Theatre and Dance

Fall 2009 Topics Course Descriptions

Fall 2009 Topics Course Descriptions

T D 311T/AFR 301/AMS 315/ANT 310L/ (25735/35660/29865/30370)
African American Culture

Instructor: Joni Jones

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Contact Instructor

T D 311T/T D 351T (25740/26020)
Singing for the Stage

Instructor: Lyn Koenning

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
This course introduces vocal technique for musical theatre singing. It is appropriate for students who have participated in choir or musical theatre in high school as well as for students who have had little or no prior training in voice. Students will begin to cultivate the functional skills necessary for development into an actor and/or dancer who also sings.

The first half of the semester will be spent primarily in working on vocal range, flexibility, and endurance as we identify effective, healthy technique and successful vocal practice strategies through the study of songs from the musical theatre repertoire. Students will also learn to recognize and interpret basic musical terminology and musical notation. In the second half of the semester students will rehearse, stage and perform solo and ensemble numbers from a variety of musicals, culminating in an end–of–semester performance showcase. Pre–requisite: Upper division standing or consent of instructor

T D 312T/T D 352T (25785/26050)
Creative Research for Movement

Instructor: Andrea Beckham

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
A movement course designed to give tools for developing creativity and physical language. In–class work will focus on developing the medium of the body through somatic and dance techniques as well as improvisation, and outside research into music, text, visual art, other mediums, will be brought in to create collaborative movement performances in class.

T D 312T/T D 352T (25786/26051)
Dance for Musical Theatre

Instructor: TBD

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:

T D 351T (26005)
Collaborative Performance

Instructor: Stephen Gerald

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Contact Instructor

T D 351T (26010)
Comedy Acting

Instructor: Lee Abraham

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
This course will focus on issues of acting in comedy. Our primary goal is to address the problems that confront the actor when rehearsing and performing in extant comedy play scripts. Our secondary emphasis is using improvisational, non–theatrical, and original material for developing comedy skills. Participation as an actor is mandatory.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor must be obtained. Upper–division standing required This course is not for beginning or untrained students. It is designed primarily for upper–division majors in Theatre & Dance who have taken all three lower–division acting classes (TD 313C, 313D, 313E) or their equivalents and have a grade of B or better in 313E.

T D 351T/T D 383P (26012/ 26212)
Digital Storytelling in Community-based Settings

Instructor: Megan Alrutz

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
This course will investigate practice(s) of applied theatre and digital medial as tools for building community and cultural engagement. Students will engage in creative writing and devising through drama and digital technologies, and will work collaboratively to develop and document digital stories/performance collages.

Note: Course will require extra lab hours for digital documenting and editing and large amounts of digital storage.

T D 351T /T D 383P (26015/26215)
Drama/Theatre in Museum Settings

Instructor: Kathryn Dawson

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
In this course we will actively examine the history and current practices and politics of using drama–based strategies and theatrical forms in a variety of museum settings. The course will include multiple fieldwork projects at local museums in the Austin area.

T D 351T (26025)
Vocal Repertoire and Rehearsal Techniques for Musical Theatre

Instructor: Lyn Koenning

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
This course will help actors build an effective audition portfolio and explore rehearsal techniques for musical theatre. We will examine the dramatic shape of songs through the study of music and lyrics and learn to use these components as the basis of character development.

During the first half of the semester we will learn what types of songs are effective for auditioning and where/how to find them, how to identify the correct key for our voice, how to communicate with an accompanist, and how to prepare and perform a successful musical theatre singing audition. We will identify and incorporate healthy vocal habits and technique and successful vocal practice strategies for musical theatre singing. In the second half of the semester students will rehearse, stage and perform solo and ensemble numbers from a variety of musicals, culminating in an end–of–semester performance showcase. Pre–requisite: Upper division standing and Singing for the Stage or consent of instructor

T D 252T (26045)
Pilates–Evolved Physical Lab

Instructor: Andrea Beckham

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Utilizes Pilates–evolved techniques and equipment to investigate developing a daily mind/body practice of efficient alignment, core strengthening, movement re–education and execution to enhance movement expressivity. Additional laboratory / practical requirement.

T D 352T (26055)
Portfolio for the Professional Dancer

Instructor: David Justin

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Contact Instructor

T D 353T (26060)
Acting Shakespeare

Instructor: Fran Dorn

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: No

Course Description:
Contact Instructor

T D 353T (26065)
Speaking Shakespeare

Instructor: Barney Hammond

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: No

Course Description:
Prerequisite: Theatre and Dance 313E (Acting III) with a grade of at least B or consent of the instructor.

T D 354T (26085)
Audio Production for Theatre

Instructor: Rusty Cloyes

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Fundamental exploration of historical and modern practices of audio for live production.Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

T D 354T/T D 388L (26090/26315)
Automated Lighting

Instructor: Amarante Lucero

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Fundamentals of moving lights and computer-aided lighting for live performance. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

T D 354T/T D 388L (26095/26320)
Design Skills: Costume

Instructor: Susan Mickey

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Foundational class in the understanding and the development of figure drawing, historical costume research, fabric knowledge and rendering skills for the creation of costumes for performance. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: 314C

T D 354T/T D 388L (26100/26325)
Design Skills: Lighting

Instructor: Michelle Habeck

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Foundational class in the understanding and the development of principles, communication and paperwork skills for the creation of lighting for performance. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: 314C

T D 354T/T D 388L (26105/26355)
Design Skills: Scenery

Instructor: William Bloodgood

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Foundational class in the understanding and the development of drafting, model building and perspective drawing skills for the creation of construction drawings for the theater. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: 314C

T D 354T (26110)
Lighting Technology

Instructor: Amarante Lucero

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

T D 354T/T D 388L (26115/26335)
Scene Painting

Instructor: Karen Maness

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Fundamental study of the technique and skill of scenic painting. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

T D 354T/T D 388L (26120/26340)
Stage Management

Instructor: Rusty Cloyes

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Study of the role of the stage manager as the core of communication in live performance events. Paper work, production book and various methods of rehearsal and performance reporting are demonstrated and practiced. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

T D 354T (26135)
5-Scenery Technology I

Instructor: Denise Martel

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Fundamental exploration of historical and modern practices of theatrical construction techniques. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

T D 354T/T D 488K (26125/26310)
Tailoring I

Instructor: James Glavan

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Fundamental theory and technique in the tailoring of garments for live performance. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

T D 354T/T D 388L (26130/26345)
Technology Skills: Costume

Instructor: James Glavan

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
This course will be divided into three, five-week sections. The first section will be the study of Millinery of the 19th Century. The second and third sections will cover Scenic Sculpture: Techniques of Enlargement.

T D 357T (26140)
Musical Theatre History-W

Instructor: Lyn Koenning

Substantial Writing Component: Yes

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
This course explores one of the most quintessentially American forms of performance – musical theatre – from its roots at the turn of the twentieth century through the first few years of the new millennium. In addition to studying musical librettos and cast albums, we will view taped Broadway or film versions whenever possible. We will also examine a range of academic and popular historical, analytical, and critical studies of musicals.

We will consider the American musical from at least three different perspectives:
As a work of art with unique conventions of aesthetics and form;
As an entertainment media that was shaped by its historical and cultural context; and
As a viable performance form for the 21st century.

During the course we will survey a number of musicals beginning with musical comedy and traveling through the “Golden Age” (mid–20th century), to subsequent decades and into the 21st century. Assignments will approach these musicals in different ways, including creative response, analytical notes on the musical libretto, essays analyzing musical numbers, and a dramaturgical research presentation.
The last portion of the semester will be focused on student–led class sessions as we study each musical in this section of the course. Student facilitators will frame the class to consider the musical itself (including the libretto, the cast album, and the film version, if available) and can supplement discussion with research on any related topic or issue either of context or issues raised by the show. Some of the class session may be lecture, some student-focused activity, some performance, and some discussion, for example.
Pre-requisite: Upper division standing and consent of instructor

T D 357T/T D 387D (26142/26253)
New Play Creation: From Conception to Rehearsal-W

Instructors: Kirk Lynn and Katie Pearl

Substantial Writing Component: Yes

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
In preparation for a Spring 2010 performance at the University of Texas at Austin, New Play Creation will invite students to learn multiple techniques for brainstorming, mind-mapping, researching, synthesizing, performing dramaturgy, questioning performance, and practicing inquiry. The course will be focused around the creation of The Gingerbread Man, a devised piece written by Kirk Lynn and directed by Katie Pearl. The Gingerbread Man is inspired by the story of Osias Korman, a Jewish Dutchmen who after surviving WWII in the Westerbork transit camp and dedicated his life to reuniting Jewish children with their families. The play is conceived as a series of questions asked of the audience; to whit, the course will lead students through the history of non-traditional scripts, a survey of famous dramatic questions, and some light philosophical reading on certainty.

This class is suitable for both Graduate and Undergraduate populations. Enrolled students will be invited to participate in the performance (slated as part of the UT mainstage season) in the Spring. Graduate dramaturgs, writers, directors, performers and designers are especially encouraged to enroll. The course also serves as an upper-level undergraduate writing component course; undergraduate performances interested in making new work especially encouraged. Academic writing will include dramaturgical research and analysis as well as self-reflective responses to in-class workshops and readings.

T D 357T/T D 387D/WGS 345/WGS 393 (26145/26255/48795/48930)
Reading Canon: Play Anly Prac–W

Instructor: Elizabeth Bonjean

Substantial Writing Component: Yes

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
Reading the Canon: Play Analysis Practice
This course focuses on approaches to playscript analysis while exploring a breadth of contributions to the current-and primarily Western–theatrical canon. As we acquaint/reacquaint ourselves with our traditional theatrical legacy, the emphasis will be on elements such as play structure, the playwright, performance, audience, and cultural significance. In examining the contents of the canon, we will also take note of its omissions in order to better understand how the canon creates meaning for us today.

Meets with: TD 387–D, WGS 393, and WGS 345–W.

S W 360K/T D 357T (63585/26147)>
Theatre for Dialogue: Exploring Interpersonal Violence

Instructor: Lynn Hoare

Substantial Writing Component: No

Instructor Consent Required: Yes

Course Description:
This course trains students to use the tools of interactive theatre to raise awareness and educate others about the issues of interpersonal violence including relationship violence, sexual violence and stalking. In particular, students are trained in Theatre of the Oppressed and other applied theatre methods. Students are also encouraged to explore issues of diversity with respect to interpersonal violence. Fall semester is a pre-requisite to the Spring semester course; a commitment to both semesters is required to participate in the Fall semester course.

Meets with: S W 360K.

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