Theater Studies
Theater
Studies courses
Theater Studies program home page
Director of undergraduate studies: Toni Dorfman, 220 York St., 432-1310, theater@pantheon.yale.edu or toni.dorfman@yale.edu
FACULTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGRAM OF THEATER STUDIES
Professors
Richard Lalli (Adjunct) (Music, Theater Studies), *Lawrence Manley (English), Donald Margulies (Adjunct) (Theater Studies, English), J. D. McClatchy (Adjunct) (Theater Studies, English), *Charles Musser (Film Studies, American Studies, Theater Studies), *Joseph Roach (English, African American Studies, Theater Studies), *Marc Robinson (School of Drama, Theater Studies, English), *Robert Stepto (African American Studies, English, American Studies)
Associate Professors
*Murray Biggs (Adjunct) (Theater Studies, English), *Toni Dorfman (Adjunct) (Theater Studies), *David Krasner (Adjunct) (Theater Studies, African American Studies, English), *Deb Margolin (Adjunct) (Theater Studies), *Donia Mounsef (French, Theater Studies)
Assistant Professors
Reginald Jackson (Theater Studies, East Asian Languages & Literatures), *Diana Paulin (American Studies, English, Theater Studies)
Lecturers
Emily Coates, Lacina Coulibaly, Connie Grappo, Patricia Hoffbauer, Annette Jolles, Polina Klimovitskaya, Kathryn Krier, Tina Landau, Paul McKinley, Elinor Renfield, Rebecca Rugg, Michael Tracy, Alexandra Vázquez
*Member of the Executive Committee for the program.
As a branch of the humanities and as a complex cultural practice, theater claims a rich history and literature and an equally rich repertoire of embodied knowledge and theory. Theater Studies emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between practice and scholarly study. The major combines practical training with theory and history, while stressing creative critical thinking. Students are encouraged to engage intellectual and physical approaches to explore diverse cultural forms, historical traditions, and contemporary life.
The study of theater is interdisciplinary in scope and global in perspective. Students are expected to take courses in cognate disciplines such as history, philosophy, anthropology, political science, film, art, literature, and foreign languages. Faculty members are affiliated with a range of departments; their diverse expertise lends breadth and depth to course offerings and enables students to devise a course of study reflective of their developing interests.
Special features of the program are the production seminars (THST 211b, 220b, 224a, 230a or b, 235, 237, 300a, 301b, 315b, 318b, 319b, 320a, 321a, 322b, 324b, 327b, 335a, 336b, 356a, 414a or b) and guided independent study projects (THST 471a, 472b, and 491a or b). Each production seminar concentrates on study, through practice, of one aspect of work in the theater; examples are approaches to acting, directing, writing, or design. Each seminar involves numerous projects that grow out of the term's work. For example, the project may be production of a play or several plays, adaptation or translation of existing works, or creation of original plays, performance pieces, or set design. Independent study projects give the student freedom to pursue individual and group-generated projects under the guidance of a Theater Studies faculty member. All production seminars require permission of the instructor (by application or audition). Independent study project courses are open only to majors.
Although students need not formally declare an intention to major in Theater Studies until the second term of the sophomore year, the requirements of the major may be difficult to complete in two years. Students intending to apply for admission to the major must have completed THST 110a and 111b before applying, which they must do by the end of the sophomore year. Information about the application process and advice about the program can be sought at any time from the director of undergraduate studies. Interested students are urged to consult the director of undergraduate studies early in their academic careers.
The major. The major consists of ten term courses beyond the introductory prerequisites (THST 110a, 111b), one of which must be THST 210a. Students are encouraged to enroll in a balanced combination of courses involving studio work and courses with literature, history, and theory content. Of the ten required term courses, four must be chosen from four periods of dramatic literature or theater history or from four cultures. A suggested scheme might be one course in each of four of the following categories: Shakespeare, African American theater, Greek drama, melodrama, British drama, modern American drama, contemporary American drama, German drama, or other courses in dramatic literature and theater history. At least one of the four courses should include dramatic literature originating in a language other than English. Students are urged to read plays in the original languages whenever possible.
Students are encouraged to choose additional courses to develop the perspectives achieved in the production and literature courses. These courses may be selected (1) as a study of material that has influenced or provided sources for a playwright or theater; (2) as a study of the historical, political, or religious context of a particular playwright, theater, or literature; (3) as a study of forms of expression contemporary with a particular theater or author, for example, courses in music, art history, architecture, or film; or (4) as a study of theoretical aspects of the theater through courses in such areas as linguistics, aesthetics, psychology, or the history of criticism.
Senior requirement. Majors satisfy the senior requirement in one of two ways. They may undertake a one-term senior project (THST 491a or b), or, with the approval of the director of undergraduate studies, they may take one of the courses listed in the dramatic literature and theater history section in the printed YCPS as a senior seminar. Senior projects may take the form of directing or writing a play, performing a role, or writing a critical essay. Performance-oriented projects are in addition to a senior essay, which is an integral requirement of THST 491a or b. Students wishing to undertake a senior project must submit a proposal before the deadline announced by the director of undergraduate studies. Each proposal is submitted to a faculty committee for approval.
Students interested in mounting a production as part of their senior project are encouraged to develop collaborative proposals among actors, writers, directors, or dramaturgs. Students proposing a collaborative production project have priority for rehearsal time and production slots in the Whitney Theater Space, 53 Wall Street.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR
Prerequisites: THST 110a, 111b
Number of courses: 10 term courses beyond prereqs (incl senior req)
Specific course required: THST 210a
Distribution of courses: 4 courses in dramatic lit or theater hist, each from a different period or culture as specified (1 with reading in lit other than English)
Senior requirement: Senior sem or senior project (THST 491a or b)
