USC School of Dramatic Arts production of Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Father Comes Home From the Wars” (Parts 1, 2 and 3), performed in Spring 2020. Photo by Craig Schwartz.
One of the premier dramatic arts schools in the United States, the USC School of Dramatic Arts uniquely blends artistic training in a conservatory environment with outstanding faculty and the full academic experience found only within a major research university. This close-knit, supportive environment offers students the freedom to explore their artistic passions. Through programs of the highest caliber, as well as initiatives that provide access to professional experience, students are prepared for leadership in every facet of dramatic arts.
The school also attracts a wide range of guest speakers and lecturers, including some of the most distinguished talents from stage, screen and television. The location of the campus, literally in the center of the entertainment industry, makes the USC School of Dramatic Arts distinctive among colleges and universities in the United States.
Graduates of the school work professionally in all aspects of the entertainment industry. The school’s faculty are dynamic teachers who are also artists working at the highest level of their profession.
The breadth of learning opportunities offered at the school prepares students for the spectrum of careers in the dramatic arts. The School of Dramatic Arts strives to instill confidence, integrity, excellence and artistic sensitivity into each of its students — traits that are essential to success in any field.
Drama Center 104
(213) 740-1286
FAX: (213) 740-8888
Email: sdainfo@usc.edu
dramaticarts.usc.edu
Administration
Elizabeth M. Daley, PhD, Interim Dean
Lori Ray Fisher, MA, Vice Dean
Anita Dashiell-Sparks, MFA, Associate Dean
Oliver Mayer, MFA, Associate Dean
Stephanie Shroyer, MFA, Associate Dean
Faculty
Distinguished Professor: Velina Hasu Houston, PhD
Professors: Sharon M. Carnicke, PhD; Meiling Cheng, DFA; Oliver Mayer, MFA
Associate Professors: Luis Alfaro; Takeshi Kata, MFA; Oliver Mayer, MFA; Sibyl Wickersheimer, MFA
Assistant Professors: Alexandra Billings, MFA; Elizabeth Harper, MFA
Professors of Theatre Practice: Andrei Belgrader, MFA; Brent Blair, PhD; Kate Burton (Master Artist), MFA; Joseph Hacker, MFA; Duncan Mahoney; Kenneth Noel Mitchell; Natsuko Ohama; Stephanie Shroyer, MFA
Associate Professors of Theatre Practice: Philip G. Allen; Paula Cizmar; Elsbeth M. Collins; Anita Dashiell-Sparks, MFA; John DeMita, MFA; Kathleen Dunn-Muzingo, MFA; Melinda C. Finberg, PhD; Laura Flanagan, MFA; Christina Haatainen-Jones; Mary-Joan Negro; David Warshofsky, MFA
Assistant Professors of Theatre Practice: Scott Faris; Rena Heinrich; Dan Shaner; Christopher Shaw, MFA; Zachary Steel; Lauren Murphy Yeoman, MFA
Adjunct/Part-Time Faculty of Theatre Practice: Bayo Akinfemi; Emily Alpren, MFA; Boni B. Alvarez, MFA; Robert Bailey; Christopher Bange; Ahmed Best; Tom Buderwitz; Frank Catalano, MPW; Tiffany Cole; Julián Juaquín Conde, MFA; Samuel Craven-Griffiths; Jeff Crockett; Susan Patterson Dalian; Tim Dang; Gregg T. Daniel, MFA; Fran de Leon; Debra De Liso, MFA; Gary Domasin; Kirstin Eggers; Josh Epstein; Wayne Federman; Laurie Fisher; Terry Gordon, MFA; Jenny Guthrie; Edward Haynes Jr.; Mireya Hepner; MaryAnn Hu; Paul Hungerford; Stevie Johnson; Hana S. Kim; Edgar Landa; Paul Lazarus; Jay Lee; Vicki Lewis; Babette Markus; Kevin McCorkle; Matthew Montgomery, MFA; Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx; Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, MFA; Jeremiah O’Brian, MFA; Tanya Orellana; Kaitlyn Pietras; Larry Powell; Kosta Potamianos; Andy Robinson; Tamara Ruppart; Gabriella Santinelli; Sim Sarna; Kenneth Sawyer; Judith Shelton; Jason Thompson; Camille Thornton-Alson; Rodney To; Inger Tudor; Paul Urcioli; KcWayland; Sabra Williams; Charlayne Woodard; Stephen Zuckerman
Courtesy Joint Appointments: Thomas G. Cummings, PhD; Larry E. Greiner, PhD (Emeritus); Bruce Smith, PhD
Emeritus Professors: Don Llewellyn, MFA; Eve Roberts, MFA; Andy Robinson; Robert R. Scales, PhD; Eric Trules; James Wilson, MFA
General Information
Degree Programs
The School of Dramatic Arts offers professional and academic degrees at the Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts levels. USC offers two degree programs to undergraduate students interested in the study of theatre arts. The professional degree programs — the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Acting Stage, Screen and New Media; Design; Musical Theatre; Sound Design; Stage Management; and Technical Direction — offer a conservatory approach to training for students committed to pursuing careers in the professional theatre, film and television industries. The Bachelor of Arts degree program (BA) incorporates a broad, general education in addition to a thorough study of drama. The Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts Studies provides students with a broad understanding of the various disciplines. The School of Dramatic Arts also offers minor programs in theatre, musical theatre , performing arts studies, performing leadership, performing social change, comedy (performance) and playwriting.
Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree is ideal for students who want a broad education in addition to production and performance experience. The degree is offered in cooperation with the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Acting for Stage, Screen and New Media: The BFA acting degree is a four-year professional training program that connects the foundation of classical theatre with innovative training for the contemporary performing artist, including on-camera techniques, voice over, motion capture, the digital landscape for actors and much more. An emphasis on professional development and networking culminates this groundbreaking new degree offering in the heart of Hollywood, which promises to be the standard-bearer for the next generation of acting programs. An audition is required for admission. The BFA acting program is highly competitive.
Design: The BFA program in design incorporates study in scenic, lighting and costume design. An interview is required for admission.
Musical Theatre: The BFA program in musical theatre is a four-year, professional training program focusing on providing students with the foundational skills needed to be healthy and expressive artists.
Sound Design: The BFA program in sound design offers the student a combination of technical, management and design training in sound design. The student is also introduced to sound recording and mixing through a series of courses offered by the USC Thornton School of Music. Students begin using this training as early as the second semester of the second year of enrollment. The skills acquired in the classroom are further explored through sound design assignments on School of Dramatic Arts public productions in each subsequent semester of the student’s program. Students in the sound design program build and design the sound component for the majority of the School of Dramatic Arts’ productions under the supervision of a professional staff of designers and theatre technicians. An interview is required for admission.
Stage Management: The BFA program in stage management offers the student a combination of technical, management and design training. Students begin using this training as early as the first year of enrollment. The skills acquired in the classroom are further explored through stage management assignments in each year of the student’s program. An interview is required for admission.
Technical Direction: The BFA program in technical direction incorporates the study of theatrical design with training in the professional skills needed to execute stage designs. An interview is required for admission.
Students in the design, stage management, and technical direction programs design, stage manage, and build the majority of the School of Dramatic Arts’ productions under the supervision of a professional staff of designers and theatre technicians.
Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts Studies
The Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts Studies is an interdisciplinary degree offered jointly by the School of Dramatic Arts, the School of Architecture, the School of Cinematic Arts, the Roski School of Art and Design, the Thornton School of Music, and the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Minor Programs
Theatre: This general minor in theatre invites students to explore the many facets of this exciting field. Students have the opportunity to take a variety of classes in acting, applied theatre arts, applied theatre arts/education, playwriting, literature, stage management, directing, costume design and production. The curriculum is very flexible and encourages students to develop a primary interest for upper-division course work. All minor students are eligible to participate in performance and production projects.
Comedy: The minor in comedy (performance) is a 20-unit minor that focuses on the theory and practice of comedy-making from the performer’s perspective. Beginning with a foundation in the history of comic performance, and supplemented by courses in the fundamentals of acting and performance, the progression of the minor offers students a comprehensive theoretical and experiential education in the many differing disciplines of comedy.
Musical Theatre: The minor in musical theatre, interdisciplinary in nature, is a 27-unit program incorporating the study of acting, dance or movement, vocal arts and related musical subjects presented in association with the USC Thornton School of Music .
Performing Arts Studies: The minor in performing arts provides an interdisciplinary inquiry into the nature and aesthetics of the performing arts. It combines the disciplines of cinematic arts, dance, music and theatre. The minor is a unique course of study that looks at how the performing arts contribute to a culturally literate society.
Performing Leadership: The minor in performing leadership is the study and practice of embodied communication, collaboration and storytelling, creating pathways to authentic, dimensional, empathic leadership.
Performing Social Change: This minor creates opportunities for exploration of social change through performance and theatrical practice.
Playwriting: The minor in playwriting presents undergraduate students who are not theatre majors with a concentration in the discipline of playwriting as a means for broadening and deepening expression using the literary and performing arts. This minor offers a foundation for extended expression in dramatic writing and creative writing genres in general.
Master of Fine Arts
The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) with a major in theatre requires 48–64 units of course work at the 400 or 500 level. The areas of emphasis include acting, theatrical design, dramatic writing and directing. These programs provide a high level of practical experience. To ensure this, the number of students accepted in each area of emphasis is strictly limited. An interview is required for admission.
Master of Arts, Applied Theatre Arts
The Master of Arts in Applied Theatre Arts explores the intersection of theatre arts and cultural fieldwork, encompassing the fields of theatre and therapy, theatre in education and theatre for social change/community-based theatre. Practitioners of applied theatre arts supplement their work as classroom teachers, therapists, social workers, case managers, community organizers and social activists.
Auditions and Entrance to the Degree Programs
Admission to the various degree programs offered through the USC School of Dramatic Arts is granted through the university’s regular admission procedures in conjunction with the school’s supplementary application process. See the Admission section of this catalogue, Undergraduate and Graduate.
Admission to the BA in Theatre program is determined by academic record, expressed interest in theatre, and information required on the USC application for admission and the USC School of Dramatic Arts supplementary application. The supplementary application is accessible through the school’s website.
In addition to submitting a USC application for admission and a dramatic arts supplementary application, an audition is required from applicants to the BFA in Acting for Stage, Screen and New Media, the BFA in Musical Theatre and the MFA in Acting. Applicants to our MFA in Dramatic Writing will be expected to provide a writing supplement. For the latest details on the audition process and requirements, please visit the school’s website. Please note that the BA Emphasis programs and the BA in Visual and Performing Arts Studies major are only available to current USC students. If you’re interested in any of these major options, please connect with your academic adviser once you’re at USC.
Students wishing to transfer from a community college or another four-year college or university into any of our Bachelor of Fine Arts programs must follow the same application and audition process as first-year applicants. If admitted to a Bachelor of Fine Arts program, it is possible that transfer applicants will begin the curriculum as first-year students.
Applicants to any of the Bachelor of Fine Arts production programs (Design, Sound Design, Stage Management, Technical Direction) must also participate in a portfolio review with our production faculty. For the latest details on the portfolio review process and requirements, please visit the school’s website.
More information on the admissions process and requirements may be obtained through the school’s website or by contacting the Office of Admissions and Student Services, School of Dramatic Arts, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0791 or via email at sdainfo@usc.edu.
International Study
In conjunction with Sarah Lawrence College and the British American Drama Academy, USC students have the opportunity to study theatre in London. For additional information, see International Study Options .
Bachelor’s Degree
Minor
Master’s Degree
Dramatic Arts
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THTR 101 Introduction to Acting
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Study of diverse genres and disciplines of acting; fundamental techniques necessary for performance; scene study from contemporary text.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
-
THTR 105 Introduction to Screen Acting
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Introduction to the theoretical and foundational practices, techniques and strategies specific to screen acting in relation to the basic dynamics of acting for the stage.
Prerequisite: THTR 252a or THTR 120aL
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
-
THTR 115a Movement I
Units: 2
Terms Offered: Fa
Basic training for the actor’s body for expression and communication. Awareness and control through mind-body techniques.
Corequisite: THTR 120a and THTR 140a
Registration Restriction: Open only to Theatre (Acting) majors
Duplicates Credit in former THTR 115
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 115b Movement I
Units: 2
Terms Offered: Sp
Basic training for the actor’s body for expression and communication. Awareness and control through mind-body techniques.
Prerequisite: THTR 115a
Concurrent Enrollment: THTR 120b and THTR 140b
Duplicates Credit in former THTR 115
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 120aL Acting I
Units: 2
Terms Offered: Fa
Basic principles and techniques of acting through theatre games and improvisation. Introduction to contemporary texts, basic characterization and cold reading techniques.
Registration Restriction: Open only to Acting and Musical Theatre majors
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Lab Required
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 120b Acting I
Units: 2
Terms Offered: Sp
Basic principles and techniques of acting through theatre games and improvisation. Introduction to contemporary texts, basic characterization and cold reading techniques.
Prerequisite: THTR 120aL
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 121ax Fundamentals of Acting
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
The elements of the actor’s imaginative skills.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 121bx Fundamentals of Acting
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Continuation of THTR 121a .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
-
THTR 122 Improvisation and Theatre Games
Units: 2
Max Units: 4.0
Terms Offered: FaSp
Individual and group exercise to free the actor physically and emotionally and to stimulate creativity, imagination, and self-expression.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 124ax Character Acting
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Concentration of imaginative processes which develop the individual characteristics of a dramatic role.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 124bx Character Acting
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Continuation of THTR 124a .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 125 Text Studies for Production
Units: 4
Terms Offered: Fa
Focuses on the questions, artistic choices, methodologies, and approaches of an actor/director/designer in the preparation of a production score prior to rehearsal.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 130 Introduction to Theatrical Production
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Introduction to the nonperformance areas of theatrical production (administrative, design, and technical fields) through hands-on participation in USC productions.
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Lab
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 131a Advanced Theatrical Production
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Advanced understanding of non-performance areas of theatrical production (administrative, design, and technical fields) through hands-on participation in USC productions.
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Lab
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 131b Advanced Theatrical Production
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Advanced understanding of non-performance areas of theatrical production (administrative, design, and technical fields) through hands-on participation in USC productions.
Prerequisite: THTR 131a
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Lab Required
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 132a Art of Theatrical Design
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
A guided student exploration of the fundamentals of applied design elements and their use as creative tools in the design process.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 132b Art of Theatrical Design
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Development of the artistic process and theatrical design vocabulary of the individual within the environment of collaborative storytelling.
Prerequisite: THTR 132a
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 140a Voice I
Units: 2
Terms Offered: Fa
Physiological mechanism of voice: breath control, phonation, resonance, articulation of language for the stage; expressive use of stress, intonation and rhythm.
Corequisite: THTR 115a and THTR 120a
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Lab
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 140b Voice I
Units: 2
Terms Offered: Fa
Physiological mechanism of voice: breath control, phonation, resonance, articulation of language for the stage; expressive use of stress, intonation and rhythm.
Corequisite: THTR 120b .
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Lab
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 152 Introduction to Scene Study: Contemporary Plays
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Application and consolidation of the skills, knowledge and techniques acquired in the study of fundamentals of acting encountered in THTR 101 .
Prerequisite: THTR 101
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 195g Theatre on Film
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Introduction to the theatre and its relationship to society through major plays in film versions. Separate screenings to be arranged.
Satisfies New General Education in Category A: The Arts
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 196g Shakespeare on Film
Units: 4
Introduction to the formalized plays of William Shakespeare as texts for performance through reading, viewing and analysis of selected plays in textual and film versions.
Satisfies New General Education in Category A: The Arts
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 197g Comedy and Performance
Units: 4
Comedy and Performance traces the history of comedy in performance from its earliest incarnations to the present day.
Satisfies New General Education in Category A: The Arts
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 202 The Fundamentals of Comedy
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Introduction to the fundamental elements of comedy and how to apply those elements to create short, original pieces of comedy in performance and writing.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 213 Corset Construction
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSp
Design and construct period corsets, along with the materials and terminology needed to sew (machine and hand) corsets.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 215a Movement II
Units: 2
Terms Offered: Fa
Training of the actor’s body with focus on development of precision and strength.
Prerequisite: THTR 115 ;
Corequisite: THTR 220a , THTR 240a .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 215b Movement II
Units: 2
Terms Offered: Sp
Training of the actor’s body with focus on mask work for the development of precision, strength and expressiveness.
Prerequisite: THTR 215a ;
Corequisite: THTR 220b , THTR 240b .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 216 Movement for Actors
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Training and practice in the coordination of the physical apparatus of the actor utilizing various movement techniques through improvisation.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 220a Intermediate Acting I
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Continuing development of imagination leading to an increased range of dramatic expression through the formalized text of William Shakespeare.
Prerequisite: THTR 120b .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 220b Intermediate Acting I
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Continuing development of imagination leading to an increased range of dramatic expression through the formalized text of William Shakespeare.
Prerequisite: THTR 120b .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 222 Stage Make-up
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Principles of stage make-up materials and skills allowing the actors to enhance their features and techniques for moderate and extreme aging, injuries, and character roles.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 225g Theatre Across History and Cultures
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
The analysis of a range of plays from different times and cultures with a consideration of the roles of actor, director, dramaturg and designer.
Recommended Preparation: THTR 125
Satisfies New General Education in Category A: The Arts
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Discussion
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 230 Communicating Theatrical Design Concepts
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSp
The visualization and communication of design ideas through free-hand and mechanical drawing, including orthographics, isometrics, perspective, shades and shadows, plans, sections and elevations.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 231 Costume Construction
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSp
Historical survey, theory and practice in construction of costume.
Duplicates Credit in former THTR 231ab
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 232 Stage Lighting
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSp
Theory and practice of theatrical lighting design including electricity, radiant energy, refraction, reflection, absorption, chromatic variation and electronic controls.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 233 Historic Costumes for the Theatre
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSp
Historical survey, theory and practice of the use of costume in theatrical production; emphasis on period and style.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 236 Stage Sound
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Basic audio engineering science, how sound is measured, basic transducers and signal flow. Operation of recording and playback equipment used in theatrical sound design/mixing.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 240a Voice II
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Development of the voice using material which explores the techniques of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
Prerequisite: THTR 140b ;
Corequisite: THTR 215a , THTR 220a .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 240b Voice II
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Development of the voice using material which explores the techniques of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
Prerequisite: THTR 140b ;
Corequisite: THTR 215b , THTR 220b .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 241 Methods and Materials
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Cutting-edge and traditional methods and materials that enhance both the planning stages and realization of the theatrical design.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 250 Camera and Improvisation
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Understanding on-camera acting and improvisation by creating original material both in front and behind the camera.
Prerequisite: THTR 220a or THTR 252a
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 252a Intermediate Acting I: Drama/Comedy
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Polishing the actor’s skills through analysis and performance applied to the arc of a character.
Prerequisite: THTR 101
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 252b Intermediate Acting I: Drama/Comedy
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Polishing the actor’s skills through analysis and performance applied to the arc of a character.
Prerequisite: THTR 252a
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 290 Introduction to Medical Clowning
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Explores the art of clowning in hospitals for the purpose of improving the well-being of those in need.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 295 Theatre in Los Angeles
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Current state of American theatre, through a study of acting, playwriting, criticism, stage design, lighting, and dramatic styles.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 301 Greek and Roman Theatre
Units: 4
Terms Offered: Fa
Examines the function of theatre, production and acting conventions, and the drama of classical Greece and Rome.
Recommended Preparation: THTR 125 , THTR 201 .
Duplicates Credit in former THTR 213.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 302 Shakespeare in His World
Units: 4
Terms Offered: Sp
The plays and theatre of Shakespeare, the influences on his work and his contemporary world.
Recommended Preparation: THTR 201 , THTR 210 , THTR 211 .
Duplicates Credit in former THTR 214.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 303 Projection Design I
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSp
Investigation of the projection design process, equipment, multi-media, digital technology concepts and related documentation.
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Lab
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 304 Advanced Medical Clowning
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Explores the practice of bringing clowns into places of healing (hospitals, trauma sites, etc.) for the purpose of improving the physical and mental well-being of those in need.
Prerequisite: THTR 290
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 305a Directing
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Examination of basic directorial principles. Pre-production analysis and rehearsal procedures; relationship of the director to actor; integration of technical aspects of production.
Recommended Preparation: THTR 101
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 305b Directing
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Examination of basic directorial principles. Pre-production analysis and rehearsal procedures; relationship of the director to actor; integration of technical aspects of production.
Prerequisite: THTR 305a before b.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 306 Audio-Drama
Units: 2.0
Develop a basic understanding of the skills required to effectively develop, create, record, edit and market an audio drama.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 307 Comedy in LA
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Experiential and discussion-based; examines Los Angeles-based live comedy as it continues to evolve, both through text and performance.
Prerequisite: THTR 202
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 308 Programming for Lighting
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSp
Strategies and principles in computerized programming for theatrical lighting, emphasizing its applied use in creating kinetic, responsive environments.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 309 Dramaturgy
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Introduction to dramaturgy and the many functions it serves in the theatre. Focus on basic dramatic theories behind dramaturgy and its applications.
Prerequisite: THTR 125 and THTR 225g
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 310 Comedy and Diversity
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Issues of diversity are central to the societal function of comedy. Students will explore the techniques, structures and performance of sitcoms, sketch comedy and stand-up.
Recommended Preparation: THTR 125 and THTR 225
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 312 LGBTQ Theatre
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Explores the range and genealogy of LGBTQ theatre and performance across political, historical, and theatrical contexts.
Prerequisite: THTR 225
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 313 Comedy of Manners
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Study of the development of Comedy of Manners, with primary focus on Restoration Comedy of Manners.
Prerequisite: THTR 225g
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 314 Advanced Topics in Modern Drama
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
20th century realism and the avant-garde.
Prerequisite: THTR 225g
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 315a Physical Theatre I
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Actor training anchored by rigorous physical movements. Activities include comedy, clowning, juggling, and mask work.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 315b Physical Theatre I
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Actor training anchored by rigorous physical movements. Activities include comedy, clowning, juggling, and mask work.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 316 Advanced Movement for Actors
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Advanced physical training for the B.A. actor utilizing various movement techniques through improvisation.
Prerequisite: THTR 216 .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 317 Theatre Clown
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Introduction to techniques of clown performance and key techniques including complicite, play, looks and drops.
Prerequisite: THTR 101
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 318 Creating the Hit Podcast
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSpSm
Develops the ability to create a podcast. Focuses on skills to produce, perform, market and monetize a podcast across a variety of genres.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 320a Intermediate Acting II
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Further development of range and breadth of performance skills with emphasis on texts of heightened language and style.
Corequisite: THTR 315a , THTR 340a .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 320b Intermediate Acting II
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Further development of range and breadth of performance skills with emphasis on texts of heightened language and style.
Corequisite: THTR 315b , THTR 340b .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 322 Improv 2: Advanced Improv
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
An in depth study of improvised comedy scene work. An exploration of the primary tools and structure for creating improvised scenes and developing characters for stage and screen.
Prerequisite: THTR 101 or THTR 122
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 330 Scene Design I
Units: 4
Terms Offered: Fa
Historical styles, methods, and dramatic analysis for scene design as applied in contemporary practice.
Recommended Preparation: THTR 130 or THTR 131b
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 331 Costume Design I
Units: 4
Terms Offered: Sp
Historical styles, methods, and dramatic analysis in costume design as applied in contemporary practice. Execution of costume designs for assigned works.
Recommended Preparation: THTR 231
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Lab
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 332 Lighting Design I
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Historical styles, methods and dramatic analysis in lighting design as applied in contemporary practice.
Recommended Preparation: THTR 130 or THTR 131b
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 333 Stage Management I
Units: 3
Terms Offered: Fa
Basic skills, including assembly of prompt book, blocking notation, and organizational and communication procedures applied in theatre production.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 335 Scenic Construction
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSp
Technology, organization, and operation of the theatrical scene shop centered around the proper and safe use of tools, the choosing of materials, and methods of construction.
Duplicates Credit in former THTR 131.
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Lab
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 336 Introduction to Sound Design
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSp
The art and techniques of theatrical sound design. The use of music and ambient sound in theatrical presentations. Design elements as metaphor.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 340a Intermediate Voice
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Extended development of vocal freedom and range, acquisition of articulate speech. Enhancement of vocal power and resonance, techniques for performing with a dialect.
Concurrent Enrollment: Concurrent enrollment: THTR 315a , THTR 315b , THTR 320a , THTR 320b .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 340b Intermediate Voice
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Extended development of vocal freedom and range, acquisition of articulate speech. Enhancement of vocal power and resonance, techniques for performing with a dialect.
Concurrent Enrollment: Concurrent enrollment: THTR 315a , THTR 315b , THTR 320a , THTR 320b .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 341x Voice for the Non-Theatre Major
Units: 2
Terms Offered: Fa
Designed for the non-theatre major focusing on the range, color, texture, and projection of the human voice in a variety of situations.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 342a Basic Voice
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Examination of the individual voice centering on resonance, tone, flexibility, and support through dramatic selections for transmitting meaning and emotion of character.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 342b Basic Voice
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Continuation of THTR 342a .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 343 Musical Theatre Audition
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSpSm
Designed to give students confidence and integrity for auditions in musical theatre. Choosing appropriate material and preparation for the audition and performance. Audition required.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 352a Intermediate Acting II
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Building and sustaining character with special focus on stylized realism, subtext and heightened language. Multi-cultural text and methodologies.
Prerequisite: THTR 252b
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 352b Intermediate Acting II
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Building and sustaining character with special focus on stylized realism, subtext and heightened language. Multi-cultural text and methodologies.
Prerequisite: THTR 352a
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 354 Acting Shakespeare
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Basic approach to the acting and analysis of the highly formalized texts of William Shakespeare.
Prerequisite: THTR 101
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 355 Acting for Sitcoms
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSpSm
Provide an understanding as to how to work in half-hour television and streaming media.
Prerequisite: THTR 252b
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 365 Playwriting I
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Essential elements of playwriting through weekly assignments, students’ initiative, occasional productions of scenes, and extensive classroom analysis.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 366 Playwriting II
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Continuation of the work begun in THTR 365 .
Prerequisite: THTR 365 .
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 380 Immersive Theatre
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
History, principles and practice of Immersive Theatre, one of the most important contemporary movements in the field.
Prerequisite: THTR 225g and THTR 252b
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 390 Special Problems
Units: 1, 2, 3, 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 395m Drama as Human Relations
Units: 4
A focus on American ethnic and multicultural diversity from the perspectives of gender, race, and myth as revealed in plays, film, and other performance media.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 396 God, Drama and Entertainment
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
An exploration of money, power, sex and love in relation to secular and spiritual values represented by contemporary theatre media.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 397 Theatre Practicum
Units: 1, 2, 3, 4
Max Units: 12.0
Terms Offered: FaSpSm
Substantive participation in productions sponsored by the school and supervised by the faculty.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 400 Eco-Theatre: Art and Science in Contemporary Plays
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Explores theatre artists’ responses to the growing environmental crisis and provides a model for the intersection of theatre and other disciplines.
Prerequisite: THTR 225
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 401 Contemporary Theatre in a Changing World
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Explores the bold approaches that characterize the best of contemporary theatre, as well as the artists who are groundbreakers in a changing world.
Prerequisite: THTR 225g
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 402 Projection Design II
Units: 3
Terms Offered: FaSp
Projection design process, software, equipment, multi-media and digital technology concepts, and related documentation.
Prerequisite: THTR 131b and THTR 132a and THTR 132b
Instruction Mode: Lecture, Lab
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 403 The Performing Arts
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
An interdisciplinary inquiry into the aesthetics of the performing arts. Examines a dramatic classic and its adaptation into musical theatre, opera, ballet, and film.
Duplicates Credit in the former THTR 303.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 404 Acting Theory
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
Examination of the theoretical foundations of acting as an art form through the reading of primary historical texts.
Prerequisite: THTR 101 and THTR 125
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 405m Performing Identities
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
This course explores the live performance medium as a creative means of social redress and personal expression.
Duplicates Credit in the former THTR 393m.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 406 Theatre on the Edge
Units: 4
Terms Offered: FaSp
An exploration of the art of theatre at the edge of possibilities.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 407a Drawing and Rendering for the Theatre
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Drawing and rendering techniques appropriate for theatre designers. Drawing and drawing theory.
Duplicates Credit in former FA 407ab.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 407b Drawing and Rendering for the Theatre
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSp
Drawing and rendering techniques appropriate for theatre designers. Drawing and rendering.
Duplicates Credit in former FA 407ab.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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THTR 408a Dialects
Units: 2
Terms Offered: FaSpSm
The study of standard American stage dialect using the international phonetic alphabet.
Instruction Mode: Lecture
Grading Option: Letter
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