THE 627 Makeup for the Theatre (3) This course will afford the student the opportunity to gain expertise in designing and applying a variety of stage make ups including: corrective, fantasy, animal, special effects, old age and will culminate in the introduction of latex prosthetic pieces. Student will be required to purchase a personal makeup kit.
THE 631 Actor Coaching for Stage & Screen (3) The course focuses on the process of evaluating, coaching and directing actors by providing an acting “vocabulary.” Intensive work in audition techniques, cold readings, blocking, improvisations, physicalization and prop work for both “live” and video performance is prepared.
THE 632 Theories and Concepts in Acting (3) This course will make an in-depth examination of a variety of theories and techniques of dramatic stage acting. Emphasis will be placed on Constantin Stanislavski’s system and the application of his theories and principles in exercises and performance presentations. This course may be taken for doctoral credit with approval.
THE 633 Theories and Concepts in Directing (3) This course will make an in-depth examination of a variety of theories and techniques for Directing live performances for the stage. Emphasis will be placed on various principles, techniques, and approaches to directing dramatically effective presentations. The student will participate in classroom exercise work designed to prepare the student to apply what they learn in various types of performance presentations. Emphasis will be placed on script analysis, principles of staging, and collaborating with actors. This course may be taken for doctoral credit with approval.
THE 635 Theatre in Ministry (3) This course will examine strategies and techniques for integrating various forms and types of theatre into the Christian church setting. Examples include, but are not limited to: children’s theatre, puppetry, masks, sketch drama, drama in counseling, drama for seniors, prison ministry, Christmas and Easter cantata’s.
THE 657 Writing and Producing Children’s Theatre (3) In this course students will have the opportunity to adapt children’s literature, learn how to critique children’s programming in the media and create an original play or film script. Story structure, characterization, motifs in children’s literature and the developmental stages in children are examined as effective tools in writing and producing for children. Students will also be afforded the opportunity to direct and produce theatre for children.
THE 680 Practicum in Theatre Performance (1) The course affords students the opportunity to accrue academic credit for acting in Main stage and/or studio productions. M.A. students may earn these credits for acting in and directing Main stage and/or studio productions. Students may register for this course to fulfill elective requirements. A letter grade is assigned at the completion of the course.
THE 681 Practicum in Theatre Production (1) The course affords the student the opportunity to accrue academic credit though exploring the design/technical aspects of production, as many companies require actors to serve on running crews. MA students must register twice for THE 681. Crew assignments may be drawn from a variety of production opportunities in the areas of scenery, costume, makeup, sound, lights, and props. A letter grade is assigned at the completion of the course.
THE 700 Research and Aesthetics in Theatre (3) An in depth examination of the philosophical and methodological strategies of graduate study within the field of the theatrical arts. Emphasis is placed on historical/critical research methods, principles of formalist analysis, Christian aesthetics and the completion of individual research projects designed to prepare the student for the culminating experience of the Thesis/Creative Project.
THE 710 Advanced Acting 1: The Sandford Meisner Approach (3) Meisner’s approach trains actors to get out of their own heads and into reading the behavior generated by their scene partners. It accepts as a basic premise that actors build each others’ characters, moment by moment, together. The course will explore, in some depth, such Meisner exercises as: “The Reality of Doing”, “Point of View”, “Pinch and Ouch”, “What’s Happening”, “Working Off”, “Coming to the Door”, “Doing Fully”, In the Extreme”, “Taking It Personally”, “In Relationship” and “Raising the Stakes.” This course will take as its focal point exercise work as opposed to intense scene study. Any scene work will be drawn from contemporary dramatic literature.
THE 711 Advanced Acting 2: The Meisner Approach Applied (3) The course is a continuing study of Sandford Meisner’s Approach to actor training. It takes as its focal point preparing the actor to access and control release of emotion. Exercise work includes: “Setting the Stage”, “Emotional Preparation”, “Coming Home to Be Alone”, “Coming Home to Do”, “Roommates”, and “The Highest Stakes.” Acting 2 has a more demanding scene study component than Acting 1. Scene work will draw upon the dramatic works of Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov.
THE 712 Unarmed Combat for the Stage (3) The course introduces a variety of aesthetic/safety principles and practical techniques utilized in the staging of unarmed combat for the stage. Principles covered include: distance/measure, partnering, cue-reaction-action, masking, reversal of energy, the pyramid of safety, victim controlled techniques, and making friends with the floor. Techniques covered will be drawn from the following categories: rolls, falls, lifts, carries, throws, punches, blocks, kicks, and specialty moves.
THE 713 Textual Analysis for Production (3) The course is designed to familiarize students with the principles, methods, and procedures involved in the analysis of written dramatic texts intended for film, television, or theatrical production. The course is intended to help students identify the different elements contained within a script and to understand how each of these relate to one another and work together in creating the overall impression as a work of art. This course also examines the numerous devices used by artists and technicians in production to communicate their ideas about the written text and how these devices can affect interpretation and realization of the text in production. This course will focus primarily on the examination and analysis of dramatic texts for the purpose of script, character and artistic interpretation.
THE 727 Movement for the Actor (3) Well-trained actors have voices and bodies that register the subtlest of thoughts and emotions generated by the actor while in character. Movement for the Actor is a process-oriented course that trains the actor’s body to be fully responsive to the demands of physical characterization. Utilizing a mix of stage movement modalities, the student will develop an evolved kinesthetic awareness as a tool in the acting process.
THE 721 Rapier and Dagger for the Stage (3) This course introduces a variety of safety/aesthetic principles as well as practical techniques utilized in staging Renaissance sword fights for the stage. Principles covered include: distance/measure, partnering, cue-reaction-action, masking, reversal of energy, and the pyramid of safety. Techniques covered will be drawn from the following categories: footwork, cuts, thrusts, parries, cross parries, hand parries, reinforced parries, direct and complex attacks, prise de fer (taking of the blade) attacks, avoidances, dagger attacks, combining unarmed techniques with blade work.
THE 722 Advanced Directing for the Stage 1 (3) Students will review the basics of composition, text analysis, ground plan development, moving on to Central Image Concept and advanced Actor Coaching techniques in directing for the theatre. This course deals with contemporary and period dramatic analysis. Students will be prepared for both the practical and visionary aspects of the art of directing.
THE 723 Advanced Directing for the Stage 2: Problems in Directing (3) Students examine the contributions of a variety of innovative directors of the 20th and 21st centuries. Research application and a variety of dramaturgical techniques are examined. The course is an in-depth examination of the role and function of the director as visionary, artist, craftsman, team leader, dramaturge, scholar, and practitioner. The course is a blend of scholarly research and practical application via selected scene work.
THE 724 Stage Management for the Theatre (3) This course covers the duties and responsibilities of a production stage manager. An emphasis is placed on honing organizational skills and in communication with all members of a production team. Working with and adapting to Actors Equity Regulations is included. Students are expected to create a prompt book as a project as well as participate in departmental productions.
THE 725 The Theatrical Design Process 1 (3) This course provides the intellectual study from a practical and emotional perspective of the process of creating a scenic, costume, lighting or audio design. An emphasis is placed on script analysis, research methods, implementation and evaluation. Students investigate the impact of resources on the creation of a work of art.
THE 726 The Theatrical Design Process 2 (3) The tools and techniques utilized by theatrical designers to bring their work to the stage will be presented and explored in depth. Students produce designs for creating scenery, costuming and lighting for a production.
THE 730 Screen Acting 1 (3) The course is designed to teach the techniques and methods of screen acting for single-camera productions (although multiple-camera productions are also addressed). Students are required to prepare and perform scenes for presentation in class, to actively participate in classroom exercises and discussions, and to perform as on-camera talent for student productions outside of class in conjunction with other Film and/or Television classes taking place at Regent University.
THE 731 Screen Acting 2 (3) The course is designed as an advanced-level acting class for on-camera performance. Students are expected to already have a basic knowledge of and experience with the unique requirements of screen acting. Students should already be able to adapt the level of performance to various types of camera shots. The class builds on this base knowledge and concentrates on intense scene study to isolate and target those specific moments that define and shape believable, artistically appropriate on-screen performances. The course also focuses on commercial and professional scenes.
THE 734 Vocal Production for the Actor 1 (3) Developing the speaking voice as an instrument capable of a full range of expression must be a primary objective of the actor. In order to achieve this goal, students focus on a variety of exercises based on the work of Kristin Linklater designed to reconnect speaking with the actor’s impulsive center and remove habits of vocal misuse. Emphasis is placed on freedom and release rather than control, believing that the actor’s focus should be on the integrity of his or her role and the voice should be free to follow the actor’s intuition and imagination. Voice work should make the vocal instrument available while remaining healthy. Its use is not limited to the creation of beautiful sounds. While this course is not designed to be a singing class, better singing may be a by-product of the work.
THE 735 Vocal Production for the Actor 2 (3) For an actor, it is necessary to acquire specific vocal techniques which refine and enhance the development of a free, available voice. The actor must possess skills in the area of phonetics, speech and dialects in order to fulfill a wide range of vocal demands. This course will focus on the study and application of such skills. Previous work with the Linklater Technique from Vocal Production I will be expanded upon and further applied to scripted text. The International Phonetic Alphabet will be introduced as a tool in the correction of individual speech problems and as a basis for the study of major performance dialects. The later part of the semester will be devoted exclusively to dialect study.
THE 740 Advanced Acting 3: Acting Shakespeare (3) The course provides the advanced actor with the various facets of approaching Shakespearean dramatic texts. An emphasis is placed on scansion, voice quality, builds, playing through lines, and finding a physical and emotional subtext for the language. Work is memorized from Sonnets, soliloquies, and dramatic scenes both serious and comic. An ensemble and individual work in vocal dexterity and sensitivity is also applied.
THE 741 Advanced Acting 4: Periods and Styles (3) Periods and Styles will focus on the drama and performance styles of the theatre of Ancient Greece, Neoclassical France and England, the Commedia dell’arte of Renaissance Italy, and Theatre of the Absurd. Students are introduced to the cultural milieu of each of the above-mentioned historical periods and the theatrical conventions in force at that time; and participate in a variety of exercises designed to immerse him/her in that particular period or style of theatre. Each student performs scene-work drawn from dramatic literature written during each of the abovementioned periods or styles of theatre or drama. Work with Greek and Commedia dell’arte mask is also included.
THE 742 Weapons of the Stage (3) Weapons of the Stage introduces a variety of safety and aesthetic principles, as well as a substantive number of techniques utilized in staging scenes of violence for multiple periods and styles. Principles covered include: distance/measure, partnering, cue-reaction-action, masking, reversal of energy, and the pyramid of safety. Techniques covered are drawn from the following weapons/styles: 18th century smallsword, medieval broadsword, medieval quarterstaff, sword and buckler, singlesword, and knife fighting.
THE 750 Auditioning and the Business of Acting (3) A variety of approaches to auditioning are examined including: the prepared audition, cold reading, and improvisation. Students work on a serise of audition pieces so as to have a polished repertoire available upon completion of their degree. The course covers the tools necessary for an actor to market themselves, including head shots, resumes, cover letters, interview technique, and finding "survival" jobs while maintaining a career as an actor.
THE 775 Special Topics in Theatre (1-3) A variety of special areas of study are offered on a rotating basis. Additional topics may be added as they become available. THE 760 may be repeated to fulfill elective requirements. Topics are drawn from (but are not limited to) the following:
- Stage Dialects (3) Students study the International Phonetic Alphabet and a variety of commonly used stage dialects for stage, including (but not limited to): English (both Received Pronunciation and working class/cockney), Irish, French, German, Russian, Scottish, and New York (Brooklynese).
- Voice and Movement for the Actor (3) This course makes use of Arthur Lessac’s approach to voice and movement for the actor to improve the actor’s “Body Wisdom”. It explores Lessac’s Four “Energy States” and his three “Vocal Energy States”. It places an emphasis on physical conditioning, body and vocal awareness through “feeling” the body and the voice, explores Bio energetic Character Structures, physicalizing the objective, creative exploration of transitive verbs, neutral mask work, and integration of the above into the text..
- Dance for the Actor (3) Students receive instruction in a variety of dance styles intended to improve grace, agility, coordination, stamina, strength, flexibility; and instill technique in the most common styles required of an actor. Styles covered may include (but are not limited to): modern, jazz, ballet, and tap.
- Singing for the Actor (3) An emphasis is placed on developing the voice for the demands placed on it by musical theatre. Students develop three audition pieces during the semester: an up-tempo Broadway number, a ballad, and a specialty number (e.g. rock, country, legitimate).
- Musical Theatre Workshop (3) This team-taught class allows students to develop solo pieces, small group pieces, and provides experience working on ensemble pieces drawn from established works from the musical theatre. Students complete work toward having a polished audition piece that includes a monologue and a song from a musical.
- Improvisation (3) Building on the work of Viola Spolin, Paul Sills, The Second City Theatre Company, and others, this class examines the performance strategies and principles of improvisation as a tool for actor training and development. While the class includes work in comedic “improv,” the course also goes beyond this to explore improvisation as a technique for actor training in understanding and developing characters within scripted performances.
- Modern and Contemporary British Theatre (1) The course is a survey of the trends, playwrights, and theatres that have contributed to the phenomenal growth of Modern British Theatre since the mid- 1950’s. Students travel to London, England to experience, first hand, London’s professional theatre scene. Any student registering for this course should be prepared for the costs associated with this trip abroad.
- Modern and Contemporary New York Theatre (1) The course surveys many of the significant trends, playwrights, and producers of theatre that have contributed to the contemporary Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway Theatre scene. Students travel to New York City to experience, first hand, New York’s professional theatre. Any student registering for this course should be prepared for the costs associated with the trip.
THE 780 Practicum in Theatre Performance (1) The course affords students the opportunity to accrue academic credit for acting in Main stage and/or studio productions. MFA students may earn these credits for acting in or directing Main stage and/or studio productions. Students may register for this course to fulfill elective requirements. A letter grade is assigned at the completion of the course.
THE 781 Practicum in Theatre Production (1) The course affords the student the opportunity to accrue academic credit though exploring the design/technical aspects of production, as many companies require actors to serve on running crews. THE 781 credits may be applied to fulfilling elective requirements. Crew assignments may be drawn from a variety of production opportunities in the areas of scenery, costume, makeup, sound, lights, and props. A letter grade is assigned at the completion of the course.
THE 795 Theatre Internship (3) Students may fulfill elective requirements by being engaged to act with a professional or semi-professional company. The number of credits available to the student is determined based upon the student’s contracted responsibilities, but no more than three credits per academic term may be earned. Students may earn a maximum of six credit hours of THE 770 to be applied to fulfilling degree elective requirements.
THE 799 MFA Creative/Thesis Project (3) MFA Acting students perform a major role in a Main stage production during one of their final two semesters in residence. MFA Acting/Directing students direct a full-length production. This creative project includes a written component, or thesis, requiring research, analysis, and clear evidence of application. A comprehensive examination including objective (multiple choice/true-false questions), essay questions, and an oral defense of the project and it’s written component is required.
