Chair, Adjunct Associate Professor James Thurston

Adjunct Professor Tina Wentzel; Associate Professor Joylynn Wing; Adjunct Associate Professors Richard Sewell and Thurston; Technical Director John Ervin; Visiting Guest Artists Jack Axelrod (Directing) and Holly Labbe Russell (Dance)

The primary mission of the Department of Theater and Dance is to promote the historical, theoretical, and experiential study of these performing arts as vital and important areas of inquiry for liberal arts students. The department is founded on two premises: first, that performance is essential to a full understanding of the art form; second, that all the arts share significant modes of thought and expression and that a knowledge of one art form will contribute to an understanding of all the arts. In addition to traditional lecture and discussion courses, the program of study includes frequent opportunities for practical experience in the theater. The department also seeks to educate the larger community through its rigorous production schedule of plays, dance concerts, touring artists, and residency workshops with guest artists.

Consistent with the College's mission, the major in Theater and Dance is a liberal arts, not a pre-professional, major. It is, however, a major that will adequately prepare particularly interested and talented students for graduate study and further involvement with performing groups. It is a structured major, ensuring that all students have experience and training in acting, directing, movement, design, and technical production in addition to the historical and theoretical study of theater and dance.

To encourage the study of theater and dance abroad, Colby collaborates with Bates and Bowdoin colleges to offer the CBB Off-Campus Study Program in theater. This exceptional program, founded by Colby in 1986, provides an important opportunity for Colby students to experience and study theater with British professionals. The Theater and Dance faculty strongly encourages majors, minors, and interested non-majors to participate in this unique and richly rewarding semester abroad.

Requirements for the Major in Theater and Dance A 12-course major comprising the following courses:
I. Theater and Dance 113, The Dramatic Experience.
II. Performance: any one section of Theater and Dance 264, and one course from each of the following four areas: acting, dance, directing/choreography, design.
III. Theater and Dance History: three courses: Theater and Dance 224, 226, and either 228 or Text and Performance II, offered in the CBB Program in London.
IV. Advanced Topics in Theater and Dance: two courses from the following: Theater and Dance 326, 335, 349, 361.
V. Theater and Dance 493, Senior Thesis.
VI. Significant participation in four faculty-directed productions in four separate semesters: one must be in performance, one must be in design/technical production, and one must be in stage management. Theater and Dance 264, Drama and Dance in Performance, counts as one of these experiences.

Requirements for the Minor in Theater and Dance
A seven-course minor comprising the following courses:
I. Theater and Dance, 113 The Dramatic Experience.
II. Performance: one course in each of the following two areas: acting/dance, design.
III. Theater and Dance History: two courses: either Text and Performance I or II, offered in the CBB Program in London, or any of the following: Theater and Dance 224, 226, 228.
IV. Advanced Topics in Theater and Dance: one course from the following: Theater and Dance 326, 335, 349, 361.
V. Theater and Dance 264, Drama and Dance in Performance.
VI. Significant participation in two faculty-directed productions in two separate semesters. Theater and Dance 264, Drama and Dance in Performance, counts as one of these experiences.

Only three- and four-credit theater and dance courses may count toward the major or minor. The point scale for retention of the major applies to all courses offered toward the major. No requirement for the major or minor may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.

COURSE OFFERINGS

113fs    The Dramatic Experience    Immerse yourself in the dramatic experience through observation, participation, and analysis. In addition to specialized workshops (e.g., "Audition Techniques") and a foundation of dramatic studies, students will examine departmental productions as well as two or three professional performances off campus. Labs provide either weekly exposure to scenic, lighting, and costume methodologies or a condensed two-week opportunity in lighting or sound operations. (Lighting/sound lab requires permission of the instructor.) Four credit hours.  A.    ERVIN

[131]    Theater Production    Go behind the scenes to reveal secrets about the "magic" of theater. In addition to learning the rudiments of scenery, lights, costumes, props, and sound, students are encouraged to explore advanced topics such as engineering the "flying" of an actor or painting realistic marble. The lab component offers students a hands-on opportunity to practice the crafts of theater in a relaxed setting while using first-rate equipment under the guidance of working professional instructors. Theater production is a wonderful opportunity to be a significant part of some of the many excellent productions staged by Colby's Theater and Dance Department. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 113. Three credit hours.  A.    

135fs    Introduction to Design    An introduction to the principles of visual design and their role in the dramatic event. Particular emphasis is placed on bringing the imagined world of the playwright to life through the use of space, light, and clothing. Historical and contemporary texts are explored through lectures, discussions, and projects. No prior experience is required. Enrollment limited. Four credit hours.  A.    THURSTON

155f    Foundations of Dance    Concentration on the basic principles of dance movement: body alignment, coordination, strength and flexibility, forms of locomotion. Three credit hours.  A.    WENTZEL

171f    Acting I: Improvisation    An overview of the foundational techniques of stage performance, with a focus on invention and structured improvisational problems. Through the use of theater games and movement improvisation, performance skills will be approached from two perspectives: concentration and action. The process allows students to break through thinking and movement patterns that have limited them in the past by responding to each other's imagination, energy, and style. Enrollment limited. Four credit hours.  A.    WENTZEL, WING

224f    Theater History I: Greek to Renaissance    History of Western theater and its literature from the Greco-Roman era to the Elizabethans and the Spanish Golden Age. Theater architecture, representative works of dramatic literature, staging practices, and theoretical treatises on performance are considered in relation to the social and intellectual history of the era. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 113. Four credit hours.  L.    SEWELL

226s    Theater History II: Restoration to 19th Century    History of Western theater and its literature from 1600 to 1890 (Jacobean and French Neoclassical through Victorian). Theater architecture, representative works of dramatic literature (including Asian theater), staging practices, and theoretical treatises on performance are considered in relation to the social and intellectual history of the era. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 113. Four credit hours.  L.    SEWELL

228s    Theater History III: 20th Century to Present    Developments in the art of theater from the turn of the 20th century through contemporary theater practice. Theater architecture, representative works of dramatic literature, staging practices, and theoretical treatises on performance are considered in relation to the social and intellectual history of the era. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 113. Four credit hours.  L.    WING

235s    Intermediate Design    Further exploration of the role of visual design in the dramatic event. Textual analysis, research, and conceptual design solutions focus on an integrated design philosophy (scenery, costumes and lights). Drawing, rendering, drafting, scenic modeling and computer-aided design become the means for design expression in this intensive course. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 135. Four credit hours.  A.    THURSTON

[255]    Advanced Dance: Moving Through Human Anatomy    An overview of the major systems of the body (skeletal, fluids, nervous, etc.) to show how the systems support and move the body in and through space. Personal awareness of these systems fosters understanding of their interrelationships in self and others and helps to refine personal, technical clarity with regard to movement expressivity in performance. Course content will change each semester and may be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 155. Three credit hours.  A.    

264Af    Blue Heart    Two short related plays by British playwright Caryl Churchill. Prerequisite: Auditions held during first week of fall semester. Four credit hours.  A.    WING

264Bf    Mrs. Warren's Profession    G.B. Shaw's drama (as current now as when it was written) gives a stunned college-grad, daughter of a shrewd old survivor, an unvarnished look at prostitution as investment. Prerequisite: Auditions held during first week of fall semester. Four credit hours.  A.    SEWELL

264Cj    City of Angels    A musical. Hollywood mystery writer from the '50s winds up inside his own detective movie. Which is fantasy, film or film industry--or all that jazz? Fully produced with orchestra in conjunction with the Music Department. Prerequisite: Auditions held mid-fall. Three credit hours.  A.    MACHLIN, SEWELL

264Ds    Colby Dance Ensemble    Newly formed repertory company of student dancers who perform the work of professional and student choreographers in concert format. Class combines advanced-level modern dance technique and company rehearsals. Prerequisite: Auditions held during fall semester. Four credit hours.  A.    RUSSELL

264Es    Rudens (Rope)    A romantic, low comedy by Plautus, the Neil Simon of his day. Set on the Mediterranean coast of Africa, this Roman adaptation of an earlier Greek play provides a real opportunity to test and measure comedic skills. Prerequisite: Prepared and impromptu auditions held during the first week of spring semester. Four credit hours.  A.    AXELROD

271s    Acting II: Intermediate Acting    A studio course centering on the actor's process, with identification as the organizing principle. Includes presentation of assigned object-exercises and two-character scenes taken mostly from contemporary plays. Requires time outside of class for preparation and rehearsal. Enrollment limited to 16 actors, with three alternates. Attendance at first class is mandatory. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 171. Four credit hours.    AXELROD

[326]    Topics in Theater and Dance History    Advanced study of the history of theater and dance. Topics will vary from semester to semester and focus on the theoretical and historical context of dramatic works and the dance event. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 113. Four credit hours.    

[335]    Topics in Design    Advanced studies in design and technical production. Emphasis is placed on the theoretical and historical role of design in theater and dance. Topics vary from semester to semester and focus on the historical context of design, design theory, production design, technical theater, and theater architecture. Prerequisite: Theater and Design 113, 235. Four credit hours.    

349Af    Topics in Dramatic Literature: In the Absurd and Beyond    Both the tradition and the eventual offshoots of the "Theater of the Absurd" style that flowered in France in the 1950s. Careful analysis of the dramatic techniques of Beckett, Ionesco, and Genet will be followed by an examination of those techniques in the work of representative British and American playwrights. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 113. Four credit hours.    WING

349Bs    Topics in Dramatic Literature: Women Playwrights    An examination of the plays and staging techniques of women writing for the contemporary theater. Emphasis on current feminist and performance theory in order to investigate the implications of gender roles, stereotypes, and associated assumptions and conventions of theatrical performance. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 113. Four credit hours.    WING

359f    Choreography    Description and analysis of movement and its relation to basic elements of dance: time, space, weight, and flow. Improvisation and choregraphic studies will be the vehicles for exploring the formal compositional fundamentals of dance and their application to group choreography. Final projects will be research-based and fully conceived dances to be presented during workshop week. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 255 and permission of the instructor. Four credit hours.    WENTZEL

361s    Topics in Performance: Advanced Acting Techniques    A studio course extending and enriching the work of 271. Includes presentation of two-character scenes exploring texts by authors other than contemporary Americans, as well as prepared object-exercises. Includes work on monologues. Requires time outside of class for preparation and rehearsal. Attendance at first class is mandatory. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 271. Four credit hours.    AXELROD

379s    Directing    The techniques of staging drama, seeking out and projecting the ideas and passions in a script (or imposed upon it); the strategies for organizing and facilitating the creative process commonly used in current theater. One-day workshop with a guest professional stage manager required. Prerequisite: Theater and Dance 113. Four credit hours.    SEWELL

491f, 492s    Independent Study    Individual projects in areas where the student has demonstrated the interest and competence necessary for independent work. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. One to four credit hours.    FACULTY

493f    Senior Thesis    An intensive research-oriented experience. Students are expected to complete in-depth, independent research on a singular topic and present their conclusions to the department in a final thesis paper and public presentation. Prerequisite: Senior standing as a theater and dance major. Four credit hours.    FACULTY