Theatre Arts
Director, Division of Performing Arts
Chair
Professors
- Eric Forsythe, Alan MacVey, Kim Marra, Bryon Winn
Professors emeriti
- David Schaal, David Thayer
Associate professors
- Loyce Arthur, Art Borreca, John Cameron, Merrel Dare Clubb, Tisch Jones, Sydne Mahone, R. Eric Stone
Assistant professor
Lecturers
- James Albert, Meredith Alexander, Carol MacVey, David McGraw
Undergraduate degree: B.A. in Theatre Arts
Undergraduate nondegree program: Minor in Theatre Arts
Graduate degree: M.F.A. in Theatre Arts
Web site: http://theatre.uiowa.edu
The Department of Theatre Arts offers academic programs for undergraduate and graduate students. It also stages live performances throughout the academic year and during the summer.
The department is one of three academic units in the Division of Performing Arts. It participates in offering the division's Certificate in Performing Arts Entrepreneurship.
Back To TopUndergraduate Programs
- Major in theatre arts (Bachelor of Arts)
- Minor in theatre arts
The undergraduate program in theatre arts is based on the philosophy that the best way to develop future artists is to expose them to rigorous professional practice within the framework of a liberal arts and sciences education.
Department of Theatre Arts students take workshop courses in acting, directing, design, technical theatre, stage management, and playwriting and complement them with classes in dramatic literature, history, and criticism. Students also are encouraged to explore a range of courses throughout the University. Two dozen productions are staged each year, providing additional opportunities to learn the theatre craft and to develop a personal artistic vision.
The department also educates students who plan to enter other fields in which understanding of the arts and experience with theatre skills are useful. Some pursue a major in theatre arts or work toward a double major in theatre arts and another discipline. Others take theatre classes as nonmajors or earn a minor; see "Minor" and "Courses for Nonmajors" in this section of the Catalog.
Back To TopBachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts with a major in theatre arts requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including 33 s.h. of work for the major. The required courses listed below constitute the basic experience for all undergraduate theatre arts students. Registration in some courses for the major requires special permission. Contact the Department of Theatre Arts for details.
All students must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program.
Students majoring in theatre arts may count a maximum of 17 s.h. earned in Department of Theatre Arts elective courses (prefix 049) toward their degree requirements. Theatre arts elective credit in excess of 17 sh. is included on the student's transcript, but it does not count toward the 120 s.h. required for graduation.
Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 for all courses in the major.
Students who transfer to the University from other accredited two- or four-year institutions must demonstrate that they have successfully completed course work equivalent to the basic requirements of the Department of Theatre Arts and The University of Iowa before they may take advanced-level electives. Consult the department's director of undergraduate studies for more information.
In planning course work, especially electives, students should be guided by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences maximum hours rule: students earning a B.A. or B.S. may apply a maximum of 50 s.h. earned in one department to the minimum 120 s.h. required for graduation, whether or not the course work is accepted toward requirements for the major; students who earn more than 50 s.h. from one department may use the additional semester hours to satisfy requirements for the major (if the department accepts them), and the grades they earn become part of their grade-point average; but they cannot apply the additional semester hours to the minimum 120 s.h. required for graduation.
Students must complete a course's prerequisites before registering for the course. Required courses 049:025, 049:060, 049:112, and 049:113 and the design requirement normally are completed within the first four semesters in the major.
Students who complete 049:002 Theatre and Society: Ancients and Moderns or 049:003 Theatre and Society: Romantics and Rebels before declaring a major in theatre arts must consult the undergraduate director before registering for 049:112 or 049:113.
The theatre arts major requires the following course work.
Theatre Foundation courses
All of these:
| 049:025 Acting I | 3 s.h. | | 049:060 Playscript Analysis | 3 s.h. | | 049:044 Introduction to Theatrical Production Technology | 3 s.h. | | 049:112 History of Theatre and Drama I | 3 s.h. | | 049:113 History of Theatre and Drama II | 3 s.h. | | Theatre courses numbered 100 or above | 6 s.h. |
Dramatic literature—one of these:
| 049:072 Shakespeare | 3 s.h. | | 049:116 Dramatic Theory | 3 s.h. | | 049:117 American Drama Since 1900 | 3 s.h. | | 049:118 American Women Playwrights: 1776-Present | 3 s.h. | | 049:119 Dramas of the Spirit | 3 s.h. | | 049:181 Medieval Drama | 3 s.h. | | 049:182 Free Style Writing: Poetry, Plays, and Performances | 3 s.h. | | 049:183 Black Feminist Tradition and Culture | 3 s.h. | | 049:184 English Renaissance Drama | 3 s.h. | | 049:185 Cultural Diversity and Identity | 3 s.h. | | 049:186 African American Drama | 3 s.h. | | 049:188 Sex and Gender in Performance | 3 s.h. | | 049:190 African American Theatre I | 3 s.h. | | 049:191 African American Theatre II | 3 s.h. | | 049:192 Culturally Diverse Theatre | 3 s.h. | | 049:193 Studies in Drama | 3 s.h. |
Design—one of these:
| 049:043 Elements of Design | 3 s.h. | | 049:134 Scene Design I | 3 s.h. | | 049:135 Costume Design I | 3 s.h. | | 049:136 Lighting Design I | 3 s.h. | | 049:146 Drawing and Rendering for the Theatre | 3 s.h. |
Production Courses
Required production lab:
Students must earn a total of 3 s.h. in 049:045 Production Lab. The course requires students to work backstage on a department production. All students must serve as a crew member on at least one production (normally earning 1 s.h. per production). They have options to earn 2 s.h. for serving as a crew chief or taking on other advanced responsibilities.
Elective production courses:
| 049:046 Construction Technology for New Works | 3 s.h. | | 049:132 Stage Management | 3 s.h. | | 049:147 Technology for the Entertainment Industry | 3 s.h. | | 049:148 Introduction to Props Construction | 3 s.h. | | 049:149 Introduction to Lighting Technology | 3 s.h. |
With the instructor's approval, students who enroll in one of the five elective production courses (049:046, 049:132, 049:147, 049:148, or 049:149) also may enroll in the required production course 049:045 Production Lab during the same semester or session and may complete an additional project, earning 1 s.h. for 049:045 in addition to the credit they earn for the elective course. Students may earn a maximum of 1 s.h. of required production course credit for 049:045 this way.
Directing or Capstone Course
One of these:
Student Auditions for Theatre Arts Productions
Theatre arts majors are encouraged to audition for the department's productions in general auditions at the beginning of the fall semester. Students normally present a three-minute audition consisting of two contrasting pieces. From this audition, callback lists are posted for major productions offered during the first semester. Additional general auditions normally are scheduled in early November and in February.
Students in other majors are welcome to audition for the department's productions, as are community members (see "Productions and Auditions" later in this section). For academic considerations, theatre arts majors are given first consideration for roles.
Materials and information about the general auditions are available from the Department of Theatre Arts office in August. Notices of auditions for all subsequent productions are posted on the department's call board.
Back To TopFour-Year Graduation Plan
The following checkpoints list the minimum requirements students must complete by certain semesters in order to stay on the University's Four-Year Graduation Plan.
Before the third semester begins: at least one-quarter of the semester hours required for graduation
Before the fifth semester begins: three courses in the major (chosen from 049:025 Acting I, 049:043 Elements of Design, 049:060 Playscript Analysis, 049:112 History of Theatre and Drama I, and 049:113 History of Theatre and Drama II) and at least one-half of the semester hours required for graduation
Before the seventh semester begins: three more courses in the major, two semesters of production credit, and at least three-quarters of the semester hours required for graduation
Before the eighth semester begins: two more courses in the major and another semester of production credit
During the eighth semester: enrollment in remaining course work in the major, all remaining General Education courses, and a sufficient number of semester hours to graduate
Back To TopHonors
Students who wish to pursue honors studies in the Department of Theatre Arts must be members of the University of Iowa Honors Program, which requires students to maintain a cumulative University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.33 (contact the University of Iowa Honors Program for more information). Students who wish to graduate with honors in theatre arts should declare their intention to the department's honors advisor and to the University of Iowa Honors Program before their last year of study.
To graduate with honors in the major, students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 3.33 in the major; complete at least 9 s.h. of work in Department of Theatre Arts honors courses, which must include 049:197 Honors Theatre Arts; and give a creative presentation or performance or write an honors thesis.
Students who elect to give a creative presentation or performance must have senior standing and must complete at least one honors course before their proposed project may be approved. They must apply to the director of theatre for approval of their project by April 1 of the year before the project is to be scheduled (projects are not guaranteed a production slot). They also must enroll in 049:197 Honors Theatre Arts during the semester in which they complete their presentation or performance.
For more information about theatre arts honors requirements, contact the Department of Theatre Arts office.
Back To TopMinor
The minor in theatre arts requires a minimum of 15 s.h. in theatre arts courses, including 12 s.h. in advanced courses taken at The University of Iowa. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in the minor. Course work in the minor may not be taken pass/nonpass. Students must complete all prerequisites for the courses they choose for the minor.
Most students begin the minor with 049:020 Basic Acting and continue with 049:021 Basic Acting II and three additional advanced courses (049:020 is prerequisite to 049:021).
The following courses are considered advanced for the minor. Some of the departments's courses are reserved for theatre arts majors; nonmajors must obtain special permission to include them in the minor.
| 049:021 Basic Acting II | 3 s.h. | | 049:025 Acting I | 3 s.h. | | 049:043 Elements of Design (requires special permission) | 3 s.h. | | 049:044 Introduction to Theatrical Production Technology | 3 s.h. | | 049:060 Playscript Analysis | 3 s.h. | | 049:063 Playwriting II | 3 s.h. | | Courses numbered 049:100 and above (some require special permission) | |
Contact the Department of Theatre Arts for more information about how to meet the requirements for the minor.
Back To TopCourses for Nonmajors
Many theatre arts courses are open to all students, regardless of their major. A few of those are listed here.
The following courses are approved for the Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts requirement of the General Education Program. Several were designed specifically for nonmajors.
| 049:001 Art of the Theatre | 3 s.h. | | 049:002 Theatre and Society: Ancients and Moderns | 3 s.h. | | 049:003 Theatre and Society: Romantics and Rebels | 3 s.h. | | 049:020 Basic Acting | 3 s.h. | | 049:062 Playwriting I | 3 s.h. | | 049:112 History of Theatre and Drama I | 3 s.h. | | 049:113 History of Theatre and Drama II | 3 s.h. |
The following theatre arts courses also were designed for nonmajors.
| 049:021 Basic Acting II | 3 s.h. | | 049:050 Musical Theatre | 3 s.h. | | 049:051 Comedy and Society | 3 s.h. | | 049:102 Acting for Singers and for Dancers | 2 s.h. | | 049:103 Voice/Speech/Text--Speaking in Public | 3 s.h. | | 049:161 The Arts in Performance | 3 s.h. |
For a complete list of theatre arts courses, see "Courses" below.
Back To TopGraduate Program
- Master of Fine Arts in theatre arts
Back To TopMaster of Fine Arts
The Master of Fine Arts program in theatre arts requires 61-72 s.h. of graduate credit, depending on specialty area. Students normally must complete six semesters in residence (internships may be substituted).
The graduate program is dedicated to creative development of theatre artists. Graduates have a solid background in major performance theories, dramatic literature, and practices of the past and present as well as in the craft of their chosen specialties.
Special attention is given to understanding the role and importance of live theatre in society. Interactions among the various theatre disciplines are emphasized, both in classes and through the department's extensive production program. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of new works for the theatre.
Students must make normal progress toward completion of the degree requirements to remain in the program: they must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 3.00 overall and in all course work within the primary area of concentration, and they must build a record of substantial creative work of high quality. Students who fail to make normal progress are placed on academic probation and given one additional semester to demonstrate their qualifications for earning the degree.
Contact the Department of Theatre Arts for specific information on any of the M.F.A. specialty areas.
Back To TopAdmission
Students who demonstrate exceptional ability in acting, directing, dramaturgy, playwriting, design, or stage management may apply for admission to the program of study and production leading to the M.F.A. Admission is based on interview, audition, and/or a portfolio of relevant work, the undergraduate record or other proof of artistic accomplishment, and letters of recommendation.
Submission of playscripts is the most important element in gaining admission to the Playwrights Workshop.
Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; see the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College or the Graduate College section of the Catalog.
Back To TopProductions and Auditions
The Department of Theatre Arts presents around 25 public productions each year. These include a subscription series of five plays, a festival of five new works by students, three productions by Iowa Summer Repertory Theatre (a professional company that also employs students), and other productions, many of them new plays.
Special attention is given to the process of developing new works and to the collaborative process that involves writers, directors, designers, dramaturgs, stage managers, and actors. Graduates, undergraduates, faculty, and visiting guest artists work together on large and small projects throughout the year and in a special summer repertory season.
Auditions for Theatre Arts Productions
Auditions for theatre arts productions are open to everyone, including all University of Iowa students and members of the local community. Theatre arts students are given first priority for roles, but many roles are available throughout the year, and many non-theatre students and nonstudent actors are cast each season. Occasionally, professional actors are employed.
General auditions are held at the beginning of the fall semester, and callback lists are posted during the semester. Additional general auditions usually are scheduled in early November and in February. Information about auditions is available from the Department of Theatre Arts office in August. Notices of auditions are posted on the department's call board.
Back To TopFacilities
The University of Iowa has one of the finest educational theatre complexes in the country. The Theatre Building offers four theatres and up-to-date facilities for classroom, laboratory, shop, and performance work.
The E.C. Mabie Theatre, a continental-style, 457-seat proscenium playhouse, is one of the finest theatres of its type in the United States. The David Thayer Theatre is a "black box" production space; its flexible seating units accommodate from 140 to 225 people and allow modification of space and audience relationships. Theatre B, which seats 144, is an open-stage theatre dedicated primarily to the production of new and experimental works. The flexible studio theatre seats 50.
In addition to classrooms for acting and directing, several spaces are designed for teaching particular aspects of dramatic studies. The Cosmo Catalano Acting Studio is for study of movement and motion by acting students. The Arnie Gillette Design Studio serves as classroom and studio workshop for design students.
To support its production schedule and to provide students with an appropriate range of experience, the department maintains shops for building, painting, maintaining, and storing scenery, costumes, and properties. Using these shops, students learn to work in metal, plastics, canvas, and wood.
Back To TopCourses
Back To TopPrimarily for Undergraduates
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049:001 Art of the Theatre | 3 s.h. | | Fundamentals of acting, playwriting, directing. GE: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts. | | |
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049:002 Theatre and Society: Ancients and Moderns | 3 s.h. | | Representative plays as performed in social contexts of ancient Egypt; classical Greece, Rome, India, and Japan; and medieval and early modern Europe. Duplicates 049:112. GE: Historical Perspectives; Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts. | | |
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049:003 Theatre and Society: Romantics and Rebels | 3 s.h. | | Representative plays as performed in social contexts of revolutionary and modern Europe and postwar United States. Duplicates 049:113. GE: Historical Perspectives; Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts. | | |
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049:020 Basic Acting | 3 s.h. | | Concentration, relaxation, imagination, observation, communication, sensory awareness; development of theatrical creativity through objectives, obstacles, action, conflict, spontaneity; development of a scene from scripts. Requirements: non-theatre arts majors. GE: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts. | | |
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049:021 Basic Acting II | 3 s.h. | | Continuation of 049:020; emphasis on development of scenes. Prerequisites: 049:021. Requirements: non-theatre arts major. | | |
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049:029 First-Year Seminar | 1 s.h. | | Small discussion class taught by a faculty member; topics chosen by instructor; may include outside activities (e.g., films, lectures, performances, readings, visits to research facilities). Requirements: first- or second-semester standing. | | |
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049:030 New Student Collaboration Project | 1-2 s.h. | | Collaborative work on a script, from table work to staging; student participation as a creative team; production culminating in one performance; ensemble of actors, designers, dramaturges, directors, and stage managers who are new majors to the Department of Theatre Arts. Requirements: first-year standing or transfer student or new declared theatre major. | | |
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049:043 Elements of Design | 3 s.h. | | Development of visual literacy; manipulation of line, shape, color, value, texture, form; development of designs for theatre through techniques explored in class. | | |
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049:044 Introduction to Theatrical Production Technology | 3 s.h. | | Theatrical production; technology and backstage operations including sound, projections, lighting, scenery, costumes, stage management. | | |
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049:045 Production Lab | 1-3 s.h. | | Practical experience in physical construction and operation of live theatre; theatre department productions provide lab experiences for applied learning in technical theatre and run crew opportunities in scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and stage management. | | |
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049:046 Construction Technology for New Works | 3 s.h. | | Production of scenic and prop elements for the Department of Theatre Arts annual Iowa New Play Festival; basic construction and painting skills in a lab environment; weekly design and production meetings to include each student in the entire production process; run crew assignments, projects. | | |
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049:050 Musical Theatre | 3 s.h. | | American musical theatre's form, function, evolution; major composers (Berlin, Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim), lesser-known and contemporary writers; roots of the rock musical, future of musical theatre, how musicals reflect their own eras and cultural attitudes of their times; readings, recordings, videos. Ability to read music not required. | | |
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049:051 Comedy and Society | 3 s.h. | | How comedy reflects, comments upon, and intersects with western culture, society, and identity; roots of western comedy, satire, censorship; stand-up comedians, improv and sketch troupes, satirists; race, gender and sexuality, class perception; how portrayals of African Americans in popular culture evolved from 19th century to present; videos, readings, live performances. GE: Values, Society, and Diversity. | | |
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049:060 Playscript Analysis | 3 s.h. | | Basic skills in critical reading and close analysis of dramatic texts, with focus on dramatic structure, challenges of putting texts into production. | | |
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049:062 Playwriting I | 3 s.h. | | Elements of playwriting; emphasis on analysis and discussion of original student writing. GE: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts. | | |
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049:063 Playwriting II | 3 s.h. | | Continuation of 049:062; original student writing, one-act play form. Prerequisites: 049:062. | | |
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049:072 Shakespeare | 3 s.h. | | English majors may apply this course to the following area and/or period requirement. AREA: Medieval and Early Modern Literature and Culture. PERIOD: Early Literatures Through 17th Century. Same as 008:147. | | |
Back To TopFor Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Acting and Directing
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049:025 Acting I | 3 s.h. | | Development of creativity, imagination, and openness through exercises to engage mind, body, and voice in theatrical play and scene work. Requirements: theatre arts major, or theatre arts minor and 049:020. | | |
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049:035 Movement: Special Topics | 2-3 s.h. | | Specialized study in movement techniques and movement styles for body conditioning; development of yoga techniques; varied topics. | | |
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049:101 Drama in the Classroom | 3 s.h. | | Theories of community, culture, identity in relation to language arts teaching and learning; emphasis on incorporating multiple literacies, both oral and print, into language arts curricula; action research involving oral literacy. Same as 07E:180. | | |
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049:102 Acting for Singers and for Dancers | 2 s.h. | | Fundamentals of acting technique, with attention to demands on performers in opera, musical theater, and dance. Same as 025:175, 137:165. | | |
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049:103 Voice/Speech/Text--Speaking in Public | 3 s.h. | | How to be an effective and confident communicator; exercises designed to develop and improve vocal sound, vocal strength, clarity of speech; appropriate interpretation of text. | | |
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049:104 Video for Performance | 3 s.h. | | Introduction to making video for use in a performance; how video can unlock new artistic possibilities for performance in theater, dance, and performing arts in general; focus on acquiring basic skills necessary to shoot and edit video, and project it during a performance; practices of animation, found or archival footage work, and live performance. No previous knowledge of cameras or editing equipment required. Same as 048:136. | | |
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049:105 Introduction to Laban Movement Studies | 2-3 s.h. | | Introduction to Bartenieff Fundamentals (BF) and Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) as methods of organizing and integrating movement to support artistic goals and expanding expressive range; BF teaches body awareness, breath support, developmental patterns, ergonomically-efficient alignment, balancing of muscular strength and stretch, and coordination; LMA teaches vocabulary of expressive movement and nonverbal communication, including effort (use of energy/dynamics for expression, stamina, stress relief) and shape (how posture and gesture communicate); quality of movement that supports individual goals in artistic expression, sound production, and wellness. Same as 025:167, 137:160, 188:167. | | |
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049:106 Singing for Actors | 2 s.h. | | Skill development for healthy, effective singing in the musical theatre style; techniques of vocal production through breath management, resonance, articulation, flexibility; song interpretation and repertoire. Recommendations: (for 025:169) concurrent registration in 025:059. Same as 025:169. | | |
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049:108 Dance Kinesiology | 3 s.h. | | Body science related to demands of dance; structural and muscular analysis for efficient, effective dance training and prevention of injuries; investigation of skeletal and ligamentous structure for working knowledge of how the body produces movement; joint actions and restrictions, common injuries to those sites; attachments of the voluntary muscles, pathways and potential actions; neuromuscular analysis of an action; functional skeletal alignment; how individual differences may affect movement performance. Prerequisites: 027:053. Same as 137:147. | | |
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049:110 Theatre for Social Outreach | arr. | | Use of improvisation, storytelling, readers' theatre to explore complex social issues; participation in Darwin Turner Action Theatre; experience creating works that examine social issues, especially those related to cultural diversity; performances in Iowa schools and communities. | | |
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049:114 Performing Autobiography | 3 s.h. | | Write and perform original pieces stemming from personal experiences and interests; readings and videos; genre of contemporary autobiographical performance as established artists have developed it; improvisational performance and writing exercises to foster deeper reflection on personal experiences; final staging of students' original work. Same as 131:114. | | |
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049:120 Acting II | 3 s.h. | | Extension of work begun in 049:025; scene study, with focus on contemporary realism and development of collaborative dynamic. Prerequisites: 049:021 or 049:025. | | |
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049:122 Acting With Verse | 3 s.h. | | Approaches to poetic material; emphasis on Shakespeare; contemporary scenes written in poetic or abstract styles. Prerequisites: 049:120 and 049:125. | | |
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049:124 Acting: Special Topics | 3 s.h. | | Specialized study in a specific aspect or theory of acting. | | |
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049:125 Voice for the Actor | 3 s.h. | | Progressive development of voice and speech for theatre; physical awareness, relaxation, breathing, freeing the sound channel, resonance, articulation; application of voice work through prose, poetry, text. Prerequisites: 049:025. | | |
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049:126 Voice, Text, and the Actor | 3 s.h. | | Varied topics on a rotational basis, may include vocal study of classical text including Shakespeare, dialects, and voice in classical and contemporary comedy. Prerequisites: 049:125. | | |
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049:127 Theatre Movement | 3 s.h. | | The body as a tool for dramatic expression; basic principles and practices of stage movement; approaches to physical technique. Prerequisites: 049:025. Requirements: theatre arts major. | | |
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049:128 Movement Styles | 3 s.h. | | Intensive study of a selected movement style (e.g., mask, clown, commedia dell'arte). Prerequisites: 049:127. | | |
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049:129 Stage Combat | 3 s.h. | | Fundamental principles of unarmed combat; rapier and dagger techniques. | | |
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049:130 Directing I | 3 s.h. | | Basic elements of stage direction; exercises in composition, emphasis, movement, rhythm, directorial analysis; director's role in production process; short scenes, projects, papers. Prerequisites: 049:025, 049:060, and 049:043 or 049:133 or 049:134 or 049:135 or 049:136 or 049:146. Requirements: completion of design requirement. | | |
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049:131 Directing II | 3 s.h. | | Continuation of 049:130; practical work in stage direction culminating in a larger directing project. Prerequisites: 049:130. | | |
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049:154 Movement: Special Topics II | 3 s.h. | | Specialized study in movement techniques and movement styles for body conditioning; intermediate development of yoga techniques; varied topics. Prerequisites: 049:035. | | |
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049:170 Introduction to the Alexander Technique | 3 s.h. | | The Alexander Technique and "self-use"--how our movement choices affect the results we achieve; improving physical skills and presence; principles from the Alexander Technique in support of performing arts (e.g., speaking, singing, playing an instrument, dancing, acting) and applied to skills in daily life, addressing the underpinnings of movement; physical participation, including laying, rolling, sitting, standing, and locomotion. Same as 025:176, 137:173, 188:168. | | |
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049:201 Voice for Performers | 2 s.h. | | Comparison of Kinesthetic techniques for singing and acting voice; relaxation, posture, breathing, tone quality, diction, interpretation. Same as 003:204, 025:216. | | |
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049:220 Advanced Acting | 3 s.h. | | Preprofessional training; may include psychophysical training in impulse, openness and the "mask," individual and group dynamics, improvisation, repetition, characterization and scenework, Shakespeare and style, on-camera, development of professional work habits and skills, audition and interview. Repeatable. | | |
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049:225 Vocal Technique | 3 s.h. | | Skills training; voice and speech for the actor, phonetics, dialects, sound exploration, contemporary and classical text analysis. Repeatable. Requirements: admission to M.F.A. acting program. | | |
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049:227 Movement Technique | 3 s.h. | | Fundamental principles and practices required for physical acting technique; basic stage movement, stage combat, mime technique, Lecoq-based improvisation; a new works project. Repeatable. Requirements: graduate acting major. | | |
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049:230 Director's Seminar | 1-3 s.h. | | Preprofessional training in stage direction; the art and craft of directing; research, practical experience; development of new pieces; approaches to a variety of theatrical materials through concept, type, style. Repeatable. | | |
Design and Technical Theatre
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049:134 Scene Design I | 3 s.h. | | Development of theatre scenery; how to research, conceptualize, and express ideas in three-dimensional models, simple sketches, and drafting. Same as 01P:134. | | |
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049:135 Costume Design I | 3 s.h. | | Introduction to theatre costumes; how to conceptualize and express ideas through rendering and 3-D mannequin projects. | | |
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049:136 Lighting Design I | 3 s.h. | | How to research, conceptualize, and express ideas through light plots, other design paperwork, and theatre lighting design projects. | | |
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049:137 Scene Design II | 3 s.h. | | Design and execution of increasingly complex projects in a variety of formats, including perspective sketching, detailed drafting, and color models. Prerequisites: 049:134. | | |
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049:138 Costume Design II | 3 s.h. | | Conceptual and analysis skills in costuming; fashion history and dress related to individual, cultural, and artistic expression. | | |
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049:139 Lighting Design II | 3 s.h. | | Production styles and venues; skills developed through increasingly complex light plots, more precise paperwork. Prerequisites: 049:060 and 049:136. | | |
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049:140 Sound Design for the Theatre | 3 s.h. | | Introduction to digital sound recording and live sound reinforcement techniques for a variety of entertainment venues (theatre, dance, concerts, and industrial projects); creation of soundscapes using Pro Tools software; implementation of designs through the use of SFX/QLab playback systems; documentation of sound design for theoretical or realized production. | | |
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049:141 Period Styles for Theatre Designers | 3 s.h. | | Aesthetics of selected periods as they apply to theatrical presentation; principles of architecture, furniture, fashion. | | |
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049:142 Textile Science | 3 s.h. | | Fiber, yarn, and fabric science; fabric painting, dyeing, and other laboratories. Same as 097:107. | | |
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049:144 Web Design | 3 s.h. | | Creation of graphic identities and web sites using Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver. | | |
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049:145 Computer Visualization | 3 s.h. | | Creation of virtual design using Adobe Photoshop and Google SketchUp. | | |
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049:146 Drawing and Rendering for the Theatre | 3 s.h. | | Development of artistic skills and documentation techniques through studio work in drawing, painting, model craft projects for theatre. | | |
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049:147 Technology for the Entertainment Industry | 3 s.h. | | Introduction to technology skills that are at the center of the entertainment industry; programming and operating digital lighting and sound consoles, intelligent lighting systems, projection hardware and software; outdoor event rigging, metal construction, and fabrication. Same as 188:147. | | |
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049:148 Introduction to Props Construction | 3 s.h. | | Development of specific skills needed to produce various properties as designed for an artistic production; skills accomplished through a series of projects produced by student in laboratory environment, including molding/casting, vacu-forming, cabinet construction, upholstery/soft goods, finishing techniques, and found object articulation. | | |
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049:149 Introduction to Lighting Technology | 3 s.h. | | Training for a career as a touring or resident stage electrician in the entertainment industry; plot organization/shop orders, digital fixtures, power distribution, personal management, console configuration/control, and electrical troubleshooting/maintenance. | | |
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049:150 Entertainment Design | 3 s.h. | | Introduction to entertainment design and technology; primary focus on contemporary approaches to design and delivery of content in the entertainment industry; assignment of practical projects using media servers, projection, LED arrays, video editing software, and moving light technologies. Prerequisites: 049:136. Recommendations: digital arts majors, including computer science, art, music, and dance, should have equivalent experience to 049:136. | | |
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049:151 Scenic Art for Designers | 3 s.h. | | Techniques in scenic art for the theatre; classical trompe l'oeil scene painting, sculpting with nontraditional materials, finishing. | | |
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049:152 Costume Crafts: Special Topics | 3 s.h. | | Mask and puppet design; paper mache, plaster gauze, thermal plastics, and soft sculpture techniques. | | |
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049:156 Stage Makeup | 3 s.h. | | Same as 188:156. | | |
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049:157 Concepts in Drawing | 3-4 s.h. | | Drawing from topics at the intermediate level; observation, theory, media, form, content; emphasizes personal direction. Prerequisites: 01F:007. Same as 01F:105. | | |
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049:158 Environmental Design I | 4 s.h. | | Human interaction with the interior and exterior environment. Offered fall semesters of odd years. Prerequisites: 01T:021. Same as 01T:137. | | |
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049:235 Graduate Design Seminar | arr. | | Graduate design in set, lighting, and costume design; teamwork; meetings with design faculty in specific disciplines; short-term projects in the theatre department; long-term projects, including summer design work, internships, and other professional opportunities during the three-year program and beyond. Prerequisites: 049:137 or 049:138 or 049:139. | | |
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049:237 Scene Design III | 3 s.h. | | Complex assignments; documentation skills, scenic design preparation. Prerequisites: 049:134 and 049:137. | | |
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049:238 Costume Design III | 3 s.h. | | Advanced projects in costume design and portfolio development. Prerequisites: 049:138. | | |
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049:239 Lighting Design III | 3 s.h. | | Advanced projects in venues such as dance, opera, industrials; preparation of lighting designs for production. Prerequisites: 049:139. | | |
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049:251 Internship in Design | 1-6 s.h. | | Experience as designer or assistant designer with a professional theatre, dance, or opera company or with a professional design studio. Requirements: theatre design M.F.A. enrollment. | | |
Stage Management and Arts Management
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049:109 Introduction to Arts Management | 3 s.h. | | Nonprofit performing arts management and administrative principles; practical applications, trends in the field; focus on arts organizations and their key administrative positions. Same as 145:109, 188:109. | | |
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049:111 New Ventures in the Arts | 3 s.h. | | Arts administration principles and trends as applied to creation of an arts-related enterprise; case studies; students create business plan for a new arts organization. Duplicates 06J:125 and 06T:120. Corequisites: 06T:050, or 06A:001 and 06M:100. Same as 06T:125, 145:111, 188:111. | | |
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049:132 Stage Management | 3 s.h. | | Duties and procedures of stage management; focus on development of production from preparatory work through performance; examine role of stage manager in collaboration. | | |
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049:195 Arts Leadership Seminar | 3 s.h. | | Performing arts management and administrative principles, practical applications, trends in arts leadership and advocacy. Requirements: (for 049:195) 049:109 or 049:111 or graduate standing in an arts discipline. Same as 06T:155, 145:195, 188:195. | | |
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049:200 Stage Management: Special Topics | 3 s.h. | | Topics in stage management, arts production, and their professional practice. Repeatable. Requirements: admission to M.F.A stage management program. | | |
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049:233 Stage Management Seminar | 1-2 s.h. | | Practice and techniques of stage management. Repeatable. Requirements: graduate stage management major. | | |
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049:249 Production Management | 3 s.h. | | Organization and supervision of theatre productions; resources, procedures for successfully mounting a theatre production or season; personnel, equipment, facility and budget management, scheduling, communication. Requirements: stage management M.F.A. enrollment. | | |
Playwriting
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049:165 Advanced Playwriting | 3 s.h. | | Continuation of 049:063; original student writing, extensive rewriting; may focus on specific style, genre, or approach. Prerequisites: 049:063. | | |
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049:169 Undergraduate Playwriting Workshop | 1-3 s.h. | | Workshop discussion of original full-length plays, collaborative creation of new plays, work with guest artists. Prerequisites: 049:062 and 049:063. Requirements: submission of writing sample. | | |
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049:173 Guest Seminar | arr. | | | |
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049:182 Free Style Writing: Poetry, Plays, and Performances | 3 s.h. | | Creative writing lab experience in reading, writing, and performing poetry and short plays; expansion of students' horizons of the self; arc of innovation in African American literature from Harlem Renaissance to present, with texts from Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston to Saul Williams and Jill Scott; role of the artist in society and as outsider and insider; shifting perspectives on race, gender, class; musical influences and models, from blues to house music; sensuality, spirituality; artistic reflections on the cultural moment; effects of these on literary form and performance style; students create and perform a work for an audience. Same as 129:182. | | |
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049:269 Playwrights Workshop | 3 s.h. | | Development of works by Iowa Playwrights Workshop members. Repeatable. Requirements: playwriting or dramaturgy M.F.A. enrollment. | | |
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049:270 Special Topics in Playwriting | 3 s.h. | | Repeatable. | | |
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049:271 Orientation to Graduate Studies | 2 s.h. | | Repeatable. Requirements: theatre arts M.F.A. enrollment. | | |
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049:272 The Collaborative Process | 3 s.h. | | Development of new plays, collaboratively created works. Repeatable. | | |
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049:275 Collaborative Performance | 1-4 s.h. | | Collaborative experience with advanced artists from varied disciplines that culminates in a final performance; emphasis on sharing and investigating ideas, artistic intent, personal vision, and creating collaborative projects. Same as 137:275, 188:275. | | |
Dramatic Literature, Theory, and Dramaturgy
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049:112 History of Theatre and Drama I | 3 s.h. | | Major developments in Anglo-European, Indian, Asian, African theatre and drama 3000 B.C.E. to C.E. 1700; sociopolitical, economic, cultural circumstances of original productions. Offered fall semesters. GE: Historical Perspectives; Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts. | | |
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049:113 History of Theatre and Drama II | 3 s.h. | | Continuation of 049:112, 1700 to 1960; revolutionary and modern European theatre, culturally diverse postwar U.S. theatre. Offered spring semesters. GE: Historical Perspectives; Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts. | | |
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049:116 Dramatic Theory | 3 s.h. | | Theoretical questions of interest to dramatists and philosophers in western and nonwestern traditions; metaphysics of play; theories of character, psyche, self; narrative and nonnarrative dramatic forms. Prerequisites: 049:060, 049:112, and 049:113. | | |
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049:117 American Drama Since 1900 | 3 s.h. | | American playwrights and plays after 1900. English majors may apply this course to the following area and/or period requirement. AREA: American Literature and Culture. PERIOD: 20th- and/or 21st-Century Literature. Same as 008:197. | | |
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049:118 American Women Playwrights: 1776-Present | 3 s.h. | | How women in the United States have expressed themselves in theatre since 1776; diversity of voices in works by African American, Asian American, Latina, Native American, European American, lesbian playwrights; female-authored drama and production in relation to concurrent male-authored traditions and socioeconomic, political, cultural phenomena. Same as 045:118. | | |
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049:119 Dramas of the Spirit | 3 s.h. | | Western and nonwestern dramatic texts that enact or describe journeys of the human spirit; textual analysis, investigation of the notion of spirit and its relation to dramatic form. Prerequisites: 049:060, 049:112, and 049:113. | | |
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049:161 The Arts in Performance | 3 s.h. | | GE: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts; Values, Society, and Diversity. Same as 137:161, 188:161. | | |
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049:174 Topics in Digital Media | 3 s.h. | | English majors may apply this course to the following area and/or period requirement. AREA: Literary Theory and Interdisciplinary Studies. PERIOD: 20th- and/or 21st-Century Literature. Same as 008:173. | | |
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049:181 Medieval Drama | 3 s.h. | | English majors may apply this course to the following area and/or period requirement. AREA: Medieval and Early Modern Literature and Culture. PERIOD: Early Literatures Through 17th Century. Same as 008:144. | | |
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049:183 Black Feminist Tradition and Culture | 3 s.h. | | Survey of selected theoretical texts chronicling shifting perspectives on feminism; comparative interdisciplinary survey of artistic works that reflect such perspectives. Same as 129:183. | | |
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049:184 English Renaissance Drama | 3 s.h. | | English majors may apply this course to the following area and/or period requirement. AREA: Medieval and Early Modern Literature and Culture. PERIOD: Early Literatures Through 17th Century. Same as 008:145. | | |
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049:185 Cultural Diversity and Identity | 3 s.h. | | Nature of personal and cultural identity within a pluralistic society; race, ethnicity, national identity, class, sexuality, and gender as categories of cultural difference. | | |
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049:186 African American Drama | 3 s.h. | | English majors may apply this course to the following area and/or period requirement. AREA: American Literature and Culture. PERIOD: 18th- and/or 19th-Century Literature, or 20th- and/or 21st-Century Literature. Same as 008:186, 129:186. | | |
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049:188 Sex and Gender in Performance | 3 s.h. | | Relationship between sex and gender in the performing body across a range of public venues, including stage, film, athletic events, and social spaces; articles, texts, plays, films, television, and videos; attendance at live performances of theatre, sports, and other events scheduled in the University and local community; discussion format. Same as 131:187. | | |
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049:190 African American Theatre I | 3 s.h. | | Works by African American playwrights and relevant historical documents, Africa through Black Renaissance; themes, history, sociopolitical context; artists forging theatrical paths under oppressive conditions; exploration through discussion, performance; literature-based course, workshop approach. Same as 129:175. | | |
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049:191 African American Theatre II | 3 s.h. | | Works by African American playwrights and relevant historical documents, Black Renaissance to present; themes, history, sociopolitical context; artists forging theatrical paths under oppressive conditions; exploration through discussion, performance; literature-based course, workshop approach. Same as 129:191. | | |
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049:192 Culturally Diverse Theatre | 3 s.h. | | Same as 131:192. | | |
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049:193 Studies in Drama | 3 s.h. | | Exploration of a specific period of dramatic literature, or the work of specific authors, or dramatic principles central to playwrighting. | | |
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049:194 Dramaturgy | 3 s.h. | | Theory, practice: history in Europe and the United States; relationship to dramatic criticism; practical experience in critical writing, play analysis, dramaturgical research, conceptualization of productions; evaluation, advocacy, and development of new plays; audience relations and education. Prerequisites: 049:060. | | |
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049:210 Dramaturgy Practicum | arr. | | Exploration of theoretical, creative, and practical issues that arise in working dramaturgically on both established and new plays, and in a variety of collaborative processes; practical dramaturgical exercises in script reporting, dramaturgical research, educational programming, season planning, production documentation, and writing of critical and dramaturgical essays for a general audience. Requirements: admission to M.F.A. dramaturgy program. | | |
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049:213 Shakespeare | 3 s.h. | | Same as 008:253. | | |
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049:215 Theatrical Analysis: Classical to Restoration Drama | 3 s.h. | | Representative plays from the Classical to the Romantic periods--in historical context of their original productions, contemporary production potential. Requirements: theatre arts M.F.A. enrollment. | | |
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049:216 Theatrical Analysis: Modern | 3 s.h. | | Questions of dramatic form and content examined in-depth through close readings of modern plays. | | |
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049:217 Theatrical Analysis: Postmodern | 3 s.h. | | Diverse postmodern traditions; emphasis on questions of relation of text. | | |
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049:294 Dramaturgy Seminar | 3 s.h. | | Dramatic history, literature, and dramaturgy topics of interest to M.F.A. candidates. Repeatable. Requirements: dramaturgy M.F.A. enrollment. | | |
Workshops, Performances, Special Studies
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049:172 Senior Seminar | 3 s.h. | | Theatre arts capstone seminar; how personal aesthetic relates one's work to great theatrical visionaries of the past and present-day practitioners; research culminating in a collaborative theatre piece. Requirements: senior standing and theatre arts major. | | |
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049:177 London Performance Study | 3 s.h. | | English majors may apply this course to the following area and/or period requirement. AREA: Literary Theory and Interdisciplinary Studies. PERIOD: 20th- and/or 21st-Century Literature. Same as 008:128. | | |
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049:178 New York Performance Study | 3 s.h. | | Theatrical style, acting, direction, design, as well as business aspects; examination of nine performances. | | |
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049:196 Projects in Theatre | arr. | | | |
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049:197 Honors Theatre Arts | arr. | | Development and production of a new work for film or television by writers, directors, actors. | | |
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049:198 Performance Practicum | 1-2 s.h. | | Act in a faculty-directed production produced by the Theatre Arts Department. | | |
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049:199 Independent Study | arr. | | | |
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049:234 Internship in Stage Management | 1-6 s.h. | | Experience as stage manager or assistant stage manager with a professional theatre, dance, or opera company. Repeatable. Requirements: stage management M.F.A. enrollment. | | |
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049:296 Projects in Theatre Advanced | arr. | | Create a special project under the mentorship of a faculty member for credit; projects may include performing in a main stage production, writing, directing, or designing a play performed in the department, developing a research project that intersects production. Requirements: graduate standing. | | |
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049:298 M.F.A. Thesis | 0-3 s.h. | | Work related to M.F.A. thesis projects in theatre arts. Repeatable. | | |
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