The course is designed to provide students with a foundation in major dramatic and performance theories including works by Aristotle, Stanislavsky, Brecht, Grotowski, and a variety of other contemporary theorists and practitioners. In addition to surveying the work of key dramatic and performance theorists and theories, the course will engage students in the application of these theories in the study and analysis of play texts from a variety of periods, genres and cultures. Students will analyze these texts from the perspective of both the logistic and aesthetic requirements of production (as actors, directors and designers).

What is dramaturgy? Dramaturgy is an interdisciplinary creative practice in the performing arts that emphasizes collaboration and creative problem-solving. It is both a set of skills and a way of thinking that help to illuminate the interpretative possibilities of a story. In this course, students will follow the story being told on stage from the first draft to the final bow, working with playwrights, directors, and audiences to build new story worlds on the page and stage and apply theoretical ideas through artistic practice. Dramaturgy investigates the inner workings of a play and makes the artistic choices uncovered available to a wide audience through writings and facilitated dialogues. Students will learn how to communicate research and creative interpretations of a play to a wide variety of audiences through writings ranging from dramaturgy packets and play analyses to program notes and study guides.

A survey of theatre and drama of selected European nations and periods, emphasizing plays and theatre productions in particular historical, artistic, and theoretical contexts (e.g. “Modernist European Theatre and Drama, 1890-1930” – “Romanticism and Realism on Continental Stages”; “France and Germany, 1789-1989”; “Theatre of the European Renaissance” ; “Major Dramatists of Scandinavia, Russia, and Central Europe”).

This course is a survey of the development of the American Musical Theater, highlighting representative works, composers, librettists and performers of both the cultivated and vernacular traditions. It is further designed as an appreciation course, fostering the development of a greater appreciation for all types of stage music and the ability to better evaluate the quality of a work, the performance, and the performers.