PROFESSOR

Julia Ewing. 1976. Artistic Director, McCoy Theatre. B.A., Siena College; M.A., University of Memphis. (Acting; directing; stage movement.)

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

David Jilg. 1994. Chair. B.A., Rhodes College; M.F.A., Tulane University. (Production design, costume design; Spanish-American drama.)

ASSISTANT PROFESSORS

Laura Canon. 1994. Technical Director and Production Manager, McCoy Theatre. B.A., Rhodes College; M.F.A., University of Memphis. (Lighting design, scene design.)
David Mason. 2004. B.A., Brigham Young University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison. (Theatre history, theory, dramatic literature, Asian theatre.)

MANAGING DIRECTOR, McCOY THEATRE

Kevin Collier. 2006. B.A., Rhodes College.

The Department of Theatre offers a wide array of courses of instruction designed to develop students’ theoretical as well as practical skills. The departmental facility, the McCoy Theatre, is a sixty by sixty (60’ x 60’) black box theatre capable of being arranged in a variety of configurations. The 2006-2007 season included Waiting for Godot, Dancing at Lughnasa, and Agnes of God. In the fall of 2007, the McCoy Theatre hosted Charles S. Dutton as part of an August Wilson Celebration, and for 2007-2008 the season consisted of The Rocky Horror Show, How I Learned to Drive, and an adaptation of Lysistrata.

In the summer of 2005, construction began on an expansion of the theatre, and the 2006-2007 academic year opened with a facility more than double its original size. The expansion includes a smart classroom, a costume construction shop, faculty offices, and a second theatre space only slightly smaller than the performance auditorium. This space, dubbed the McCoy Studio, serves as an instructional classroom, a rehearsal hall, and a location for mounting student-run projects. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MAJOR IN THEATRE

A total of forty-four (44) credits as follows:
1. Theatre 120 or Theatre 122
2. Theatre 220
3. Theatre 280
4. Theatre 370
5. Theatre 485
6. One Theatre literature course, external with approval
7. Two design courses
8. Two performance courses
9. Two practical experiences (a minimum of 4 total applied credits)

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINOR IN THEATRE

A total of twenty-eight (28) credits as follows:
1. Theatre 120 or Theatre 122
2. Theatre 220
3. Theatre 280
4. Theatre 370
5. One Theatre literature course, external with approval
6. One design course
7. One performance course

COURSE OFFERINGS

105. Topics: Introduction to Performance.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: F5.
Basic introduction to elements of performance. Topics will vary with instructor. Some areas covered: spatial relationships and stage movement. End product will be the creation of a performance piece.

120. Acting I.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
Designed for the beginning student, this course offers an introduction to basic script analysis with a concentration on relationships between characters, their goals and obstacles. Improvisations as well as scripted scenes will be utilized. The course is primarily for actors.

122. Introduction to Design.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
An exploration of the creative process and the principles and tools of design as they apply to theatrical production. Emphasis will be on script analysis, graphic techniques, and trends in theatrical design through research, practical exercises, and projects.

220. Theatre Production.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course provides an introduction to the basics of technical theatre, with emphasis on standard scenic elements and lighting mechanics. A significant practical laboratory gives students hands-on experience. Open to first-year students by permission of instructor.

221. Acting II.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course is designed for a more intensive study of acting. Various theories and exercises will be explored and applied to scene study.
Prerequisites: An audition is required for admission, or permission of instructor.

254. Children’s Literature, from Page to Stage.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
There is storytelling and there is playmaking. Each is a separate art form yet each is very useful in the primary grades. The goal of this class is to create plays from children’s stories that stimulate imagination, instill a love of language, improve listening skills, and improve language skills. Once the play has been created, the class will perform in local city schools. (Offered alternate years; scheduled for 2009-2010.)

270. Introduction to Asian Theatre.
Fall. Credits: 4
Degree Requirement: Fine Arts, F9.
This course offers an introductory look at a variety of performance forms which have developed in India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. The course will situate these traditions within their respective cultural and historical circumstances, and indicate their relevance on the world stage. The course will address other issues such as Orientalism, cultural piracy, and authenticity, as they arise in the context of Asian and intercultural performance. (Offered in alternate years; scheduled for 2009-2010.)

280. Theatre History I.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F3.
A survey of theatre topics from 1500, BCE, to 1750, CE, including topics of European, American, and Asian theatre. The course includes study of selected plays, architectural developments, actors and acting, and the various relationships between theatre and politics, religion, philosophy, and culture. Course requires extensive reading and significant writing. (Offered in alternate years; scheduled for 2009-2010.)

281. Theatre History II.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F3.
A continuation of Theatre 280, this course examines theatre from 1750, CE, to the present, giving special emphasis to theatre in the 20th Century. The course includes study of selected plays, architectural developments, actors and acting, and the various relationships between theatre and politics, religion, philosophy, and culture. Course requires extensive reading and significant writing. (Offered in alternate years; scheduled for 2008-2009.)

310. Stage Direction.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
Designed as an introduction to stage direction; the emphasis will be on the analysis of play scripts and the translation of that analysis into dramatic action. (Offered in alternate years; scheduled for 2008-2009.)
Prerequisites: Theatre 120, 220, 280, and/or permission of instructor.

331. Movement and the Text.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
The actor’s instrument is the self. That includes the mind, the body, the voice and the heart. The goal of this class is to exercise the whole person in relation to the text of plays and the life of characters. (Offered in alternate years; scheduled for 2008-2009.)
Prerequisites: Any 100 or 200 level Theatre course, or permission of instructor.

334. Costume Design.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course explores the creative process and the principles and tools of design as they apply to costume design. Emphasis will be on script analysis, period research and rendering techniques, utilizing classroom discussion, design evaluation, practical exercises and projects. (Offered alternate years; scheduled for 2008-2009.)
Prerequisites: Theatre 122 and/or permission of instructor.

340. Set Design.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
The process of scene design, from inception of an idea to completion of a documentation package, will be the focus of this course. (Offered in alternate years; scheduled for 2009-2010.)
Prerequisites: Theatre 220 and/or permission of the instructor.

352. Lighting Design.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
An exploration of lighting design and documentation through small class projects designed to help develop each student’s ability to make appropriate design choices. (Offered alternate years; scheduled for 2008-2009.)
Prerequisites: Theatre 220 and permission of instructor.

360. Introduction to Theatre in India.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirement: Fine Arts, F9.
This course is an introduction to forms of theatrical performance in India, particularly those which exist as religious or devotional practices. The material of the course includes Vedic and epic literature, classical Sanskrit drama, and a variety of contemporary forms such as kathakali and raslila. The course is designed for students in various disciplines, and assumes no significant prior knowledge either of South Asian culture or of performance theory. (Offered in alternate years; scheduled for 2008-2009.)

365. Special Topics in Theatre.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
Focused and intensive study of various aspects of theatre arts not covered in existing courses. Topics vary with instructor. The course is repeatable for credit with different topics.
Prerequisites: Will vary with topic.

370. Theory.
Fall. Credits: 4.
A focused examination of concepts of theatre and ideas about theatrical practice. Although the course concentrates on historically European and American theory, significant portions of the course examine dramatic theory developed in Asian cultures. The course aims to situate theatrical practices as expressions of specific cultural discourse. The course requires extensive reading and writing.

375. Drama and Modern Languages.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
This course is team-taught with a faculty member from the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, most often Spanish. The course objective is to develop an understanding and appreciation of a panorama of intellectual and cultural activities through the reading and staging of a variety of dramatic works. Students analyze dramatic texts as literature; at the same time they develop a series of theatrical scenes for performance in class and one or two public performances of a full play or an extended portion thereof. See Spanish 320.
Prerequisites: Spanish 301 or 302 or permission of Spanish instructor.

380. Theatre in the 20th Century.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
Through rotating semester topics, this course explores theatre work which is significant to the particular circumstances of the 20th Century. Semester topics include drama in the U.S., postcolonial Theatre, Modernism, Postmodernism, and performance art. The course concentrates on dramatic literature and requires extensive reading. (Offered alternate years; scheduled for 2009-2010.)

399. Pre-Honors Tutorial.
Spring. Credits: 1.
Junior Theatre majors contemplating honors are required to enroll in a preparatory tutorial. Enrollment in this course does not guarantee acceptance into the Honors Program.

485. Senior Seminar.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Examination, exploration and discussion of both the art and business of theatre. Selected readings as well as portfolio review will be a part of the experience.

495-496. Honors Tutorial.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-8.

APPLIED STUDIES

129. Applied Acting.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Actual stage experience in one of the three subscription series productions ranging from minor to major roles. Investigation into character, period and author will be included. 46 hours of work will be required for each academic credit.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor (director).

139. Applied Acting: Audition Preparation.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
A course designed to prepare students to audition for TTA, SETC, URTA and other established auditions.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

229. Advanced Applied Acting.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Stage experience in a major role.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

329. Dramaturgy.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Work on a production under the supervision of the director in the area of historical and critical analysis of the play.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor (director).

339. Assistant Director.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Designed for students to do advanced work in directing plays in production.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor (director).

341. Applied Sets.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Working experience in the design and execution of stage settings.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

342. Applied Costume Design.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
Working experience in the design and execution of costumes for productions of the McCoy Theatre or the Theatre Department. Students act as designers or assistant designers.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

343. Applied Sound.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Working experience in the design and execution of sound for productions.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

344. Applied Lighting.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Working experience in the design and execution of lighting designs.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

345. Applied Production.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Working experience in the various areas of production, including but not limited to stage management, properties management, and set/costume/lighting crews.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

346. Applied Management.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Working experience in the areas of public relations, advertising sales, newsletter publication, house management training, etc.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

460. Internship.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1-4.
Actual working experience in areas of interest may be gained through this course. Work may be on or off campus. Applications for internships must be filed and approved prior to registering for this course.