The Suffolk University Department of Theatre provides students with a well-rounded liberal arts education that integrates practical, experiential learning with the study of theatre history and literature.
Students discover, articulate, and achieve their own creative vision by collaborating with faculty, staff and guest artists in productions that explore classics and new work.
Because our team is well connected with the professional Boston theatre community, we empower students to develop skills and knowledge through internships with professional companies at Suffolk’s Modern Theatre and in the wider world.
We offer the theatre major in both the BA and the BS, as well as a minor.
Theatre majors pursue a rigorous course of study designed to develop creative, analytical, interpretive, and interpersonal skills that are applicable to a wide range of professional pursuits. We emphasize the expansive and provocative ways that the study of theatre illuminates and integrates knowledge from a variety of disciplines.
4.00
This introduction to acting prepares students for work in production and develops skills in all forms of communication. The first part of the course uses improvisational exercises based on the Stanislavski method to teach fundamental acting techniques. The second half of the course applies those techniques to scene work from major 20th century plays. This course is a core requirement for all Theatre Majors.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
4.00
This survey course provides students with an historical, philosophical, and aesthetic overview of theatre practices from the Golden Age of Greek drama to 19th-century melodrama and early experiments in realism. Through readings, lectures, and discussions, the class will explore the theatres persistent capacity to mirror the societies that produce it. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors and the Humanities requirement. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
Picking up chronologically where THETR 225 leaves off, this survey course is designed to provide students with an understanding of modern Western theatre. Beginning with a melodrama, plays will include representative works of realism, naturalism, expressionism, epic theatre, theatre of cruelty, theatre of the absurd, and metatheatricality. Lectures and class discussions will explore how these concepts translate to acting and production techniques as well as what they imply as artistic responses to a modern and post-modern world. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre Majors.
Offered Spring Term
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This course provides a formal introduction to the theories and practices strategically used by American theatre artists after the Second World War. Special emphasis is placed on theatre artists exploring issues of cultural identity including works by GLBT, African-American, Asian-American, and Latin American playwrights. These playwrights may include Tony Kushner, Paula Vogel, Suzan-Lori Parks, Adrienne Kennedy, August Wilson, David Henry Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda, Eduardo Machado, and Melinda Lopez. The course will also provide an introduction to trends in post-modern theatre practices related to emerging work of the auteur director, solo performers, and interdisciplinary collectives. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This seminar course examines Shakespeares plays and their modern correlatives. (i.e. Hamlet and The Seagull, King Lear and Endgame) Students read the texts out loud in class examining the meaning, action, objective, and philosophical and historical contexts with the professor. The goal is to get closer to the original intentions of the author and determine not only the basic theme and character relationships, but the kind of mind that could create such a play. In analyzing a modern play students also examine the impact of Shakespeares mind on future playwrights. There will be a midterm paper and a final exam.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
This course will examine some of the principal art theatres in this country beginning with the early days of the Provincetown Players and continuing up to the present day. By examining material about their histories, often written by their founding directors, students will determine when these theatres fed off each others ideas and ideals, and when they set off in entirely new directions. The course will also explore the viability of not-for-profit institutions in a corporate society.
Occasional
4.00
This course provides an overview of the modern concept of performance and how it has evolved in a variety of interdisciplinary fields. Encompassing the areas of dance, music, theatre, installation work, happenings and spectacles, students will explore the ways performance is understood by ethnographers, anthropologists, linguists, cultural theorists, social scientists, and artists Using the theoretical base covered during the semester, students will conceive, develop, and present a final performance piece appropriate to their chosen discipline.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This course will teach both the methods and principles behind stage management demonstrating how to support a production while facilitating the work of directors, designers, and actors. In addition to teaching the specific technical skills necessary to each part of the production process, this course will also address the more subtle intellectual and managerial skills that make stage management an art. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
An exploration of jazz technique and style with students at the beginner to intermediate level. This is a largely experiential course with a written component. Classes will consist of a warm-up followed by more challenging floor exercises and sequences. Students are expected to dress in dance attire. Students will choreograph their own dances individually or in groups to be performed at the end of the semester. Some dance experience is required.
4.00
This rigorous class will give students the fundamental concepts, vocabulary and skills used to design for the stage such as: color, line, composition, research and script analysis. The class has a written component and is intended to prepare students to design workshop productions in the Studio Theatre. Students will be expected to complete a minimum of ten hours of production work for Theatre Department productions.
Offered Spring Term
4.00
Building on the skills learned in Stage Management I, Stage Management II will provide an in-depth study of how to support and manage rehearsals and performances of diverse genres such as opera, dance, and theatre. Special attention will be paid to anticipating a wide range of needs from professional artists, union regulations, cueing and calling shows; and to further develop students communication skills. Internships with professional arts organizations may be arranged. Normally offered every other year.
Occasional
4.00
Vocal Technique provides students with an essential foundation to help ensure the safe and effective use of the speaking and singing voice. Topics will include alignment, relaxation, breath support, placement, resonance, vocal anatomy, and the care and protection of the voice under normal and stressful situations. Students will do oral presentations and have the option of singing in a master class setting. This is a studio course with a written component.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
4.00
This studio course will focus on techniques to develop fresh, organic interpretations of musical theatre songs that illuminate not only the nuances of the music and lyric but the character singing as well. Working with classic musicals from the 1920s - 1940s, students engage in musical and dramatic analysis of the libretto and score and the historical and theatrical contexts of the musical. They are provided regular in-class performance opportunities and private vocal coaching outside of class. At the end of the term students present scenes and songs in a recital for an invited audience. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
A continuation of Acting the Song I, focusing on classical musical theatre repertoire from the 1950s-1970s. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
Focusing on classic musicals from 1980 to 1995, this studio course provides the technical tools and practical experience to significantly increase confidence and expressiveness in musical theatre performance. Students study the fundamentals of music theory to strengthen their musical literacy, sharpen their analytical skills, and stimulate their growing independence as an artist. The course also helps students to more fully appreciate the organic and symbiotic nature of music and drama. Students are encouraged to perform regularly in class and to take advantage of private coaching sessions outside of class. Students will learn to think and write critically about the form. At the end of the term students perform in a musical theatre performance for an invited audience. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
This course is a continuation of Vocal Coaching I focusing on the music of living composers from 1996 to the present. Students may sign up for private coaching sessions as part of their weekly preparation for the course. Students will learn to think and write critically about the form. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
This course is a survey of American musical theatre from its roots in the mid-19th century to the present. It provides the analytical tools and historical insight to more fully appreciate Broadways greatest musicals and musical theatre artists. Students will explore the ways in which American forms of popular entertainment helped to shape Broadway musicals from their infancy through their adulthood. The course also explores the ways in which musicals provided opportunities for African-Americans, women, immigrants, and the GLBT community.
Offered Fall Term
Humanities & History,Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities Literature Requirement
Prerequisites: THETR225 or THETR226, or THETR227 and THETR250 or THETR251 or THETR237 (or permission of the instructor)
4.00
An upper level course, of interest to directors and dramaturges as well as designers, about a remarkable period in American theatre history, explored within the context of four stage designers and the playwrights with whom they collaborated. Scripts by ONeil, Williams, Miller, and Odets will be studied in conjunction with their revelatory original designs, which have become as iconic as the plays themselves. The designers process, the collaborative nature of theatrical production, and the advances in theatre technology will also be explored The course will have a seminar format, require independent reading and research, and be writing intensive, culminating with a final term paper presented to the class.
Occasional
4.00
This survey course provides students with an historical, philosophical, and aesthetic overview of theatre practices from the Golden Age of Greek drama to 19th-century melodrama and early experiments in realism. Through readings, lectures, and discussions, the class will explore the theatres persistent capacity to mirror the societies that produce it. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors and the Humanities requirement. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
Picking up chronologically where THETR 225 leaves off, this survey course is designed to provide students with an understanding of modern Western theatre. Beginning with a melodrama, plays will include representative works of realism, naturalism, expressionism, epic theatre, theatre of cruelty, theatre of the absurd, and metatheatricality. Lectures and class discussions will explore how these concepts translate to acting and production techniques as well as what they imply as artistic responses to a modern and post-modern world. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre Majors.
Offered Spring Term
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This course provides a formal introduction to the theories and practices strategically used by American theatre artists after the Second World War. Special emphasis is placed on theatre artists exploring issues of cultural identity including works by GLBT, African-American, Asian-American, and Latin American playwrights. These playwrights may include Tony Kushner, Paula Vogel, Suzan-Lori Parks, Adrienne Kennedy, August Wilson, David Henry Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda, Eduardo Machado, and Melinda Lopez. The course will also provide an introduction to trends in post-modern theatre practices related to emerging work of the auteur director, solo performers, and interdisciplinary collectives. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This course is a survey of American musical theatre from its roots in the mid-19th century to the present. It provides the analytical tools and historical insight to more fully appreciate Broadways greatest musicals and musical theatre artists. Students will explore the ways in which American forms of popular entertainment helped to shape Broadway musicals from their infancy through their adulthood. The course also explores the ways in which musicals provided opportunities for African-Americans, women, immigrants, and the GLBT community.
Offered Fall Term
Humanities & History,Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This seminar course examines Shakespeares plays and their modern correlatives. (i.e. Hamlet and The Seagull, King Lear and Endgame) Students read the texts out loud in class examining the meaning, action, objective, and philosophical and historical contexts with the professor. The goal is to get closer to the original intentions of the author and determine not only the basic theme and character relationships, but the kind of mind that could create such a play. In analyzing a modern play students also examine the impact of Shakespeares mind on future playwrights. There will be a midterm paper and a final exam.
Offered Fall Term
Instructors consent required.
4.00
This course is designed by the Theatre Department to serve as an intensive exploration of a special topic in theatre and/or performance studies.
4.00
This course will examine some of the principal art theatres in this country beginning with the early days of the Provincetown Players and continuing up to the present day. By examining material about their histories, often written by their founding directors, students will determine when these theatres fed off each others ideas and ideals, and when they set off in entirely new directions. The course will also explore the viability of not-for-profit institutions in a corporate society.
Occasional
Prerequisites: THETR225 or THETR226, or THETR227 and THETR250 or THETR251 or THETR237 (or permission of the instructor)
4.00
An upper level course, of interest to directors and dramaturges as well as designers, about a remarkable period in American theatre history, explored within the context of four stage designers and the playwrights with whom they collaborated. Scripts by ONeil, Williams, Miller, and Odets will be studied in conjunction with their revelatory original designs, which have become as iconic as the plays themselves. The designers process, the collaborative nature of theatrical production, and the advances in theatre technology will also be explored The course will have a seminar format, require independent reading and research, and be writing intensive, culminating with a final term paper presented to the class.
Occasional
4.00
This course provides an overview of the modern concept of performance and how it has evolved in a variety of interdisciplinary fields. Encompassing the areas of dance, music, theatre, installation work, happenings and spectacles, students will explore the ways performance is understood by ethnographers, anthropologists, linguists, cultural theorists, social scientists, and artists Using the theoretical base covered during the semester, students will conceive, develop, and present a final performance piece appropriate to their chosen discipline.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
Instructors consent required
4.00- 8.00
Theatre majors who have demonstrated academic excellence as well as involvement in department productions have the opportunity to work with a faculty advisor during their senior year to focus intensively on a specific area of interest. An extensive reading list will be determined early in the fall semester and regular meetings with the advisor will be scheduled to guide this course of study. The Senior Honors Project may also include a production project related to the topic. Successful completion of this course confers departmental honors to graduating Theatre majors.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
By invitation by Professor Savick.
8.00
This course is intended to serve as a professional internship for students who have demonstrated superior dedication and ability in their work within the Theatre Department. In 2004, Professor Wesley Savick launched a theatre company whose mission is to create original, experimental, political theatre in Boston. The company is comprised exclusively of Suffolk University students and was conceived to provide select students with a transitional opportunity between their undergraduate experience and the professional world. Students may apply by submitting a letter of interest to the Theatre Department by the end of the Fall term.
All theatre majors are required to have two theatre department performance and two theatre department production experiences.
THETR 100 or 200 track performance experience for actors, directors, playwrights, dramaturges and stage managers. THETR 102 or 202 track production experiences for designers, run crew, load-in crew, board-operators, and stage managers.
Both THETR 100 and 102 are non-credit courses. Students may elect to take THETR 200 and 202 for variable credit.
Transfer students with more than 30 credits may complete this requirement with only one performance experience and one production experience.
*Unlike most courses in CAS, all NESAD studio art courses will remain at three credits in compliance with accreditation mandates.
The theatre minor consists of 5 courses (20 credits).
4.00
This introduction to acting prepares students for work in production and develops skills in all forms of communication. The first part of the course uses improvisational exercises based on the Stanislavski method to teach fundamental acting techniques. The second half of the course applies those techniques to scene work from major 20th century plays. This course is a core requirement for all Theatre Majors.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
4.00
This course will teach both the methods and principles behind stage management demonstrating how to support a production while facilitating the work of directors, designers, and actors. In addition to teaching the specific technical skills necessary to each part of the production process, this course will also address the more subtle intellectual and managerial skills that make stage management an art. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
An exploration of jazz technique and style with students at the beginner to intermediate level. This is a largely experiential course with a written component. Classes will consist of a warm-up followed by more challenging floor exercises and sequences. Students are expected to dress in dance attire. Students will choreograph their own dances individually or in groups to be performed at the end of the semester. Some dance experience is required.
4.00
This rigorous class will give students the fundamental concepts, vocabulary and skills used to design for the stage such as: color, line, composition, research and script analysis. The class has a written component and is intended to prepare students to design workshop productions in the Studio Theatre. Students will be expected to complete a minimum of ten hours of production work for Theatre Department productions.
Offered Spring Term
4.00
Building on the skills learned in Stage Management I, Stage Management II will provide an in-depth study of how to support and manage rehearsals and performances of diverse genres such as opera, dance, and theatre. Special attention will be paid to anticipating a wide range of needs from professional artists, union regulations, cueing and calling shows; and to further develop students communication skills. Internships with professional arts organizations may be arranged. Normally offered every other year.
Occasional
4.00
This survey course provides students with an historical, philosophical, and aesthetic overview of theatre practices from the Golden Age of Greek drama to 19th-century melodrama and early experiments in realism. Through readings, lectures, and discussions, the class will explore the theatres persistent capacity to mirror the societies that produce it. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors and the Humanities requirement. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
Picking up chronologically where THETR 225 leaves off, this survey course is designed to provide students with an understanding of modern Western theatre. Beginning with a melodrama, plays will include representative works of realism, naturalism, expressionism, epic theatre, theatre of cruelty, theatre of the absurd, and metatheatricality. Lectures and class discussions will explore how these concepts translate to acting and production techniques as well as what they imply as artistic responses to a modern and post-modern world. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre Majors.
Offered Spring Term
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This course provides a formal introduction to the theories and practices strategically used by American theatre artists after the Second World War. Special emphasis is placed on theatre artists exploring issues of cultural identity including works by GLBT, African-American, Asian-American, and Latin American playwrights. These playwrights may include Tony Kushner, Paula Vogel, Suzan-Lori Parks, Adrienne Kennedy, August Wilson, David Henry Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda, Eduardo Machado, and Melinda Lopez. The course will also provide an introduction to trends in post-modern theatre practices related to emerging work of the auteur director, solo performers, and interdisciplinary collectives. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This course provides an overview of the modern concept of performance and how it has evolved in a variety of interdisciplinary fields. Encompassing the areas of dance, music, theatre, installation work, happenings and spectacles, students will explore the ways performance is understood by ethnographers, anthropologists, linguists, cultural theorists, social scientists, and artists Using the theoretical base covered during the semester, students will conceive, develop, and present a final performance piece appropriate to their chosen discipline.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
Select any two approved theatre courses, one being 300 or higher.
Transfer students with over 30 credits may take Acting I, any approved course above 300 and three theatre electives for the minor.
All theatre minors are required to have one performance experience and one production crew experience.
THETR 200A or 100A track performance experience for actors, directors, playwrights, dramaturges and stage managers. THETR 202B or 102B track production experiences for designers, run crew, load-in crew, board-operators, and stage managers.
Both THETR 100A and 102B are non-credit courses. Students may elect to take THETR 200A and 202B for variable credit.
The Boston Music Theatre Project (BMTP) is the oldest professional organization in the Greater Boston area dedicated to supporting the work of early and mid-career composers and librettists and the development of new musicals. The theatre department also commissions professional writers to create original musicals with theatre department students. Past BMTP musicals have appeared in the Nashville Opera, New York Musical Theatre Festival, Prince Music Theatre, and off-Broadway. Hershel Garfein and Robert Aldridge's new opera Elmer Gantry, originally developed by BMTP, recently received three Grammy nominations.
0.00
A non-credit course to satisfy the Theatre practicum requirement for theatre majors and minors. Students should register for this course when participating in Theatre Department performance activities such as acting, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, choreography, or stage management may. May be taken more than once.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
0.00
A non-credit course to satisfy the Theatre practicum requirement for theatre majors and minors. Students should register for this course when participating in Theatre Department production activities such as design or assistant design, load-in or run crews, board operators, carpenters, electricians, stitchers and painters. May be taken more than once.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
0.00
Non-credit course to satisfy the Theatre practicum requirement for theatre majors and minors. Students should register for section A for performance activities such as acting, directing, and writing, and section B for production related activities such as tech crew, design, and running shows. Stage management may fulfill either category. May be taken more than once.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
4.00
This introduction to acting prepares students for work in production and develops skills in all forms of communication. The first part of the course uses improvisational exercises based on the Stanislavski method to teach fundamental acting techniques. The second half of the course applies those techniques to scene work from major 20th century plays. This course is a core requirement for all Theatre Majors.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
4.00
Vocal Technique provides students with an essential foundation to help ensure the safe and effective use of the speaking and singing voice. Topics will include alignment, relaxation, breath support, placement, resonance, vocal anatomy, and the care and protection of the voice under normal and stressful situations. Students will do oral presentations and have the option of singing in a master class setting. This is a studio course with a written component.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
4.00
This largely experiential course with a written component introduces students to the fundamentals of jazz. Classes will consist of a warm-up followed by floor exercises and sequences. Students will choreograph their own dances individually or in groups to be performed at the end of the semester. Students are expected to dress in dance attire. No dance experience is required. Normally offered every year
4.00
An exploration of jazz technique and style with students at the beginner to intermediate level. This is a largely experiential course with a written component. Classes will consist of a warm-up followed by more challenging floor exercises and sequences. Students are expected to dress in dance attire. Students will choreograph their own dances individually or in groups to be performed at the end of the semester. Some dance experience is required.
4.00
This rigorous class will give students the fundamental concepts, vocabulary and skills used to design for the stage such as: color, line, composition, research and script analysis. The class has a written component and is intended to prepare students to design workshop productions in the Studio Theatre. Students will be expected to complete a minimum of ten hours of production work for Theatre Department productions.
Offered Spring Term
4.00
This course will teach both the methods and principles behind stage management demonstrating how to support a production while facilitating the work of directors, designers, and actors. In addition to teaching the specific technical skills necessary to each part of the production process, this course will also address the more subtle intellectual and managerial skills that make stage management an art. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors.
Offered Fall Term
Theatre majors or minors or instructors consent
1.00- 8.00
This course offers flexible credit for a wide range of production work in the Theatre Department determined by the challenge and time commitment of the assignment. Students should register for this course when participating in Theatre Department performance activities such as acting, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, choreography, or stage management may. Written work includes a production log signed by the supervisor and a narrative journal. This course also satisfies the Theatre requirement for Theatre majors and minors. May be taken more than once. ECR
Offered Both Fall and Spring
Expanded Classroom Requirement
Theatre majors or minors or instructors consent
1.00- 8.00
This course offers flexible credit for a wide range of production work in the Theatre Department determined by the challenge and time commitment of the assignment. Students should register for this course when participating in Theatre Department production activities such as design or assistant design, load-in or run crews, board operators, carpenters, electricians, stitchers and painters. Written work includes a production log signed by the supervisor and a narrative journal. This course also satisfies the Theatre requirement for Theatre majors and minors. May be taken more than once. ECR
Offered Both Fall and Spring
Expanded Classroom Requirement
Theatre majors or minors or instructors consent
1.00- 8.00
This course offers flexible credit for a wide range of production work in the Theatre Department determined by the challenge and time commitment of the assignment. Written work includes a production log signed by the supervisor and a narrative journal. Credits may be used to satisfy the Theatre practicum requirement for Theatre majors and minors. Students should register for section A for performance activities such as acting, directing, and writing, and section B for production related activities such as tech crew, design, and running shows. Stage management may fulfill either category. May be taken more than once.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
Expanded Classroom Requirement
4.00
This survey course provides students with an historical, philosophical, and aesthetic overview of theatre practices from the Golden Age of Greek drama to 19th-century melodrama and early experiments in realism. Through readings, lectures, and discussions, the class will explore the theatres persistent capacity to mirror the societies that produce it. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors and the Humanities requirement. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
Picking up chronologically where THETR 225 leaves off, this survey course is designed to provide students with an understanding of modern Western theatre. Beginning with a melodrama, plays will include representative works of realism, naturalism, expressionism, epic theatre, theatre of cruelty, theatre of the absurd, and metatheatricality. Lectures and class discussions will explore how these concepts translate to acting and production techniques as well as what they imply as artistic responses to a modern and post-modern world. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre Majors.
Offered Spring Term
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This course provides a formal introduction to the theories and practices strategically used by American theatre artists after the Second World War. Special emphasis is placed on theatre artists exploring issues of cultural identity including works by GLBT, African-American, Asian-American, and Latin American playwrights. These playwrights may include Tony Kushner, Paula Vogel, Suzan-Lori Parks, Adrienne Kennedy, August Wilson, David Henry Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda, Eduardo Machado, and Melinda Lopez. The course will also provide an introduction to trends in post-modern theatre practices related to emerging work of the auteur director, solo performers, and interdisciplinary collectives. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This introduction to acting prepares students for work in production and develops skills in all forms of communication. The first part of the course uses improvisational exercises based on the Stanislavski method to teach fundamental acting techniques. The second half of the course applies those techniques to scene work from major 20th century plays. This course is a core requirement for all Theatre Majors.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
THETR-229 or instructors consent
4.00
This course gives students an understanding of the acting challenges unique to film, television, and commercial acting and helps them develop an effective process for on-camera performance. The material in this class is drawn from various media as well as from students own research and writing. Class exercises and presentations are video taped, viewed, and critiqued by the students and the instructor as students grow and learn. Students also become familiar with the language and demands of professional production as well as how the technical process affects their performance.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
Focusing on classic musicals from 1980 to 1995, this studio course provides the technical tools and practical experience to significantly increase confidence and expressiveness in musical theatre performance. Students study the fundamentals of music theory to strengthen their musical literacy, sharpen their analytical skills, and stimulate their growing independence as an artist. The course also helps students to more fully appreciate the organic and symbiotic nature of music and drama. Students are encouraged to perform regularly in class and to take advantage of private coaching sessions outside of class. Students will learn to think and write critically about the form. At the end of the term students perform in a musical theatre performance for an invited audience. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
This studio course will focus on techniques to develop fresh, organic interpretations of musical theatre songs that illuminate not only the nuances of the music and lyric but the character singing as well. Working with classic musicals from the 1920s - 1940s, students engage in musical and dramatic analysis of the libretto and score and the historical and theatrical contexts of the musical. They are provided regular in-class performance opportunities and private vocal coaching outside of class. At the end of the term students present scenes and songs in a recital for an invited audience. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
This course will teach both the methods and principles behind stage management demonstrating how to support a production while facilitating the work of directors, designers, and actors. In addition to teaching the specific technical skills necessary to each part of the production process, this course will also address the more subtle intellectual and managerial skills that make stage management an art. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
This is a course for the student who always wanted to learn the basics of dance as well as the student returning to dance. Class work includes centering, attention to placement, and the development of strength, flexibility,and musicality. Students will learn to think and write critically about the form. Dance attire is required.
Occasional
4.00
This largely experiential course with a written component introduces students to the fundamentals of jazz. Classes will consist of a warm-up followed by floor exercises and sequences. Students will choreograph their own dances individually or in groups to be performed at the end of the semester. Students are expected to dress in dance attire. No dance experience is required. Normally offered every year
4.00
Grounded in the fundamentals of dance, this course will focus on the rigors and vitality of dances created for the Broadway musical. Students will learn about the history of Broadway dance and will present choreography developed in class at the end of the semester for an invited audience. Students will learn to think and write critically about the form. Dance attire is required.
Occasional
4.00
This course explores the history and techniques of modern dance, a uniquely American form. Classes will be comprised of warm-ups, floor work, and choreographed combinations. Students will learn to think and write critically about the form. The course will culminate with a presentation of modern dance choreographed by the instructor for an invited audience. Dance attire is required.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
This rigorous survey class will give students the fundamental concepts, vocabulary, and skill to implement basic scenery, lighting, costuming, props and sound. The class is intended to prepare students as technical support for workshop productions in the Studio Theatre. There is a written component and students will be expected to complete a minimum of ten hours of technical work on Theatre Department productions.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
This rigorous class will give students the fundamental concepts, vocabulary and skills used to design for the stage such as: color, line, composition, research and script analysis. The class has a written component and is intended to prepare students to design workshop productions in the Studio Theatre. Students will be expected to complete a minimum of ten hours of production work for Theatre Department productions.
Offered Spring Term
4.00
This course is designed to be a continuation of Modern Dance I with more challenging choreography. The writing component of this class will focus on post-1950s choreographers as well as special topics and current events in the modern dance world. Proper dance attire required.
4.00
This course is a survey of American musical theatre from its roots in the mid-19th century to the present. It provides the analytical tools and historical insight to more fully appreciate Broadways greatest musicals and musical theatre artists. Students will explore the ways in which American forms of popular entertainment helped to shape Broadway musicals from their infancy through their adulthood. The course also explores the ways in which musicals provided opportunities for African-Americans, women, immigrants, and the GLBT community.
Offered Fall Term
Humanities & History,Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This course explores the history and practice of music and dance in Senegal, West Africa taught through lectures, readings, and studio classes which are accompanied by live African drumming. Proper dance attire is required.
Offered Spring Term
Cultural Diversity Opt B
4.00
This survey course provides students with an historical, philosophical, and aesthetic overview of theatre practices from the Golden Age of Greek drama to 19th-century melodrama and early experiments in realism. Through readings, lectures, and discussions, the class will explore the theatres persistent capacity to mirror the societies that produce it. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors and the Humanities requirement. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
Picking up chronologically where THETR 225 leaves off, this survey course is designed to provide students with an understanding of modern Western theatre. Beginning with a melodrama, plays will include representative works of realism, naturalism, expressionism, epic theatre, theatre of cruelty, theatre of the absurd, and metatheatricality. Lectures and class discussions will explore how these concepts translate to acting and production techniques as well as what they imply as artistic responses to a modern and post-modern world. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre Majors.
Offered Spring Term
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
This course provides a formal introduction to the theories and practices strategically used by American theatre artists after the Second World War. Special emphasis is placed on theatre artists exploring issues of cultural identity including works by GLBT, African-American, Asian-American, and Latin American playwrights. These playwrights may include Tony Kushner, Paula Vogel, Suzan-Lori Parks, Adrienne Kennedy, August Wilson, David Henry Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda, Eduardo Machado, and Melinda Lopez. The course will also provide an introduction to trends in post-modern theatre practices related to emerging work of the auteur director, solo performers, and interdisciplinary collectives. Satisfies a core requirement for Theatre majors. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
Learning how to prepare for effective auditions is essential training for anyone who wishes to be cast in theatre productions. This studio course will provide practical guidelines and useful strategies to help students be at their best during the always competitive audition process. Over the course of the term students will not only prepare to participate confidently in professional and non-professional auditions, but learn to enjoy the journey as well.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
Vocal Technique provides students with an essential foundation to help ensure the safe and effective use of the speaking and singing voice. Topics will include alignment, relaxation, breath support, placement, resonance, vocal anatomy, and the care and protection of the voice under normal and stressful situations. Students will do oral presentations and have the option of singing in a master class setting. This is a studio course with a written component.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
4.00
This studio course will focus on techniques to develop fresh, organic interpretations of musical theatre songs that illuminate not only the nuances of the music and lyric but the character singing as well. Working with classic musicals from the 1920s - 1940s, students engage in musical and dramatic analysis of the libretto and score and the historical and theatrical contexts of the musical. They are provided regular in-class performance opportunities and private vocal coaching outside of class. At the end of the term students present scenes and songs in a recital for an invited audience. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
A continuation of Acting the Song I, focusing on classical musical theatre repertoire from the 1950s-1970s. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
Focusing on classic musicals from 1980 to 1995, this studio course provides the technical tools and practical experience to significantly increase confidence and expressiveness in musical theatre performance. Students study the fundamentals of music theory to strengthen their musical literacy, sharpen their analytical skills, and stimulate their growing independence as an artist. The course also helps students to more fully appreciate the organic and symbiotic nature of music and drama. Students are encouraged to perform regularly in class and to take advantage of private coaching sessions outside of class. Students will learn to think and write critically about the form. At the end of the term students perform in a musical theatre performance for an invited audience. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
This course is a continuation of Vocal Coaching I focusing on the music of living composers from 1996 to the present. Students may sign up for private coaching sessions as part of their weekly preparation for the course. Students will learn to think and write critically about the form. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
An introduction to playwriting, students will be required to submit weekly assignments which explore and refine fundamental components of the dramatists craft including plot, character, conflict, voice, dialogue, rhythm, point of view, surprise, structure, and style. Students are encouraged to participate in both Play Day!, an annual reading of new student-written plays, and the American College Theatre Festival.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
Managing a start-up arts organization requires not only the financial, programming, development and interpersonal skills of day-to-day arts management, but the additional creative and imaginative abilities to attract and manage stakeholders, brand the organization, and create governance and hierarchical structures. Using Suffolks new Modern Theatre as a laboratory, we will investigate the process of starting-up, how it differs from organization to organization, and what special talents each individual student can bring to the management mix. Reading and writing are required for the course, as well as specific work projects either at the Modern or at a local start-up.
Occasional
4.00
This course is a survey of American musical theatre from its roots in the mid-19th century to the present. It provides the analytical tools and historical insight to more fully appreciate Broadways greatest musicals and musical theatre artists. Students will explore the ways in which American forms of popular entertainment helped to shape Broadway musicals from their infancy through their adulthood. The course also explores the ways in which musicals provided opportunities for African-Americans, women, immigrants, and the GLBT community.
Offered Fall Term
Humanities & History,Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities Literature Requirement
4.00
Learning how to prepare for effective auditions is essential training for anyone who wishes to be cast in theatre productions. This studio course will provide practical guidelines and useful strategies to help students be at their best during the always competitive audition process. Over the course of the term students will not only prepare to participate confidently in professional and non-professional auditions, but learn to enjoy the journey as well.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
How do playwrights of different backgrounds and genders interpret female-ness? This class explores some of the great heroines of dramatic literature, as well as female playwrights and performers. Students will be encouraged to indulge their taste for drama, as well as ask deeper questions about how women on stage are presented, perceived, and constructed. Students will read, write and discuss plays in terms of their structure, plot, theme, and characterizations. Class activities may include watching videos and attending live theatrical productions.
Occasional
Cultural Diversity Opt A
THETR 229 or instructors consent
4.00
A continuation of Acting I with special emphasis on verse and heightened language. Students will explore acting Shakespeare and other classical plays and will rehearse and perform short projects. Students will also learn to think, read and write about classical performance.
Offered Fall Term
Take THETR-237 THETR-250 or THETR-251; or instructors consent
4.00
This is a studio course exploring the process of interpreting dramatic scripts in visual, three-dimensional ways. Projects will include abstract visual responses, group installations, enacting texts, visual research and textual analyses as well as ground plans and models for sets. Students will need a variety of painting and drawing supplies and equipment. A willingness to think beyond the box set to discover vital ways to shape a production is essential.
Offered Spring Term
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
Take THETR-232 or Instructors consent
4.00
Applying skills introduced in Acting for the Camera I, students produce and perform in a showcase video with more demanding material. Included in this course is a focus on the business of film and television work as it affects an acting career. From auditioning skills to on-set work ethics, students will work in class and on film locations to experience the realities of the film and television industries and learn to think and write critically about on camera performance. Each student will have the opportunity to put together a demo reel showcasing their acting work prepared for class.
Offered Spring Term
4.00
This course is a continuation of Vocal Coaching I focusing on the music of living composers from 1996 to the present. Students may sign up for private coaching sessions as part of their weekly preparation for the course. Students will learn to think and write critically about the form. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
A continuation of Acting the Song I, focusing on classical musical theatre repertoire from the 1950s-1970s. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
A skills course concentrating on sketching and drafting for the theatre. The course builds on knowledge introduced in Introduction to Stagecraft and Introduction to Design and supports three areas of design training: set design, costume design and lighting design. Although intended for design and technical students, other students, such as stage managers and directors, could draw valuable information and insights from the course, as well. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
Building on the skills learned in Stage Management I, Stage Management II will provide an in-depth study of how to support and manage rehearsals and performances of diverse genres such as opera, dance, and theatre. Special attention will be paid to anticipating a wide range of needs from professional artists, union regulations, cueing and calling shows; and to further develop students communication skills. Internships with professional arts organizations may be arranged. Normally offered every other year.
Occasional
Take THETR-237 THETR-250 or THETR-251; or instructors consent
4.00
Students will explore the basic process of lighting design for the theatre through hands-on, practical experience, conceptual work, and a study of the history of lighting design. The course will focus on common vocabularies, descriptions of imageries from text, physical forms of design expression and general approach. In addition, students will learn basic skills in electrics to support the design process. Sample assignments might include written critiques of local productions, design approach statements with lighting research, lighted one act plays in the Studio Theatre, and lighting set models. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
THETR-237 or instructors consent
4.00
In calling a show the stage manager cues all technicians to effect changes in lighting, sound, flying elements and special effects during performances. A well-called show is an artistic achievement no less than a well-acted, directed or designed show. Building on the ability to make a complete and accurate stage managers book learned in Intro to Stage Management, this course will teach calling skills for theatre, opera, dance and performance art. The course will demonstrate the construction of cues and how they promote the artistic vision of the production. In-class work will utilize the Studio Theatre and give students real-time opportunities for calling cues, and will include play reading and analysis. Outside class work will include attending and writing analyses of professional performances.
Occasional
THETR-201 OR THETR-229 or instructors consent
4.00
Students compliment their practical theatre training with a wide range of physical and vocal skills. This three part class focuses on the art of creating a clown, the ability to safely build and execute a stage fight, and special work on creating a three dimensional character for the stage. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
4.00
This conservatory-style course provides students with fundamental directing skills through lectures, readings, and weekly projects that explore composition, staging, text analysis, and directorial communication skills. Students in this course become eligible to propose their own projects to the Theatre Department for production consideration. Directing students are also encouraged to stage manage and assistant direct faculty productions both in and outside of the Department.
Offered Fall Term
4.00
An introduction to playwriting, students will be required to submit weekly assignments which explore and refine fundamental components of the dramatists craft including plot, character, conflict, voice, dialogue, rhythm, point of view, surprise, structure, and style. Students are encouraged to participate in Play Day!, an annual reading of new student-written plays. Normally offered every year.
4.00
An introduction to playwriting, students will be required to submit weekly assignments which explore and refine fundamental components of the dramatists craft including plot, character, conflict, voice, dialogue, rhythm, point of view, surprise, structure, and style. Students are encouraged to participate in Play Day!, an annual reading of new student-written plays. Normally offered every year.
4.00
A course designed for serious writers. Each week students will share works-in-progress to be read and discussed. Students will also be assigned short plays to analyze in class. All Playwriting II students will be expected to bring a sample of their work to the first class. Students are encouraged to participate in Play Day!,an annual reading of new student-written plays. Prerequisite: Playwriting I or by permission of the instructor 1 Term - 4 Credits Normally offered alternate years.
Instructors consent required
4.00
A rigorous, fast-paced studio course for motivated students with demonstrated proficiency in musical theatre performance. Building on basic music and acting theory explored in Vocal Coaching I and II and Acting the Song I and II, students will be expected to analyze and perform challenging new and known songs representing a wide range of styles and periods. Students will also be expected to write and think critically about musical theatre performance and prepare for at least one professional musical theatre audition outside the university. The class will culminate in a recital for an invited audience.
Occasional
THETR-229 or THETR-425 or instructors consent
4.00
This advanced level acting course introduces students to the world of performance art utilizing research, writing and performance techniques. Source material may be fictional, historical, personal or contemporary figures of particular interest to the student. Students will research and create their own pieces to be performed at the end of the term for an invited audience.
Offered Spring Term
4.00
This seminar course examines Shakespeares plays and their modern correlatives. (i.e. Hamlet and The Seagull, King Lear and Endgame) Students read the texts out loud in class examining the meaning, action, objective, and philosophical and historical contexts with the professor. The goal is to get closer to the original intentions of the author and determine not only the basic theme and character relationships, but the kind of mind that could create such a play. In analyzing a modern play students also examine the impact of Shakespeares mind on future playwrights. There will be a midterm paper and a final exam.
Offered Fall Term
THETR-307 or instructors consent
4.00
Playwriting II is a continuation, deepening and thickening of the principles learned in Playwriting I. A course designed for dedicated writers, students are expected to explore a wide variety of playwriting challenges, skills and techniques. Student works will be regularly shared and discussed in class. Students will also be assigned plays by recognized playwrights to discuss and analyze in class. Playwriting II students are encouraged to participate in PlayDay!, an annual reading of new student-written plays. Normally offered alternate years.
Occasional
By invitation by Professor Savick.
8.00
This course is intended to serve as a professional internship for students who have demonstrated superior dedication and ability in their work within the Theatre Department. In 2004, Professor Wesley Savick launched a theatre company whose mission is to create original, experimental, political theatre in Boston. The company is comprised exclusively of Suffolk University students and was conceived to provide select students with a transitional opportunity between their undergraduate experience and the professional world. Students may apply by submitting a letter of interest to the Theatre Department by the end of the Fall term.
Instructors consent required
4.00- 8.00
Theatre majors who have demonstrated academic excellence as well as involvement in department productions have the opportunity to work with a faculty advisor during their senior year to focus intensively on a specific area of interest. An extensive reading list will be determined early in the fall semester and regular meetings with the advisor will be scheduled to guide this course of study. The Senior Honors Project may also include a production project related to the topic. Successful completion of this course confers departmental honors to graduating Theatre majors.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
4.00
This conservatory-style course provides students with fundamental directing skills through lectures, readings, and weekly projects that explore composition, staging, text analysis, and directorial communication skills. Students in this course become eligible to propose their own projects to the Theatre Department for production consideration. Directing students are also encouraged to stage manage and assistant direct faculty productions both in and outside of the Department. Normally offered every year.
THETR 229 AND THETR 329
4.00
This studio course offers an advanced study of classic and poetic texts. Each week students prepare and present monologues, scenes, and sonnets for class discussion. Normally offered alternate years.
Instructors consent required.
4.00
This course is designed by the Theatre Department to serve as an intensive exploration of a special topic in theatre and/or performance studies.
4.00
This course will examine some of the principal art theatres in this country beginning with the early days of the Provincetown Players and continuing up to the present day. By examining material about their histories, often written by their founding directors, students will determine when these theatres fed off each others ideas and ideals, and when they set off in entirely new directions. The course will also explore the viability of not-for-profit institutions in a corporate society.
Occasional
Prerequisites: THETR225 or THETR226, or THETR227 and THETR250 or THETR251 or THETR237 (or permission of the instructor)
4.00
An upper level course, of interest to directors and dramaturges as well as designers, about a remarkable period in American theatre history, explored within the context of four stage designers and the playwrights with whom they collaborated. Scripts by ONeil, Williams, Miller, and Odets will be studied in conjunction with their revelatory original designs, which have become as iconic as the plays themselves. The designers process, the collaborative nature of theatrical production, and the advances in theatre technology will also be explored The course will have a seminar format, require independent reading and research, and be writing intensive, culminating with a final term paper presented to the class.
Occasional
4.00
This seminar course examines Shakespeares plays and their modern correlatives. (i.e. Hamlet and The Seagull, King Lear and Endgame) Students read the texts out loud in class examining the meaning, action, objective, and philosophical and historical contexts with the professor. The goal is to get closer to the original intentions of the author and determine not only the basic theme and character relationships, but the kind of mind that could create such a play. In analyzing a modern play students also examine the impact of Shakespeares mind on future playwrights. There will be a midterm paper and a final exam.
Offered Fall Term
Instructors consent required.
4.00
This course is designed by the Theatre Department to serve as an intensive exploration of a special topic in theatre and/or performance studies.
4.00
This course will examine some of the principal art theatres in this country beginning with the early days of the Provincetown Players and continuing up to the present day. By examining material about their histories, often written by their founding directors, students will determine when these theatres fed off each others ideas and ideals, and when they set off in entirely new directions. The course will also explore the viability of not-for-profit institutions in a corporate society.
Occasional
4.00
This course provides an overview of the modern concept of performance and how it has evolved in a variety of interdisciplinary fields. Encompassing the areas of dance, music, theatre, installation work, happenings and spectacles, students will explore the ways performance is understood by ethnographers, anthropologists, linguists, cultural theorists, social scientists, and artists Using the theoretical base covered during the semester, students will conceive, develop, and present a final performance piece appropriate to their chosen discipline.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
THETR-375 or instructors consent
4.00
Directing II focuses on the development of an individual directorial point of view and explores a variety of theoretical and applied approaches to cultivating interpretive skills. The course also examines how the director reconciles traditional theatrical conventions and techniques with the ability to create fresh, innovative and personal results. Students will stage weekly theatrical responses to class readings in addition to creating a fully-realized final directing project.
Offered Spring Term
4.00
Building on the skills learned in Stage Management I, Stage Management II will provide an in-depth study of how to support and manage rehearsals and performances of diverse genres such as opera, dance, and theatre. Special attention will be paid to anticipating a wide range of needs from professional artists, union regulations, cueing and calling shows; and to further develop students communication skills. Internships with professional arts organizations may be arranged. Normally offered every other year.
Occasional
instructors consent and internship availability required
1.00- 4.00
This course provides students with the opportunity to receive credit for their work on an approved internship assignment in the professional performing and visual art world. At the successful completion of the internship, students will be required to submit a written analysis of their experience as well as a journal documenting the daily events of their project. Professional internships are difficult to secure. Interested students are advised to contact members of the Theatre Department faculty at least one semester in advance to facilitate this opportunity.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
4.00
This course provides an overview of the modern concept of performance and how it has evolved in a variety of interdisciplinary fields. Encompassing the areas of dance, music, theatre, installation work, happenings and spectacles, students will explore the ways performance is understood by ethnographers, anthropologists, linguists, cultural theorists, social scientists, and artists Using the theoretical base covered during the semester, students will conceive, develop, and present a final performance piece appropriate to their chosen discipline.
Occasional
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
Instructors consent required
4.00- 8.00
Theatre majors who have demonstrated academic excellence as well as involvement in department productions have the opportunity to work with a faculty advisor during their senior year to focus intensively on a specific area of interest. An extensive reading list will be determined early in the fall semester and regular meetings with the advisor will be scheduled to guide this course of study. The Senior Honors Project may also include a production project related to the topic. Successful completion of this course confers departmental honors to graduating Theatre majors.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
Permission of Instructor
4.00
This is a three week, four credit, faculty led intensive course in Flamenco dance. The study of Flamenco immerses students in the rich cultural heritage of Spains most popular and passionate art form. This unique program blends studio classes in the heart of Madrid with a study of the vibrant history and culture of Spain. Students interested in study abroad are encouraged to take language courses in the Humanities Department.
Occasional
Expanded Classroom Requirement,Cultural Diversity Opt B
Instructors consent required
1.00- 8.00
Variable credits for approved projects outside the classroom. Since all independent studies must be approved by the Deans Office, all interested students must be able to persuasively articulate their proposal in writing and include both an annotated reading list and a schedule of meetings with faculty supervisors.
Offered Both Fall and Spring
