Theatre

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  • CFA DR 402: Independent Study
    Prereq: instructor or advisor approval. For D&P majors. Meets as arranged. Provides opportunity for the individual student to study in a specific field or gain practical experience in a specific area of theatrical production. Supervisor must approve a plan of study prior to registration. May be repeated for credit. Variable Credit.
  • CFA DR 405: Dramatic Criticism I
    Workshop in critical discussion and writing. The course offers readings in theory, practice, and history of criticism from Plato to Zola. Emphasis on problems of judgment, acute observation, and methods of analysis. Fall Only; 2 credits
  • CFA DR 406: Dramatic Criticism II
    An investigation of the literary theories and dramatic criticism of the twentieth century. The course is designed as an extension of the work of Dramatic Criticism I, which is a prerequisite. Spring Only; 2 cr.
  • CFA DR 407: Dramaturgical Methods and Investigations: Excavating the Classics
    What is dramaturgy? How are its methods useful to theatre practitioners, regardless of specialization? Students in this course will learn the basics of best dramaturgical practice through investigations and excavations of classic plays, juxtaposed against current adaptations and reinterpretations. Instruction will focus on: the development of one?s personal aesthetic; effective research and its presentation; dramaturgical writing and analysis; the creation of casebooks on specific plays; and devising pathways into the world of the play for one?s collaborators. 3.0 credits ? Fall semester only
  • CFA DR 408: Contemporary Drama 1
    This discussion course explores the most current trends in theatre from the United States and United Kingdom, with particular attention paid to the voices of African-American, Asian-American, Disabled, Feminist, Gay, and Lesbian playwrights, as well as to plays that break the standard molds of realism and naturalism. Beginning with 1990's Angels in America and moving forward to the present, the course pairs close reading and analysis with other dramaturgical methods in order to provide students with intellectual depth and practical skill for the professional theatre. Attendance of selected performances at B.U. and in Boston-at-large is required. 3.0 credits. Spring semester only
  • CFA DR 411: Voice and Speech IV
    Prereq: CFA DR 311, 312. Continuation in development of vocal instrument, workshops in special topics and individual coaching in support of actor's preformance in productions. 1 cr. each semester.
  • CFA DR 412: Voice and Speech IV
    Prereq: CFA DR 311, 312. Continuation in development of vocal instrument, workshops in special topics and individual coaching in support of actor's performance in productions. 1.0 credit. Each semester.
  • CFA DR 421: Acting IV: Thesis
    Prereq: DR321 & DR322. Experience in the application of techniques to define and fulfill the actor's work in terms of form and content as required by the play and its performance. 3 cr. each semester.
  • CFA DR 422: Acting IV: Professional Lifetime Skills
    For Senior Acting Majors or by Instructor's Permission. Focus on synthesizing the actor's training into the practical and artistic tolls necessary to work creatively and collaboratively in the profession. Includes deepening and integrating skills in auditions, readings and rehearsal process, as well as panel discussions on the business of theatre. 3.0 Credits
  • CFA DR 425: Acting Shakespeare
    Begins with personalization of the text, learning how to speak from one's own life experience. Explores connection between breath and thought/feeling. Then moves on to intellectual and technical demands, treating text more analytically, focusing on comprehension, inflection, dynamics and rhythm. Text will include sonnets, monologues and scenes. 2.0 credits
  • CFA DR 428: Senior Thesis: Theatre Arts
    Prereq: DR 323 or DR 324 plus two semesters of directing, choreography, or playwright. Students form a company to present a festival of plays. Focus on playwriting, producing, directing, dramaturgy, and performance. 3.0 credits. 2nd semester.
  • CFA DR 434: Choreography and Design: Experiments in Movement and Light
    A course intended for lighting designers, actors, directors, and dancers to develop theatrical work integrating light and movement. The goal of the course is to provide a workshop environment that fosters the development of new forms of theatrical expression involving light and movement. Weekly assignments involve light sources, movement and light conventions involving space, time, flow, and hue; improvisations; and experimentations with theatrical ideas, character development, and storytelling involving light and movement. Rehearsal times on Sundays and Monday evenings expected outside of the regular class times.
  • CFA DR 435: Movement IV
    Senior Thesis. Senior acting majors learn to create and perform a non-verbal piece for their Senior Thesis, based on a chosen scene / character/ original idea. Students will develop techniques for shaping moments to express thoughts, ideas, or story without text. 2.0 credits
  • CFA DR 436: Movement IV
    Commedia dell'Arte. Introduction to the 16th- and 17th- century form of Italian street theatre based on improvised scenarios. Actors explore the stock characters of the old men, lovers, servants, and warriors, and learn techniques for mask transformations and physical comedy. Pre-requisite: CFA DR 135 or permission. 1.0 credit
  • CFA DR 442: Directing II
    Prereq: permission of instructor, concurrent registration with CFA DR 428. Projects with undergraduate theatre majors in plays of various lengths. Focus is on preparation for rehearsal and on rehearsal process. 2 cr, 2nd semester.
  • CFA DR 443: Exp London Thea
    This course description is currently under construction.
  • CFA DR 447: Rehearsal and Performance 1
    Assignments to roles in production for audiences. Workshop projects. 2cr
  • CFA DR 448: Rehearsal/PERF2
  • CFA DR 451: History of Costume
    Prereq: none. An intensive survey covering the history of and significant cultural expression in dress in Western Civilization. Work involves research projects with emphasis on color, materials, manufacture, and application toward a definition of styles. Area libraries and museums used as class resources. 2.0 credits.
  • CFA DR 452: History of Costume
    Prereq: none. An intensive survey covering the history of and significant cultural expression in dress in Western Civilization. Work involves research projects with emphasis on color, materials, manufacture, and application toward a definition of styles. Area libraries and museums used as class resources. 2.0 credits.

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