School of Theatre
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CFA TH 425: Acting: Shakespeare
Prereq: Consent of instructor; 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. Fall semester. -
CFA TH 427: Theatre Ensemble 4: Thesis Development
Prereq: CFA TH 227 or CFA TH 228 or CFA TH 327; This course serves as the culminating experience for senior Theatre Arts majors. The course involves the process of selecting a thesis project, choosing partners with whom to collaborate, then coming together as an ensemble to determine the process for producing the projects in the spring semester. Topics include developing a company mission, goals and priorities, as well as fundraising and marketing. Part one of a two semester-long course. Required all senior BFA Theatre Arts majors. 3.0 credits. Fall semester. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CFA TH 428: Senior Thesis: Theatre Arts
Prereq: CFA TH 427, plus prior academic experience in directing, choreography, or playwriting depending on the individual focus of a student's thesis project participation. Students form a company to present a festival of plays at the end of the semester. Thesis work can focus on playwriting, producing, directing, dramaturgy, or performance and project collaboration is strongly encouraged. 3.0 credits. Spring semester. -
CFA TH 429: Understanding the Camera
Introductory on-camera acting class providing the actor with fundamental building blocks to transition from theater to cinematic performance seamlessly. Through structured hands-on, learn by doing experience we aim to demystify the medium of television and film. This course deconstructs various on-camera techniques that allow the actor to explore and develop their own unique process. The actor will explore awareness of Self, type, range while learning the technical and design elements required for working in front of the camera relaxed and truthful, developing an intimacy with the camera. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Digital/Multimedia Expression. -
CFA TH 430: Professional Theatre Initiative Lab
PTI Lab introduces students to the many aspects of professional theatre practices as an actor, including but not limited to best practices, next practices, industry norms, agents, managers, unions, auditioning, casting, health, goal setting, financial planning, equity, diversity and inclusion in the field, and community building through ongoing conversations with working artists in the field. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community. -
CFA TH 431: Movement 4: Thesis Development
Prereq: CFA TH 331; Explorations of physical theatre, choreography, and movement styles for non-verbal requirement of BFA Acting thesis. -
CFA TH 432: Movement 4: Commedia dell'Arte
Prereq: Permission of instructor; 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. 1.0 credit -
CFA TH 437: Alexander Technique 4: The Actor's Consciousness
Prereq: CFA TH 337; In-depth study of Carl Stough's breathing coordination principles. Continue to develop skills to understand what is the actor's consciousness and what is character's consciousness. Private coaching and hands on scene work to attain high-level performance techniques. 1.0 credit. Fall semester. -
CFA TH 438: Alexander Technique 4: Thesis Application
Prereq: CFA TH437 or consent of instructor; Team taught with Judy Braha. Coaching for a scene with an Alexander teacher and an Acting teacher together helps the students to attain high-level performance techniques. 1.0 credit. Spring semester. -
CFA TH 442: Undergraduate Directing Colloquium 3
Prereq: CFA TH441 or permission of instructor, concurrent registration with CFA DR428; Projects with undergraduate theatre majors in plays of various lengths. Focus is on preparation for rehearsal and on rehearsal process. 2.0 credits -
CFA TH 447: Rehearsal & Performance 3
Rehearsal/Performance assignment work for participation in the School of Theatre productions. Faculty assignment is based on faculty advising on a given production, all students should first register for the "X1 " section. After the student has been cast, they will be re-sectioned to the appropriate faculty advisor in charge of grading for that project. Course for SOT population only. Variable credits. Fall semester. -
CFA TH 448: Rehearsal & Performance 4
Rehearsal/Performance assignment work for participation in the School of Theatre productions. Faculty assignment is based on faculty advising on a given production, all students should first register for the "X1 " section. After the student has been cast, they will be re-sectioned to the appropriate faculty advisor in charge of grading for that project. Course for SOT population only. Variable credits. Spring semester. -
CFA TH 450: Senior Thesis: Acting
Prereq: CFA TH 421; This course serves as the culminating experience for Senior BFA Acting majors. Involves the mounting of Acting thesis projects that been developed during the fall semester, including their rehearsal, production, and performance. Thesis projects must include specific categories of materials and will be presented in collaboration with the rest of their ensemble. Part two of a two semester-long course. Required course for all senior Acting majors. 2.0 credits. Spring semester. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CFA TH 451: D&P Senior Thesis
Prereq: Senior status; Meets as arranged. A major independent project presented to the faculty and student body as the final requirement for the BFA degree. The project is chosen with approval of the advisor and presented on a schedule established by the School of Theatre. The project is given public exhibition or performance. 3.0 credits. Fall semester. -
CFA TH 452: D&P Senior Thesis
Prereq: Senior status; Meets as arranged. A major independent project presented to the faculty and student body as the final requirement for the BFA degree. The project is chosen with approval of the advisor and presented on a schedule established by the School of Theatre. The project is given public exhibition or performance. 3.0 credits. Spring semester. -
CFA TH 455: History of Period Styles 3
Prereq: Instructor Consent; A survey covering the history of social, political and cultural movements and the expressions of those movements through architecture, interior decoration, furniture and dress in major civilizations. Work involves research projects and presentations. 2.0 credits. Fall semester. -
CFA TH 456: History of Period Styles 4
Prereq: CFA TH 455 or consent of instructor; A continuation of CFA TH 455. A survey covering the history of social, political and cultural movements and the expressions of those movements through architecture, interior decoration, furniture and dress in major civilizations. Work involves research projects and presentations. 2.0 credits. Spring semester. -
CFA TH 458: History of Dress 2
Intensive survey course covering the history of significant cultural expression in dress from the end of the 18th century to the present. Students examine the evolution of fashion by studying various types of art & literature as well as socio-economic, political, and religious influences. Students will familiarize themselves with the vocabulary, theory, production, silhouettes, and trends in Western dress through effective researching, experiential learning, discussion-based learning, and interactive lectures. Research projects emphasize color, materials, manufacture, theory, and application. 2.0 units. Spring semester. Effective Spring 2025 this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Research and Information Literacy. -
CFA TH 459: Social Change Through Theatre of the Oppressed
An active, experiential learning course for theatre and non-theatre students that explores Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed and Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This course engages and challenges students' minds, bodies and creativity as we read, discuss and apply the political, social and educational theories and ethics through Boal's physical theatre gamesercises, image techniques, and Forum Theatre. These techniques serve to "democratize theatre" by transforming the "monologue" of traditional performance into a dialogue for social change between audience and stage. 4.0 credits. Spring semester. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Creativity/Innovation. -
CFA TH 463: Scene Design 5
Prereq: CFA TH 364; Advanced design projects developed in conjunction with other designers and directors; emphasis on complex mechanical solutions. Readings and projects incorporate all theatre genres, ballet, dance and opera. 3.0 credits. Fall semester.
