Course Listing

THE 148: Intro to Technical Theatre

Choose one (1): THE 385: History of Musical Theatre, or THE 490: Theatre History, or THE 491: Contemporary Theatre Four (4) credit hours of Theatre electives earned in THE or combined with ENG 422: Shakespeare and/or ENG 425: Women on Stage • No more than 2 credits as THE 101: Main Stage Production • No more than 1 credit as THE 151: Applied Voice • No more than 1 credit as THE 171: Applied Piano 4 credit hours

4 credit hours

4 credit hours

Course Listing THE 101: Main Stage Production

2 credit hours Students will either perform in or work on the technical aspects of a William Peace University Main Stage production. Can be taken multiple times.

THE 102: Second Stage Production

1 credit hour Students will either perform in or work on the technical aspects of a William Peace University Second Stage production. Can be taken multiple times.

THE 103: Theatre Appreciation

3-4 credit hours; CTC Credit Introduction to Theatre challenges students to interpret, analyze, criticize, evaluate, and appreciate the roles theatre plays in society and culture. This course will explore how history and culture have shaped theatre's enduring significance. Students will learn through lectures, multimedia presentations, literature readings, and performance-based activities. Offered fall.

THE 110: Acting I: Improvisation

4 credit hours Theory and practice of improvisational techniques in both long-form and short-form styles. As a foundation for other Acting courses, this course teaches the basics of character development, spontaneity, and teamwork. This course emphasizes the application of improvisation to other theatrical work as well as to real-world settings such as public speaking, workplace presentations, and interviews. Offered fall.

THE 112: Acting II: Introduction to Acting

4 credit hours Prerequisite: THE 110 Introduction to Acting focuses on the beginning development of intuitive and creative performance technique with an emphasis on the Stanislavsky Method. Students will learn fundamental terminology and exercises and how to apply them to monologue and scene work. The goal is to give students a comprehensive academic approach to creating truthful, natural characters. Offered spring.

THE 148: Intro to Technical Theatre

4 credit hours An introductory course in the craft of production for the theatre including developing skills in scene painting, carpentry, working with power tools, hanging and focusing lights, writing light cues, safety, managing

rehearsals, managing costumes, writing rehearsal reports, use and disposal of hazardous materials, sound design, properties, show running, special effects, stage management, crew work, and more. Offered fall.

THE 151: Applied Voice

1 credit hour; one half-hour lesson, one 15-minute coaching. This course is designed for students to learn singing/vocal technique and song interpretation skills. Each student will have one half-hour private voice lesson developing vocal technique and coaching repertoire. Students will be taught various breathing exercises, vocal warm-ups, skills to increase vocal production, and acting skills that will allow for song interpretation and character. This course can be taken multiple times.

THE 167: Introduction to Dance

2 credit hours Students will gain flexibility, strength, and kinesthetic awareness in this beginner level dance course. Through a blend of ballet, jazz, modern, and musical theatre techniques, this course is designed to teach the fundamentals of movement necessary for excellence for dance technique and performance. Students will also practice prolonged choreography retention and quick memorization for audition purposes.

THE 168: Intermediate Dance

2 credit hours Students will increase flexibility, strength, and kinesthetic awareness in this intermediate level dance course. Through a blend of ballet, jazz, modern, and musical theatre techniques, this course is designed to teach moderately complex skills and techniques required for excellence in dance performance. Students will also practice prolonged choreography retention and quick memorization for audition purposes.

THE 171: Applied Piano

1 credit hour; one half-hour lesson per week. This elective course is geared towards developing basic keyboard technique and music reading ability for students in the Theatre Department who are preparing for careers in musical theatre and related fields. Students are given a private thirty-minute lesson on the piano once a week during the semester, which focuses on developing instrumental technique, musicality, sight-reading, and performance. Weekly lessons also serve to reinforce concepts introduced in musicianship courses, voice lessons, and other musicrelated degree requirements. Can be taken multiple times.

THE 175: Music Theory I

4 credit hours This course is designed to instruct students in the fundamentals of music theory, which include reading, writing, and interpreting music, as well as basic piano techniques. Topics will include staff notation, notes/rests, piano keys, melody/harmony, chord triads/arpeggios, distances/intervals, time signature, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, major scale, and rudimentary composition.

THE 176: Music Theory II

4 credit hours; BFA majors or permission of the instructor Prerequisite: THE 175 This course is designed to build on concepts learned in Music Theory I. Topics will include the circle of fifths, all major/minor key signatures and scales, chord inversions, harmonic and roman numeral analysis, solfege/function, complex rhythm, piano performance (scales, chords, arpeggios), and more complex composition.

THE 180: Music Appreciation

3-4 credit hours; CTC Credit Music Appreciation is an introductory course designed to acquaint the student with music as an important element of Western culture. Students will analyze, interpret, criticize, and evaluate music from an

intellectual, cultural, and emotional perspective. Topics can include music theory, music history, world music (western and non-western), music in the entertainment industry, and music technology. Offered fall.

THE 212: Acting III: Voice and Movement

4 credit hours Prerequisite: “C” or better in THE 112 An approach to voice for the actor designed to liberate the natural, authentic voice and thereby develop a vocal technique that serves the freedom of human expression and artistic creativity on the stage. Methodologies will include Fitzmaurice, Linklater, and Alexander. Emphasis will be placed vulnerability, truthful expression, trust, and bravery. The goal is to better recognize the vocal and physical reactions to the emotional gamut of the human experience and recreate them for performance. Offered fall.

THE 225: Arts in Society

3-4 credit hours; CTC credit This course challenges students to contemplate the power and responsibility of the arts beyond entertainment. Topics will focus on various approaches and practices that artists are utilizing to make a remarkable impact in their communities. Students will explore how the performing and visual arts are being used to significantly affect people on both individual and societal levels. Offered fall.

THE 267: Advanced Dance

2 credit hours Prerequisite: “C” or better in THE 168 Students will increase flexibility, strength, and kinesthetic awareness in this advanced level dance course. Through a blend of ballet, jazz, modern, and musical theatre techniques, this course is designed to teach high level technique and complex choreography that will challenge students to achieve skilled dance techniques. Students will also practice prolonged choreography retention and quick memorization for audition purposes. Offered fall of odd years.

THE 312: Acting IV: Methods

4 credit hours Prerequisite: “C” or better in THE 212 Acting III introduces theatre students to the changing methodologies that have guided film and stage acting since the early twentieth century. Students will compare classic acting styles to the new techniques arising from the famous “method” schools and will learn the skills and procedures made famous by such teachers as Stanislavsky, Strasberg, and Meisner. Offered spring of odd years.

THE 315: Classics

4 credit hours Prerequisite: “C” or better in THE 212 A study of classical theatre acting styles in genres such as Elizabethan, Jacobean, Comedy of Manners, and French Restoration. Students will learn the historical context of plays from these historical time periods and the vocabulary and techniques needed to perform them. Offered spring of even years.

THE 320: Theatre for Young Audiences

4 credit hours Prerequisite: “C” or better in THE 112 An opportunity for students to learn how to produce youth theatre. Students will spend the semester putting together shows typically performed by kids in community centers, summer camps, and schools, and will develop experience in auditioning, budgeting, casting, and directing. Offered spring of odd years.

THE 329: Arts Administration

4 credit hours Arts Administration is an upper-level Theatre course central to the Arts Administration major. Taken as part of a combination of Arts and Business Marketing courses, it walks students through the process of building and maintaining an economically viable arts program, such as a theatre company, that can serve its community as a model for integrating the arts into contemporary society.

THE 338: Costume and Makeup

4 credit hours Prerequisite: “C” or better in THE 112 Students learn the principles and practices of costume design and develop techniques in the design and application of makeup for stage, television, and film. Because actors are usually responsible for their own stage makeup, this course will provide a strong foundation for future professional work. Students will create costume designs from an assigned script(s) and makeup designs based on scripts of their own choosing. Offered spring of even-numbered years.

THE 345: Stage Combat

4 credit hours Prerequisite: “C” or better in THE 112 Learn to safely perform stage scenes of unarmed conflict and violence in this extremely physical class. Techniques focus on safety, precision, and acting choices relating to fight scenes and include performing techniques such as falling, rolling, punching, kicking, and blocking, incorporating noncontact and contact techniques. Offered spring of odd-numbered years.

THE 367: Tap Dance

2 credit hours Students will learn the fundamentals of tap dance technique through exercises in the center, across the floor, and in choreographed combinations. Students will also practice prolonged choreography retention and quick memorization for audition purposes. Offered fall.

THE 412: Acting V: Audition Techniques

4 credit hours Prerequisite: “C” or better in THE 212 Preparation and practical experience in auditioning for professional theatre, film, and television. Students gain an understanding of the audition process and equip themselves with audition materials and techniques. Offered fall.

THE 425: Directing

4 credit hours Prerequisite: “C” or better in THE 212 Directing teaches students the fundamentals of being a director of theatrical performance. The course will address basic components of creating stage pictures (e.g., sight lines, focus points, and establishing relationships) and working with actors (e.g., professionalism, vocabulary, and creating an ensemble). Students will view live and recorded performances for consideration and critique. The course encourages a holistic view of theatre arts and provides students the skills to become professional directors.

THE 430: Acting VI: Musical Theatre Workshop

4 credit hours Prerequisite: THE 412

Musical Theatre Workshop emphasizes the crucial connection between scene work and song. Students experience both individual and group assessments as they explore and analyze genres, repertoire, preparation, and execution of musical theatre works. Offered fall.

THE 467: Dance Choreography

2 credit hours Prerequisite: THE 168 or by permission of instructor Students will learn the fundamentals of dance choreography. Using choreographic vocabulary and skills, students will create solo dance pieces of various genres including modern, jazz, and ballet. Emphasis will be placed on exploration of movement, creative thinking, and practical execution. Offered fall.

THE 490: Theatre History

4 credit hours Why do humans tell stories? How do the cultural expressions of a society reflect its values, beliefs, and fears? Why are plays and musicals historically significant? This course will serve as a survey of Western and Eastern theatre traditions (both musical and non-musical) from ancient times up through the mid 20th century and will cover material representing a diverse range of gender, religion, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and nationality. Offered fall of odd years.

THE 491: Contemporary Theatre

4 credit hours Contemporary Theatre is a survey of theatre and musical theatre literature from mid-century to present day. Students will learn how these plays relate to common themes in modern society including: Americanism, race, violence, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, and religion. Additionally, through a study of relevant literature, students will contend with the morale and ethical conundrums that face theatre professionals today. Offered spring of even-numbered years.

THE 295/395/495: Special Topics in Theatre

1-4 credit hours A course whose content may vary from term to term according to the needs of the academic department, student demand, or the interests of faculty members.

THE 392/492: Directed Study

1-4 credit hours Prerequisite: junior or senior status and permission of the instructor A course of study addressing a specific topic or problem of interest to a student, designed collaboratively by the student and faculty member(s), and resulting in a paper, report, critiqued performance or production, or other assessable evidence of value added to the student's educational experience. A contract of expectations by the student and by the supervising faculty member(s) must be approved by the advisor and the Vice President for Academic Affairs prior to registration. No more than six (6) semester hours toward the baccalaureate degree can consist of directed study credit.