Theatre, Speech and Dance
Undergraduate Concentration Requirements and Recommendations
for the Department of Theatre, Speech and DanceThe concentration combines the study of dramatic literature, theatre history, performance theory and studio work in the various theatre arts. The aim of the concentration is to teach students to develop independent perspectives through the integration of practical, historical and theoretical studies. As noted above, an essential aspect of the program is the engagement of students in performance procedures (acting, dancing, directing, choreography, stage design, playwriting, dramaturgy, etc.) in order to experience the inter-relationships among social contexts, dramatic texts and theatrical enactments.
Of the twelve courses required, at least six must be in theatre history and dramatic and theatrical theory; this includes a required three-course history sequence that forms a backbone for further study in these areas. Students are encouraged to make use of the entire Brown curriculum in fulfilling the remaining dramatic literature and theory requirements and are urged to take at least one course out of the mainstream of European and American theatre and drama (e.g. courses in Asian, African, African-American, Latino/a, Meso-American, Popular or Feminist performance). A sophomore level acting course and a basic course in technical theatre and design are required of all students, as is a senior seminar, taken by most students in their seventh semester. The remaining three courses for the concentration may be taken in areas of applied theatre arts (though this is not a requirement); there are sequences of courses available in acting/directing, playwriting, design/technical theatre, and dance. For students with an emphasis in dance, the definitions of theory and history are appropriately widened, but the core courses and the principles of distribution remain the same.
In cases where dual concentrations are declared, the Department allows four courses to be counted toward both concentrations.
Students wishing to enroll as concentrators should see Prof. Lowry Marshall, who serves as the undergraduate concentration facilitator, in order to discuss options that will best serve their interests.
Required Courses
Twelve courses are required for the Theatre Arts Concentration:
1, 2, 3:
TSDA 1230 Histories of World Theatre: Ancient-Medieval
TSDA 1240 Histories of World Theatre: 1500-1850
TSDA 1250 The Development of 20th Century Theatre in the West4: TSDA 0230 Acting
5: TSDA 0250 Technical Production of Plays
6: TSDDA 1520 Senior Seminar
7-9: Three courses in Dramatic Literature, Theory, History and Criticism (see the description of the concentration above for suggestions as to how to approach this requirement)
10-12: Three electives to be selected from applied areas and/or from relevant theoretical and text based studies.
One of the twelve courses passed must be in the areas of Dance or Speech/Communication studies.
Honors: The standard pattern above, plus an honors thesis (TSDA 1990), the topic of which would be determined b efore Semester VII. Candidates for the honors program should apply to the Department by Semester VI. The honors advisor is Prof. John Emigh.
Courses Offered in the Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance
TSDA Course Title
0030 Introduction to Acting and Directing
0060 Introduction to Playwriting Workshop
0210 Voice for Public Communication
0220 Persuasive Communication
0230 Acting
0250 Introduction to Technical Theatre and Production
0260 Stage Lighting
0270 Clothing and the Human Experience: Costume History
0280 Costume Design and the Theatre
0310 Beginning Modern Dance
0320 Dance Composition
0330 Mande Dance, Music and Culture
0410 Persuasion and Public Controversy
0420 Latino/a Theatre and Performance
0500 Topics in Theatre and Performance Studies (undergrad only: check for current offerings)
1000 Intermediate Dance
1030 Rhetorical Foundations of Human Communication
1040 Interpersonal Communication
1100 Theatre Management
1160 Style and Performance
1190 Character, Mask and Action
1210 Solo Performance
1220 The Development of the American Theatre from Colonial Times to 1915
1230 Histories of World Theatre: Ancient and Medieval
1240 Histories of World Theatre: 1500-1850
1250 The Development of Twentieth Century Theatre in the West
1260 Origin and Development of Popular Forms of Entertainment
1270 Non-Western Theatre and Performance: Mask and Festival
1280 Special Topics in Theatre and Performance Studies (undergrad and grad: check for current offerings)
1290 Advanced Costume Design
1300 Advanced Scenic Design and Technical Production
1310 Advanced Modern Dance
1320 Choreography
1330 Dance History: The 20th Century
1340 Dance Styles
1350 Dance Performance and Repertory I
1360 Dance Performance and Repertory II
1370 Dance History: West African Traditions in American Dance
1380 Mise en Scene
1400 Advanced Performance
1430 Russian Theatre
1440 Selected Figures in Theatre and Drama
1520 Senior Seminar in Theatre Arts
1830 Group Research Projects
1890 Independent Reading and Research
1990 Senior Honors Thesis Preparation
2100 Seminar in Dramatic and Theatrical Theory
2200 Graduate Seminar in Theatre History(Recent topics have included: Abstraction and Resistance; Revolution as a Work of Art; Photography and Performance, Studies in Historiography, etc.)
2850 Master’s Thesis Research
2890 Comprehensive Examination Preparation (no course credit)
2990 Dissertation Preparation (no course credit)TSDA courses with primary listing in another department
AA 0990 Black Lavender: Black Gay and Lesbian Plays in the American Theatre (TA 0990)
AA 1110 Voices Beneath the Veil (TSDA 1110)
AA 1130 African American Folk Traditions and Cultural Expression (TSDA 1130)
LR 0210 Workshop in Playwriting II (TSDA 1200)
LR 1010 Advanced Playwriting (TSDA 1020)Numerous other courses are cross-listed each year as special topics courses under TA 0500 and TA 1280. Relevant courses not cross-listed can also be taken for concentration credit with approval of the concentration advisor.