TFT 1210 — Introduction to Theatre
This introductory-level course explores forms and modes of theater in order to examine theaters import as a live, performing art of human expression. Analysis will consider both written dramatic literature (plays as texts) and performances of fully staged theater productions (recorded and live). Investigations will explore the ways in which societies shape theater and, in turn, how theater has shaped societies. Examinations will consider a spectrum of theater genres and historical eras from ancient Greek theater to Shakespeare to modern musicals to leading works of the 21st century by women and BIPOC creatives. Participants will develop methods of critical analysis to consider and interpret central elements of staged performance, including: the techniques and technologies of theatrical storytelling, the work of visual representation for performance, modes of acting and physical movement, and representations of race and gender in theater. Explorations will also delineate the specialized crafts of theater artists (i.e., playwrights, actors, designers, and directors). Participants will come to understand the ways in which theater and its multifaceted strategies of representation and creativity for performance are an integral and defining feature of human experience and expression.