Theatre (THEA)
THEA 101. Technical Theatre Practicum. .25 Credits.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:2.5; Repeatable
Quarter-course credit for supervised participation in any one of several aspects of theatrical production of the Department of Theatre and Dance's major productions. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 102. Theatrical Rehearsal and Performance. .25 Credits.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:4; Repeatable
Quarter-course credit for substantial participation in a major theatrical production; for example, as actor, stage manager, vocal coach, choreographer. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 103. Audition Technique. .25 Credits.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:3; Repeatable
Working on monologues as a form for the auditioning actor. This study culminates in actual presentations for graduate school and/or conservatory auditions. Prerequisites: seniors only and permission of the instructor.
THEA 109. Discovery of The Expressive Self. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:1.5,Other:1.5
Centered in an experiential model of learning, this course will focus on improvisational performance and writing as a means to explore questions such as what are the characteristics of a creative person and how can we develop our creative abilities?.
THEA 110. Acting I. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:4
Introduction to acting: a critical approach to drama and personal expression, including physical, vocal, and interpretive aspects of performance. Prerequisite: seniors by permission only.
THEA 145. Bucknell Backstage. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:1,Other:2
Bucknell Backstage is an introductory course where craft, art and engineering intersect. Subject areas include Stage Management, Lighting, Sound, Properties, Painting, Stagecraft, Rigging and Wardrobe. Preference given to Theatre Majors. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 149. Introduction to Theatre and Performance Reviewing. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introductory study of theatre (playwriting, directing, acting, movement, design, criticism); stresses the elements of drama, their interaction, and their realization in theatrical production. Students will view and respond to performances in writing using a variety of critical strategies. Attendance at performances outside of the class meeting time is required.
THEA 202. Dramatic Literature: Script Analysis. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
An introduction to the various methods of play analysis utilized by actors, directors, designers, dramaturgs, and other theatre artists. Special attention is given to the play as a blueprint for theatrical production and the playwright's use of dramatic structure, action, subtext, and symbolism. Writing Intensive (W2).
THEA 207. Musical Theatre. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:1.5,Other:1.5
An experiential study of musical theatre as an art form with unique conventions and aesthetics, focusing on the performance and production elements of the Broadway stage. Some experience suggested. Crosslisted as DANC 207. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 215. Introduction to Movement. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:1.5,Other:1.5
This lecture/laboratory class encourages the discovery and exploration of basic movement principles, qualities, body alignment and cultural awareness. Suitable for students wanting to increase body consciousness. Crosslisted as DANC 215.
THEA 220. Acting Methods. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:3
Application of technique and improvisation to the performance of scenes, with emphasis on characterization and textual analysis. Prerequisites: THEA 110 and permission of the instructor.
THEA 230. Acting Styles. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:4
Exploring styles of acting in plays from different periods, including Greek and Shakespearean tragedy and Comedy of Manners. Prerequisite: THEA 110 or THEA 220 or permission of the instructor.
THEA 240. Directing the Play. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
The critical and creative responsibilities of the director; the principles of directing and their application. Prerequisite: THEA 110 or THEA 220 or permission of the instructor.
THEA 242. Introduction to Devising: Design and Performance. 1 Credit.
Lecture hours:Varies,Other:3
Exploration into methods/means of creating theatre; investigating devised performance while applying techniques of devising practitioners toward generating new work. Focus is collaboration: seeking to find ways of sharing artistic journey, creating works with multidimensional vision and creating theatrical productions. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 245. Entertainment Technology. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:1,Other:2
From sawdust to soundboards this course focuses on today's technical stage environment including scenery construction, lighting, sound systems and rigging for theatre, dance, and music concerts. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 246. Scene Design. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Create an environment for the action. The stage visual environment embodies mood, character, period style, and concept architecturally. Projects and plays in different styles are evolved through art and architectural research, scale model building, and drafting. The class models collaborative practice key to successful theatre and dance production.
THEA 247. Visual Style. 1 Credit.
Lecture hours:3
Scene, costume and lighting designers collaborate on plays and creative projects. Emphasis on exploring actor/audience relationships and looking to influential visual arts movements for inspiration.
THEA 248. Theatrical Lighting Design. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:1,Other:2
An introduction to and practice in theatrical stage lighting. Primary emphasis in aesthetics and function of light in design. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 249. Mask and Makeup Design. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3
The study of stage makeup (including corrective and character) progresses to the design of makeup as mask and then to the design of three-dimensional masks for performance. Our study emphasizes the ways that the performance, ritual, and festival traditions of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania have influenced present performance styles in theatre and dance.
THEA 250. Costume and Fashion. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An overview of the history of costume from the Egyptian period to the present; stresses fashion as the mirror of the attitudes of each age.
THEA 251. Costume Design. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:1,Other:2
Introduction to design of clothing for the stage; emphasis on character analysis and design for plays in different styles and periods.
THEA 252. Sound Design. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3,Other:2
This course is directed at students with limited experience in sound design. The course will explore both theoretical and practical aspects of audio mixing and reinforcement.
THEA 253. Global Dress and Fashion Systems. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3
This course explores dress and clothing as an expression of culture. Topics include: agency, practice, identity, performance, cultural preservation, aesthetics, the body, gender, ethnicity, globalization.
THEA 254. Computer-Aided Design for the Stage. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3,Other:1
An introduction to CAD for use in theatre and other entertainment venues. Includes basic CAD training in technical drafting, scenic modeling and lighting design.
THEA 255. The Art of Costume Craft. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:2,Other:3
Use creativity and imagination in the studio to explore the sculptural and expressive nature of costume design as art. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 256. Rituals, Festivals, Institutions. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Investigates various theories concerning the origins of Western theatre in ritual performance and explores the development of theatrical institutions from the Greeks to Shakespeare in the context of social, philosophical, and religious values.
THEA 258. Modernism in Performance. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:3
Addresses the diversity of dramatic styles and thematic interests of modernist playwrights: Buchner, Ibsen, Brecht, Beckett, and Handke; emphasizes historical context and analysis of production values.
THEA 260. Theatre and Revolution. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3
Focuses on the relationship between ideology and media, specifically how theatre promotes, resists or escapes from the conflict between the status quo and revolutionary change.
THEA 261. Inner Journey: Sam Shepard and American Theatre. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3,Other:1
Sam Shepard has his finger on the pulse of post-modern America. This study of his plays and films charts the transformation of his dramatic style, from absurdism through jazz and rock'n'roll to realism, and explores the profound changes in Shepard's vision of the theatre and American culture.
THEA 264. Theatre in London. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:2,Other:3
Theatrical productions on the contemporary London stage studied through attendance at performances, script analysis and discussions with actors, directors, designers, and production personnel. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as ENLS 289.
THEA 265. Special Studies in Theatre. .5-1 Credits.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies; Repeatable
In appropriate years, special topics such as stage combat, mime, or theatrical criticism will be studied.
THEA 2NT. Theatre Non-traditional Study. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall, Spring, Summer; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:3
Non-traditional study in theatre. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 314. Seminar in Contemporary Scenography. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:3
Study of the visual art, theatre and dance movements that exert a pervasive influence on contemporary stage design. Emphasis is placed on relating contemporary performance styles to their antecedents such as the Ballets Russes, the New Stagecraft Movement, the Theatre of the Bauhaus, and experiments in actor/audience relationships.
THEA 319. Individual Projects. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Individual, special projects supervised by the instructor, honors thesis. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 342. Devising Performance. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3
An exploration into the process of creating collaborative theatre. This class examines new ways of authoring performance with multiple artists (designers, writers, performers, etc.) working together to manifest a shared vision. Prerequisites: THEA 240 and/or DANC 262.
THEA 347. Visual Style. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:3
In this advanced seminar on design for the stage, scene, costume, and lighting designers collaborate on plays and projects. Emphasis on exploring actor/audience relationships, and looking to influential visual arts movements for inspiration. Prerequisite: one course in theatre, art, or art history. Crosslisted as THEA 247.
THEA 357. Performance Opus. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:6
The Performance Opus is an advanced theatre course that showcases the culmination of the Bucknell actor training experience. In addition, the class is a course in career preparation for performance. Prerequisite: permission of the instrucctor.
THEA 365. Independent Studies in Theatre. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:3; Repeatable
Independent special studies in theatre or dance performance, history, design, or technology. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 390. Applied and Interactive Theatre. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:2
Explores theatrical performance as a vehicle for social transformation. Uses techniques from Theatre of the Oppressed, Playback Theatre and improvisation to develop community-oriented service learning projects. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 393. Seminar in Avant-Garde Performance. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
This study of experimental aesthetics traces the development of a new paradigm for 20th-century and 21st-century "multi-media" art forms and the aesthetics of "total theatre." The course explores thematic topics such as The Theatre of Social Change, The Self as Content, Theatre and Therapy, The Poor Theatre, Environmental and Formalist Experiments, Happenings and Performance Art. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
THEA 397. Seminar in Special Topics. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Particular theatre topics selected by the instructor. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as THEA 697.
THEA 3NT. Theatre Non-traditional Study. .5-4 Credits.
Offered Fall, Spring, Summer; Lecture hours:Varies
Non-traditional study in theatre. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.