. Investigation into research, composition, and style. Prerequisite: THTR 2460 or consent of instructor. (Might not be offered every year)

3650 STAGE LIGHTING (3 credits) Introduction to the components of stage lighting, including an in-depth exploration of its functions and controllable properties. Prerequisite: THTR 2460 or consent of instructor. (Might not be offered every year)

3660 STAGE COSTUMING (3 credits) Familiarizes students with the art and process of costume design, with strong emphasis on character analysis and methods of research. Introduction to basic drawing skills and other visual options in presenting design ideas. Basic costume construction techniques. Prerequisite: THTR 2460 or consent of instructor. (Might not be offered every year)

3705 THEATRE HISTORY TO 1700 (3 credits) Prehistoric beginnings of theatre, the Golden Age of Greek classical theatre (the origin of Western theatre), and theatre in the following periods: Roman classical, medieval, Renaissance, and 17th century. Prerequisite: Advanced standing. (Might not be offered every year)

3706 THEATRE HISTORY FROM 1700 (3 credits) Theatre and drama in the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries; relationship of theatre to political, social, architectural, artistic, and scientific events of the periods examined. Prerequisite: Advanced standing. (Might not be offered every year)

3707 ASIAN THEATRE: CLASSIC AND MODERN (3 credits) Survey of the major theatrical and dramatic forms of India, China, Japan and Southeast Asia. (Might not be offered every year)

3720 CHILDREN’S THEATRE (3 credits) Familiarization with the many varieties of theatre/drama that can be done by, for, and with children. Preparation to create, conduct, and supervise such dramatic activities. (Might not be offered every year)

4000 SENIOR PROJECT (0 credits) Presentation of a theatre arts project demonstrating the best creative work of the student major. Project may be performance, composition or production, or research. Project must be approved by the student's advisor and by the department theatre faculty. Prerequisites: Accumulated theatre course credits of at least 36 to submit plan for approval.

4010 SENIOR THEATRE PRACTICUM (0 credits) Applied course for Theatre majors and minors. Students are required to be involved with each University Theatre production during each term of their senior year (after completing 97 credits). Opportunity to apply what is learned in classes as well as identify areas that need further study. Students confer with department chair to determine what assignments to take on and which faculty will supervise them. Department chair assigns a grade of “S” or “U” in consultation with supervisor. Prerequisite: 97 semester credits of university-level work.

4020 PORTFOLIO (1 credit) Preparation of design work and drawings assembled into portfolio for the purpose of presentation (work interviews, application to graduate school, etc.). Prerequisites: THTR 2460 and THTR 3640 or THTR 3650 or THTR 3660.

4300 THEATRE OF THE GREAT PLAYWRIGHTS (3 credits) Study of selected plays of the world’s great playwrights (the playwright will vary with each offering). Includes study of the physical theatre, staging of the playwright’s work in his/her own and later periods, and the acting styles used in various productions of the playwright’s work. Course may be repeated. Prerequisite: Advanced standing. (Might not be offered every year)

4550 ADVANCED STAGE DIRECTING (3 credits) Focus on different directing styles, including period and contemporary “isms.” Scene work (analysis and staging) and public presentation of short play. Prerequisite: THTR 3550. (Might not be offered every year)

4740 DRAMATIC CRITICISM (3 credits) Study of the theories and techniques of dramatic criticism in the theatre with plays from ancient Greece to the present. Prerequisite: Advanced standing. (Might not be offered every year)

4820 SEMINAR IN THEATRE/SPEECH (2-3 credits) Advanced study in a seminar format with limited enrollment. Prerequisite: Advanced standing or consent of instructor. (Might not be offered every year)