In this introductory course, students collaborate in the rehearsal and performance of scenes from contemporary plays. They engage mind, body, and voice in the fundamentals of acting: behaving truthfully in imaginary circumstances. In doing so, students develop greater confidence and awareness of the body and the voice as flexible instruments of communication. They acquire skills in relaxation, concentration, creativity, script analysis, and action execution, along with an introductory understanding of the Stanislavsky system of acting.

In this course, students explore the aesthetics and traditions of the theatrical art form through studies in acting, directing, design, playwriting, dramaturgy, spectatorship, and theatre history. Students encounter the diversity and complexity of the theatre making process by way of readings, lectures, discussions, play going, and workshop performances of scenes. Using critical and analytical tools studied over the course of the semester, students learn ways of exploring the theatrical experience both orally and in writing.

Majors in Theatre Arts read, evaluate, and propose plays to produce for an annual spring festival of full-length plays in which each student will undertake a supervised project in their main area of interest. This could include dramaturgy, design, acting, or directing. The exact nature of the project varies but involves the extensive reading of plays, research, deep collaboration, and the public presentation of the student's work. Students must also enroll in THTR 491 in the spring.

Through the lens of tradition and innovation, students explore contemporary theatre of the African Diaspora with an emphasis on the plays of Suzan-Lori Parks. Students in this and all contemporary world theatre courses engage with and collaborate in a set of informed, imaginative explorations of plays with a particular emphasis on dramatic action.

In Theatre Arts, students acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to become collaborative, informed, imaginative, and engaged theatre makers.