Why take courses in this discipline?
In the 51²è¹Ýapp College Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, students develop as artist-scholars who are learning and practicing an integrated and holistic approach to making performance. We value a balance of knowing and doing, collaboration, active pedagogy, invention, multiplicity and diversity, experimentation, humane practices, and welcoming every body.
Productions and performances — as well as scholarship about them— are placed at the center of what we do as a department.
Everyone is invited to be involved in the theatre, dance, and performance studies department, whether it is your major or not. No matter your level of experience; there is always a place for you.
How does this discipline contribute to the liberal arts?
Courses in Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies involve creative expression, communication/writing, and the study of human behavior and society.
What kinds of questions are asked in this discipline?
In the practice and study of performance, the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies is committed to high standards of artistic expression and scholarship within the context of a liberal arts education. In the expansive fields within our department, students study the literature, history, and theory of theatre, dance, and performance. We also study the practices of performance making, design, acting and directing, dance and choreography in European, American, postcolonial and other non-Western forms.
How does a student get started?
There are six 100-level courses open to first-year students: Introduction to Movement for the Performer (THD 110), World Dance Traditions (THD 115), Introduction to Acting (THD 120), Behind the Curtain: Performance Design & Technology (THD 130), Introduction to Performance Studies (THD 140), and Introduction to Theatre (THD 150). We also often offer Special Topics courses (THD 195). Students interested in majoring in theatre and dance should take two of these 100-level courses.
We also offer two technical dance courses: Introduction to Dance Technique and Contemporary Dance Practices in Motion.
Courses in Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
All Courses in Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
Regular 200-Level Courses
200 level: Creative Inquiry
- Dance Ensemble
- Choreography: Movement Design for the Stage
- Performing Possibilities: The Art of Performance
- Directing
- Design for Performance
- Lighting for the Stage
- Digital Media Design for Performance
200 level: Performance Theory, History, Critical Approaches
- Interdisciplinary Performance Theory and Practice
- Why Do Humans Dance?
- Historical Theatre and Dance Contexts I
- Historical Theatre and Dance Contexts II
- Theatre & Identity
Regular 300-Level Courses
- Critical Approaches in Dance
- Solo Performance
- Critical Approaches in Performance Design
- Performance Studies Workshop: Performance as Research
- Critical Approaches to Theatre Methods
- Critical Approaches to Theatre Perspectives
- Period Styles
Recent Special Topics
- History of Comedy
- BIPOC TV
- Stage Management
- Studies in Performance Art
- Developing Performance Content from Environmental Data
- Global Disabilities: Art, Architecture, and Activism
- Tap Dance
- Medical Humanities
- Music and Dance in Bollywood: Critical Transformations
Practicum Requirements: Students are required to earn at least four practicum credits for the major by working with faculty and staff on mainstage productions, with 2 credits minimum of Live Performance (100 or 200) and 2 credits minimum of Production Process (101 or 201).
Sample Four-Year Plan for a Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies Major
We believe in a holistic education in theatre, dance and performance studies. Students are encouraged to take courses in all areas offered by the department, as each area informs the other — this includes courses in acting, directing, dance, choreography, performance studies and design.
| Year | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| First | THD 1XX | THD 1XX THD 100 or 101 (Practicum) |
| Second | THD 2XX in Creative Inquiry or Performance Theory, History, Critical Approaches Level One or Two Practicum | THD 2XX in Creative Inquiry or Performance Theory, History, Critical Approaches (whichever was not taken in the fall) Level One or Two Practicum (if not taken in fall) |
| Third | THD 2XX in Creative Inquiry or Performance Theory, History, Critical Approaches Level One or Two Practicum | THD 2XX in Creative Inquiry or Performance Theory, History, Critical Approaches (whichever was not taken in the fall) Level One or Two Practicum (if not taken in fall) |
| Fourth | THD 3XX Level One or Two Practicum | THD 3XX Level One or Two Practicum (if not taken in fall) |
Off-Campus Study
Many theatre, dance, and performance studies majors have studied at 51²è¹Ýapp-in-London, The London Dramatic Academy, the National Theatre Institute, and the Trinity/La Mama Performing Arts Semester in New York. Students can petition to have one class from their off-campus study count towards their theatre, dance, and performance studies major if the course’s requirements are comparable to the required classes.
Contributions to Other Majors/Concentrations
Courses in theatre, dance, and performance studies contribute to majors in:
- studio art
- anthropology
- sociology
- computer science
- biology
- history
- classics
- gender, women, and sexuality studies
- film and media studies
- digital studies
- American studies
Department Events and Opportunities
Beyond coursework and the five main stage productions, students have numerous opportunities to engage in creative performance works including staging a production as part of the Open Space Performance Series (recent shows include True West, Godspell, and an adaptation of Lord of the Flies), writing a one-act for the McClenon Clark Playwriting Contest, and conducting creative research with support from the Moffett Award. Students also can work part time in the scene shop, costume shop, and box office, providing hands-on experience in behind-the-scenes work.
Students also have the opportunity to work with faculty on mentored advanced projects during the academic year or the summer. Recent projects include assistant-designing The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, students directing Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, and The Royale, community engagement dance work in Georgia, interviewing members of the community and devising a verbatim theatre production, and staging Das Rheingold in Taiwan.