Sharon Ott
Associate professor and chair
The mission of the Department of Theatre is to educate and train students as theatre professionals and/or academicians in the field of performance, design/technology or theatre pedagogy.
In fulfilling its mission, the Department of Theatre provides students with the professional and cultural foundations essential for achieving the highest standards of the art. The department offers three degrees — a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts — to which applicants are admitted based on demonstration of ability, genuine interest determined during an interview, and audition and/or portfolio presentation.
In addition to introductory theatre and acting courses for non-majors, the department also serves students throughout the university with offerings in speech communication.
The Department of Theatre employs 23 faculty and staff and enrolls 230 undergraduate and 40 to 50 full-time graduate students. Theatre VCU produces four mainstage productions and numerous graduate and undergraduate directing projects each year.
With permission of instructor, the following graduate courses may be taken by undergraduates for degree credit:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| THEA 501 | Basic Voice and Speech Pedagogy | 3 |
| THEA 505 | Advanced Scene Design III | 3 |
| THEA 506 | Advanced Scene Design IV | 3 |
| THEA 508 | Scene Painting | 3 |
| THEA 514 | Graduate Acting | 3 |
THEA 501. Basic Voice and Speech Pedagogy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 credits. Exploration of methodologies used in teaching basic principles of body alignment, breath support, resonance and dynamics of voice and speech. A review of IPA as it applies to American speech and dialect study.
THEA 503. Periods and Practices in Costume History I. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of the cultural and social implications of costume history, design and production by specific design technologies from antiquity to 1800. Work includes costume shop work with fabrics as well as studio work with the interaction of lighting and fabrics.
THEA 504. Periods and Practices in Costume History II. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: THEA 503. This course continues work in the study of the cultural and social implications of costume history, design and production by specific design technologies from 1800 to the present. The course will include additional work with ongoing main stage productions. Work includes costume shop work with fabrics as well as studio work with the interaction of lighting and fabrics.
THEA 505. Advanced Scene Design III. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 1 lecture and 4 studio hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: THEA 306 and permission of instructor. Intensive study of the professional standards and practices expected of scene designers.
THEA 506. Advanced Scene Design IV. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 1 lecture and 4 studio hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: THEA 505 and permission of instructor. Continued intensive study of the professional standards and practices expected of scene designers.
THEA 508. Scene Painting. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 10 studio hours. 3 credits. May be repeated with permission of instructor for up to 12 credits. Study of the materials and techniques of scenic painting as well as the practices and expectations of those pursuing careers as scenic artists.
THEA 509. Theatre History and Historiography. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Study of modern theatre practice, dramatic literature and theory coupled with the study of applicable methodologies and historical writings as evidence in the development of performance and performance scholarship.
THEA 514. Graduate Acting. 3 Hours.
Continuous courses; 6 studio hours. 3-3 credits. Graduate-level studio performance courses that utilize monologues and scenes as a venue to explore rotating topics in performance technique which may include Constantin Stanislavski, Michael Chekov, Uta Hagen, Sanford Meisner and Stella Adler.
THEA 517. Physical Acting. 3 Hours.
Semester course; may be repeated for a total of 12 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Exploration and discovery of the principles of movement and their practical application to the stage. Emphasis on character development, solo and group scene work, physical comedy, and stage combat.
THEA 518. The Pedagogy of Movement. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 6 studio hours. 3 credits. Exploration of the principles of teaching movement and its practical application to the stage, with special emphasis on the links between physical theatre and the vocabulary of the Stanislavski system of acting.
THEA 593. Professional Internship. 3-9 Hours.
Semester course; 3-9 credits. May be repeated. Prerequisite: Permission of department chair. Majors only. A practicum in theatre conducted in cooperation with selected professional or semiprofessional theatre organizations.
THEA 600. Introduction to Performance Studies. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Interdisciplinary and multicultural study of cultural, social and aesthetic structures of performance.
THEA 601. Advanced Voice and Speech Pedagogy: Shakespeare. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An exploration of a variety of methodologies used in teaching the speaking of Shakespeare's texts. Focus on scansion, rhetorical devices, full voicing and support of Shakespeare's language for the stage.
THEA 602. Advanced Topics in Voice and Speech Pedagogy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An exploration of a variety of specialty topics which may include but is not limited to vocal extremes, archetypes and the voice, voice in the out of doors.
THEA 603. Dramatic Literature and Theory. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Multicultural study of selected plays in the history of dramatic literature, criticism and theory.
THEA 604. Modern Theatre: Theory and Practice. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Seminar in the performance practices, texts and theories that have shaped the theatre throughout the 20th century.
THEA 605. Advanced Studies in Stage Design. 3 Hours.
Continuous courses; 1 lecture and 4 studio hours. 3-3 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An advanced study in specific problems in stage design.
THEA 606. Advanced Studies in Stage Design. 3 Hours.
Continuous courses; 1 lecture and 4 studio hours. 3-3 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An advanced study in specific problems in stage design.
THEA 608. Problems in Scenic Techniques. 3 Hours.
Continuous courses; 1 lecture and 4 studio hours. 3-3 credits. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An advanced, detailed study of selected problems in contemporary theory and practice of scenic techniques.
THEA 609. Seminar in Production Process. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 1 lecture and 4 laboratory hours. 3 credits. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 9 credits. Students and faculty in design, technical theatre, and performance working together in studio situations to identify and solve problems relating to the planning, preparation, and realization of productions.
THEA 610. Proseminar in Text and Performance. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Study of how theatre history is documented and researched, and the theoretical perspectives that inform its writing.
THEA 614. Pedagogy of Acting. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course guides students through creating and implementing a curriculum appropriate for a beginning acting class. Discussions of acting theory and teaching practice are interspersed with teaching demonstrations complete with peer feedback and instructor critique.
THEA 617. Special Topics in Physical Acting. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 6 studio hours. 3 credits. Rotating topics in physical acting, which may include mask, mime, physical comedy, clowning and other approached to physical theatre.
THEA 618. Special Topics in Choreography and Directing. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 6 studio hours. 3 credits. Rotating topics in choreography and directing, which may include dance, stage combat, battle scenes, musicalized movement and other choreographic scenes.
THEA 619. Theatre Pedagogy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Theory and practice in the teaching of college-level theatre.
THEA 621. Problems in Costume Design. 3 Hours.
Semester courses; 2 lecture and 2 studio hours. 3, 3 credits. May be repeated. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An advanced study in specific problems in costume design.
THEA 622. Problems in Costume Design. 3 Hours.
Semester courses; 2 lecture and 2 studio hours. 3, 3 credits. May be repeated. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An advanced study in specific problems in costume design.
THEA 630. Production. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 6 laboratory hours. 3 credits. May be repeated. The design, rehearsal, and performance of dramatic works.
THEA 640. Advanced Theatre Projects. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 1 lecture and 4 laboratory hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for total of nine credits. Enrollment requires permission of the graduate director. Individual or group projects in acting, directing, costume design, stage design or dramaturgy. Projects may include design and performance related work.
THEA 641. Advanced Theatre Projects and Evaluation. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 1 lecture and 4 laboratory hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a total of six credits. Prerequisite: THEA 640. Individual or group projects in acting, directing, costume design, stage design or dramaturgy. This course also provides students with one-on-one evaluation with thesis chair and thesis committee members.
THEA 651. Individual Study in Graduate Design. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 1 lecture and 4 laboratory hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. May be repeated. Intensive individual training in design and presentation processes as they apply to contemporary professional production.
THEA 661. Graduate Direction. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Graduate-level studio course designed to introduce students to concepts involved in play direction, including play analysis, composition, blocking, style and form. Exercises and projects will reinforce elements discussed in class and include opportunities for stage work complete with peer feedback and instructor critique.
THEA 693. Colloquium and Practical Training. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 2 lecture and 2 studio hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Literary, historical, and theoretical studies together with specialized voice and movement training related to dramatic works in production.
THEA 694. Theatre Pedagogy Professional Internship. 1-6 Hours.
Semester course; 1 or 3 lecture hours. 1, 3 or 6 credits. May be repeated. Prerequisites: THEA 519 and permission of the graduate adviser in theatre. Research, design, and either implementation or thoroughly planned implementation of a curricular research and development project of relevance to a formal speech and/or theatre pedagogy program.
THEA 696. Dramaturgy. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Study of the function of the dramaturge in the American theatre. Readings, research and practical exercises for production dramaturgy of classic and contemporary plays.
THEA 697. Research and Special Problems in Theatre. 1,3 Hour.
Semester course; 1 or 3 credits. May be repeated with permission of graduate adviser. Individually directed study and research under faculty supervision on approved research problems or projects in theatre.
THEA 791. Seminar in Special Issues in Theatre. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; variable hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Additional credits may be taken with permission of the graduate directory. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. An advanced, detailed study of selected contemporary issues not included in the regular curriculum. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
THEA 799. Thesis. 1-6 Hours.
Semester course; 1-6 credits. May be repeated. Prerequisite: Permission of the department graduate studies adviser and department chair. Preparation of a thesis based on independent research.