XII. Course Descriptions
Theatre Studies
School of English and Theatre Studies
NOTES: Admission to the following courses is not guaranteed, and is by audition, submission of a portfolio and/or interview
only:
For times and dates of auditions, interviews, or the deadline for applications, students should consult the School.All students applying for entry to these courses must obtain the signature of the Theatre Studies Program advisor or the Director,
who will admit students only after consultation with the instructor.
Iterations of some courses may include field trips for which there are supplemental fees.
The Theatre Studies program has a particular interest in the drama and theatre of Canada. Course offerings will reflect this
concentration where appropriate.
| THST*1040 Introduction to Theatre Studies F,W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course introduces students to the disciplines and subject areas that constitute Theatre Studies at the university level,
including the work of playwrights, directors, designers, actors and technicians in creating productions, and the scholarly
study of theatrical history, theory and dramatic literature. Attendance at a number of performances is required, since these
performances are among the "texts" for the course.
|
| Equate(s): |
DRMA*1000 |
| THST*1150 Seminar in Theatre Studies W (3-0) [0.50] |
| A focused study of a selected topic in a small-group learning experience. Students will be introduced to research methodologies
and offered opportunities to strengthen their writing and speaking skills. Variable course content. Consult the School's website
for current topics.
|
| Restriction(s): |
Restricted to students who are declared majors in Theatre Studies. |
| THST*1200 The Languages of Media F (3-2) [0.50] |
| This introductory course examines film, radio, television, and digital media, focusing on the codes and conventions used by
different media to create relationships between structure and content, to make meaning.
|
| THST*2010 Theatre Historical Studies F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course will introduce students to the historical study of theatre by surveying developments in Western theatre from the
classical period to twentieth-century modernism. Building on the historicity of Western theatre, the course also considers
the historical conditions that have produced contemporary theatre practice in Canada.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*1040 |
| Equate(s): |
DRMA*2300, DRMA*3180 |
| THST*2240 Introduction to Theatre Design W (2-3) [0.50] |
| Students will be introduced to theories, techniques and materials in five areas of theatrical design: sets, props, lighting,
sound, and costume. The course also considers the history of design for the theatre, attending to the relationship between
design and other forms of cultural expression.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
DRMA*1000 or THST*1040 |
| Equate(s): |
DRMA*2220 |
| THST*2450 Approaches to Media Studies W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course examines major approaches to the study of communication, including cybernetic, anthropological, semiotic and other
perspectives, focusing on how people transmit information and construct meaning. (Offered in even-numbered years.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*1200 |
| THST*2650 History of Communication F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course is organized around several revolutions in communication and technology: the evolution of human language; the
development of writing systems and literacy; the invention and spread of printing and typography; and the beginnings of electronic
communication and the digital revolution. (Offered in odd-numbered years.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*1200 |
| THST*3030 Theatre for Young Audiences U (2-2) [0.50] |
| This is a studio course addressing selected topics dealing with theatrical practice for children and/or adolescents such as:
creating theatre for young audiences; theatre as an instructional tool; teaching theatre to children; theatre games and play.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
10 credits |
| Equate(s): |
DRMA*2400 |
| Restriction(s): |
Students must be enrolled as a Major or Minor or area of concentration in Theatre Studies or B.A.Sc. Child, Youth and Family. |
| THST*3100 Screenwriting W (3-0) [0.50] |
| Students will be introduced to and be assessed on the various phases of the process of developing a film script, including
developing a one-minute screenplay without dialogue; a five minute screenplay with dialogue; a strategy for “pitching” an
idea to a producer; and the final script. Students will also conduct research on film scholarship and film reception, to contextualize
their own writing. (Offered in even-numbered years.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.00 credits from THST*1200, THST*2080, THST*2120, THST*2240 |
| Restriction(s): |
DRMA*3620, THST*3620 |
| THST*3240 Theatrical Organization F (3-0) [0.50] |
| A study of various models of theatrical organization such as theatrical funding, board and management structures, production
management, technical direction, and stage management, together with their implications for theatrical production and interpretation.
(Offered in even-numbered years.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*2010, THST*2230 |
| Equate(s): |
DRMA*3240 |
| THST*3260 Shakespeare: Text & Performance S (3-0) [0.50] |
| The course offers an analysis of a selection of plays by William Shakespeare. In addition to textual analysis, the students
will be introduced to the stage history of the plays being considered, with attention to conditions of production. The course
normally will include consideration of plays by Shakespeare which are currently in production at the Stratford Festival; students
will have the opportunity to see the plays in performance for which an additional fee may be charged. The course is taught
as an intensive seminar in conjunction with the Stratford Festival and is offered in Stratford, Ontario.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
2.50 credits in Theatre Studies including THST*2010 or 1.00 credits in English.
|
| THST*3280 Theatrical Space W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course is a study of theatrical space as it shapes performance, reception, social value and cultural meanings. It explores
the nature of performance spaces and the relationship between performer and audience, and considers theoretical approaches
to the problem of theatrical space, including analyses of cultural location, aesthetic spatiality, public space and kinaesthetic
space. The course offers an historical overview of various theatre and non-theatre venues for performance from the perspectives
of actors, directors, designers, technicians and audiences. (Offered in even-numbered years.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*2010, THST*2230 |
| THST*3300 Sexuality and The Stage F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course focuses on issues relating to the staging of sexuality. The course will theorize and historicize the representation
of sexual diversity. Variable content course. Topics may include, for example, the theatrical staging of gays, lesbians, bisexuals,
and transgendered people; queer theatre; and the privileging of heterosexuality on the stage. (Offered in even-numbered years.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*2010 or 1.00 credits in English
|
| THST*3340 Voice and Text in Performance S (0-6) [0.50] |
| Within a studio context, students are introduced to techniques of voice, particularly in relation to performing verse. The
course is taught as an intensive lab in conjunction with the Stratford Festival and is offered in Stratford, Ontario. The
course may involve a lab fee. Admission to the course is by application to the School of English and Theatre Studies. Further
information is available from the School.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
2.50 credits in Theatre Studies including THST*3080 or THST*3110 |
| Co-requisite(s): |
THST*3260 |
| THST*3360 Political Intervention Theatre W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course examines major theories, practices and textualities of radical theatre interventions in politics in the twentieth-
and twenty-first centuries. It traces the historical development and genealogies of interventionist processes, with particular
attention to the transnational circulation of practices and methods. (Offered in even-numbered years.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*2010 or 1.00 credits in English
|
| THST*3410 Special Studies in Production I F,W (2-3) [0.50] |
| Students will serve in such capacities as stage managers, assistant stage managers, assistant directors, assistant designers,
dramaturges, producers, or publicists on School productions, and will study the functions of these roles in theatrical production.
Admission is by application to the School.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*3220, (1 of THST*2120, THST*3240, THST*3430, THST*3460, THST*3480, THST*3700)
|
| Equate(s): |
DRMA*3410 |
| Restriction(s): |
Instructor consent required. |
| THST*3460 Costume W (2-3) [0.50] |
| This course studies the art of costume design for the theatre, placing the discipline in historical and theoretical contexts
while exploring the practice and art of costume design. The course covers the techniques, materials and language necessary
to the costume designer's craft and role in the production of a work of theatre. At the instructor's discretion, the course
may include the design of mask, makeup, wigs and accessories. (Offered in odd-numbered years.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*2230, THST*2240 |
| Restriction(s): |
DRMA*3440 |
| THST*3480 Lighting, Sound, Theatre Media F (2-3) [0.50] |
| The course studies theatrical lighting, sound, and media from the perspective of the designer. Through a combination of class
instruction, demonstration and practical lab projects, the student will follow the process for the design of light, sound
and media (theory and practice), from the first reading of a script through all of the stages that lead to the creation of
a design. Special attention is given to analyzing scripts for visual and aural images. (Offered in odd-numbered years.)
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*2230, THST*2240 |
| Restriction(s): |
DRMA*3440 |
| THST*3600 Directed Readings and Special Independent Studies U (3-0) [0.50] |
| Independent study based upon bibliographies established in consultation with the instructor. An essay will normally constitute
the written requirement for the course. Tutoring and/or consultation will be arranged, depending on the topic or materials
for study. Special studies may also be arranged in the practical aspects of the theatre, with appropriate assignments, not
leading to a production. Projects for this course are subject to the approval of the School, and must be submitted to the
Director, on forms provided by the School, no later than the last day of classes in the semester prior to enrolment in the
course.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
3.00 credits in Theatre Studies including THST*2010, THST*2230, (1 of THST*2080, THST*2120, THST*2240)
|
| Equate(s): |
DRMA*3600 |
| Restriction(s): |
Instructor consent required. |
| THST*3950 Drama in London U (2-4) [0.50] |
| A course designed for students taking the London Semester consisting of a study of theatre events in London, through attending
performances, reading texts and meeting for weekly seminars.
|
| Equate(s): |
DRMA*3950 |
| Restriction(s): |
Permission of the Co-ordinator of the London Semester. |
| THST*4090 Directing F (3-2) [0.50] |
| The application of the fundamentals of directing through a specific directorial assignment. Admission is by application to
the School.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*3700 |
| Equate(s): |
DRMA*4090 |
| Restriction(s): |
Instructor consent required. |
| THST*4250 Honours Project in Theatrical Production F,W (0-6) [0.50] |
| The completion, under direction, of a project in acting, directing, dramaturgy, design or technical theatre. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*2010, THST*2230, (1 of DRMA*3440, THST*3110, THST*3220, THST*3430, THST*3480, THST*3700). Admission is by application to the School.
|
| Equate(s): |
DRMA*4250 |
| Restriction(s): |
Consent of both the instructor and the School are required. |
| THST*4280 Ensemble Project W (6-9) [1.50] |
| Students will engage throughout the semester with the processes of forming a theatre company, theorizing its organizational
structure, exploring fundraising and publicity exercises, casting, designing, dramaturging, directing, and mounting a production,
and engaging in post-production analysis that assesses the social and theatrical impact of the decisions taken and procedures
employed.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
THST*1040, THST*2010, THST*2230, (2 of THST*2080, THST*2120, THST*2240), THST*3550, THST*3850, (THST*3650 or THST*3660)
|
| Restriction(s): |
Restricted to majors in Theatre Studies who have completed a minimum of 14.00 credits. |
