Courses

TH 106 Fundamentals Of Movement

Davis 
Content: Use of guided movement explorations, partner work, readings, and discussions to explore structural and functional aspects of the body and anatomy with the goal of increasing ease of movement and physical coordination. Breath, mobility/stability, relaxation, spinal support, massage, pelvic placement, rotation, healthy sequencing of arms and legs. Basic elements of the bone, muscle, and organ systems; relationship between the body and psychological and emotional patterns. Extensive journal writing. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.

TH 107 Ballet I
Davis.
Content: Introduction to basic ballet principles, steps, and vocabulary. Correct alignment, placement, mobility; increasing flexibility, balance, strength, coordination, control. Barre warm-up, center floor and traveling combinations, general introduction to ballet history and aesthetics. Readings in related historical material; written critique of live performance. Live music accompaniment.
Prerequisites: None.
Usually taught: Annually, 2 semester credits.

TH 108 Contemporary Dance Forms I

Davis 
Content: Introduction to modern and postmodern dance forms, physical techniques, and principles. Emphasis on the conceptual nature of contemporary dance since the 1960s. Movement skills and perspectives in relation to historic and aesthetic ideas that fostered them. Development of sound body mechanics, strength, flexibility, control, momentum, movement quality, musicality, personal movement resources. Viewing live and videotaped performances. Short readings on dance history and theory. Live music accompaniment. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Annually, 2 semester credits.

TH 110 Theatre Laboratory

Staff 
Content: Introduction to behind-the-scenes work in the theatre. Participation on production crews for all departmental productions in a given semester. Experiential learning in the scene and costume shops, on lighting and front-ofhouse crews. Introduction to the processes that transform the visions of directors and designers into realities on stage. Weekly organizational and instructional meetings, arranged work schedule, required safety orientations. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Each semester, 2 semester credits. May be repeated for up to two additional 1-credit semesters with lab-only requirements, not to exceed 4 total course credits per student.

TH 113 Acting I, Fundamentals

Arnold, Simek, Weeks 
Content: The fundamentals of acting, including physicalization, text analysis, objectives and actions, rehearsal techniques. Development of skills through class exercises and the rehearsal and performance of short projects and twocharacter scenes. Writing assignments including script analyses, character biographies, peer reviews, performance reviews, observation exercises, journals. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Each semester, 4 semester credits.

TH 208 Contemporary Dance Forms II

Davis 
Content: Deepening exploration of physical techniques, historic events, and aesthetic concerns that shape contemporary dance today. Kinesthetic awareness, momentum, phrasing, weight sharing, authentic gesture, basic performance skills. Exploring basic improvisation and composition skills to give form to spontaneous and intuitive movement impulses. Reading, writing, viewing live performance. Live music accompaniment. 
Prerequisite: Theatre 108 or consent of instructor. 
Taught: Annually, 2 semester credits. May be taken twice for credit.

TH 212 Stagecraft

Robins 
Content: Advanced techniques and concepts in stagecraft. Explores the second-phase design process by which a set designer’s visual representations are transformed first into working drawings and construction problems, and then into material, three-dimensional forms. Classroom instruction and experiential learning in the scene shop. Emphasis on problem-solving, collaborative interpretation of design ideas, creative implementation. 
Prerequisite: Theatre 110 or consent of instructor. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 213 Acting II, Realism

Arnold, Simek, Weeks 
Content: Rehearsal with more complex texts of realism from such playwrights as Ibsen, Chekhov, Churchill, Stoppard. Integration of voice and body work, deepening a sense of truth in emotional and intellectual expression. Actors work with instructor on individual acting problems, share research in texts and historical periods, learn how to help each other take acting explorations further. Writing: script analysis, historical research, bibliography, observations. Additional projects in movement and voice. 
Prerequisite: Theatre 113. 
Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.

TH 214 Dance In Context: History And Criticism

Davis 
Content: Viewing of selected live dance performances in the Portland area. An exploration of the intellectual, historical, and social contexts of these performances. Development of a vocabulary for dance criticism and an understanding of the essential elements of dance choreography and performance. Readings; analysis of videotaped, filmed, and live dance performances; seminar discussion. 
Prerequisite: Fee (performance tickets). 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 216 Speech, Enunciation, And Presentation For Actors And Nonactors

Simek 
Content: Increasing the power of the voice and improving oral presentation skills. Exploration of breath, training in enunciation, presentations of literary and nonliterary texts. Culmination in an outdoor public performance. Voice training includes the methods of Cecily Barry and Konstantin Stanislavsky. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.

TH 218 Fundamentals Of Design

Olich 
Content: Introduction to the expressive principles, elements, and processes of design. Projects and exercises exploring conceptualization of story-based ideas as well as introducing the challenges and rigors of collaboration. Introduction to visual communication and expressive form for theatre practitioners, but the skills involved are widely applicable to all design disciplines. Foundation course for advanced work in the history, theory, and aesthetics of theatrical design. 
Prerequisite: None 
Taught: Annually, 4 semester hours.

TH 220 Theatre Graphics

Olich 
Content: Exploration of the graphic techniques necessary for successful communication within the design and production areas of theatre.  Projects and exercises in drawing, rendering, model building, color theory, and drafting (dominantly hand drafting, some computer-assisted).  Introduction to visual communications and expressive form for theatre practitioners, but the skills involved are widely applicable.  Foundation course for advanced work in the theory and aesthetics of design. 
Prerequisite: None 
Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.

TH 234 Stage Lighting

Staff 
Content: Understanding the physical properties of light, the technologies used to light the stage, and the principals and practices of lighting design. Topics include optics, color, electrical theory, lighting instruments, control systems, design concepts, light plots, script analysis for lighting. Readings, writing assignments, research projects, demonstrations, creative projects in light design. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 246 Special Topics: Design/Technical Theatre

Staff 
Content: Special topics in design and technical theatre. Course content and prerequisites vary by topic. 
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. 
Taught: Alternate years, 2 semester credits. May be taken twice for credit.

TH 249 Theatre At The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (New!)  

Staff 
Content: The centerpiece of the course is a six-day trip to OSF in Ashland, OR to see all nine plays offered during that week.  We will study the plays and playwrights (and related works) for three weeks, then head to Ashland; there will follow two weeks of project work and debriefing.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. 
Taught: Alternate years, 2 semester credits. May be taken twice for credit.
Then there will be two weeks of project work and debriefing.

NOTE: ENROLLMENT IS LIMITED TO TEN STUDENTS !!

TH 250 Theatre In New York

Staff 
Content: Contemporary theatre in New York including traditional and experimental work, American plays, plays from the international repertoire. Attending and discussing productions. Meeting with playwrights, actors, directors, designers, producers to investigate current trends in theatrical writing, production, criticism. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Annually, on New York program, 4 semester credits.

TH 251 Theatre In London

Staff 
Content: Contemporary theatre in London including traditional and experimental work, American plays, plays from the international repertoire. Attending and discussing productions. Meeting with playwrights, actors, directors, designers, producers to investigate current trends in theatrical writing, production, criticism. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Alternate years, on London program, 4 semester credits.

TH 252 Rehearsal And Performance: Dance

Davis 
Content: Performance of original dance pieces developed by student choreographers. Work critiqued at regular intervals throughout semester. Approximately 10 weeks of rehearsals held twice a week and three performances. 
Prerequisite: Audition. 
Taught: Annually, 1-2 semester credits. May be repeated for credit.

TH 253 Rehearsal And Performance: One-Acts

Staff 
Content: Faculty-supervised rehearsal and performance of selected one-act plays and senior thesis projects, organized in various formats: student written, student directed; professionally written, student directed; professionally written, guest artist directed. Limited scenic support. 
Prerequisite: Audition. 
Taught: Annually, 1-3 semester credits, credit-no credit.

TH 275 Introduction To Playwriting

Weeks 
Content: Introduction to dramatic writing. Examination of dramatic action, dialogue, characterization, and structure; emphasis on writing for the stage. Reading assignments from classical, modern, and contemporary plays as well as from commentaries on the playwright’s art, Aristotle to the present. Students write scenes and exercises throughout the semester, culminating in a final project. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 281 Theatre And Society I: Classical And Medieval Drama

Arnold, Simek 
Content: Theatre 281, 282, and 283 examine significant works of world drama in their social and historical contexts. Emphasis is on the Western tradition. Each course studies the relationship between stage practice and text and the place of theatre in society, and examines dramatic construction, major performance styles, physical theatres, and evolving interpretations of the genre. Critical papers and seminar discussions, scene readings, and staging demonstrations. Theatre 281 focuses on ancient Greek and Roman drama, medieval drama, and on traditional drama in China, India, Japan. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 282 Theatre And Society Ii: Renaissance, Neoclassical, And Romantic Drama

Simek, Weeks 
Content: Same as Theatre 281. Focus on English and Italian Renaissance, French neoclassicism, English Restoration, romanticism, melodrama. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 283 Theatre And Society Iii: Modern Continental Drama

Simek, Weeks 
Content: Same as Theatre 281. Focus on modern continental theatre from Büchner to contemporary European playwrights. Examination of realism, expressionism, surrealism, and continental postmodernism. Special attention to the theatre and social contexts of eastern and central Europe and Germany. 
Prerequisite: None. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 299 Independent Study

Staff 
Content: Opportunities for well-prepared students to design and pursue a course of independent readings or creative work in a substantive area. Details determined by the student and supervising instructor. 
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. 
Taught: Each semester, 1-4 semester credits.

TH 301 Directing

Arnold, Simek, Weeks 
Content: Preliminary text analysis, preparation and staging of play texts. Exercises and scene work exploring the director’s basic techniques, tools, and procedures. 
Prerequisites: Theatre 213. Junior standing. 
Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.

TH 308 Dance Composition And Improvisation

Davis 
Content: Studio work in compositional exploration and the investigation of movement and sound in solo and group improvisation. Critical evaluation and analysis of work in progress. Organization and design of dance studies for class presentation and future choreography. 
Prerequisites: Theatre 108. One other dance course or consent of instructor. 
Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.

TH 313 Acting III, Style

Arnold, Simek, Weeks 
Content: Advanced techniques in acting associated with, and demanded by, the drama of particular periods and genres. Acting “style” explored through the study of a period’s theatrical conventions and cultural preferences (in physical movement, bodily display, vocal technique, fashion). Emphasis on premodern styles, including Shakespeare, commedia dell’arte, Restoration, neoclassical. Some modern and contemporary nonrealistic styles. 
Prerequisite: Theatre 113. 
Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.

TH 333 Scenography I

Olich 
Content: An exploration of the aesthetics, processes, and responsibilities of creating performance environments. The scenographer imagines and constructs visual worlds for theatrical storytelling. Emphasis on scene and costume design, but consideration of all visual elements of the stage, including architecture, lighting, props. Historical exploration of production aesthetics through the 18th century; research into historical performance environments and the texts they supported; project work in creating new performance environments for historical texts. 
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Theatre 218 or 220. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 334 Scenography II

Olich 
Content: Continues the work of Scenography I in exploring the aesthetics, processes, and responsibilities of creating performance environments. Historical focus will be on production aesthetics in the 19th and 20th centuries; research into historical performance environments and they texts they supported; project work in creating new performance environments for historical texts. Emphasis on scene and costume design, but consideration of all visual elements of the stage, including architecture, lighting, props. 
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Theatre 333. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 340 The History And Theory Of Modern And Postmodern Performance

Arnold, Simek, Weeks 
Content: An intellectual history of Western theatrical performance in the 20th century through modern and postmodern performance theories formulated by major directors, actors, playwrights, critics, theorists. Readings from primary sources, biographies and critical works, contemporary theatre theory. Research emphasis on significant productions, major artists, training methodologies, and distinctive models of theatrical work. Provides a historical and theoretical context for contemporary theatrical practices. 
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. One 4-semester-credit course in dramatic literature/theatre history and one 4-semester-credit course in performance, or consent of instructor. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 350 Dance And Performance

Davis 
Content: Exploration of dance technique in preparation for performance with faculty and guest choreographers. Culminates in dance concert. 
Prerequisite: By audition. 
Taught: Alternate years, 1-4 semester credits. May be repeated for credit.

TH 351 Rehearsal And Performance—Main Stage Production

Staff 
Content: Rehearsals five to six nights a week for six to eight weeks. Six scheduled performances followed by a department critique. Intense involvement in the complete process of translating a play script into performance. Journal or research as process requires. 
Prerequisite: Audition for cast. Lewis & Clark supports a policy of color-blind casting. 
Taught: Each semester, 1-4 semester credits, depending on size of role and length of rehearsal period. May be repeated for a maximum 24 credits, with a maximum 4 semester credits per semester.

TH 356 Devised Performance

Simek, Weeks 
Content: An exploration of nontraditional modes of theatrical creation and performance for advanced theatre students and students of studio art, music performance, or creative writing. Nontraditional models of collaboration and collective creation, the adaptation of nondramatic texts for performance, examples of cross-disciplinary work. Students write, adapt, and create original performances throughout the semester. Culminates in a large-scale collaborative project. 
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Two 4-semester-credit courses in theatre, one of which must be in performance; or two 4-semester-credit courses in studio art, music performance, or creative writing and consent of instructor. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 381 British Theatre And Drama: 19th Century To Present

Weeks 
Content: A study of the dramatic literature and performance styles of British theatre from the origins of modernism to the present. Wilde, Shaw, and Coward through post-war playwrights such as Wesker, Pinter, Bond, Churchill, Orton, Barnes, Barker, Stoppard, Wertenbaker. The evolution of theatrical forms and themes in relation to historical and social change. 
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Theatre 281, 282, or 283, or a literature course offered by the Department of English or Foreign Languages and Literatures. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 382 American Theatre And Drama: 19th Century To Present

Arnold, Weeks 
Content: A study of the American theatre’s dramatic literature and performance styles. Origins of modern American theatre from the English theatre tradition, the theatres of immigrant communities, and the popular entertainments of the 19th-century stage. An examination of the development of realism in the first half of the 20th-century and further developments from the 1960s onward, including the expanding range of voices represented and issues of race and gender. The evolution of theatrical forms and themes in relation to historical and social change. 
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Theatre 281, 282, or 283, or a literature course offered by the Department of English or Foreign Languages and Literatures. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits.

TH 385 Special Topics Seminar: Plays And Playwrights

Arnold, Simek, Weeks 
Content: An intensive study focusing on the work of one playwright or related playwrights or focusing on an aesthetic movement. Emphasis on a core group of plays and surrounding historical and critical materials. Exploration and evaluation through research, critical writing, and workshop performances of both dramatic texts and of class research and criticism. 
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Two 4-semester-credit courses in theatre, one of which must be in performance, or consent of instructor. 
Taught: Alternate years, 4 semester credits. May be taken twice for credit.

TH 450 Senior Seminar

Arnold, Simek, Weeks 
Content: Capstone course exploring advanced questions of performance theory. Presentation of a seminar project culminating the student’s focus in theatre. 
Prerequisite: Theatre majors with senior standing. Theatre minors or studentdesigned majors with consent of instructor. 
Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.

TH 499 Independent Study

Staff 
Content: Same as Theatre 299 but requiring more advanced work. 
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. 
Taught: Each semester, 1-4 semester credits.