Theater (TH)

The student will learn voice production techniques and theories principally for the actor. This course seeks to develop a free and natural speaking voice in the student and will provide the fundamentals of natural voice placement. Extensive exercises in breathing, support, resonance, flexibility, and projection will be learned toward the development of a personal vocal warm-up.

An examination of plays, theories, and practices of theater and performance, this course focuses on foundational script analysis and theater production roles; processes through which theater is created in contemporary and historical contexts; and the unique research considerations theater demands. Fulfills Humanities requirement; fulfills Humanistic Inquiry.

The student is exposed to exercises designed to free the imagination through improvisation and theater games. Secondarily, training is offered in the basic skills of physical and vocal mastery, analytical insight into the text, and the ability to synthesize techniques so the student may acquire discipline in each area.

A studio course providing an introduction to the principles and techniques employed in mounting theatrical productions. Theater production is explored through studying: the structure and organization of the production staff of a theater company; the physical plant; types of scenery and scenic construction techniques; stage lighting; sound; stage management; and the reading and use of plans. Students will fulfill a two-hour lab requirement and will work on at least one Skidmore theater production.

An introduction to script analysis and design theory. Students will learn to construct models and work as collaborative artists. The course will meet as a lecture and also use laboratory time to learn model-building skills, to research, and to learn and work with various building and painting materials. Students will fulfill a two-hour lab requirement and will work on at least one Skidmore theater production.

An overview of the essential elements of direction. Students will analyze play texts and directing theories as well as engage in active lab work in understanding dramatic action, composition, and picturization in a variety of spaces, which will provide the foundation for working with actors. Students will also analyze the written analysis of plays, study the expression of directorial concepts, and communicate with actors through class exercises and scene work reinforcing the idea of the director as a collaborator as well as the primary leader and communicator about the play before and during the rehearsal process. Students will develop time-management strategies, enabling them to craft a rehearsal schedule by which to build the play and move the rehearsal process forward. Theoretical texts and articles about directors and play texts will provide one context for these analyses. In the studio, students will work as actors and directors and have the opportunity to direct actors from the intermediate acting class.

Physical training for the actor-performer taught from varying points of view depending on the instructor. Work in this course might include physical training, dance for actors, mime, stage combat, circus techniques. Instructors also direct students in the development of a personal, physical warm-up.

Emphasis on deepening of the actor's imagination, concentration, awareness, and presence through rigorous physical improvisation. Students experience the integration of physical improvisation with textual work as the semester progresses. Students are exposed to a variety of theatrical approaches.

Through textual analysis, object exercises, and scene work, students experience the development of a role through the exploration of text and its relationship to the body in space. Students will develop their ability to read theatrical texts as they plan for their spatial, rhythmic, and emotional work as performers. Students are exposed to a variety of theatrical approaches.

Students explore the power of language through the reading of prose and verse. Exercises learned in this course continue to move the student toward a centered, natural placement of the instrument, and the development of standard non-regional speech, articulation, and flexibility. Introductory tools are learned in the reading of verse and standard dialect work. Rehearsal-specific warm-up programs are developed with students and used regularly. Written evaluations, critiques, and observations by the student are assigned to increase awareness of the voice and use of vocal vocabulary.

A study of scenic, lighting, and costume design for the theater. The history and theory of design will be explored, as well as the practical application of principles. Special attention will be given to the processes of research, play analysis, and conceptualization. Students will complete a series of projects involving drafting, drawing, painting, and model-making.

An introduction to the art of writing plays. Students will be exposed to the elements of playwriting and the basics of dramatic structure through writing assignments, in-class exercise and readings of contemporary plays and critical texts. Students work in a workshop format in order to experience the process of writing plays. Substantial class time is devoted to discussion of student writing.

A study of the theory, equipment, and technique involved in stage lighting. Topics include optics, vision, electricity, color, aesthetics, and design procedures. This course consists of lectures, working labs, and assigned responsibilities on Skidmore Theater productions.

A study of the relationships between theatre, performance, and culture across time and geography, from ritualistic beginnings to the 19th Century.

A study of theater and its contexts from 1800 to the present. Students explore and analyze how theater's components- plays, acting, design, theory, and management- interact with aesthetic, socioeconomic, and political ideas and practices.

Participation for theater majors and non-majors interested in theater production. Each company member will acquire a breadth of training across all areas of theatrical production, as well as make essential contributions to the ongoing work of the company. All company members are a part of the production process from concept to design to execution and evaluation.

A studio course in the principles and practice of stage costume design, including a historical survey of clothes, moral conventions, and theatrical costume. The process of design development from concept to completed plates will be encountered through a series of assigned projects.

A continuation of the work begun in TH 140 and TH 240 deepens directors’ mastery of the craft of theatrical storytelling and how directors create compelling, complete and clear theatrical worlds on stage. Students will learn advanced text analysis techniques, visual research strategies, approaches to conceptualization, and approaches to collaboration with designers, actors, stage managers and producers. Students will direct a final, fully realized theatrical piece from an extant play in collaboration with both student actors and designers.

An exploration of the ways in which Shakespeare himself effectively serves as a guide for the comprehension and performance of his verse in his plays and poetry. The emphasis will be on analysis of verse, techniques in speaking it, and the use of verse techniques to explore and develop character. During the course, students will study, prepare, and present soliloquies, monologues (including set speeches), and sonnets.

Students will learn to use computer programs to produce stage lighting plots. In addition to projects designed to explore and teach CADD programs, students will assist the faculty lighting designer on actual productions during the semester. Production work will include hanging and focusing lights, attending rehearsals and meetings, and the development of light cues.

A practical, experiential course which accompanies the theater department’s student-led lab show programming. The course meets once weekly for 90 minutes, during which students discuss their processes, collaborate on rehearsal strategies, and debate issues in the contemporary theater pertaining to their productions. Additionally, students can expect to spend significant time outside of class under instructor supervision executing their rehearsal process. Students in the class are are leading their own rehearsal processes during the semester, whether as directors, playwrights, dramaturgs, designers, stage managers, etc.

Students enrolled in TH 250 will have major responsibilities working on the main-stage production and on the black-box studio production. The main-stage production is usually presented at the end of the semester, and the studio production is usually presented mid-semester. In addition to production responsibilities, students will complete a portfolio of their experience. Students will meet with the faculty to determine the appropriate number of semester hours for each experience.

Special topics in theory, history, and performance at the intermediate level. Coursework may include topics related to production and performance work in preparation for a specific production, coursework that focuses on certain playwrights, text and performance analysis, and writing about the theater, as well as short-term residences by guest artists. Topics may also include script analysis for actors, introduction to performance theory, stage management, stage combat, and audition preparation. The specific courses differ from year to year, depending on available guest artist opportunities and faculty and student research interests.

An exploration of how the JKB theater Main Stage or Black Box presentations engage internal and external communities in an investigation of power, justice, and identity on  campus, in Saratoga Springs, within our region, or nationwide. Students will study the play being produced from multiple dramaturgical and societal lenses. Students will also learn about the methods, theories, and practices of a number of community engaged theaters nationwide.

Internship opportunity for students whose curricular foundations and cocurricular experience have prepared them for professional work related to the major field. With faculty sponsorship and department approval, students may extend their educational experience into such areas as stage managing; lighting; scene design and construction; costume design, construction, and restoration; sound design and implementation; acting; directing; and theater management and promotion.

Concentrated scene study from major periods in theatrical history. Emphasis on the knowledge and discovery of each particular period through the study and use of masks, costumes, and props.

An open series of acting studies capable of ranging from Shakespearean scene study to musical comedy, from Grotowski training to acting for the epic theater. The specific area of study could be determined by the opportunities of a particular production season, by the training of a visiting artist, or by the interests of faculty or a given group of students.

A series of specialized and advanced level courses in design and technical theater. The opportunities offered in a particular production season, the expertise of available visiting artists, and the needs of qualified students will determine the offering(s) each term.

A series of specialized and advanced level courses in design and technical theater. The opportunities offered in a particular production season, the expertise of available visiting artists, and the needs of qualified students will determine the offering(s) each term.

A series of specialized and advanced level courses in design and technical theater. The opportunities offered in a particular production season, the expertise of available visiting artists, and the needs of qualified students will determine the offering(s) each term.

A series of specialized and advanced level courses in design and technical theater. The opportunities offered in a particular production season, the expertise of available visiting artists, and the needs of qualified students will determine the offering(s) each term.

Intensive practice in the art of playwriting.  In addition to exercises designed to deepen the playwright's grasp of dramatic structures, students will write full-length plays. Workshop format with substantial class time devoted to discussing student writing. Emphasis on developing each writer's unique, idiosyncratic vision and voice within a forum open to experimentation, while also focusing on issues of craft, form and style. Revision is an essential part of the writing process. Reading of contemporary plays and theory is aimed at broadening writers' concepts of what is theatrical. 

An advanced seminar course stressing the relationship of the director's insights to the insights and work of actors, designers, stage managers, composers, and musicians. Students examine a variety of directorial models and theories. Students also analyze their own collaborative efforts and directorial strategies in various workshop productions.

An in-depth examination of a specific topic drawn from the related fields of history and theory. Topics might include a specific period or trend in theater history (for example, the avant-garde) or key artists (for example, women in the American theater) or exploration of theater in relationship to other arts or media (for example, from theater to film) or writing about performance and art.

Participation for theater majors and non-majors interested in theater production. Advanced level work is usually working as a designer, as a director, performing in a substantial role, and/or in a leadership capacity or specialist on crews or management areas. All company members are a part of the production process from concept to design to execution and evaluation.

This course, structured on an individual basis, provides leadership experience in the areas of stage management, properties, sound, and technical direction. Theories and strategies are studied, then applied to work on a major production assignment.

A studio course in advanced theories and practices of scenic design. Study and projects will involve the development of conceptual approaches, research, sketches, and preservation techniques. Students will serve as assistant designers on Skidmore Theater productions.

The evolution of Black Theatre in the United States. Students will gain an understanding of the importance of image as it relates to the creation, production, and function of Black Theatre through the years. Students will study and interpret plays from the mid-nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century, and participate in both individual and group presentations. Students will not only study the work as an art form, but the historical origins and social, cultural, and political ramifications of the work. Analysis and exploration will juxtapose the realities of mainstream theater and culture with the solidification of Black Theatre as a field.

A study of varied interpretations and manifestations of community-based theater ranging from theater pieces and institutions grounded in particular cultural traditions, to social and political work emerging from artist/community collaborations. Students will explore the work of institutions and artists who identify their target communities by age, race, location/region, and sexual orientation, while studying methodologies and underlying pedagogies for creating with and for community. Students will also examine discourse around cultural equity and the concept of arts for social change.

An exploration of the ways in which theater can be a vital part of climate justice in the United States. Students will examine the relationships between power, justice and identity through active participation in the biennial Climate Change Theatre Action global event. Students will research, prepare, plan, create, and implement performances for CCTA 2023, per the guidelines of CCTA 2023. The class and its event will be formally registered with CCTA. CCTA is global in scope; this class, as a Bridge class, will focus on climate justice in the United States. Any international play we choose will be directly linked to U.S. concerns and contexts. Methods of inquiry are grounded in praxis, an interweaving of practice and theory, across modalities, including but not limited to critical reading, original research, digital methods, and hands-on theater making.

A study of the significant sociopolitical events, theatrical innovations, and theater artists who helped shape the American Theater from the late eighteenth century to the current American avant-garde. Readings and studies will focus on the relationship of American society to the major currents in the production process, growth of American theater companies, artists, and critics, and the emergence of American genres such as urban comedy, melodramas, and musical comedy. Students will analyze primary resource materials such as reviews, journal entries, and plays, and will synthesize readings from historical events and theoretical perspectives.

A laboratory class that provides advanced directors and advanced actors an opportunity to collaborate on a series of performance projects. These projects will focus on texts from various countries, genres, and eras. Directing students will define and refine their personal directing methodology by researching and working with various styles of theater literature. Script analysis, study of style, and working with a company of actors are core experiences of directors. Acting students will engage in a variety of performance styles. They will be required to apply their practice and research in fully rehearsed scenes and short plays. All students will research and write about topics relevant to the play texts (e.g., historical contexts, themes, the playwright, etc.). All students will also be involved in research presentations and critique sessions for each project.

A laboratory class that provides advanced directors and advanced actors an opportunity to collaborate on a series of performance projects. These projects will focus on texts from various countries, genres, and eras. Directing students will define and refine their personal directing methodology by researching and working with various styles of theater literature. Script analysis, study of style, and working with a company of actors are core experiences of directors. Acting students will engage in a variety of performance styles. They will be required to apply their practice and research in fully rehearsed scenes and short plays. All students will research and write about topics relevant to the play texts (e.g., historical contexts, themes, the playwright, etc.). All students will also be involved in research presentations and critique sessions for each project.

Independent study and production projects under the guidance of the department. Hours to be arranged. (This course may or may not be credited in liberal arts, at the discretion of both the department chair and the Registrar and in exceptional instances, the College's Curriculum Committee).

Independent work on a theatrical production. Under faculty supervision, the student will choose, cast, and mount a dramatic work which will be presented to the public.

A culminating integrative learning experience for the theater major in which students will reflect on their liberal arts education as the foundation for their current and future creative endeavors. The senior project will integrate each student’s previous experiences at Skidmore while simultaneously fostering new and creative ideas. The senior project requires a student demonstrate both knowledge and expertise. Through the senior project, the student generates questions, experiences, and experiments that will serve to launch them into their post graduate endeavors.

An exploration of professional ethics, current issues in the theater, audition technique, portfolio preparation, and career planning.

Professional experience at an advanced level for juniors and seniors with substantial academic and cocurricular experience in the major field. With faculty sponsorship and department approval, students may extend their educational experience into such areas as stage managing; lighting; scenic design and construction; costume design, construction, and restoration; sound design and implementation; acting; directing; and theater management and promotion.