Courses ofInstruction
Theatre
Core Faculty
Chris Woodworth, Professor of Theatre, Department Chair
Chris Hatch, Professor of Theatre
Heather May, Professor of Theatre
Ed Hallborg, Professor of Practice (Resident Designer/Technical Director)
Affiliated and Adjunct Faculty
Kelly Walker, Sound and Projection Designer
Mission Statement
Theatre has the power to reimagine worlds. The mission of the Theatre Department at Hobart and William Smith Colleges is to give students opportunities to make and study theatre with a particular emphasis on how theatre transforms society through sharing spaces, raising voices, and crafting stories.
Offerings
The Department offers a major and a minor and produces three main stage faculty-directed shows per year. The Theatre Department provides students the opportunity to make and study theatre in the classroom, on stage, and in the community.
Theatre Major (B.A.)
disciplinary, 12 courses
Learning Objectives:
- Make theatre through collaborative processes that bring together production elements including acting, directing, design, and technical production.
- Connect theatre to the world through community engagement, inclusivity, embodiment, and social justice.
- Analyze and interpret texts in preparation for theatrical production.
- Explore the interrelationship between theatre and society in respective cultural contexts and across time.
- Develop empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative skills in and beyond theatre.
Requirements:
At least 12 courses including THTR 100, THTR 130, THTR 490, two courses from the Theatre History and Literature category (THTR 220, THTR 300, THTR 308, THTR 309, THTR 310, THTR 320), one course from the Design or Production Category (THTR 160, THTR 280, THTR 360, THTR 361, THTR 362), four electives in Theatre or from the list of cross-listed courses listed below, and two semesters of THTR 900 OR one semester of THTR 900 and an additional elective. Electives will be selected in consultation with the advisor. At least one Theatre History and Literature course must be from within the department. No more than three courses may be at the 100-level and at least six courses must be at the 300-level or above (one or two of which are the two THTR 900 half credits). The major may include no more than one independent study and no more than two courses from outside the department. All courses (except THTR 900) must be completed with a C- or better, and six courses must be unique to the major.
Courses in Theatre
THTR 100 From Page to Stage: Introduction to Script Analysis
THTR 130 Acting One
THTR 160 Introduction to Stagecraft
THTR 220 Theatre History I (Antiquity to 1700)
THTR 280 Stage Management for Theatre and Beyond: Cultivating Collaborative Spaces
THTR 290 Theatre for Social Change
THTR 295 Performing Arts of Bali
THTR 300 American Drama
THTR 308 American Experimental Theatres
THTR 309 Feminist Theatres
THTR 310 Black Theatres
THTR 320 Theatre History II (17 - Present)
THTR 330 Acting Two
THTR 335 Acting Shakespearean
THTR 340 Advanced Acting Styles
THTR 360 Lights Up: Dynamic Lighting for Stage Performance
THTR 361 Sound Design for Theatre
THTR 362 Designing for Theatre and Stage
THTR 370 Playwriting
THTR 424 Writing about Theatre
THTR 450 Independent Study
THTR 480 Approaches to Directing for the Stage
THTR 490 Theatre Senior Capstone
THTR 495/496 Honors
THTR 900 Theatre Production Practicum
Theatre History and Literature Category
(at least one course must come from within THTR)
THTR 220 Theatre History I (Antiquity to 1700)
THTR 300 American Drama
THTR 308 American Experimental Theatres
THTR 309 Feminist Theatres
THTR 310 Black Theatres
THTR 320 Theatre History II (17 - Present)
Design and Production Category
THTR 160 Introduction to Stagecraft
THTR 280 Stage Management for Theatre and Beyond: Cultivating Collaborative Spaces
THTR 360 Lights Up: Dynamic Lighting for Stage Performance
THTR 361 Sound Design for Theatre
THTR 362 Designing for Theatre and Stage
Cross Listed Courses
CLAS 108 Greek Tragedy
DAN 100 Introduction to Dance
DAN 101 Introduction to Dance: Body and Self
DAN 102 Introduction to Modern
DAN 107 Introduction to Jamaican Dance
DAN 110 Introduction to Dances of the African Diaspora
DAN 210 Dance History I: Perspectives on Ballet
DAN 212 Dance History II: Perspectives on Modern Dance
DAN 214 20th Century Dance History: Gender, Race, and Difference
DAN 230 Community Arts: Activism Embodied
DAN 314 Dance Criticism: Embodied Writing
DAN 250 Dance Improvisation
DAN 200 Dance Composition I
DAN 300 Dance Composition II
DAN 325 Movement Analysis: Laban Studies
DAN 940, 942, 944, 946 Modern II
DAN 945 Jazz Dance: Tradition and Innovation
DAN 950 Jamaican Dance II
DAN 955 Dances of the African Diaspora II
DAN 980 Dance Ensemble
EDUC 220 Storytelling
ENG 136 Shakespeare on Screen
ENG 233 Medieval Drama
ENG 236 Shakespeare
ENG 336 Shakespeare: Topics
ENG 339 Shakespeare’s Contemporaries
ENG 417 Shakespearean Adaptation
FRNE 255 Modern French Theatre
GSIJ 213 Transnational Feminism
GSIJ 218 Queer Representation in Theatre and Film
GSIJ 219 Black Feminism and Theatre
SLA 401 Contemporary Theater: Innovations in Hispanic Drama
SLA 402 Dramaturgas
Cross-Listed Theatre History and Literature courses
CLAS 108 Greek Tragedy
DAN 210 Dance History I: Perspectives on Ballet
DAN 212 Dance History II: Perspectives on Modern Dance
ENG 136 Shakespeare on Screen
ENG 233 Medieval Drama
ENG 236 Shakespeare
ENG 336 Shakespeare: Topics
ENG 339 Shakespeare’s Contemporaries
ENG 417 Shakespearean Adaptation
FRNE 255 Modern French Theatre
GSIJ 213 Transnational Feminism
GSIJ 218 Queer Representation in Theatre and Film
GSIJ 219 Black Feminism and Theatre
SPN 355 Contemporary Theater: Innovations in Hispanic Drama
SPN 392 Dramaturgas
Theatre Minor
6 courses, 5.5 or 6 credits
Requirements:
At least 6 courses including THTR 100, THTR 130, one course from the Theatre History and Literature category (THTR 220, THTR 300, THTR 308, THTR 309, THTR 310, THTR 320), one course from the Design or Production category (THTR 160, THTR 280, THTR 360, THTR 361, THTR 362), one elective course in Theatre, and either THTR 900 or an additional elective. All courses must be in Theatre. At least three courses must be at the 200-level or above and at least three courses must be unique to the minor. The minor may include no more than one independent study in theatre. All courses (except THTR 900) must be completed with a C- or better.
Course Descriptions
THTR 100 From Page to Stage: Introduction to Script Analysis Drama is unlike other forms of literature because the text itself is incomplete without embodiment and staging. From Page to Stage prepares students to transform words from the page of a script to the embodied and physicalized space of the stage. As a foundational course for all theatre artists, this course dives deeply into the process of using various analysis techniques to reveal the blueprint for performance embedded in dramatic literature. While students in From Page to Stage work primarily in the realm of the page, the skills they learn will prepare them for successful work on (and back) stage. (May, offered annually)
THTR 130 Acting One This course will introduce students to the craft of acting through the use of theatre games, acting exercises, monologues and scene work. Instead of simply relying on their instincts, students will learn how to craft a performance through careful analysis of the character and the script with a special emphasis placed on objective/action-based acting. Time will also be spent discussing how the techniques we learn about acting can help us in our pursuit of accomplishment in other professional settings such as job interviews, business presentations and public speeches. This course is a prerequisite for all other courses in acting. (Hatch, Woodworth, offered each semester) [Prerequisite: Open to First-Year and Sophomore students only, or THTR majors and minors, or permission of instructor.]
THTR 160 Introduction to Stagecraft This is a lecture/laboratory course which will provide students with a practical overview of the technical production aspects of live theater and performance. Students will work in the classroom, scene shop and off-stage developing an aptitude in set construction, props, introductory lighting and stage effects as determined by production need. The class focuses on the non-performative aspects of theatre from hands-on skill building to production budgeting. A wide breath of topics are presented through weekly readings, assignments, video and lecture/discussions. All students complete a weekly lab (and two weekend labs) in which they will work in the McDonald Theatre and scene shop working on the current faculty-directed productions (Hallborg, offered annually)
THTR 220 Theatre History I (Antiquity to 1700) Why do we study theatre history and how do we know what we know about it? These two questions guide our exploration of global theatre and performance from Antiquity through 1700. We will read plays, examine surviving artifacts, and challenge what we think we know about theatre in the past. The pivotal moments we investgate include Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome; Medieval and Renaissance Europe; Classical India; Yuan China; Neoclassical France; and Restoration England. We uncover how theatre was an art, religious practice, business, and mechanism of government and monarchy that shaped culture and society. (Woodworth, offered alternate years)
THTR 280 Stage Management for Theatre and Beyond: Cultivating Collaborative Spaces This class studies the skills, techniques, and approaches stage managers utilize in their work as leaders in the theatrical produc=on process. While focused on theatrical processes and environments, THTR 280 provides valuable training in an=racist, consensual, equitable, and accessible approaches to managing interpersonal relationships. Students in THTR 280 gain this training while learning techniques for time and project management, organizational strategies, and Improved oral and wriden communication skills. Prerequisite: Any Theatre course. (May, offered alternate years) [Prerequisite: One THTR course, or permission of instructor.]
THTR 290 Theatre for Social Change Due to the intimate and immediate relationship between theatre and its audiences, theatre has been employed as a means of encouraging social action since its foundation. Although contemporary theatre is typically associated with commercial produtions such as those on Broadway, the global tradition of using theatre to inspire social change continues. This theatre oVen takes place outside of mainstream theatres - in places as diverse as corporate boardrooms, refugee camps, and city street corners. This course studies avariety of movements, practitioners, and approaches to creating theatre that encourage communities to work outside of dominant (and often violent/repressive) structures to instigate social change. Drawing upon the lessons learned from the social justice theatre we study, this class culminates in the collaborative creation of a short piece of theatre meant to provoke social change in the HWS community. No performance experience is necessary. (May, offered alternate years)
THTR 295 Performing Arts in Bali This course will be a three week intensive exploration into the rich performing arts tradition of Bali, Indonesia. Students will be immersed in various aspects of Balinese performing arts including Dance, Masked Performance, Traditional Instrument Performance, Shadow Puppetry, and Mask Carving. Courses will be taught alongside master artists at the Mekar Bhuana conservatory in Depansar, Bali. This conservatory will serves particularly well due to their mission to uphold the ways of traditional Balinese performing arts rather than what is becoming a more tourist-centric morphing of many of the traditional forms. Studio work will be supplemented with attendance at profession productions of different Balinese performing arts, allowing students to see what they are studying at a professional level and allowing them to learn and experience how ingrained the performing arts are in other aspects of Balinese culture. Planned excursions will also take us to visit various crafts-people throughout the region, allowing us to see how Balinese instruments, masks, and puppets are made. (Hatch, J-term or summer, offered alternate years) [Confirmation approval for students in study abroad programs to enroll.]
THTR 300 American Drama In "Possession," an essay on playwriting, Suzan-Lori Parks writes, "The history of Literature is in question. And the history of History is in question too. A play is a blueprint of an event: a way of creating and rewriting history through the medium of literature." Given the history of the United States, it is hardly surprising that the development of American drama is fraught. How have notions of American history and identity been created and rewritten on U.S. stages? In what ways has theatre contributed to the construction of narratives of nationhood? What are the tensions inherent in the study of American theatre history? Through investigations of nationalism, nostalgia, and contestation, students in this course will explore the formation and deconstruction of the canon(s) of American theatre, exploring the work of artists and practitioners from the 19th century through today. (Woodworth, offered occasionally)
THTR 308 American Experimental Theatres Visionaries, revolutionaries, or troublemakers? This course explores experimental theatre makers that challenged the status quo in theatre from the early twen=eth century through today. Using scripts, films, digital archives, and essays, this course surveys how experimental theatre created new forms of playwriting, destabilized conventions of actor training, revolutionized the role of the director, transformed practices of theatre design, and upended the audience-performer relationship. This course ranges in scope from the early 20th century grand national experiments of the Lidle Theatre Movement and the Federal Theatre Project (Unit #1: Foundations) to the radical staging of the Living Theatre and Bread & Puppet in the midst of social and political turmoil of the 60s and 70s (Unit #2: Revolutions) to the multimedia interventions of contemporary artists The Wooster Group and The Builders Association (Unit #3: Deconstructions). What does it mean to be an experimental theatre artist in the United States? (Woodworth, offered occasionally)
THTR 309 Feminist Theatres In this course we will explore the ongoing and ever-shifting dialogues of feminist performance, historical movements, and contemporary echoes. This course will survey twentieth and twenty-first century British and American feminist theatre, focusing on performance texts that address salient concerns of first, second, third, and fourth wave feminisms as well as performances and theories that explode those designations. We will examine the roles and resistance of women-identified artists in theatre historically and within contemporary contexts. Throughout, we will explore the ways in which feminist theatre practitioners work in coalition with other social justice movements such as suffrage, workers’ rights, civil rights, and LGBTQ+ rights to create works that resist and/or redefine historically misogynistic modes of performance. (Woodworth, offered occasionally)
THTR 310 Black Theatres Legendary Black playwright August Wilson gave a speech called “The Ground on Which I Stand” that rocked the theatre world in 1996. He declared, “I have come here today to make a testimony, to talk about the ground on which I stand and all the many grounds on which I and my ancestors have toiled, and the ground of theater on which my fellow artists and I have labored to bring forth its fruits, its daring and its sometimes lacerating, and often healing, truths.” This course explores 200 years of Black performance within the United States. Using plays, treatises, manifestos, memoirs, and histories, we will investigate iconic historical moments including the Harlem Renaissance, the New Deal, Civil Rights era, and the Black Arts Movement, to discover the ground on which Black theatre artists stand. Beginning with the entrepreneurial theatre of William Brown in the early 19th century, we will disrupt the notion of theatre history as a unified narrative. Through our exploration of present-day work by Black theatre makers, we uncover how the legacies of artists such as August Wilson and those who came before him shaped Black theatre today. (Woodworth, offered occasionally)
THTR 320 Theatre History II (1700 - Present) How do world events shape theatre and culture and how does theatre reinforce or transcend borders between nations and cultures? These two questions guide our exploration of global theatre and performance from 1700 through the present. We will read plays, examine surviving artifacts, and challenge what we think we know about theatre in the past. The pivotal moments we investigate include 18th century European Theatre; 19th and 20th century Chinese Opera; 19th century experiments in Melodrama and Modern Realism; the historical avant-garde (Dada, Futurism, Expressionism, Surrealism), Post-War Theatre; Modern and Contemporary Arab Theatre, Modern and Contemporary African Theatre; and Postmodern Theatre. We uncover how theatre was an art, religious practice, business, and mechanism of government and monarchy that shaped culture and society. (Woodworth, offered alternate years)
THTR 330 Acting Two A continuation of the skills discovered in Acting I, this course is designed to deepen the student's understanding of the craft of acting through a dual focus on an enhanced understanding of Stanislavski-based acting techniques and an exploration into the overall profession of acting. Students work on multiple scenes, hone their audition technique, explore various voice and movement exercises, and examine aspects of the profession of acting. The course culminates with a class showcase of scenes and monologues from throughout the semester. (Hatch, spring, offered alternate years) [Prerequisite: THTR 130, or permission of instructor.]
THTR 335 Acting Shakespeare A performance-oriented approach to Shakespeare that builds off the skills learned in Acting One. Starting with short monologues, actors will learn a step-by-step process to bring Shakespeare’s texts to life. Students will work on multiple monologues, a short scene, and a final performance, the latter of which will be open to guests. No previous experience with Shakespeare is required to be successful in this class. (Hatch, alternate years) [Prerequisite: THTR 130, or permission of instructor.]
THTR 340 Advanced Acting Styles In Advanced Acting Styles, students engage in a focused exploration of a specific aspect of acting. Each time the course is offered, a different era, genre, or style of acting will be studied in-depth. Recent topics have included devised theatre, movement for the stage, comedic acting, theatrical sword fighting, and Commedia del’Arte. This course can be repeated for full credit three times. (Hatch, Woodworth, May, offered alternate years) [Prerequisite: THTR 130 and THTR major or minor or permission of instructor]
THTR 360 Lights Up: Dynamic Lighting for Stage Performance A practical, hands-on approach to lighting for the stage. Students will learn how to envision the design, select instruments, hang the plot, and cue a show. Students will design the lighting for faculty productions when possible. (Hallborg, offered occasionally) [Prerequisite: THTR 160 or permission of instructor.]
THTR 361 Sound Design for Theatre Sound Design for Theatre is lecture/laboratory course that will provide an introduction to fundamental concepts of acoustics, sound reproduction and reinforcement. Students will study essential elements of sound design as it applies to theatre including script analysis, creating sound plots, obtaining and creating sound elements, show control, and operating intercom systems. Students will apply what they have learned in the course to develop a final portfolio project to be presented in class. (Staff, offered occasionally) [Prerequisite: THTR 100 or THTR 160, or permission of instructor.]
THTR 362 Designing for Theatre and Stage An overview of the design principles and process that guide contemporary theatre productions. Topics will include an introduction to 2d and 3d design elements, CAD modeling and script analysis. The roles of scenic, lighting, costume and sound design are explored for their individual Impact on a production concept. The final project asks students to attend simulated production meetings and create a full design concept, cue lists, and renderings for a script. (Hallborg, offered occasionally) [Prerequisite: THTR 160 or permission of instructor.]
THTR 370 Playwriting Playwright Steven Dietz argues, “All great and lasting plays have one fundamental thing in common: Until they existed, they were unimaginable.” In Playwriting we will not merely imagine new plays but write them. By reading new plays, adending theatre productions, and engaging in short writing exercises, we will explore fundamental tools of playwriting including character, conflict, dialogue, and stage directions. Students will draft, workshop, and revise their own original short plays and monologues, culminating in a works-in-progress staged reading of their new scripts. (Woodworth, offered alternate years) [Prerequisite: THTR 100, THTR 130, or permission of instructor.]
THTR 424 Writing about Theatre Insatiable Curiosity. A Point of View. Stamina. The Ability to Write. In 2010, Michael Billington, theatre critic for London’s Guardian newspaper asserted that these were the necessary adributes required of anyone wanting to write theatre criticism. But what does it mean to write about performance in an era when print journalism is waning and the profession of the theatre critic is disappearing? How do we write about performance? In what ways might writing about performance reflect and/or shape the position of theatre within our culture? This course will explore traditional theatre criticism and its inherent challenges of description, interpretation, and evaluation. The course will move beyond this mode of writing, however, to explore the intersection of performance writing with cultural theory, archival research, and contemporary controversies in criticism. Students will complete a portfolio of writing in response to local, regional, and recorded performances. (Woodworth, offered occasionally) [Prerequisite: THTR 100, THTR 130, or permission of instrucotor]
THTR 480 Approaches to Directing for the Stage Charles Mee describes the director as the artist who can withstand “the anxiety of possibility and uncertainty the longest” en route to creating compelling live theatre in the midst of chaos. THTR 480 teaches skills to temper theatrical anxiety and lead collaborative processes in creative exploration. These skills include rehearsal techniques; warm-up and improvisational approaches; planning a production process; articulating feedback; co-creating with designers; crafting compelling stage pictures; and building brave, accessible, and equitable spaces. Assignments reflect the interests of each cohort but include both theoretical and practical approaches. (May, offered occasionally) [Prerequisite: THTR 100, THTR 130, or permission of instructor.]
THTR 490 Theatre Senior Capstone The Theatre Senior Capstone brings together senior theatre majors to synthesize what they have learned during their career at HWS while formulating an imagined future for themselves and the profession. Students lead research and discussion about contemporary issues faced by theatre artists and scholars to learn about the world they are entering. Imagined as a course for students in the liminal space between student and professional, students develop manifestos, application materials, and websites to prepare to transition to the next stage of their journey. Theatre Senior Capstone culminates in a collaborative theatrical project that embraces the processes and products they hope to create after graduation. (May, offered annually) [Prerequisite: Open to seniors only, or open to THTR majors, or permission of instructor.]
THTR 495 Honors
THTR 900 Theatre Production This course is a studio-based course on the art and craft of producing theatre. It is open to all students who are cast in, or are part of the production team (which may include actors, designers, stage managers, production crew, etc.) for a faculty directed production. Students will acquire firsthand experience with the process of mounting a play on stage. Students will be involved, as appropriate given their part in the play, in any and all aspects of the production process, including auditions, rehearsals, production meetings, set construction, and performances. This is a half credit course which may be repeated up to four times. This course must be taken credit/no credit. (Hatch, May, Woodworth, offered each semester) [Prerequisite: permission of instructor]