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Theater Arts

2016-17 General Catalog

J106 Theater Arts Center
(831) 459-2974
theater@ucsc.edu
 http://theater.ucsc.edu/

Faculty | Course Descriptions

Program Description

The Theater Arts Department is a diverse group of scholars/artists united by a passionate belief in the value of the performing arts. Based on respect for the classical theater of all cultures, combined with a determination to challenge tradition and fashion, we educate our students in the history, theory, and practice of theater to address fundamental issues by using the tools of body, voice, mind, and imagination. Seeking to attain the highest levels of intellectual and artistic integrity with a commitment to cultural diversity, we serve the research mission of UCSC, our audiences, and the students who will shape the theater of the future.

The Theater Arts Department combines drama, dance, critical studies, and theater design/technology to offer students an intensive program of theater as a unified field. The program stresses the inter-relation of all concentrations as essential to the successful practice of the theater arts in the 21st century. Graduates of the UCSC program typically pursue careers in professional theater and dance companies, in film and television, and in teaching at all levels—from university to high school to grade school. Many students go on to higher degrees at prestigious national programs. Others engage in careers in arts, administration, dramatic writing, and related fields.

The lower-division curriculum requires a range of practical work in the various concentrations and an interdisciplinary exposure to critical and historical studies. At the upper-division level, students are given the opportunity to focus on one or more areas of interest in limited-enrollment studios. At the same time, they are asked to expand their theoretical perspectives through confrontation with performance theory and focused coursework in critical studies. The impact of digital and new media on theater is integrated into the curriculum, especially with respect to dance and design.

A wealth of production opportunities is available to students. This includes major productions directed by faculty or distinguished visiting artists each quarter, productions directed or choreographed by students, and faculty-directed workshops. Undergraduate students are also given the opportunity to see their own writing, choreography, or developing concepts put into production in annual festivals of student work. Although majors are given preference in studio courses, most courses and productions welcome nonmajors as well. Opportunities to study and perform non-Western as well as Euro-American traditions are also a significant part of the program.

The stage and studio spaces available to students of theater arts allow for this breadth of training and performance opportunities. The Theater Arts Center contains a 500-seat thrust stage; a state-of-the-art experimental theater; a 200-seat proscenium theater; acting, directing, and dance studios; costume, scene, and properties shops; a sound recording room; and a computer lab.

Elsewhere on campus are the open-air Quarry Theater seating 3,000, the Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen, and the 150-seat Barn Theater. Library holdings in theater literature and history are extensive, including a large slide collection and dance video holdings; journals in current theater, design/technology, and dance; and recordings, films, videotapes, and CD-ROMs.

Program Learning Outcomes

Our program incorporates dance, design, and drama as essential disciplines in the successful practice of theater arts in the contemporary world.

Graduates from the Theater Arts B.A. program should demonstrate the following:

  1. Foundations of Performance. Students should be able to identify and apply basic theatrical techniques in dance, design, and drama.

  2. Theatrical histories and theories. Students should be able to recognize and analyze performance works within the general culture and historical period that produced them.

  3. Performance experience. Students should be able to translate theater arts concepts into performance, participating in any theatrical endeavor with the rigor, discipline, and imagination necessary to make a meaningful contribution.

  4. Research proficiency. Students should be able to formulate personal research questions that expand their knowledge of theater arts, conducting independent research into the history and theory of at least one area of concentration.

  5. Creative practice. Students should be able to use theatrical practices and performance experiences to conceive, design, realize, and reflect on new performance projects.

  6. Appreciation of diversity. Students should be able to recognize and appreciate a wide variety of approaches, cultures, and styles in both past and contemporary performance practice.

  7. Communication and critical thinking. Students should be able to use critical vocabularies to communicate clearly about theater arts in written and oral forms.

  8. Collaborative skills. Students should be able to work confidently and effectively in groups on a common project.

Requirements to Declare the Major

Prior to petitioning for the major, students must have successfully completed three lower division courses: one course from Theater Arts 61A, B, or C, and two courses chosen from Theater Arts 10, 20, 21A, or 30. Students are encouraged to complete these courses as early in their studies as possible so that the petition to major status can be accomplished no later than the end of sophomore year.

Transfer Students

Transfer students may declare the major during their first quarter by meeting with the Theater Arts program adviser. They may petition to have equivalent lower-division courses taken at other schools count toward the lower-division major requirements. Petition forms and information on courses and major requirements can be obtained at the department office, J106 Theater Arts Center.

Major Requirements

The Theater Arts major requires seven lower-division courses, six credits of course 50, and eight upper-division courses (inclusive of a senior seminar project). Majors may organize their studies around a concentration in an area of interest in accordance with the requirements outlined below. The following six lower-division courses must be taken by all majors:

10, Introduction to Theater Design and Technology

20, Introductory Studies in Acting; or 21A, Acting Studio IA, Psychological Realism

30, Introduction to Dance Theory and Technique

61A, Ancient and Medieval Drama

61B, Drama from the Renaissance to the Modern Age

61C, Birth of the Modern: After the Renaissance

One additional lower-division 5-credit elective.

Plus: 50, Fundamentals of Theater Production (two-credit course; must take a total of six credits)

The following upper-division courses must be taken to complete the major:

Eight, 5-credit upper-division theater arts courses:

  • 160, Dramatic Theories

  • Two studio courses

  • One elective

  • One faculty-directed theater arts production course

  • Two courses total from the following:

    • 161 and/or 163 series: Critical Studies in Theater

    • 163, 164, 165, 166, 167: Critical Studies in Dance

    • 113, 116A: Design History

  • One senior seminar requirement, (course 185)

Exceptions to the major requirements, through the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) or transfer credits, are considered on a case-by-case basis by the department chair.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major’s upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement. The DC Requirement in theater arts is met by completion of the required courses 160 and 185.

Theater Arts Major Planners

The following are two recommended academic plans for students to complete during their first two years as preparation for the theater arts major. Plan One is a guideline for students who are committed to the major early in their academic career; Plan Two is for students who are considering the major.

Plan One

Year

Fall

Winter

Spring

1st
(frsh)

THEA 20 or 21A

gen ed

THEA 10

THEA 61A

THEA 61B

gen ed

college core

gen ed

gen ed

2nd
(soph)

elective

THEA 30

THEA 61C

gen ed

THEA 50

gen ed

college core

gen ed

gen ed

(declare major)

Plan Two

Year

Fall

Winter

Spring

1st
(frsh)

gen ed

THEA 30

THEA 10

gen ed

low-div studio

THEA 61C

college core

gen ed

gen ed

2nd
(soph)

THEA 20 or 21A

THEA 50

THEA 50

THEA 61A

THEA 61B

gen ed

gen ed

gen ed

gen ed

(declare major)

Comprehensive Requirement

Theater arts majors are responsible for successfully completing course 185, Senior Seminar.

Minor Requirements

Students earn a minor in theater arts by completing eight courses (seven, 5-credit courses and one, 2-credit course) comprising a background in the theory and practice of the theater arts as well as a focus on either drama, theater design/technology, or dance. The course requirements are listed below. There is no comprehensive requirement for the minor.

  • Theater Arts 61A or B or C

  • One quarter of the 2-credit course 50

  • One course in the student’s area of focus chosen from: 10, 20, 21A, 30, or 40

  • Three upper-division courses chosen from the following: 113, 116A, 161, 163, 164, 165, 167

  • Two upper-division studio courses, one of which may be a faculty-directed production (151)

Independent Studies (199) and Field Studies (198) will not satisfy minor requirements unless approved in advance by an adviser and the chairperson.

Transfer students are advised to check with the department office to determine which courses can be articulated from a community college.

The Dance Minor

Students earn a minor in dance by completing eight courses (three lower division, five upper division) comprising a background in the theory and practice of dance. The course requirements are listed below. There is no comprehensive requirement for the minor.

Lower division courses:

  • one 5-credit course in dance foundations (30 or 36); one course (varying units) in cultural forms (including but not restricted to 22, 31C, 37, 80Z)

  • one quarter of the 2-credit course 50

Upper division courses:

  • one 5-credit course in dance foundations (130); one course in critical studies (164, 165, 167)

  • three 5-credit elective courses planned in consultation with a faculty adviser (including but not restricted to 131, 135, 137, 139)

  • Independent Studies (199) and Field Studies (198) will not satisfy minor requirements unless approved in advance by an adviser and the chairperson.

The Theater Arts Master of Arts Program

The Theater Arts Department offers a master’s of arts (M.A.) degree that follows a one summer/one academic year structure and combines intellectually rigorous coursework with challenging artistic practicum. Like our undergraduate curriculum, our graduate program integrates the study of ancient and modern theater texts and practices, and it examines hemispheric and global approaches to performance. This M.A. program culminates in a capstone thesis project (creative and scholarly) following coursework in both academic and professional theater.

Students are required to complete 40 credits for the Theater Arts M.A. This includes three graduate seminars, Theater Arts 290A, 290B, and 290C, for a total of 15 credits. These courses are required of all M.A. candidates, whatever their area of emphasis. Students must also complete Theater Arts 293, a 10-credit performance research project that includes a professional internship project. Students may take this course in any quarter in the academic year. This work will have a significant academic component, supervised and assessed by a theater arts faculty member.

Students must also complete the 5-credit Theater Arts 295, Group Critique; 5 units of an Independent Study (Theater Arts 297); and the 5-credit Theater Arts 299, Capstone Thesis.

M.A. students may also take an undergraduate or graduate course in another department as an elective. These courses must be approved by the graduate committee and graduate director each academic year.

There are no teaching requirements for graduate students in the theater arts M.A. program; however, students are encouraged to act as teaching assistants while they are at UC Santa Cruz.

For additional information, contact the Theater Arts Department or view the department website.

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Revised: 09/01/16