Theater and Music Theater Jump To: Jump To: Program Offerings The Program in Theater and Music Theater welcomes all students interested in exploring theater and music theater, with or without previous experience. We approach theater and music theater from a liberal arts perspective — as intensely collaborative art forms, as key components of world cultures and as performance genres that shape and are shaped by history, economics, politics and technology. We research, study and perform theater, from classic plays, operas and musicals to contemporary, experimental and devised plays, performances and musicals. We offer a wide-ranging, innovative and student-initiated season of theatrical explorations, produced in collaboration with professional artists and craftspeople. Our season centers on community-building and the creation of original work, in which all students can participate. We encourage artistic and academic investigations of theater and music theater in conversation with every other area of study.Our program is open to students of all backgrounds. Most courses are open enrollment; we also offer advanced courses that prepare a student for graduate education to pursue advanced training and scholarship. We offer more than 20 courses per year, including writing, performance, directing, music directing, design, community-engaged theater, dramaturgy, performance history, performance theory and criticism. For students interested in pursuing a minor, we offer four suggested pathways through our curriculum: Theater Making, Music Theater, Performance Studies, and Community Engaged Theater. Many courses are cross-listed with other departments and programs, including African American studies, American studies, creative writing, dance, English, gender and sexuality studies, and visual arts. Most theater and music theater courses fulfill the Literature and Arts (LA) requirement, and other THR and MTD courses also fulfill Ethical Thought and Moral Values (EM), Social Analysis (SA), Culture and Difference (CD) and/or Historical Analysis (HA) distribution requirements.In addition to our courses and theater-making season, core faculty and visiting guest artists and scholars and the Princeton Arts Fellows offer workshops and co-curricular classes and join students in community conversations.Students benefit from the support of our professional staff in music, costumes, scenery, light, sound, stage management and producing. We sponsor trips to theatrical productions in New York, Trenton, New Brunswick and Philadelphia and provide opportunities for observation of theater making in collaboration with a variety of partners. We build community inside and outside of the University through our theater-making season and our Try On Theater days, through the Princeton Playhouse Choir and Ensemble, through volunteering or paid fellowships with Trenton Youth Theater and through our relationships with professional theaters and off-campus organizations including the McCarter Theater, Passage Theater and the Public Theater. We offer summer internships and summer research funding through the Lewis Center for the Arts. We encourage students to study abroad; students interested in exploring conservatory training can attend the London Academy of Dramatic Arts for a semester, typically fall semester of junior year. Goals for Student Learning We believe that the study of theater cultivates the exploration and integration of the body, the mind and lived experience through a uniquely collaborative lens. Our goals for student learning are to engage all Princeton students in theater and music theater through creation, performance and study; to familiarize students with the role that theater and performance have played and could play in many cultures; and to further the field in collaboration with our students through research, innovation and engagement with leading artists and scholars. Our program centers on original creation, collaboration and community-engaged learning, in connection with every other artistic and academic field. All of our theater making operates on the principle that rigorous artistic practice is a form of research, innovation, discovery and intervention. Prerequisites There are no prerequisites for most theater and music theater courses. There are also no prerequisites for declaring a minor in theater and music theater. However, students must take THR/MTD 101 and one additional course, and complete their student show support requirements by the end of junior year to continue into the senior year of the minor. Students may begin taking courses toward their minor and fulfilling show support requirements during their first year at Princeton. Admission to the Program The theater and music theater minor is open to all students who are interested in committing to theater and/or music theater practice and scholarship in their junior and senior years. No application, audition or portfolio submissions are required to enter the minor program. Students must register for the minor before course enrollment begins for spring semester junior year (toward the end of the junior fall semester). In order to proceed to the senior year of the minor, students must have completed THR/MTD 101 and one additional course, as well as show support requirements. Students who fail to complete these requirements by the end of junior year will not be able to complete the minor. Program of Study CourseworkA total of five courses are required:THR/MTD 101 (Introduction to Theater Making), which must be taken before senior year.Two additional courses in THR or MTD or cross-listed with THR or MTD.Two additional courses from THR, MTD, DAN, MUS, or another relevant cognate.At least one of the selected courses must have a dramaturgical or performance analysis (DPA) component. A list of current courses that would satisfy this requirement is made available annually through the program. This list is reviewed and updated annually by the program director and theater faculty. Additional courses may be proposed to the program director for approval to satisfy the DPA course.Up to two of these five courses may be double-counted toward the student’s major.Senior year independent work for the minor is optional.While students may take THR 451 more than once, participation in THR 451 can only count toward the minor once. Additional Requirements All theater and music theater minors must complete show support requirements — participating in a nonperforming role on one or two program projects — no later than the end of junior year. This requirement introduces students to the many facets of theater making beyond performance and enhances their collaborative skills with faculty and staff mentorship. All program minors are expected to read the weekly program informational announcement, which provides pertinent deadlines, opportunities and important announcements. All minors are also expected to participate in the program’s annual opening community Try on Theater Day (typically held the evening of the first day of classes), and our annual closing reflective community conversation, guided by that year’s graduating seniors (typically held in the days after Dean’s Date for the spring semester). Preparation for Graduate Study The theater and music theater program offers advanced courses and co-curricular activities that will allow a student to move into graduate education to pursue advanced training or scholarship. Additional Information Juniors working toward a minor who elect to participate in a series of program meetings and initiate an independent research process are invited to suggest projects (including original work of their own) and share particular interests toward co-creating the season of theater making in their senior year. A rotating panel of faculty and staff curates a season that engages the curricular and research interests, priorities and expertise of program faculty, visiting artists and rising seniors who have completed the research process.Juniors working toward a minor may also apply to complete an optional senior year independent research project. Research projects might include writing a paper, composing an original work of theater or music theater, developing a solo performance practice or exploring other modes of independent creative enquiry. Successful applicants will work with a faculty adviser during their senior year and will be expected to offer a one-evening public research presentation to share their work-in-process with the broader Lewis Center community. These independent research project presentations can be theatrical in nature, but will not be offered significant staff support or production resources. Faculty Director Jane F. Cox Executive Committee Elena Araoz, Theater, LCA Tina M. Campt, Art and Archaeology Jane F. Cox, Lewis Center for the Arts Katie Farris, Lewis Center for the Arts Tina Fehlandt, Lewis Center for the Arts Martha Friedman, Lewis Center for the Arts Judith Hamera, Lewis Center for the Arts Christopher J. Harris, Lewis Center for the Arts Aleksandar Hemon, Lewis Center for the Arts Brian E. Herrera, Lewis Center for the Arts A.M. Homes, Lewis Center for the Arts Ilya Kaminsky, Lewis Center for the Arts Deana Lawson, Lewis Center for the Arts Rebecca J. Lazier, Lewis Center for the Arts Yiyun Li, Lewis Center for the Arts Pamela E. Lins, Visual Arts, LCA Susan S. Marshall, Lewis Center for the Arts Moon Molson, Lewis Center for the Arts Paul B. Muldoon, Lewis Center for the Arts Nicolás Pereda, Lewis Center for the Arts Kirstin Valdez Quade, Lewis Center for the Arts David W. Reinfurt, Lewis Center for the Arts Joe Scanlan, Lewis Center for the Arts Patricia Smith, Lewis Center for the Arts Lloyd Suh, Lewis Center for the Arts Jeffrey Whetstone, Lewis Center for the Arts Rhaisa Williams, Lewis Center for the Arts Stacy E. Wolf, Lewis Center for the Arts Sits with Committee Tess L James Chesney D. Snow Professor Stacy E. Wolf Associate Professor Brian E. Herrera Assistant Professor Rhaisa Williams Professor of the Practice Jane F. Cox Lloyd Suh Senior Lecturer Elena Araoz Lecturer Shariffa Ali David Bengali Sarah L. Benson Yuval Boim Vivia Font Tess L James Aaron Landsman LaJuné McMillian Bi Jean Ngo Solon Snider Sway Chesney D. Snow Georgia Stitt Sinan R. Zafar Visiting Associate Professor Yoshinori Tanokura For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website. Courses THR 201 - Beginning Studies in Acting Fall/Spring LA An introduction to the craft of acting. Emphasis will be placed on honesty, spontaneity, and establishing a personal connection with the substance of material. C. Snow THR 205 - Introductory Playwriting (also CWR 210) Fall LA This is a workshop in the fundamentals of writing plays. Through writing prompts, exercises, study and reflection, students will be guided in the creation of original dramatic material. Attention will be given to character, structure, dramatic action, monologue, dialogue, language N. Davis, S. Khoury-Yacoub THR 300 - Acting, Being, Doing, and Making: Introduction to Performance Studies (also ANT 359/COM 359/ENG 373) Not offered this year LA A hands-on approach to this interdisciplinary field. We will apply key readings in performance theory to space and time-based events, at sites ranging from theatre, experimental art, and film, to community celebrations, sport events, and restaurant dining. We will observe people's behavior in everyday life as performance and discuss the "self" through the performativity of one's gender, race, class, ability, and more. We will also practice ethnographic methods to collect stories to adapt for performance and address the role of the participant-observer, thinking about ethics and the social responsibilities of this work. R. Williams, S. Wolf THR 301 - Acting - Scene Study Spring LA The preparation, rehearsal and presentation of scenes from classic and contemporary plays, from Chekhov and Ibsen to Tony Kusher and Lynn Nottage. We will use the techniques and principles found in Uta Hagen's book, Respect for Acting. Skills: understanding and activating the event of the scene; mining behavior; authentic engagement with scene partners; transformation of self. Discover the level of action and commitment needed to fulfill the life of the play. M. Nelson THR 305 - Playwriting II: Intermediate Playwriting (also CWR 309) Spring LA A continuation of work begun in Introductory Playwriting, in this class, students will complete either one full-length play or two long one-acts (40-60 pages) to the end of gaining a firmer understanding of characterization, dialogue, structure, and the playwriting process. In addition to questions of craft, an emphasis will be placed on the formation of healthy creative habits and the sharpening of critical and analytical skills through reading and responding to work of both fellow students and contemporary playwrights of note. M. Cruz THR 311 - Intermediate Studies in Acting: Creating Character and Text Not offered this year LA Creation of an original theater piece in collaboration with a guest artist, leading to a public performance. Will include improvisations, exercises, study of dramatic texts, and scene study. Special attention will be given to the creation of character, both in dramatic texts and in improvisation. Prerequisite: 201. Staff THR 317 - Costume Design (also VIS 372) Not offered this year LA An exploration of the various aspects of costume design. Emphasis will depend to some degree on instructor's area of interest and/or student interest. Studio projects will be designed to coincide with other theater and dance courses and currently scheduled productions. Critical discussion will explore the relationship between dramatic texts and design ideas. Two three-hour seminars or studio sessions. S. Fellows THR 326 - Criticism Workshop Not offered this year LA A workshop devoted to the development of the student's critical sensibility. Through extensive in-class analysis of their own reviews of professional theater and dance productions and through the study of past and present models, students will learn what makes a good critic of the performing arts. One three-hour seminar. Staff THR 330 - Special Topics in Performance Practice (also MTD 330/MUS 328) Not offered this year LA A special topics course designed to build upon and/or enhance existing program courses, taking into consideration the strengths and interests of program concentrators and the availability of appropriate instructors. Topics, prerequisites, and formats will vary from year to year. Staff THR 331 - Special Topics in Performance History and Theory (also COM 311) Not offered this year LA Designed to provide students with an opportunity to study theater and/or dance from a historical or theoretical perspective. Topics, prerequisites, and formats will vary from year to year. Staff THR 401 - Advanced Studies in Acting: Scene Study and Style (also MTD 401) Fall LA A practical course focusing on approaches to classical and contemporary acting styles. Primarily a scene lab investigating the actor/director relationship; performance as a collaborative experience: the exploration of a wide variety of techniques including movement, voice, comedy and musical theatre. Texts will come from a range of playwrights, classical and modern. N. deGannes, J. Doyle, E. Araoz THR 411 - Directing Workshop Not offered this year LA Special directing assignments will be made for each student, whose work will be analyzed by the instructor and other members of the workshop. Students will be aided in their preparations by the instructor; they will also study the spectrum of responsibilities and forms of research involved in directing plays of different styles. Prerequisite: Introductory acting, writing or design class. E. Araoz DAN 209 - Introduction to Movement and Dance (also MTD 209/THR 209) LA Movement permeates every aspect of life, whether within our bodies, minds, or the world around us. In this studio course open to everyone, we use tools from Laban Movement Analysis to develop ways to dance, improvise, make performance, and fully inhabit our lives. We dive into the roles of dancer, choreographer, audience member, and critic in relation to aesthetic questions, politics, identity, religion, and complex views of the human body. Students can apply our work together to dance in any style as well as to daily experiences like moving into an interview confidently and finding embodied practices for transforming stress. A. Vandenbroucke DAN 304 - Special Topics in Contemporary Practice (also MUS 301/THR 321/VIS 320) LA Offers students the opportunity to gain a working knowledge of the ways in which dance, dance/theater, and body-based art are created and performed today. Primarily a studio course that stresses learning through doing. Students will have the opportunity to work with leading experimental creators. Topics, prerequisites, and formats will vary from year to year. Staff DAN 324 - Princeton Dance Festival Expanded (also THR 327) Not offered this year LA This course will be a unique venture into dance culminating in a performance for the Princeton Dance Festival. This studio course explores dance-theatre practice to address the desires, needs, and realities of the body and its greater community, centering the politics of self and group care. We will improvise in movement, somatics, vocal sound, song, spoken and written words, creating for and with each other, with the outcome being a greatly expanded skill set for the performing artist. Studio movement practice, creation and discussion will be supplemented by selected readings and out-of-studio creation as a practice of joy and resilience. Staff ENG 318 - Shakespeare: Toward Hamlet (also THR 310) Fall LA A study of Shakespeare's plays, covering the first half of his career. Emphasis will be on each play as a work of art and on Shakespeare's development as a poet and dramatist. Two lectures, one preceptorial. B. Cormack ENG 361 - Modern Drama I (also COM 321/THR 364) Not offered this year LA A study of major plays by Ibsen, Strindberg, Jarry, Chekhov, Pirandello, Brecht, and Beckett. Emphasis will be given to the theatrical revolutions they initiated and to the influence they continue to exert on contemporary drama and theater. Two 90-minute seminars. M. Cadden ENG 372 - Contemporary Drama (also THR 372) Not offered this year LA An examination of some of the best literature written for the stage since the Second World War. Two lectures, one preceptorial. T. Wolff ENG 409 - Topics in Drama (also HUM 409/THR 410) Not offered this year LA A detailed discussion of different bodies of theatrical literature, with emphasis and choice of materials varying from year to year. The focus will be on a group of related plays falling within a specific historical period, the developing work of one playwright, or the relationships among thematics, characterization, and structure. Two lectures, one preceptorial. B. Sincox FRE 211 - French Theater Workshop (also THR 211) Fall LA FRE/THR 211 will offer students the opportunity to put their language skills in motion by exploring French theater and acting in French. The course will introduce students to acting techniques while allowing them to discover the richness of the French dramatic canon. Particular emphasis will be placed on improving students' speaking skills through pronunciation and diction exercises. At the end of the semester, the course will culminate in the presentation of the students' work. Prerequisites: FRE 108 or equivalent. FRE 207 or 208 recommended as a co-requisite. F. Masse ITA 401 - Seminar in Italian Literature and Culture (also COM 469/THR 408) Fall LASA Investigation of a major theme or author, with special attention to formal structures and intellectual context. Topics may range from the medieval chivalric tradition in such Renaissance masterpieces as Ariosto's Orlando Furioso to a reading of the writings of Primo Levi as these examine the issue of the annihilation of the personality. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in Italian or instructor's permission. G. Marrone-Puglia MPP 214 - Projects in Vocal Performance (also MTD 214) Fall/Spring LA Taught by a rotating roster of voice faculty members, this course guides students through a series of curated topics in vocal performance, including vocal and performance techniques, repertoire, and interpretation. Typically open to vocalists and pianists, though others may be welcome depending on topic. Admission may be by audition in some cases. Staff MUS 220 - The Opera (also MTD 220) Not offered this year LA An introduction opera from its beginnings in the late sixteenth century to the present, focusing on drama, vocal style, gender and sexuality, singers, and stage production; includes a consideration of non-European operatic traditions. W. Heller STC 299 - Special Topics in STEM (also THR 299) Spring LASN This course is a collaboration between science and creative expression. Students will develop an understanding of the fundamental role that microbes (viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms) have played in environmental stability and human evolution. We will then explore the impact of microbes on climate change and discuss innovation and solutions. Concurrently, we will be exploring various forms of creative expression (writing, movement, improvisation, image making, etc.), with which to playfully observe, meditate and communicate the scientific material. Students will collaborate on final creative projects. V. Font, A. Darwish
