This intermediate level theatre course is designed for students who wish to pursue in-depth development of their acting and directing skills. The two-semester course covers important Western Movements in theater, as well as essential aspects in the art of acting. Students will study and implement different influences to theatre performance, including how to use improv techniques to make an effective scripted performance, and how observation, emotional recall, sense memory, substitution, voice, and physicality creates effective characterization. Students will also develop and hone their knowledge of the historical and social significance of theatre from the Ancient Greeks and Elizabethan Age to Modern Theatre and Contemporary Drama. By the end of the course, students will advance their understanding of how to analyze a script and participate in the process of taking it from page to performance. Students will take on different roles as performers, directors, designers, and writers for scenes presented in class and in public. Students will develop their creative and
critical thinking skills as they analyze, create, and perform roles from a variety of previously published and original texts. Students will develop their creative expression and an appreciation for the aesthetic value of theatre and they will be able to connect it to other subjects and art forms, which will build their confidence across the curriculum and specifically in fine arts.